Latest research and knowledge exchange news at Bournemouth University
BUDI are holding their annual Open Public Meeting on Wednesday 20th May. This years topic is “Dementia-friendly Communities”
The meeting will discuss and debate the concept of dementia-friendly communities and will consider the challenges faced by those living with dementia and how our communities can respond to ensure that people with dementia can live well.
To find out more and bo
ok your FREE ticket click here . Please forward details to those you wish may want to attend.
The BU Dementia Institute kicked off the Interdisciplinary Research Week last night with an inspirational and interactive lecture on improving the lives of people affected by dementia in Dorset.
Professor Anthea Innes opened the week and then went on to explain the interdisciplinary research that her institute carries out and the importance of collaboration in the community. She informed the audience how the language used to describe the people diagnosed with dementia can often be negative and derogatory and how people are often treated differently upon diagnosis. The Institute work with care providers, hospitals, GPs, etc. to change their perception and enable better lives for those diagnosed with dementia.
Anthea handed over to her team to show some of the ways that lives can be improved and how a dementia diagnosis does not mean that you can no longer learn. Andy Baker from the BUDI orchestra had half the audience clapping to the ‘oo-ah’ parts of ‘oo-ah Cantona, say oo-ah Cantona’ and the other half clapping to the ‘wood’ and ‘chuck’ in ‘how much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck would chuck wood’. This was not an easy task but a good demonstration of how to play your part in an orchestra. He went on to show how his work had given people diagnosed with dementia the ability to learn something new and engage in a rewarding activity.
Clare Cutler then talked about the Intergenerational Technology club where school pupils have 
welcomed people with dementia and their carers into their schools to work together in an after school club where they have been learning to play on the wii, xbox and ipads together. This way of working offers opportunities to educate younger generations about dementia and to combat associated stigma, ignorance and fear of what it might mean to live with dementia.
Samuel Nyman ended the evening with an enthusiastic lecture on ‘Falls Prevention’ and how the amount of time we spend being sedentary increases our chances of falling and injuring ourselves. Research has shown that the more active we are in our 30’s and 40’s will decrease our chances of developing dementia. Samuel’s research is looking to develop behavioural change techniques that can be used to encourage a much more active lifestyle. He showed a clip of people choosing to use an escalator instead of the stairs. The stairs were transformed into a working piano overnight and usage of the stairs increased by 66% the next day.
The IRW audience clapping to 'Oo-ah Cantona'
It was an excellent evening with a great opportunity for the audience to engage with the BUDI team. I’ll end with just one of the positive comments from the audience, which was ‘Wonderful to hear from such enthusiastic and passionate presenters forging strong partnerships with those in the community. Many thanks.’
There are nine more interdisciplinary research events being held this week and so please do come along: https://research.bournemouth.ac.uk/interdisciplinary-research-week-2015/. Today’s events are:
Dr Fiona Kelly attended the Dementia North Sea meeting in Treviso, Italy from 22nd to 24th April 2015. This is an informal meeting of researchers and practitioners from across Europe who meet annually to share research findings and to update on the work of their dementia research and practice centres. This year, there were delegates from the UK, France, Norway, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Italy. The meeting started with a welcome from our hosts from the Istituto per Servizi di Ricovero e Assistenza agli Anziani (The Institute for Services, Hospital and Elderly Care) and followed with updates from each centre, including any political developments relating to dementia. It continued with presentations from each delegate and we heard about a variety of initiatives, including the development of a technology toolbox for people with dementia and their family caregivers to try out different technologies before committing to buying them, an e-learning game for professional caregivers, a programme to develop a global definition of person centred care and to place care on an equal footing with cure, innovative day care models including a house run and managed by people with dementia and the development of an audit tool to measure the quality of dementia gardens.
Delegates visited three specialist units for people with dementia, showcased as being innovative for their design and practice. It was interesting to see how a very strong focus on meeting social, spiritual and sensory needs, providing access to outdoors and combining cognitive stimulation therapy to community dwelling people with dementia was juxtaposed by a strong medical input, particularly when caring for people with dementia nearing the end of life.
On the second evening we were treated to a water bus journey through Venice, ending up in the impressive St Mark’s Square where 
we strolled in the Spring evening sunshine.
