Tagged / ADRC

Alzheimer’s Society Conference 2019

 

The Ageing and Dementia Research Centre’s Amanda Adams and Dina Blagden attended the Annual Alzheimer’s Society Conference at the Oval in London last May 2019, and joined Health Education England (HEE) (Jan Zietara: Head of Programme Delivery – South Health Education England, and Chris O’Connor: Consultant Admiral Nurse/HEE Dementia Fellow Health Education England) on the stand. They spoke to a range of people about the Dementia Education and Learning Through Simulation 2 ( DEALTS 2) training – the ADRC team are currently delivering  the training for a second time, across the South of England.

Dina presented a poster on research evaluation of DEALTS 2 from training sessions delivered from the first round, funded by HEE. These resources provide a simulation-based training package for staff working regularly with people living with dementia. The simulation approach aims to facilitate staff to consider experiences from the point of view of a person living with dementia. These resources can be adapted to be relevant in different settings, and have been designed using low key simulation scenarios, with the opportunity to be adjusted to suit the level of resources available.

The Ageing and Dementia Research Centre was at the Caring UK Conference – 11th April 2019

conferences

The Caring UK conference was held at Bournemouth Football Club’s Vitality Stadium. The doors opened promptly at 08.30 for attendees to visit the various exhibition stands that were on show. This included our very own stand displaying our guides and workbooks around the topic of Eating and Drinking Well with Dementia. These were very popular with attendees and helped showcase the work that the centre does. The stand was run by Caroline Jones (Administrator for the centre) and Dr Michele Board (Co-Director of the centre).

As part of the conference Dr Michele Board was giving a talk about ‘Insight into the Lived experience of Living with Dementia – A Virtual Reality Experience’. Having spoken to a lot of attendees in the morning ahead of Dr Michele Board’s talk in the afternoon, they were all very much looking forward to hearing Michele speak.

Overall, it was a very worthwhile conference to attend having met a variety of useful contacts from the care industry and it also really helped raise awareness of the work that the Ageing and Dementia Centre does.

Image of the Eating and Drinking Well with Dementia: A Guide for Care Staff that was on display.

Image of the Eating and Drinking Well: Supporting People Living with Dementia workbook  that was on display.

ADRC sharing research and making impact at key dementia conferences

In the last few weeks, members and a PhD Student from the Ageing and Dementia Research Centre (ADRC) have attended the latest dementia conferences and an awards ceremony.

28th Alzheimer Europe Conference, Barcelona (Spain)

Prof Jane Murphy, Dr Michele Board and Yolanda Barrado-Martín attended the 28th Alzheimer Europe Conference (29th to 31st October 2018). Jane presented a paper on her nutrition research ‘Innovative training to improve nutrition and hydration in people living with dementia’. Dr Michele Board presented a poster ‘Evaluating the impact of the virtual reality app “A walk through dementia” on students learning and practice’ centred on her research funded by Alzheimer’s Research UK. Whilst Yolanda presented a poster ‘What are the views of people living with dementia and their informal carers getting involved in Tai Chi?’ based on the findings from her PhD project which forms part of the TACIT Trial.

During the conference, over 800 international researchers met in Barcelona to learn about research, policy and practice around the theme ‘Making dementia a European priority’. Amongst the attendees to the conference, there were also people living with dementia and their carers who took the floor in different sessions. The main aim of those living with dementia was that they want to be involved in decision making processes in their day-to-day life and care, including their participation in research (i.e., advocating for co-creation approaches). Specific themes of the conference covered policies, care approaches and services for people living with dementia and their carers, as well as their rights in our society, and strategies to prevent and treat dementia.

