2 June 2025
Our ‘Dementia Research and Me’ day proved a hit with people with dementia, their families, carers and professionals who support them.
The informal drop-in day took place in Weston-super-Mare on 20 May 2025. More than 60 people turned out for fun activities, refreshments and a chance to hear about dementia research happening locally.
NIHR ARC West Dementia Research Fellows Katie Breheny, Lis Grey and Natasha Woodstoke and Dementia Capacity Building Interns Megan Pardoe, Bradley Barker-Jones and Karin Buschenfeld organised the day, in collaboration with Alive Activities and the Bristol Health Partners Dementia Health Integration Team (HIT). Researchers based in the southwest shared what they’re doing and listened to what attendees thought research should focus on in future.
One attendee said:
“It was a brilliant day. Very well received and so positive – and great to hear so much amazing research.”
Alan Richardson kicked off the event by sharing his experience of caring for his mother when she developed dementia. He talked about his work as a volunteer for the Alzheimer’s Society.
Other contributors who talked about their fantastic research and helped make the afternoon such a success include:
To break up the talks, we were lucky to have activities led by Nicola Taylor from Alive. Attendees became ‘museum detectives’ uncovering clues in famous artworks and then got hands-on with some clay printing. Katie and Lis were also delighted to showcase their research on measuring quality of life and developing technology for loneliness, respectively. Katie’s bird boxes were certainly a talking point.
Katie, Lis and Natasha are part of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Dementia Community of Practice or DEM-COMM. DEM-COMM researchers are embedded in NIHR Applied Research Collaborations (ARCs) across England, thanks to a £7.5 million investment from the NIHR and Alzheimer’s Society. The community works on all aspects of care and support for people with dementia and their carers.
The event was organised to mark Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Action Week on 19-25 May. It was part of DEMFEST, with 20 events organised by DEM-COMM researchers across England.
NIHR ARC Wessex leads DEM-COMM and pulled the DEMFEST programme together. Find out more on their website.