Our meal of traditional Venetian food of sea food and squid ink risotto, baked fish with roasted vegetables and tiramisu was lively with talk of dementia ideas, collaborations and anecdotes. Our dash on a water taxi to catch the last train back finished off the night on a high, if relieved, note.
The final day saw presentations on creative innovations in dementia care and included a presentation by Dr Kelly on preliminary findings from an evaluation of the BUDI orchestra. A thread running through these presentations was the potential of the arts for fun, mutual learning, social inclusion, the equalising of those who take part and improvements in well-being, even if in the moment.
BUDI are delighted to host the event in April 2016 and we look forward to welcoming our European colleagues to Bournemouth.
The Byrd Institute, Tampa, Florida is an interesting example of an inter-disciplinary academic institute in practice. http://health.usf.edu/byrd/ I presented there earlier this month, Raising awareness of dementia: disseminating research via public engagement activities, which ties in with recent developments in this primarily NIH funded unit which is part of the University of South Florida. We toured the labs, where staff and students work alongside each other with mice at one end of the lab to computer images of human brains at the other. The second floor of the building is dedicated to screening for dementia and provides an example of dementia friendly design where people with dementia and their families spend the day going through the variety of tests that will lead to an often long awaited diagnosis of dementia. The Byrd Institute began as an independent unit on University property before becoming part of the University. Staff from across Faculties work in or are linked to the Institute providing an excellent exemplar of inter-disciplinary working. From screening in retirement villages to recuriting participants to clinical research trials this institute is slowly building a large data base of people with dementia as well as adults with early signs of mild cognitive impairment in a region known for attracting retirement migrants. They are now committed to enhanving their public outreach work and have recruited a social scientist to take this forward in the coming months. They have a wish to raise awareness of dementia within their local community and will achieve this by an ambitious outreach programme which will also contribute to increasing their pool of potential research participants in future clinical, neuroscience and social science projects.
Earlier in the month as part of a whirlwind three State visit to the US we visited one of three Intergenerational Schools in Cleveland, Ohio. http://www.tisonline.org/ This model of education has two distinct programmes to promote learning and working between the older and younger generations. The first is a ‘buddy reading’ system where older people living in the community come into the school to read with pupils. Every pupil receives 2 x 20 minute sessions with an older person per week to enhance their reading skills. A second programme involves every class in the school visiting one of thirty-one care facilities (day care and long stay care) in the area once a month where pupils work with older people on a range of projects. The image attached is one art project where pupils visited the care home and worked with people with dementia residing in one of Clevelands premier care facilities, Judson to create these banners that hang in the entrance to the care facility. These two initiatives demonstrate the possibilities for learning and working together in meaningful ways benefitting both older adults and school children. We have been experimenting with intergenerational working here at Bournemouth via a Tech Group facilitated at The Bourne Academy where school pupils have welcomed people with dementia and their carers into their schools to work together in an after school club where they have been learning to play on the wii, xbox and ipads together. This way of working offers opportunities to educate younger generations about dementia and to combat associated stigma, ignorance and fear of what it might mean to live with dementia. To paraphrase some of the words of the School Principle in Cleveland, who I found truly inspirational, the younger we start to educate our children about life and the challenges it can throw at us the better prepared they will be to contribute as active citizens in our society.
On Friday 27th March, the BUDI Orchestra gave a lively performance in the Atrium, Talbot Campus, performing well-known songs and pieces for our enjoyment. We were pleased to see so many staff and students stop to appreciate the Orchestra’s talents, some even singing and dancing along with the musicians.
The performance gave the BUDI Orchestra the opportunity to demonstrate all they have achieved in the last eight weeks as part of a wider project funded by Dorset County Council’s Inspired by 2012 Health and Wellbeing Legacy Fund. We were fortunate that a representative from the Fund could join us for the performance, allowing him to see first-hand what the support of the Dorset Legacy Fund has meant to this inspiring group of individuals, their families and even to the BUDI team.
On a personal note, as a Research Assistant who has worked closely on this project since October (and previous versions since February 2014), I have been struggling to put what I felt during their performance into words… something more than pride, more than happiness for their achievements, and more than the bittersweet knowledge that this may be their last performance due to lack of continuous funding. These are people that have come together and formed their own social community, not through the project per se, but through the bonds they have made with other people in a similar situation to their own, sharing their experiences as they learn to make music together. They, like us, have passion for their work and for the people they have met along the way, as anyone lucky enough to watch the performance would have witnessed. It has been an incredible privilege to be part of that.
