BU Research Blog

Recently, I was fortunate enough to represent BUDI at a one day expert group in Paris for the Fondation Mederic Alzheimer. The foundation was set up in 1999 to promote research into dementia care. The title of this seminar was ‘Technology and Alzheimer’s Disease’ with a focus on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as a means to support the independent living and well-being of people with dementia and their care partners. A group of experts from a broad range of academic disciplines including psychology, sociology, engineering and robotics were assembled to discuss the topic and outline ways to advance the area..

As expected, when bringing together a group of experts from different academic fields, the discussions were lively and thought provoking. As a PhD student undertaking research on commercial technology and dementia from a sociologist perspective, it was incredibly valuable to hear the train of thought of other academics in differing disciplines. Being part of the event and having the chance to contribute to research along with other esteemed academics (many of whom I have referenced extensively throughout my PhD thesis) was a great privilege and the links made at the event will certainly be beneficial as I finish my PhD and begin my journey as an early career researcher (The food was also incredible- The French can certainly ‘do’ food!). The seminar was recorded and the information provided will be written up for publication in a journal. For those who are interested in reading about the informative and lively discussions, I will post a link on the blog to the paper once it has been published.