Tag Archives: Bournemouth University Dementia Institute

Why revolutionising dementia technology deserves your Longitude Prize vote

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By Anthea Innes, Director, Bournemouth University Dementia Institute (BUDI)

The Longitude Prize is a challenge that offers £10m in prize money to help solve one of the greatest issues of our time. The public chooses the cause through a public vote and if a project then goes onto succeed, it wins the prize. Among the six categories this year, three cover health: paralysis, antibiotics and dementia. And it is the last of these that I think should get your vote.

The dementia challenge is to develop intelligent, yet affordable technologies that revolutionise care for people with dementia enabling them to live truly independent lives. The aim is to help people with dementia to live longer and better lives in their own homes.

Dementia is a public health challenge acknowledged by the World Health Organisation as well as by many individual county’s governments, including the UK with the launch of the Dementia Challenge. Dementia costs the UK more than stroke, heart disease and cancer put together, yet is has not been afforded the same research funding. While more has been made of it of late, it wasn’t until recently that it received much public attention.

Recent campaigns by Alzheimer Associations across the world have led to increased attention to the need to not only educate people about the signs and symptoms of dementia, the potential risk reduction strategies that we can employ, but also the need to approach the support of those living with dementia now in a more positive and proactive manner.

The creation of the BUDI orchestra is one way we have created the opportunity for people with dementia to learn (or relearn) musical instruments providing support to those living with dementia and their family carers. Music and singing has a positive effect in people with dementia, with music more ably recalled when there are memory problems, and here people not only come together to sing, but to play instruments and perform to the general public.

Technology already helping

Technology offers many potential opportunities for those living with dementia to live better, for longer and more independently. For example devices that support people with dementia to go out and about in their communities independently giving themselves and their families reassurance that they can be found using satnav technology to locate them, or a panic button if they need help. Other devices such as those that autocut gas supplies on cookers enable people with dementia to cook for longer. And memory devices that are activated when a person with dementia is about to leave the house reminding them to take their keys, purse or other items are also innovative and promote independence.

Equally people who work in a range of public settings, like shops, banks, buses, trains, leisure centres, as well as traditional health and social care settings like hospitals can all learn to adapt and improve their communication skills to enable people with dementia to live more active lives.

This is a critical aspect to consider as people with dementia require those around them to be aware that they might need a little longer to process information, that they may ask the same question again, that they may not understand complex questions and find it easier to have a complex question broken down into bite sized chunks. For example, rather than a supermarket worker saying “that’s £20 please, have you got a club card, and did you use any of your own bags, or did you only use ours?”, they could break the sentence into four chunks and wait for the response after each before moving on the next question.

Lives can be made better now

Small things can make a huge difference to people with dementia and their families as our recent footage from those living with dementia in Dorset demonstrates. Those with dementia and their family clearly articulate that it is possible to live well with dementia and to overcome or compensate for some of the difficulties dementia creates.

An estimated 135m people worldwide will have dementia by 2050. While scientists look for ways of curing or stopping the disease in its tracks – something that remains a considerable way away – it’s clear that supporting and improving the lives of those living with dementia now is just as important.

The need to include people with dementia in society at large is evident in promoting well-being and quality of life. It also offers us the opportunity to promote inter-generational engagement to help future generations understand about dementia, recognise the signs and symptoms and to reduce the fear and stigma that is often evident in general discourse that surrounds dementia.

Dementia is often presented as a health issue; although it can be dealt with in this way it is perhaps more fruitful to consider dementia as a social issue, a societal challenge that affects us all. One in three people over 65 will develop dementia and one in three people will know a person with dementia as a neighbour, friend or family member. Therefore dementia does already touch many, and this will grow as our population ages and people live for longer. Dementia is a true worldwide challenge and definitely deserving of the longitude vote.

The Conversation

Anthea Innes receives funding from a range of sources for her research including the NIHR, Bournemouth University, NHS Wessex, Bournemouth Borough Council, NHS Dorset, Brendon Care, Guild Care, Gracewell, TLC PLC, EU Erasmus Mundus, Alzheimer Society and NHS South of England.

This article was originally published on The Conversation.
Read the original article.

First Dementia Orchestra worldwide performs in Bournemouth

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Individuals with dementia, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO), BU students, music scholars, and the Bournemouth University Dementia Institute (BUDI) performed at an event to raise awareness about dementia.

The concert took place as a part of the Dementia Showcase, which raised awareness of a BU’s Dementia Institute and some of the projects they are currently working on to raise awareness for, and improve the lives of, individuals with dementia.

Songs performed by the orchestra included Moon River, You Are My Sunshine and a number of classical favourites – all delivered to a packed crowd at the LifeCentre on Winton High Street.

