16th International Dementia Conference Programme
Day Two, 9th May 2024
Plenary Stage
Parallel Stage
Tributary Stage
Doors will open at 9am.
Please follow the signs to the registration desk to sign in. Light refreshments will be served and there will be time to visit our exhibitors and network before the conference formally opens.
Engaging Dementia CEO Kim Tully will welcome attendees to Day Two of the 16th International Dementia Conference.
Kim joined Engaging Dementia as CEO in late 2020.
She has over 20+ years of experience in diverse roles for a renowned global organisation, and is enjoying her move into the community and voluntary sector. Kim has a Master’s Degree in International Business from the University of South Carolina, USA.
This presentation is the result of a collaboration between Alex – a photographer and Kate – a nursing academic, where they interpreted the photography of people with dementia in Peru using the essential human needs identified by Tom Kitwood’s seminal work: the person comes first. These include the need for comfort, identity, inclusion, attachment and occupation. Through the photography we can see the honoring or negation of these human rights and some hopeful ideas to address human needs – even in very disadvantaged communities.
The presentation will explain the theory and then give the stories of the individuals portrayed and talk about their human needs as they may be interpreted. The session will be interactive where the presenter will ask the group to say which human need they think is being demonstrated.
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Kate Irving is a jointly appointed Professor of Clinical Nursing and Dublin City University and Community Health Organisation 9. Kate has a PhD from Curtin University Western Australia. Kate coordinated the FP7 funded In-MINDD study on dementia deterrence and has partnered in many more international research projects.
Alex is a photographer, documenting older Peruvians living in the country’s coast, mountain and jungle, with the aim of creating the first traveling, interdisciplinary exhibition of “aging in Peru” with the goal of generating social awareness of challenges surrounding aging.
Dr. Kevin Quaid will discuss his participation in “Walking the Talk for Dementia”, on the Camino de Santiago, in May 2023. He will discuss the challenges and triumphs of this dream journey.
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Kevin was first diagnosed with Parkinson’s, just over 9 years ago, then later diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia also. He is the current Chair of the Irish Dementia Working Group, the Vice Chair of the European Working Group of People With Dementia and, the Co-founder of Lewy Body Ireland. Kevin is also a member of the Dementia Research Advisory Team as well as Dementia Trials Ireland. He is the Author of two books about Lewy body dementia. His first book was ‘Lewy Body Dementia Survival and Me’, he has recently published his second book titled ‘I am KEVIN not Lewy’ and is now writing his third book.
In 2022 he was presented with ‘The Presidential Award’ from Longford International College Ireland, for “his outstanding achievements in bringing awareness of Lewy Body Dementia not just in Ireland but globally too” and in November 2023 Kevin was awarded an Horary Doctorate of Philosophy by the Rushford College and the Longford international College.
With 15 years experience in the sector, Michael Wright will present on the Home Care Reform Agenda and the impact this will have on people living with dementia in Ireland.
The home care sector is not regulated, and a statutory home care scheme is more than an election away. For people living with dementia, there is no right to home care, and the availability and scale of HSE-funded home support depends on where you live. Even if funds are available, a one-size-fits-all home care scheme does not provide the architecture to deliver home support throughout the country, hence waiting lists for home support persist to this day. Home Instead is Ireland’s largest private home care provider, having provided home care in the state since 2005. Employing over 3,900 people in Ireland, the organisation has consistently lobbied for the sector to be regulated, and for a statutory right to home care to become law.
Michael Wright is Director of Public Affairs at Home Instead and Director of Home and Community Care Ireland.
Dr. Clarissa Giebel is leading national and international research on inequalities in dementia, and is the Lead of the European INTERDEM Taskforce on Inequalities in Dementia.
In 2019, she set up the successful and growing public-facing Liverpool Dementia & Ageing Research Forum, which enables knowledge and networking on dementia for different stakeholder groups. She is also the host of The Ageing Scientist podcast, and has jointly with her group co-produced and launched the Dementia Inequalities Game – an educational game to learn about dementia inequalities. She has published over 110 papers, including two policy briefings, in the field.
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Dr Clarissa Giebel is Senior Research Fellow in the Institute of Population Health at the University of Liverpool, and Older Adult Subtheme Lead at the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration North West Coast. She is leading the Institute’s Dementia Research Group and is a NIHR School for Social Care Leadership Fellow.
