@determindstudy.bsky.social
DETERMIND is an ambitious research project funded by the NIHR Three Schools’ Dementia Research Programme that aims to find out how we can make dementia care and outcomes in the UK more equal. https://determind.org
Introducing Research Assistant, Kat!
Kat works on the DETERMIND project at the Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, having previously worked in Children and Adolescent mental health services. She holds a Psychology MSc and has a strong professional and personal interest in dementia.
Today is often known as 'Blue Monday'. But, it is also #BrewMonday. An opportunity to turn not just today, but every day, into a reason to slow down, take note of your emotions, and to share and listen to others about how you're feeling.
To find out more, visit www.samaritans.org/support-us/c...
Register for our in-person engagement event on LGBTQIA+ and dementia! 🌈 At this knowledge exchange event we will come together to explore how we can address inequalities through research and practice.
More information and registration link here: spindementianet.org/spotlight-on...
To tackle inequalities for people living with dementia, the EquaDem Network is hosting a free public networking meeting at the end of the month in Nottingham. Attendees will have the chance to discuss how to reduce inequalities together.
Register here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/equadem-ne...
#EquaDem
A recruitment poster for the DETERMIND user and carer reference groups. It features the DETERMIND study signpost logo, as well as white text on a green background saying: Get in touch if you have a diagnosis of dementia or current/recent caring experience for someone living with dementia who identifies as part of an ethnic and/or religious minority background OR identifies as part of the LGBTQIA+ community!
If you have current or recent caring experience for someone living with dementia, email luce.stewart@kcl.ac.uk! We are recruiting people with dementia, or carers of people with dementia who identify as from religious and/or ethnic minority backgrounds or those who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community.
05.01.2026 14:53 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Flyer for an event. The text reads 'Spotlight on LGBTQIA+ and dementia: Exploring brain health and addressing inequities Inviting people with all levels of knowledge and interest including researchers, funders, people with dementia and carers, co-ordinators, managers, and providers. Wed 25th Feb 2026 10:30am to 4:30pm In-person event Supported attendance Accessible London venue Sharing research, practice gaps, and knowledge Sharing lived experiences Finding resources Identifying actions and impact Building networks & collaborations Learn, Share, Discuss Limited numbers. Please register interest by scanning the QR code or visit https://spindementianet.org/spotlight-on-lgbtqia/ Questions? Email: spindnetworkplus@live.ac.uk. In the top right hand corner of the flyer is the Progressive Pride Flag. At the bottom of the flyer are the Spin Dementia Network +, tide, innovations in dementia, DETERMIND, URKI, NIHR, University of Exeter, UCL and Alzheimer's Society logos.
Save the date!✨ We are delighted to have teamed up with @spindnetworkplus.bsky.social, Innovations in Dementia, and tide (together in dementia everyday) to bring you this exciting event focusing on LGBTQIA+ and dementia.
Register and find out more: spindementianet.org/spotlight-on...
Research presented by @kategridley.bsky.social at our participant conference found that the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns had a huge impact on both health and social care service delivery and social environment for people with dementia.
Read more here: shorturl.at/EDkF1
Two people sitting at their office chairs, both smiling and laughing. One has their arm outstretched with a cockatiel sat on their wrist. The cockatiel has a grey body and wings, with a yellow head and bright orange circle on his cheek.
Meet Corbyn!
Corbyn is a very friendly cockatiel and the official mascot of the SLaM Brain Health Clinic, a memory clinic using biomarkers to help people with mild cognitive impairment. We're very lucky to share an office with the BHC team at our London site!
#BrainHealth #Dementia #SLaM
A selfie of Jessie, a new Research Assistant for the DETERMIND project. She is wearing a white t shirt and silver jewelry and glasses on top of her head. The room in the background looks homely with plants in one corner and a globe on top of a wooden cabinet in the other.
Introducing new Research Assistant, Jessie! Welcome to the team!
Jessie has a strong interest in LGBTQ+ experiences of dementia and will be supporting the ‘Seldom Heard Voices’ project, helping to better understand the experiences of underrepresented groups following a dementia diagnosis.