13th Annual UK Dementia Congress, Brighton

 Prof Jane Murphy, Dr Michele Board, Dr Michelle Heward and Dr Ben Hicks attended the 13th Annual Dementia Congress (6th and 8th November 2018). Dr Michelle Heward presented a poster on the ‘implementation and evaluation of the Dementia Education And Learning Through Simulation 2 (DEALTS 2) programme’ a project funded by Heath Education England (HEE) to develop and evaluate an education toolkit for acute care settings. During the first plenary session, Minister of State for the Department of Health and Social Care Caroline Dinenage MP highlighted that “staff training for dementia is increasing with programmes like DEALTS 2”. As part of the dissemination funding for the DEALTS 2 programme, Michelle and Jane were also invited to talk to conference attendees visiting the HEE stand about the programme evaluation. Dr Michele Board presented her research funded by Alzheimer’s Research UK in a paper ‘Evaluating the impact of the Virtual Reality app ‘A Walk-Through Dementia’ on year one health care students’ clinical practice’.  Dr Ben Hicks presented a paper ‘Game Plan: promoting gaming technology amongst dementia practitioners’ based on his European funded research.

 

 

The annual conference attracts practitioners, academics and people with dementia and carers to discuss the latest innovations and research in the dementia field. The motion this year was ‘the right to services is more important that disability rights for people with dementia’ and stimulated a dynamic exchange of opinions during the many plenaries, parallel sessions and workshops

9th National Dementia Care Awards 2018, Brighton

Following the Dementia Congress, on the 8th November Dr Michelle Heward and Dr Michele Board were invited to represent the DEALTS 2 team at the National Dementia Care Awards, following the programme being shortlisted for the Best Dementia Care Award. The evening was full of glitz and glamour with the dress code ‘black tie’. Following a three course meal, finalists and the winners of the 14 categories were announced and celebrated. We had a fantastic night celebrating the hard work and dedication of so many individuals and teams from the dementia field, and although we did not win the category, we were delighted to be shortlisted for this prestigious national award.

Attendance at these events was a great opportunity to showcase some of the current research projects being undertaken by the ADRC team, hear the views of those living with dementia and their carers, and network with practitioners and researchers in the dementia field.

ADRC and HEE showcase ‘DEALTS 2’ at ‘Dementia 2020: The Next Phase’ in London

On Tuesday 17th April 2018, the Ageing and Dementia Research Centre (ADRC) were invited to join Health Education England (HEE) to showcase the Dementia Education and Learning Through Simulation 2 (DEALTS 2) programme at ‘Dementia 2020: The Next Phase’ in London. The event, hosted by Govconnect, provided an opportunity to consider progress on the ‘Challenge Dementia 2020 Implementation Plan’ assessing whether commitments have been meet so far. Commitments of the plan aspire to make England the best country in the world for: dementia care and support; for people with dementia to live; and to conduct dementia research.

In 2016, HEE commissioned a team from Bournemouth University (BU) to develop and evaluate DEALTS 2. DEALTS 2 is a simulation-based dementia education programme for staff in acute hospitals across England. It is based on an experiential learning approach, placing hospital staff into the shoes of a person with dementia, to facilitate a positive impact on practice. The training is mapped against a selection of core competencies for staff with regular contact with people with dementia (Tier 2) and underpinned by the Humanising Values Framework a philosophical lens originally developed at BU. The team, Dr Michelle Heward, Dr Michele Board, Ashley Spriggs and Prof Jane Murphy, delivered DEALTS 2 as a train-the-trainer model across England in 2017 to 196 trainers from 13 HEE Local Education Boards, and are continuing to evaluate the impact on practice.

The DEALTS 2 programme was showcased as a case study at the Dementia 2020 event in a presentation given by Jan Zietara the Head of Programme Delivery for HEE. Dr Michelle Heward represented the ADRC at the event which provided an opportunity to connect with members of key organisations involved in delivering the Implementation Plan for Dementia 2020, as well as people with dementia, caregivers and individuals interested in dementia care and support more broadly.

The event was co-chaired by George Rook an advocate who himself lives with dementia, and Rachel Thompson the Professional and Practice Lead for Dementia UK. Throughout the event a range of speakers updated the audience on progress including: Jeremy Hughes CBE, Chief Executive, Alzheimer`s Society; David Nuttall, Deputy Director – Dementia Policy, Department of Health; and Dr Charles Alessi Senior Advisor and Lead for Dementia, Public Health England. It has to be said though that Suzy Webster who is a caregiver for her mother who has dementia gave the most heartfelt speech reminding us that policy is necessary but it is now time to see action on the ground to improve care and support for people with dementia – not a dry eye was left in the house!