In this presentation Charléss will delve into the vital realm of communication surrounding end-of-life preferences and wishes for people with dementia and their families. Addressing the challenges of navigating theses wishes, she will discuss her research on the significance of open dialogue and communication strategies to identify the unique needs and values of people living with dementia and their families.
She will also share her efforts in crafting discussion cards designed for navigating end-of-life conversations, alongside the development of a dedicated website aimed at assisting people with dementia and their families in advance care planning. Furthermore, she will look at the prospect of enriching discussions on advance care planning by integrating social aspects.
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Charlèss Dupont is a registered nurse with a background in communication and health policy. She is working as a researcher with the End-of-Life Care Research Group based at Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Ghent University in Belgium. Her research focuses on advance care planning for people living with dementia, communication at the end of life, care navigation and palliative care for people with dementia. Her PhD research was centred around the use of technology for people with dementia and their families to support advance care planning conversations.
A catered lunch will be served
Kathleen and Catherine are going to speak about Rights Made Real, a project funded by The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission.
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Kathleen Farrell was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia with Parkinson’s in 2021, and lives with her sister and her aunt who she cares for. Kathleen joined the Irish Dementia Working Group in 2022 and has decided to become an advocate for other people living with dementia. Kathleen is also a member of the Understand Together Working Group and recently took part in the Understand Together National Logo Campaign. Kathleen has participated in dementia awareness training for staff in The Abbey Theatre and took part in The Alzheimer Society of Ireland DemTalks podcast.
Kathleen is passionate that the same dementia supports and services should be available to everyone no matter where they are living in Ireland. She hopes by sharing her story and experiences the future for other people being diagnosed with dementia in Ireland may improve.
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Catherine Murphy was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease in 2022. Catherine had been working with the Department of Social Welfare before receiving her diagnosis. Catherine lives in Dublin with her husband.
In October 2022 Catherine attended a course called ‘Rights Made Real’, a course designed by people living with dementia for people living with dementia to understand their Human Rights. Catherine felt empowered and motivated after completing the Rights Made Real training and joined The Irish Dementia Working Group. Since joining The Irish Dementia Working Group Catherine has talked to social work students, occupational therapy students, pharmaceutical students, Hospital groups as well as participating in consultations and meetings. Catherine is passionate that everyone living with dementia should be informed about their Human Rights.
Paddy, John and Ailbhe are all experts in the field of dementia either through study and/or lived experience. In this panel-style discuss they will look at the experience of dementia within the LGBTQI+ community.
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Paddy Crosbie lives in Dublin and cared for his husband Derek, who was diagnosed with Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease in July 2012, when Derek was 58. Sadly, Derek passed away in November 2021. Paddy has been involved with the Dementia Carers Campaign Network since it began in 2013. He has been involved in policy consultations, political advocacy, raising awareness of the issues affecting carers of those living with dementia, through media, and using the arts as an innovative way of communicating to a wider audience outside the dementia community. In 2022, Paddy was appointed to Alzheimer Europe’s newly formed European Dementia Carers Working Group to bring the voice of Irish dementia carers to Europe. Prior to retiring early to care for Derek, Paddy worked in local government.
(Photo Credit: Tom Scott/Atom creates)
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John Hammond is a former carer for a parent who lived with dementia. He worked as the Head of Services and Acting CEO at Brighton and Hove LGBT Switchboard. While there, he led on a Royal Society for Public Health award-winning project that provides peer support opportunities for LGBTQ+ people living with dementia.
John is a Director of the LGBTQ+Dementia Advisory Group Community Interest Company and is a PhD student at Brighton and Sussex Medical School. His research will use creative photography methodology to explore the experiences of LGBTQ+ people living with dementia.
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Ailbhe Smyth was the founding head of Women’s and Gender Studies at University College Dublin and is a long-time LGBTIQ+, feminist and socialist activist. She played a leading role in the Irish Marriage Equality referendum and was co-director of the abortion referendum campaign in 2018. The Chair of the NLGF (NXF) for many years, she is Chair of Women’s Aid, a director of Age Action Ireland and Patron of the Women’s Collective Ireland.
Ailbhe was included in Time Magazine’s list of the world’s 100 most influential people in 2019 and was also awarded the Freedom of the City of Dublin.