'Healthist' attitudes, implying dementia is preventable through an healthy lifestyle choices, often stigmatise specific diagnoses. Media may be 'assigning blame', rather than 'providing hope', focusing on personal risk factors, rather than population risks.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
A written piece about UK Disability History Month. It reads: UK Disability History Month is a chance to reflect on the theme, "Disability, Life and Death". Over the last year, there have been growing, concerning conversations on the value of disabled lives in policy, laws and society. When speaking to people living with dementia and those who support them, it is clear they are experiencing the knock-on effects of policy. Changes to PIP eligibility, NHS privatisation and funding for local community groups all have significant impacts on wellbeing. Managing one’s own health with a lack of support is a common experience, but one that nobody should have to go through. So, we would like to take the opportunity this month to celebrate the immense resilience from this community, both past and present. Reflection is only impactful if it reaches beyond this month and into practice. Within research, those with disabilities should be prioritised in designing projects and never face challenges to being part of them. Only then can we capture the most relevant concerns and use these to influence policy and change.
#UKDisabilityHistoryMonth #UKDHM
25.11.2025 14:34 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
A group of six large sheets of paper with feedback from study participants. At the base of each sheet are illustrations of pathways across the study sites, including London, Brighton Beach and rural fields.
A researcher presenting in front of a bright green slide titled 'Discussion time'. She is asking for feedback from study participants and looking out towards the crowd.
What do our participants think of DETERMIND? At our recent conference, we gathered feedback and generated new ideas for future involvement! #dementiaresearch
13.11.2025 08:40 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
In this blog post @kategridley.bsky.social shares learnings from the DETERMIND project about challenges people living with dementia and those who support them face in navigating the social care system.
📖Read it here:
swopresearch.wordpress.com/2024/10/07/n...
Register for this webinar and listen to @isaac-dc.bsky.social talking about findings from the DETERMIND study on coping styles and help seeking in #dementia!
shorturl.at/AFPX9
Looking for an opportunity to be involved in dementia research?
Our DETERMIND PhD student, Alice Russell is keen to chat to people living with dementia and their supporters about receiving their diagnosis.
Reach out to Alice (a.russell@bsms.ac.uk) to take part!
#dementiaresearch #researchopportunity
A screen at a conference displaying a table titled 'costs of health and social care services (per year). There are two people looking at it in the foreground of the photo.
A group of people sat at chairs in staggered seating listening to a talk at a conference. They are facing side-on to the camera.
Did you know that people living with dementia are more likely to report inadequate support from care services if:
Their carer is younger, they have more functional limitations, live in a rural area or have mixed dementia compared to Alzheimer’s disease?
More info from our conference coming soon!
A group photo taken at the DETERMIND participant conference. There are thirty people in a lecture theatre with carpeted floors, green walls and light wooden desks. The front two rows are sitting and the back row standing. They are all smiling and laughing, looking at the camera.
The DETERMIND participant conference took place last week in London! It was great to bring together study participants, staff and analysts to share findings and plans for future. Topics discussed included self-funding of care, service use inequalities, decision making and diagnosis timing.
#research
Today is Young Onset Dementia Awareness Day. Dementia Forward are asking people to take action by writing to their MP to ask them to create change by improving services for young onset dementia.
Find out more and download the letter template here: shorturl.at/SzEcf
#YODA #DementiaAwareness
Read this @alzheimerssoc.bsky.social blog post by @rionamcardle.bsky.social and Lyn Rogers on why physical activity is so important for people living with dementia, and top tips for keeping active🚶
www.alzheimers.org.uk/blog/moving-...
This Black History Month, we'd like to highlight two excellent interviews with members of the community. They discuss the differences in dementia pathways and support systems for people who are Black, African and Caribbean.
www.alzheimers.org.uk/blog/address...
www.dementiauk.org/information-...
Croydon's skyline on a bright and clear summer's day. The sky is a bright blue and sits above a green park with trees around the edge. There is a modern tall building on the skyline.
Anerley's green man sign, showing a man with green facial features and skin made of oak leaves.
A Dulwich woodland clearing in the early morning light. There is a tree stump in the clearing, surrounded by hundreds of green leaves in bushes below and trees above.
A tram on its way to Wimbledon, pulling into the tram stop. The tram is mostly bright green, with a stripe of blue at its base.
Our London research team travel each week to interview people living with dementia and their supporters across local boroughs. If we're a bit early, we take a break to wander around the area and take some photos. We hope you can take a little break today too and enjoy these sights as much as we did!
14.10.2025 07:47 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
A man in a shirt is standing at a podium talking into a microphone to an audience who appear to be listening intently. A PowerPoint slide on a projector screen is party visible. There is an illustration of a sand timer and a brain and the text reads 'Temporal: Time between noticing symptoms and diagnosis (early diagnosis <2 years). Cognitive severity: CDR<1, sMMSE≥ 20)'.