Thank you to everyone that took the time to attend and celebrate this extraordinary group of people.
Report by Dr Samuel Nyman
On Wednesday 18th March, the Bournemouth University Dementia Institute (BUDI) hosted a Masterclass on the use of technology with people with dementia. This was the first in a series of four Masterclasses set for the 2015 calendar year. We provided a day full of information and inspiration on the use of a range of technology with people with dementia. The morning focused on technology and everyday living, and included sessions on assistive technology, monitoring technology, smart homes, virtual reality, and dementia friendly technology guidelines. The afternoon focused on gaming technology and included opportunity to interact with a range of devices including iPads, an Xbox, Wii, a virtual reality environment, and an educational game.
We had 20 external guests attend the day, who represented organisations from the public, private, and third sectors. The feedback was on the whole very positive and we look forward to providing the next Masterclass in a few months!
Next Masterclasses:
Wednesday 17th June: Financial and Legal Aspects of Dementia Care
Future Masterclasses:
Wednesday 30th September: Creative Approaches in Dementia
Wednesday 2nd December: Promoting Wellbeing at the End of Life
Report by Dr Samuel Nyman:
On 20th March BUDI attended the quarterly meeting of the Dementia Action Alliance (DAA). This was held in London at the College of Occupational Therapists. The day primarily consisted of presentations with time for discussion, and attracted members from private, public, and third sector organisations as well as people with dementia and their carers. The morning centred on risk reduction and the evidence for lifestyle factors to increase / decrease the risks of developing a dementia, and depression was a particular factor that was highlighted as an important risk factor. The afternoon presented two new calls to action:
Dementia Words Matter
From consultations with people with dementia, this call to action is to ask that everyone uses appropriate language when referring to people with dementia. We are to use terms such as “person with dementia” or “person living with dementia”. Terms to be avoided include referring to people with dementia as “sufferers”, “demented”, “senile”, or “victims”. Part of being a dementia friendly university will mean using the correct language when referring to people with dementia and not using terms that are likely to offend.
National Family Carer’s Involvement Network
With support of the Department of Health, this network will be to engage and equip carers to raise the profile of the needs of carers and to influence policy and practice. It will also be a resource for carers to support each other. Anyone who is a carer or knows of a carer of a person with dementia is encouraged to join this initiative and help campaign for better support and services for informal caregivers who play a vital role in supporting people with dementia.
BUDI is a proud member of the DAA and is a great place to network with key stakeholders who have an influence on policy and practice.
Last October, BUDI were lucky enough to secure funding from the ‘Inspired by 2012 Health and Wellbeing’ Fund via Dorset County Council to run another round of our music initiative with people with dementia and their carers from the community.
BUDI Orchestra have been working hard for the last eight weeks to bring you a performance this Friday 27th March, and we would be delighted if you could come along and show your support for all they have achieved in such a short space of time.
When? 27th March 2015, 10:30 – 11:30am
Where? The Atrium, Talbot Campus
We look forward to seeing you there!
Report on Meeting of the Higher Education for Dementia Network (HEDN) 17th March, Worcester
On the 17th March, BUDI attended the quarterly meeting of the Higher Education for Dementia Network (HEDN). It was held in The Hive, University of Worcester, a building co-owned by the university and the council. The Network is an open forum with a purpose to share information and innovation across UK Higher Education providers and to influence the provision of education for the current and future dementia workforce. The host institution gives a presentation at these meetings and on this occasion the University of Worcester decided to initiate discussion about their intentions of developing training for academics wanting to specialise in dementia, and dementia trainers working outside of higher education who want more training in how to design and deliver educational programmes. We also had discussion about how dementia could be better embedded within existing programmes across university departments / courses. At these meetings members also have opportunity to share about their latest developments and initiatives. BUDI was able to share about their work in developing a new MSc in Applied Dementia Studies, and the four Masterclasses that we are running this calendar year. BUDI is proud to be a member of this network and national networks such as these are great not only for sharing innovation and good practice but for working together to help shape the UK’s education provision. This network’s most recent way of achieving this was to develop a national curriculum that is now in the process of being implemented.
Hello!
Thank you to everyone who attended 14:Live on the 24th February, it was a very entertaining half an hour with Dr Samuel Nyman.