Dr. Kelly and Dr. Hannigan will present on the findings from their research study investigating the implementation of early interventions for people with dementia in Ireland. The project, entitled FAB-CST, explores Facilitators and Barriers to the delivery of Cognitive Stimulation Therapy, which is an internationally recognised, evidence-based intervention for people with mild to moderate dementia.
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Dr. Michelle Kelly holds a BA Hons degree in Psychology; with a doctorate in Psychological Science (Applied Behaviour Analysis and Therapy). She completed a postdoc with the NEIL Programme in Trinity College’s Institute of Neuroscience (TCIN) and the Alzheimer Society of Ireland (2011-2014), where she was responsible for the research and development of evidence-based brain health interventions for older adults and people with dementia. Michelle took up a lecturing post in psychology and behaviour analysis in Maynooth University from 2014-2017, before subsequently moving to the National College of Ireland (NCI). Michelle is an Associate Professor in the Psychology Department in NCI and co-directs the ProBrain Research Lab.
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Dr. Caoimhe Hannigan is an Assistant Professor in Psychology and Co-Director of the ProBrain Research Lab at National College of Ireland. Caoimhe received a BA (Hons) in Psychology from University College Dublin, MSc in Applied Psychology from University of Ulster, and completed her PhD in Psychology at Trinity College Dublin in 2016. Prior to joining NCI in 2017, Caoimhe worked as a research coordinator, project manager, and postdoctoral fellow on several projects in Trinity College Dublin, including the NEIL Memory Research Unit and the Horizon-2020 funded ProACT project. Caoimhe has significant experience in the design and implementation of research related to cognitive function, loneliness, and health and well-being in older populations. Her research interests include cognitive ageing, modifiable risk factors for dementia, loneliness and its impact on health, brain health and dementia prevention, and evidence-based interventions to improve health and well-being for older people and people with dementia. Caoimhe has received over €200,000 in research funding and has over 30 peer-reviewed publications in the field of psychology of ageing. Caoimhe is currently a Principal Investigator for a project investigating Cognitive Rehabilitation for people with dementia, funded by the Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland. Previous key projects include an a HRB-funded study investigating the effects of a befriending intervention on loneliness and health, and an IRC-funded evaluation of barriers to implementing Cognitive Stimulation in Ireland.
In this presentation, Siobhán will walk the attendees through the project the Erasmus Plus Project Dementia Right. The project calls on all people involved in care of those people living with dementia to support policies that enables a dementia specific, rights based, patient-centred approach care that will improve the quality of life, social inclusion and dignity of people living with dementia, their caregivers and family members. Siobhán will be describing the outcomes, impacts and successes of the dissemination of the project.
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Siobhán Grant is the Fundraising Manager at Saint Joseph’s Shankill and a part of the management team that has led the cultural and environmental change in Saint Joseph’s that has positively impacted the lives of the people in our care and their families.
She began her career in Saint Vincent’s Hospital where she trained as a general nurse. She holds post grads in Public Relations, Essential Management, Digital Marketing, and Dementia Design. She works tirelessly as an advocate for people living with dementia and their families to create an Ireland that supports the quality of life they deserve.
Closing Ceremony for Day Two
Doors will open at 9am.
Please follow the signs to the registration desk to sign in.
Light refreshments will be served and there will be time to visit our exhibitors and network before the conference formally opens.
In this presentation, David Courtney will discuss brain health and hearing, detailing how the ear works and how people can look after their hearing. The ear contains hair cells which conduct sound to the brain and once they are gone they can not be replaced. The Lancet report, 2022, shows a clear link between hearing and brain health and so early intervention and knowledge of prevention techniques is essential.
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David Courtney is an esteemed member of the Hidden Hearing’s audiology team. His experience lies within practice of diagnostic audiology, irrigation & micro-suction procedures. His passion lies within the area of aural rehabilitation.
Hidden Hearing are proud to have won the Customer Experience Award at this year’s Irish Loyalty and CX Awards
Since its establishment, Living Well with Dementia (LWD) in South Tipperary, a community-driven service, has taken an innovative approach to supporting people living with dementia who present with wide-ranging needs and unique circumstances. A recent evaluation report found the Living Well with Dementia service is unique and progressive, filling the gap in dementia care landscape in South Tipperary. The effective interdisciplinary team of highly qualified and experienced dementia nurse specialist and senior occupational therapist has ensured clients receive flexible and individualised interventions.