Building on the concept that music can improve the quality of life for individuals with dementia, participants in the performance were encouraged to sing and play new musical instruments. Two of the performers also stood to dance together during one of the songs.

Laura Reynolds, a research assistant within BUDI, said, “We were delighted to see so many members of the community come to support the BUDI Orchestra performance this Saturday as part of BUDI’s Dementia Showcase. We are so proud of all the Orchestra has achieved. The entire audience was completely captivated from start to finish, and we were all left feeling impassioned by their emotive rendition of Moon River. The Orchestra proves that dementia isn’t a life sentence: their achievements show us that people living with dementia are still full of life and creativity, and can still make invaluable contributions to our lives.”

Sheila Brooks attended the event and was in the audience during the performance. Sheila said, “On Saturday I attended the BU Festival of Learning event at The LifeCentre in Bournemouth.  I am rarely speechless but the performance of the BUDI Orchestra really moved me to silence.  I have followed the development of BUDI since its inception and am amazed at all that has been accomplished in the very short time of two years.”

The orchestra performance was introduced by the High Sherriff of Dorset, Jane Stichbury, who also gave voice to congratulate the orchestra at the end of the concert.  The Dementia Showcase took place as a part of Bournemouth University’s Festival of Learning.

Public meeting to explore dementia-friendly care environments

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A public meeting organised by the Bournemouth University Dementia Institute (BUDI) will explore how care home environments and designs can be dementia-friendly.

The free event, which is supported by charity Alzheimer’s Research UK, takes place on Wednesday May 14 at the Executive Business Centre on Holdenhurst Road.

It will run from 12pm until 4.30pm and features talks on dementia-friendly care environments, and ways people with dementia can be supported by the physical environments.

The event includes lunch and will be followed by a networking session with information stands and the opportunity to speak to dementia researchers.

Professor Anthea Innes, Director of BUDI, said: “Following the success of our last two annual public open meetings – the first on diagnosis and the second on care homes – BUDI is hosting our third annual public open meeting to provide anyone who is interested in dementia-friendly environments the chance to come along, hear some interesting presenters and to share their ideas and experiences.”

Researchers from the Alzheimer’s Research UK South Coast Network will also attend the meeting to tell the public about their research into the causes of Alzheimer’s and other diseases.

Dr Laura Phipps of Alzheimer’s Research UK said: “This public meeting is a fantastic opportunity for people to learn more about dementia care, as well as hear about the ground-breaking research taking place into dementia in their region.

“We would encourage anyone wanting to know more to come along, listen to what is being done to tackle the condition and have their questions answered in an informal and friendly environment.”

Although the event is free, places must be booked in advance by visiting http://bit.ly/1hDOJuF or calling BUDI on 01202 962771.

Find out more about the Bournemouth University Dementia Institute

BU Dementia Institute meeting looks at care homes and dementia

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Issues around care homes and dementia were explored at an open meeting held by the Bournemouth University Dementia Institute (BUDI).

BUDI aims to support those providing care, through research, service evaluation and education, and the meeting was attended by key stakeholders from across the area – including health professionals and care home providers.

Titled Care Homes: Raising the Standards, the meeting discussed the difficulties faced by many care homes, and considered ways to improve care practices and the quality of life for people with dementia.

Around 70 per cent of those living in care homes will have dementia, and around one third of people with dementia will need to live in a care home at some point.

Professor Anthea Innes, Director of BUDI, said that the idea for the topic came from requests following the Institute’s launch event last year.

She said: “Dementia causes some distinct challenges to care home providers because of the complexity of the care needs, so the idea is to bring people together who are interested in improving their care provision.

“It’s really encouraging to see people wanting to improve the services that they offer to people with dementia.”

She added: “We’ve got a long way to go – there’s lots of training and development work that needs to be done and general awareness-raising about good dementia care, but hopefully we’ve kick-started a discussion.”

Speakers at the meeting included Associate Director of BUDI Michelle Board, who talked about the importance of staff development in care homes, and Dr Jane Murphy, Framework Leader for Health Sciences at BU, who discussed the nutritional needs of dementia patients.

She said: “Food is a very powerful way of understanding that person and using that to provide the best quality of care and ensure that their nutritional needs are met.

“It has a significant impact on the health and wellbeing of people living with dementia.”

Janet Pitt, a compliance inspector from the Care Quality Commission spoke about standards and the inspection of care homes, before a panel discussion which featured representatives from care homes and dementia charities.

Professor Gail Thomas, Dean of the School of Health and Social Care, opened the meeting.

She said: “In the School of Health and Social Care, our mission is to make people’s lives better and the work of BUDI is instrumental in helping us to achieve that.”

Find out more about Bournemouth University Dementia Institute