Dementia Researcher Blogs

Dr Jane Haley   narrates her blog written for Dementia Researcher. Jane highlights the establishment of the UK MND Research Institute (UK MND RI) as a significant milestone in the pursuit of disease-modifying treatments for motor neuron disease (MND). MND is a devastating condition that rapidly deteriorates physical abilities and has limited treatment options. The UK MND RI aims to bridge the gap...

Dr Gaia Brezzo narrates her blog written for Dementia Researcher. In this blog Gaia discusses the struggle of balancing multiple aspects of an academic career, highlighting the need for personal and career development, and emphasising the importance of taking time for higher-level thinking and skill development. Find the original text, and narration here on our website. https://www.dementiaresearc...

Dr Anna Volkmer , narrates her blog written for Dementia Researcher. Visiting other research labs has been a valuable and inspiring experience for Anna, providing opportunities for collaboration, learning, and personal growth. Through her recent visit to Professor Maya Henry's lab at the University of Texas, Austin, Anna observed their efficient operations, open communication, and collaborative cu...

Dr Jodi Watt, narrating a new blog they wrote for the Dementia Researcher website. In this blog, Jodi addresses the lack of inclusion of LGBTQIA+ identities in dementia research and the associated disparities faced by LGBTQIA+ older adults living with dementia, discussing the multifaceted effects of discrimination, the challenges in healthcare and support systems, the impact of the AIDS crisis, an...

Rebecca Williams, narrates her blog written for the Dementia Researcher website. In this blog Rebecca draws parallels between sewing and coding, highlighting the similarities in the learning process and the importance of resilience. Sharing personal experiences of starting out in both sewing and coding, facing challenges, making mistakes, and learning from them. Emphasising the value of perseveran...

Dr Yvonne Couch , narrates her blog written for the Dementia Researcher website. In this blog Yvonne explores the challenges women face in academia and the need for cultural change. Despite increasing female representation in scientific fields, many women disappear from the academic pipeline, and even fewer make it to becoming a full Professors. So how do you deal with this? Continue to push more...

Written by  Dr Vitor Zimmerer , Artemis Bekiari, Hafsa Qureshi, Lidia Slominski, James Taylor-Anton and narrated by the authors. In this blog, the authors share their experience of assessing the dementia-friendliness of a local supermarket as part of a university seminar. They discuss the importance of creating dementia-friendly environments to improve the autonomy and comfort of people with demen...

Dr Clarissa Giebel narrates her blog written for Dementia Researcher. Clarissa explains how the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) has shaped her career, highlighting the benefits of public involvement, collaborative working, and impactful projects such as a board game on dementia inequalities. She also emphasizes the privilege of supervising early-career researchers in vital areas of study...

Dr Sam Moxon , narrates his blog written for Dementia Researcher. In this blog Sam explores the journey of transforming an idea into a tangible clinical solution. He highlights the complexities involved and emphasizes the importance of implementation. He draws on examples from the medical field, discussing regulatory processes, funding challenges, and the significance of market research. He encour...

Ajantha Abey narrates his blog written for Dementia Researcher. Ajantha shares his top 10 takeaways from recent conferences. His key findings include that breakthroughs are finally happening in therapeutic treatments, some of the most exciting advances are happening in fluid biomarkers, digital biomarkers are on the rise, spatial transcriptomics is the hottest new technique on the block, microglia...

Dr Kamar Ameen-Ali narrates her blog written for Dementia Researcher. If you are looking to pursue a career in academia, it's not just about teaching and research. Kamar, a lecturer in biomedical science at Teesside University, shares her experience and insights on obtaining a permanent academic position. In her blog, she highlights the different routes to obtaining permanent positions, such as fe...

Beth Eyre  narrates her blog written for Dementia Researcher. Join Beth on an exciting journey through the various hats worn by researchers in this blog. If you're curious about the hidden aspects of a PhD journey and want to gain insights into the diverse roles researchers play, this blog is a must-read! Beth shares her personal experiences and lessons learned, unraveling the intricacies of desig...

