BU Research Blog

On the 4th and 5th of November, I represented Bournemouth University Dementia Institute (BUDI) at the Birmingham Care Show with my colleagues Clare Cutler and Dr Rick Fisher. This show attracted over 350 national exhibitors from many sectors of the care industry, including care home providers. This was a fantastic opportunity for BUDI to network and meet a range of potential collaborators. During the event we met over 200 delegates, many were interested in our bespoke educational services and our forthcoming MSc Applied Dementia Studies programme (due to start in September 2015 subject to validation).

The event demonstrated the current focus on making services and products within the care industry ‘dementia friendly’. Many of the displays were heavily influenced by a medical perspective of dementia care, such as medicine compliance aids and monitoring technologies. However,  I also noticed small businesses promoting a more psycho-social approach, including one organisation who delivered drama sessions to help carer’s gain an empathetic understanding of what living with dementia is like. The experience was, for me as a PhD student within BUDI, a good opportunity to  meet practitioners in the field of dementia care, and to see first-hand the range of products and services on offer to people affected by dementia.

Chris Poyner, PhD student, BUDI