Discussion on the day focused on celebrating the small steps forward that have been taken, whilst being mindful that there remains some way to go to meet the commitments outlined in the plan by 2020.

ERASMUS 2017: Promoting autonomy for people with dementia using ICT applications

The end of 2017 brought about the start of the second successful ERASMUS funded project for Dr Ben Hicks (psychology lecturer and member of ADRC) and Professor Wen Tang (Head of Creative Technology Department). Working alongside European partners from Slovenia (Alzheimer’s Slovenia), Greece (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki), Spain (Alzheimer’s Castellon and the University of Valencia) and Turkey (Alzheimer’s Turkey), the two year project aims to develop an e-platform that raises awareness and promotes the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to enhance the autonomy of people with dementia and their care partners.

The first meeting was held in Castellon, Spain, at the Universitat Jaume 1 on the 18-19th December 2017 and was attended by Ben and Natalia Adamczewska (ADRC). Over the course of two days, the proposed research plan and outcomes of the project were discussed in more detail and tasks were assigned to each of the European partners. This included establishing an Advisory Group of people with dementia, care partners and practitioners to inform the development of the project as well as conducting a review of best practice within this field.

Although it is only early days, there was a real buzz around the meeting, as the partners discussed the project and the potential beneficial impact it could have for people living with dementia across Europe. The second meeting for the project team is planned for April/May 2018.

If you would like further information on the research please contact Ben on bhicks@bournemouth.ac.uk

 

Wednesday 24 January ADRC presents: NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) Wessex Seminar

You are cordially invited to this lunchtime seminar which is open to all BU staff.

Please feel free to bring your lunch.

Wednesday 24th January 2018

1 – 2 pm

B407, Bournemouth House, Lansdown Campus

The NIHR is the UK’s major funder of applied health research. The NIHR develops and supports the people who conduct and contribute to health research and equally supports the training of the next generation of health researchers. The NIHR CRN Study Support Service helps researchers set up and deliver high quality research to time and target in the NHS in England.

We are fortunate to have two Research Delivery Managers from the NIHR CRN  Wessex, David Higenbottam and Alex Jones  coming to BU who  will be presenting a seminar about the network, funding opportunities and forthcoming strategic plan for 2018, followed by Q & A session.

Please email Michelle O’Brien (mobrien@bournemouth.ac.uk) if you are planning to attend.  See you there!

Biographies

David Higenbottam
Has worked in research since 2012.

2012 – 2014 South Coast DeNDRoN Network Manager.

2014 – to date Research Delivery Manager for Divisions 2 and 4 (Division 4 includes dementia as one of its specialities).

 

Alex Jones
Worked for Hampshire & Isle of Wight CLRN from July 2013 – April 2014.

Division 5 Assistant Portfolio Manager then Portfolio Manager April 2014 – December 2017 (Division 5 includes ageing as one of its specialties).

Currently Acting Research Delivery Manager for Division 5.

Wessex CRN
The Wessex CRN was formed  in April 2014, its geographic footprint is Hampshire & Isle of Wight, Dorset and South Wiltshire. It comprises 12 partner NHS organisations and 10 clinical commissioning groups. Research specialties are spread across 6 Divisions.

Introduction to Normalization Process Theory (NPT) – 7 February 2018

PG research

Half day seminar
open to BU Staff, Clinicians, PGRs and PGT Students

Implementing service development in healthcare – an introduction to Normalization Process Theory (NPT)

On Wenesday 7 February 2018 in B317, Bournemouth House, Lansdowne Campus at 13.00, there will be a half day seminar introducing an approach to exploring implementation of service developments in healthcare.

To book your place and/or to find out more information please contact
Dr Mike Bracher 
mbracher@bournemouth.ac.uk

End of year ADRC Christmas Seminar – PhD Student presentations

Six of  the ADRC PhD students gave short presentations of their plans and findings  at the end of year ADRC  Christmas seminar held on 12th  December. They included the following:

Yolanda Barrado-Martin : Process evaluation of a Tai Chi exercise intervention to prevent falls among older people with dementia.