This presentation aims to provide an overview of the service and in particular the interdisciplinary way in which the small team work to support people living with dementia. Drawing on the recent evaluation, it examines the value of this approach taken in enhancing supports for people living with dementia. The presentation will provide an overview of key services developed including the weekly social group, the education programmes and individual sessions.
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Anne Quinn has worked with the Living Well with Dementia Service since 2014. Prior to that, Anne worked as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner in St Patrick’s Hospital & Memory Clinic Cashel. Anne has an MSc in Gerontological Nursing and a PgDip in Dementia Care.
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Mary Ryan has worked for the Living Well with Dementia Service since 2018. Prior to that, Mary worked as a Clinical Nurse Manager for 12 years. Mary has a PgDip in Health Promotion and an MSc in Rehabilitation & Habilitation Nursing.
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Emma O’ Brien is a senior Occupational Therapist who has been working with the Living Well with Dementia Service since 2015. Emma assesses clients at the Memory Technology Library working with them to find the right assistive technology, to employ effective compensatory and rehab techniques that help manage symptoms and the impact of dementia on engagement and daily living. Emma has a MSc in Dementia in Healthcare and provides clinical leadership to the national Memory Technology Resource Rooms.
Alyssa and Pat will present on The Carers’ Transition Group and how it’s model might be replicated.
The Carers’ Transition Group (CTG) is a psychosocial and psychoeducational group that supports spousal dementia carers in processing grief, educating about dementia and their evolving caring role, signposting to resources, and promoting self-care and overall well-being. The group is comprised of spousal carers of those living with dementia who are currently patients of a Mental Health Service for Older Persons, residing in or transitioning to long term care.
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Alyssa Rychtarik is a social worker practicing in Older Persons Mental Health and has over 15 years experience in the development and evaluation of international community health and development programmes and community social service programmes. Alyssa holds a Masters degree in Social Work (MSW),MA in Social Gerontology, MA in Social Policy, PG Dip in Psychosocial & Spiritual Interventions in Terminal Illness and a PG Cert in Clinical Dementia Studies. She has a particular interest in supporting family carers and palliative care in dementia.
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Pat Harnett is a Clinical Nurse Specialist, with over 20 years experience in Intellectual Disability Nursing and 10 in Mental Health Services for Older Persons. Pat holds a RNID, a RPN, MSc in Dementia Nursing Practice and a Graduate Diploma in Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy. Pat is particularly involved in improving training to support mental health issues for the older person in long term care and strategies to gain an understanding of non-cognitive symptoms of dementia in nursing home care. He has a keen interest in the process of grief related to the transition to long term care.
Cathryn will discuss the Creating a Dementia Inclusive Generation Programme. This programme was designed and delivered by The Alzheimer Society Of Ireland (ASI) to increase the awareness and understanding of dementia and help combat the stigma associated with the condition. Targeted at post primary schools and students, the programme empowers a greater understanding of the impact of dementia on not only the People Living with Dementia ( PLWD) but also the impact on family members and carers/supporters. Students learn how they can develop and maintain supportive and positive relationships with PLWD.
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Cathryn O’Leary works as the National Community Engagement Manager for the Alzheimer Society of Ireland leading out on a range of Community Engagement and Awareness raising Programmes. Cathryn comes form a Community Development background, has a Masters in Business and has an extensive experience of working in the not for profit sector. Cathryn also shares the care of her mum who is living with Alzheimer Disease.
Bairbre-Ann and Ciaran will present on the Azure methodology, which was originally developed at the Museum of Modern Art(MoMA) in New York City.
The programme was co-designed by curators and persons living with dementia and was adapted for use in Ireland in partnership with the Irish Dementia Working Group, placing persons living with dementia at the centre of Azure. Azure recognises that art-viewing is a right of persons living with dementia, therefore galleries have a duty to facilitate its implimentation.
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Bairbre-Ann Harkin is a museum-educator with an interest in creativity for brain health and accessible and dementia-inclusive programming. Currently Curator of IMMA Horizons at the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Bairbre-Ann devises and manages programmes and partnerships exploring how creativity can positively impact on health and wellbeing. Prior to this, she completed a Fellowship examining IMMA’s dementia-inclusivity. Bairbre-Ann previously worked as Education Curator for Butler Gallery and has delivered engagement programmes and trainings for organisations nationally and internationally since 2010, including the Erasmus+ project MA&A: Museums, Art & Alzheimer’s. Bairbre-Ann is a graduate of Law w/French Law (UCD) and holds a PG Dip. in Contemporary Art History from Goldsmiths, University of London.