Dr Samuel Nyman, senior lecturer in psychology and a core member of BUDI, Bournemouth University Dementia Institute, gave us all a very interesting insight into enhancing care services for people with dementia. The talk presented two studies and ended by briefly mentioning current work under this theme and this year’s new Masterclasses and Master’s degree in dementia.
For those of you who turned up to this talk and those interested in March’s run, the date of the next 14:Live will be on 24th march at 14:00 and will be presented by Professor Matthew Bennett. So look out on the Research Blog and the student portal events page for updates on the talk, I look forward to seeing you all on the 24th March were there will again be 30 x tokens for a FREE Papa Johns pizza!
Would being a speaker at 14:Live interest you? or do you just want to find out more about student engagement with research events, if so, please feel free to contact ssquelch@bournemouth.ac.uk
Today will see 14:Live returning for its second run from 14:00-14:45 at the same location, Poole House Refectory, next to Papa Johns. It is open to all staff and students and 14:Live is pleased to welcome Dr Samuel Nyman, senior lecturer in Psychology.
Enhancing care services for people with dementia
The Bournemouth University Dementia Institute (BUDI) was established in May 2012 with a mission to make a positive influence on the lives of people with dementia. BUDI is made up of a multidisciplinary team that provides education, consultancy and evaluation, and research on a range of topics. One theme of BUDI is concerned with enhancing services that provide health and social care for people with dementia and their carers. This talk will present the findings of two studies under this theme.
The first study explored the social care needs of people with dementia who also have a visual impairment. Interviews with people in their own homes illuminated areas where services could be improved. The second study evaluated a service that supports people with dementia and their carers who are living at home. Interviews with staff and service users from the urban and rural areas identified important differences in how these two social care services operated, and the implications on care provision.
The talk will end by briefly mentioning current work under this theme and this year’s new Masterclasses and Master’s degree in dementia.
It would be great to see you all today to listen to what’s going to be a very interesting talk about BUDI’s research. Just to give you that little bit more incentive to come along, there will be tokens for the first 30 audience members to be exchanged for a FREE individual Papa Johns Pizza at the end of the talk, plus lots of free tea & coffee, water & juices – don’t miss out!
If you have any questions about this event or would like to hear about any other upcoming student engagement with research events contact me at ssquelch@bournemouth.ac.uk
I look forward to seeing you there!
Hello!
14:Live will be returning for its second run on the 24th February 14:00-14:45 at the same location, Poole House Refectory, next to papa johns. This is open to all staff and students and I am pleased to welcome Dr Samuel Nyman, senior lecturer in Psychology.
Title of talk: Enhancing care services for people with dementia
The Bournemouth University Dementia Institute (BUDI) was established in May 2012 with a mission to make a positive influence on the lives of people with dementia. BUDI is made up of a multidisciplinary team that provides education, consultancy and evaluation, and research on a range of topics. One theme of BUDI is concerned with enhancing services that provide health and social care for people with dementia and their carers. This talk will present the findings of two studies under this theme.
The first study explored the social care needs of people with dementia who also have a visual impairment. Interviews with people in their own homes illuminated areas where services could be improved. The second study evaluated a service that supports people with dementia and their carers who are living at home. Interviews with staff and service users from the urban and rural areas identified important differences in how these two social care services operated, and the implications on care provision.
The talk will end by briefly mentioning current work under this theme and this year’s new Masterclasses and Master’s degree in dementia.
It would be great to see you all there to listen to what’s going to be a very interesting talk about some of the BUDI institutes study, and just to give you that little bit more incentive to come along, there will be 30 x tokens for the first 30 audience members to be exchanged for a FREE individual Papa Johns Pizza at the end of the talk, plus lots of free tea & coffee, water & juices, dont miss out!
If you have any questions about this event or would like to hear about any other upcoming student engagement with research events contact me on ssquelch@bournemouth.ac.uk
I look forward to seeing you there!
Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a one-day seminar hosted by Age Exchange (http://www.age-exchange.org.uk/), at The Kings’ Fund, London, to find out more about RADIQL (Reminiscence Arts and Dementia: Impact on Quality of Life) – a method that uses Reminiscence Arts to improve wellbeing and quality of life in people with dementia.