Raysa El Zein : Dietary intervention study using coconut oil to evaluate effects of ketone metabolism in older adults.

Christopher Hilton : The role of attention in spatial (dis)orientation in people with early signs of dementia.

Joanne Holmes : An exploration of the factors that affect the extensive meal experience for cognitively active elderly living in residential care.

Mananya Podee : Improving holiday accommodation and service provision for people with dementia: An exploration of needs and expectations.

Vladislava Segen : How does ageing affect ability to recognise places, stay oriented & navigate successfully?

It was a highly successful afternoon with lots of good discussion and challenging questions posed for our students.  Well done to everyone who presented and we look forward to hearing more about your great work in due course!

ADRC present INSCCOPe project poster at BAPEN 2017 Annual Conference

ADRC Post-doctoral Research Fellow Dr. Mike Bracher presents INSCCOPe baseline findings at the 2017 BAPEN Annual Conference Poster session.

The Ageing and Dementia Research Centre (ADRC)’s Dr. Mike Bracher presented initial findings from baseline data collection for the INSCCOPe (Implementing Nutrition Screening in Community Care for Older People) project, at the poster session of the 2017 BAPEN Annual Conference (22nd November 2017).

Led by ADRC co-lead Professor Jane Murphy, the project aims to improve screening and treatment of malnutrition for older people in the community, by exploring how best to implement service improvements for nutrition screening and treatment for malnutrition in older people.

The aim is to maximise scalability and cost effectiveness of a new procedure for screening and treatment of malnutrition in the community, by providing an evidence base to support implementation across wider settings within the health service.

ADRC co-lead Prof. Jane Murphy (left), Wessex AHSN Senior Programme Manager Kathy Wallis (centre), and Wessex AHSN Teaching and Research Fellow Dr. Emma Parsons (right) showcase INSCCOPe and other projects within the AHSN’s Nutrition in Older People Programme at the 2017 BAPEN Annual Conference.

At baseline (T0), the project (using a combination of questionnaires and telephone interviews) demonstrated:

  • strong support for, and value placed upon, nutrition screening and treatment activity by participants;
  • ambivalence / doubt with respect to current logistical and organisational support for screening and treatment related activity.

Work is currently underway to implement suggested changes to implementation of the procedure identified from data collected at T1 (two months following implementation of the new procedure through training sessions with staff).

Following this, the third and final data collection point (T2 – 8 months following completion of training) will take place, after which the project will be evaluated. If successful, findings from the INSCCOPe project will inform rollout of the new procedure across Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust.

Click here to view/download the poster

or

Click here to go to the INSCCOPe project page

 

ADRC attend the Fifth Annual Wessex Clinical Research Network Ageing Research Meeting

Jane Murphy from the Ageing and Dementia Research Centre (ADRC)  was invited to join the ‘Fifth Annual Wessex Clinical Research Network Ageing Research Meeting’ on 13th September 2017  at Royal Bournemouth Hospital.  There were a wide range of interesting and insightful presentations  by clinicians of mostly NIHR funded research in ageing including frailty, dementia and neurodegenerative disorders and stroke. The Specialty National Lead for Ageing, and Lead for Ageing and Dementia Theme NIHR CLAHRC Professor Helen Roberts chaired the morning session  followed by Dr Divya Tiwari,  Clinical Research Network (CRN) Wessex Ageing Specialty Lead who chaired the afternoon session.

Martine Cross, The Research Delivery Manager for  Ageing at the  Wessex CRN presented a key update on projects and plans.  Please note that Martine will be coming to BU and for academics with an interest in ageing research and considering applying to NIHR, it would present an ideal opportunity to meet Martine and know more about  the Wessex CRN and discuss your plans.

For expressions of interest to join the meeting, please email  Michelle O’Brien, ADRC  administrator (adrc@bournemouth.ac.uk) and  we will send further details.