Hannah Hussain narrates her blog written for Dementia Researcher. Looking to improve your health as you age? Hannah suggests you look no further than resistance training! As our bodies naturally experience a decline in muscle mass, strength, and function, it's important to combat sarcopenia with exercise. And lifting weights has been shown to not only slow or reverse the effects of sarcopenia but...

Dr Yvonne Couch , narrates her blog written for the Dementia Researcher website. In this blog Yvonne talks about developing a Plan B for your career (just in case, because we all know that "No plan survives first contact with the enemy"). Yvonne works through unlocking your potential and exploring new career paths - leverage your skills, embrace change, and create opportunities beyond academia. Do...

Lisa Hammond narrates her blog written for Dementia Researcher. Welcome to our first blog from Lisa Hammond, in this post she delves into the transformative work of the Daphne Jackson Trust and the Alzheimer's Society, shedding light on the significance of supporting individuals in returning to careers in dementia research. This inspiring journey explores how these organizations play a pivotal rol...

Dr Gaia Brezzo narrates her blog written for Dementia Researcher. Are you tired of the witchcraft and frustration of Western Blotting? Learn the basics of this technique and how it can benefit your research in this new blog from Gaia. Find out how to select the right sample, run a successful gel electrophoresis, transfer proteins, and quantify the results. Discover tips and tricks from a researche...

Dr Anna Volkmer , narrates her blog written for Dementia Researcher. The Mental Capacity Act 2005 is a legislation that aims to protect the rights of people who may lack capacity to make decisions. This Act provides guidance to professionals to decide whether someone has decision-making capacity. It also offers practical examples of how to judge if a person can understand, retain, weigh up, and ex...

Dr Clarissa Giebel narrates her blog written for Dementia Researcher. Recently, the UK Government announced that the originally planned £500m social care reform budget would be halved. That’s means £250m to be invested into a struggling social care sector, specifically the social care workforce. Now, £250m is a lot of money, but how far will that go to helping? Clarissa discusses what comes next....

Dr Aida Suárez-Gonzalez narrates her blog written for Dementia Researcher. In this blog Aida shares valuable tips for researchers who are planning to undertake research on non-pharmacological interventions in dementia. From identifying the right intervention to selecting appropriate outcome measures, and provide practical advice to help you design high-quality studies, that are deliverable and tha...

Dr Sam Moxon , narrates his blog written for Dementia Researcher. In this blog Sam explores the leaky careers pipeline in academia. For many aspiring academics, the path seems clear: get a PhD, publish research, and secure a tenure-track position. However, the reality is far more complex, and many talented scholars find themselves struggling to make ends meet in an increasingly competitive and pre...

Dr Kamar Ameen-Ali narrates her blog written for Dementia Researcher. One of the most significant and prevailing challenges in academia over the last 10 years or so, has centred around how best to support early career researchers (ECRs) in an evolving landscape which has increasingly shifted towards a reliance on temporary insecure contracts, increasing workloads, and real terms drop in salaries....

Dr Connor Richardson narrates his blog written for Dementia Researcher. Welcome to this blog post about Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) leadership. EDI leadership is a crucial aspect of academic life, as it plays a significant role in shaping the culture, values, and practices of an organisation. It's all about creating a workplace environment that is inclusive and welcoming to all, regar...

Rebecca Williams, narrates her blog written for the Dementia Researcher website. Did you know that Apathy represents an early marker of cognitive decline and brain changes in presymptomatic frontotemporal dementia? Did you also know that Apathy is particularly common in patients with behavioral variant frontal temporal lobe dementia (bvFTD), and is a disabling noncognitive symptom of dementia that...

Dr Yvonne Couch , narrates her blog written for the Dementia Researcher website. This week Yvonne was inspired by a new student - from a country that shall remain nameless, the student was telling Yvonne about the promotion system for medical octors in her home country. Basically, more papers = more likely to be promoted. This resulted in what the student described as ‘a lot of trash science’. So,...

Dr Clarissa Giebel narrates her blog written for Dementia Researcher. Freshly returned from her second visit to Colombia for her ESRC project into the impact of stressful life events on the mental health and well-being of older Colombians, Clarissa's mind is full of thoughts and ideas and also frustrations and sadness as to how little (if any) support family carers, people with dementia, and older...