BU Research Blog

Photos Courtesy of Jurn Verschraegen
I had the great pleasure to attend the North Sea Dementia Group annual meeting as the ambassador of BUDI this year. It was a very productive and enjoyable time. The meeting was wonderfully organised and took place in several locations of Luxembourg. Work activities included giving updates, by attendees, on the work undertaken by the organisations we represented on the first day, presentations of particular projects on the second day and visits to care homes on the last day. Members of the group were very interested in hearing about BUDI. They highlighted the social impact of BUDI’s work as we not only carry out academic research but also projects that aim to improve directly the quality of live and well-being of people living with dementia. This year the theme for the presentations was ‘Dementia practice, research and policy’. My presentation entitled ‘New horizons in designing dementia-friendly care environments’ showcased our project ‘Decreasing spatial disorientation: towards dementia friendly environments’, which aims to investigate the factors that either facilitate or hinder orientation of people with dementia in residential care environments. I framed the presentation within the context of the Prime Minister’s Dementia Challenge (2012) and the National Dementia Strategy (2009). I received very constructive feedback.

We visited care homes with different design features and models of care. Most notably were the menus and freedom offered to residents living in the ‘Maison de Soins Sacre-Coeur’; the rates residents/staff in the areas for people with dementia in the ‘Centre Grande-Duchesse Josephine-Charlotte’, a care home run by the Red Cross in Luxembourg; and the person-centred care model of the ‘Maison de Séjour et de Soins’ a care home run by the National Alzheimer Association in Luxembourg. Leisure activities organised for the attendees of the meeting included wonderful meals and a Luxemburg wine testing activity.Photo Courtesy of Jurn Verschraegen