The day started with an overview of RADIQL, described by the Artistic Director of Age Exchange as “reminiscence empowering people in the present”. RADIQL encompasses two main elements: a structured Reminiscence Arts intervention, and a workforce training programme for care staff working in relationship-centred environments. We were then given an overview of the national context – the recent CQC report ‘Cracks in the Pathway’: the quality of dementia care in health and social services, and a presentation by KCL’s Jo Moriarty on care workers’ views of compassionate care.
The Keynote was provided by Dame Eileen Sills who continued the theme of ‘compassion’ by providing the back-story of ‘Barbara’s Story’, which I’m sure many within health and social care fields will have heard of already. Barbara’s Story is a dramatization created by Guys and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust to raise awareness about dementia among their staff, and show the meaning of ‘kindness’ in the workplace, emphasising the impact that every member of staff has on patient experience. Following the success of ‘Barbara’s Story’, the Trust have since developed as series for use as training materials. You can watch ‘Barbara’s Whole Story’ here (with tissues at the ready!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtA2sMAjU_Y&feature=share&list=UUbJBh2MFKrX6Lf8bJ7_ZGWQ
The afternoon sessions saw attendees partaking in interactive workshops, demonstrating the activities one might engage with during a RADIQL session. Before the day, attendees were asked to choose whether to be a ‘participant’ or a member of an ‘audience’, i.e. whether to take part in the session, or observe a session from an objective perspective. These workshops were the most insightful part of the day, giving some first-hand experience into how the sessions may be conducted. For anyone planning seminars or ‘how-to’ workshops in the future – I would highly recommend using a similar form of dissemination, if appropriate to your cause, as this seemed to resonate with most of us as an effective and engaging way to demonstrate methods and disseminate research to peers.
The RADIQL method is currently being evaluated by Royal Holloway University London in a three year pilot project funded by Guys & St Thomas’ Charity. More information about the day, and the presentations provided, can be found here: http://www.age-exchange.org.uk/radiql-the-kings-fund/
A paper copy of the interim report and a guide to RADIQL are available in the BUDI office (PG63) if anyone is interested.
BUDI are still looking to recruit people with dementia and their carers to join the BUDI Orchestra, starting Wednesday 4th February 2015 for 8 weeks.
If you know of anyone living with dementia, or caring for someone with dementia, that you think would be interested in joining a music group led by professional musicians from the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, then please do get in touch! We are also seeking volunteers with an interest in music (staff or students) to help facilitate the sessions.
Interested?
For more information, please contact: Laura Reynolds on (01202 9) 62546 or email: lreynolds@bournemouth.ac.uk.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Do you know someone living with dementia in Dorset who likes music?
If so, BUDI would like to invite the person with dementia and their carer to become part of a new BUDI Orchestra starting this January 2015. We would like them to share their musical talents and take part in a music evaluation hosted by BUDI and professional musicians.
We hope to evaluate the effects of a novel music initiative on their daily lives. They will have the opportunity to learn a new instrument, sing, or showcase their existing musical talents to their peers.
No previous musical experience is necessary, we’re looking for people who are willing to come along and ‘give it a go’!
For further information, please contact: Laura Reynolds on 01202 962546, or email: lreynolds@bournemouth.ac.uk.
Please disseminate this notice to anyone who you think may be interested in the project. A PDF flyer can be provided – please email: lreynolds@bournemouth.ac.uk.
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.
On 9th December Bournemouth University Dementia Institute (BUDI) were delighted to welcome Year 12 Health and Social Care students from The Grange School in Christchurch. Putting our local partnership working into practice, the students took part in a Dementia Friends session and learnt about some of BUDI’s recent projects, including the Living Well with Dementia video and the BUDI Orchestra. We hope that the student’s learning will translate positively into their future practice, and were pleased to see that their feedback forms stated they will take the following actions as a result of the session:
• “Help people with dementia if I see them struggling”
• “Correct people when they say dementia sufferer”
• ”Help people to understand dementia”
• “Be more patient”
Dementia Friends sessions are part of a national initiative by the Alzheimer’s Society to raise awareness of dementia within our local communities. The sessions are designed to help people learn more about what it’s like to live with dementia so that those affected by the condition can feel included in their local community. BUDI run regular Dementia Friends sessions, if you would like to find out more please look out for further details on the BUDI website in 2015.
Dr Michelle Heward and Dr Ahmed Romouzy Ali
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