A man in a shirt is standing at a podium in a lecture theatre talking to an audience. They have a slide on a projector screen with the heading '....Emergence of 'Timely' discourse'. Underneath the heading there are three bullet points reading 'Lack of evidence has led to the emergence of the 'timely' discourse.', 'Timely is a more person-centred, subjective approach to diagnosis. Diagnosis delivered when best for the person and family. If diagnosis unwanted then no diagnosis is considered 'timely'.', 'Emerging but weak evidence (Woods et al 2018) suggests this may be beneficial for both person with dementia and carer. Carers report 3-4 years post-diagnosis.'
Ben Hicks presented findings from the DETERMIND study at @alzheimereurope.bsky.social conference in Bologna. This work looked at whether an early diagnosis of dementia is better for quality of life in people living with dementia and their carers after one year post diagnosis.
#35AEC
A photo taken from the perspective of someone attending a conference. There is a laptop set up in front of the camera, with the title slide 'Addressing dementia diagnosis inequalities' on its screen. It sits on a glossy wooden table, which also has a booklet for the conference sitting next to the laptop. In the background is a large presentation screen with a slide suggesting questions for a roundtable discussion.
A great day at the Nottingham Centre for Dementia Showcase which focused on ‘Rethinking dementia: collaboration, co-design and change’. A great mix of presenters and an interesting table discussion! Alice presented work from her PhD on ‘addressing dementia diagnosis inequalities’.
07.10.2025 10:58 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
A graphic showing the white DETERMIND study logo. The logo is a drawing of a wooden signpost pointing in two directions with flowers underneath it. On the arrow signs there are drawings symbolising care and money. The logo is on a green background with white text curved around it saying 'The DETERMIND Study celebrates International Day of Older Persons'
Happy #InternationalDayOfOlderPersons! It is rare that the time and efforts that older people put towards caring for others are truly appreciated. So, from our DETERMIND team, we'd like to send a huge thank you and encourage others to join in with the celebrations :)
01.10.2025 13:38 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0We're closing off World Alzheimer's Month with a look back at this September.
This month, we visited 20 homes to interview people living with dementia and those who support them. We travelled to 16 areas across the UK, attended 5 conferences and expanded our staff team with a few new members :)
Empowering video from @alzint.org about what everyone can do to raise awareness and reduce stigma associated with dementia.
This year's theme for World Alzheimer's Month encourages open conversation and for people to ask about dementia.
#WorldAlzheimersMonth #AskAboutDementia #AskAboutAlzheimers
Women in Neuroscience UK’s recommended reads for World Alzheimer’s Month. Alzheimer’s Disease in Women: Is Menopause the Missing Link? by Emily Budden. Diagnosis of Early Dementia: blood proteins reveal potential risk by Emily Beswick. Tau do you solve a problem like dementia? How inhibiting tau phosphorylation could be a potential therapeutic for Alzheimer’s disease by Catherine Turnbull. Bugs and Brain: The Role of Gut-Brain Axis in Neurological Disorders by Shriya Singh. Sheltering from Time: A Review of Time Shelter by Rebecca Pope. Read these articles and more on our website linked above!
September is World Alzheimer’s Month! 💜
Want to learn more about Alzheimer’s? Here are our recommended reads from our blog! 📖
Read the full articles here: www.womeninneuroscienceuk.org/blog/tags/al...
Want to learn more about Alzheimer’s? Check out @AlzResearchUK 🧡
A winding countryside road through vast, open and hilly countryside. There are old wall ruins on the right of the road and green trees and heath on the left. There are several sheep dotted throughout the landscape
A sheep is standing in the heath looking at the camera and is surrounded by hilly countryside. A winding road is visible in the background. The clouds in the sky are grey and dramatic.
A road runs alongside hilly purple and green heathland. The landscape is dotted with jagged rock, small trees and bracken.
The Gateshead research team recently visited participants in a beautiful town in the North Pennines. Winding roads led the team on a rural research adventure, where they were warmly welcomed by the local community.
#DementiaResearch #RuralDementia
World Alzheimer's Day is this Sunday. @alzheimerssoc.bsky.social are raising money to fund vital research and have lots of ways you can help beat dementia, from volunteering and campaigning, to learning something new. Check out the ways you can get involved: shorturl.at/TrmIl
#WorldAlzheimer'sDay
Published DETERMIND study findings from @drrotemperach.bsky.social and Carmen Colclough on how staying involved with decisions such as what to eat and what to wear are positively associated with quality of life.
Read the paper here: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