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Ciaran McKinney is Manager of the Engage Programme at Age & Opportunity and delivers group facilitation/training initiatives nationally. He has been at Age & Opportunity since 2009. Age & Opportunity is the national organisation that provides a range of opportunities for older people who want to get more involved in arts and culture, sport and physical activity, civic engagement and personal development. Ciaran holds a B.Soc.Sci from UCD and a Diploma in Human Rights and Equality from the Institute of Public Administration, Dublin.
Given the evolving landscape of health and social care, it is imperative to develop innovative dementia education initiatives to bolster the knowledge and skills of healthcare professionals in all clinical settings.
In this presentation, Susan and AnnMarie will detail a strategic planning initiative involving a world café event and an online survey, used to inform the future of dementia education in Ireland.
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Susan O’Reilly (FFNMRCSI) is a Group Assistant Director of Nursing for Dementia Quality Improvement in the HSE. Susan has previously worked as RANP and CNS in Older Persons, Dementia Care and as nurse lead for the Genio funded project developing and implementing integrated care pathways for people living with dementia availing of acute care services. She has completed a BNSc degree and MSc Intellectual Disability Nursing (DCU), MSc by Research (RCSI), PG Dip (Dementia) (TCD), and PGDip (Advanced Practice) (UCD).
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AnnMarie Kilgannon is Assistant Director of Nursing for Dementia Quality Improvement with Ireland East Hospital Group. AnnMarie graduated from St Angela’s College, Sligo with a BNSc Degree and additionally holds a PG Dip Gerontology and MsC Advanced Practice. She has worked in a variety of older person roles spanning acute, community, and residential settings; and is currently a member of various national quality improvement groups.
Clodagh will present on her study aimed at investigating if Cognitive Reserve can be predicted by engagement in creative activity in a sample of healthy adults of mixed age groups. The study was also intended to investigate if any particular creative activity domains showed greater scores in terms of frequency of engagement.
Clodagh based her research on the evidence present that that creativity has the potential to modify or enhance CR, helping to reduce the risk of age-associated cognitive dysfunction and to protect against the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
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Clodagh Galvin is an Outreach Disability Officer with Trinity Disability Services. She has completed a Masters in Psychology in 2022. During her Masters, Clodagh developed a strong interest in research of creative thinking, brain health and dementia. She is very passionate about the Arts and has been involved in acting, musical theatre and singing since she was four years old. As she entered her early career, Clodagh became a member of the Association of Drama in Education. Here, she began to research and present workshops based on drama for wellbeing. She has conducted a study of creative activity engagement as a predictor of cognitive reserve and continues to research this area as part of the Creativity Research Group.
Laura will present on her project which investigates if the use of applied drama and actor training techniques can improve person-centred care and communication skills for student nurses in dementia care. Applied drama (AD) is a form of experiential theatre-in-education that promotes deep understanding and exploration of a particular topic, using interactive pedagogical methodologies. It has been used successfully in different contexts to promote knowledge and skills development among healthcare professionals.
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Laura Hawley is a drama teacher practitioner, mental health nurse and PHD researcher in drama, nurse education and dementia. She has a BA Hons from Ulster University, an MA in Theatre and Contemporary Practice from Hull University, an MSC in Mental Health Nursing from Huddersfield University where she is now completing her doctorate. She is a theatre-maker passionate about using theatre and drama in healthcare, especially dementia.
A catered lunch will be provided
Recently researchers have suggested that dual audio-visual impairment –consisting of the presence of both hearing and visual impairment – may be a more substantial risk factor for dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment compared to singular sensory impairment.
Nina will discuss her systematic review of the literature across three databases to synthesise the literature of dual sensory impairment as a risk for the development of dementia. Apart from a discussion on why dual sensory impairment might be a more substantial risk factor for the development of dementia, the presentation will include a comparison of the use of subjective versus objective measurements of sensory impairment, the quality of studies within the area, as well as recommendations for further studies within the area of cognition, dementia, and sensory impairment.
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Nina Meret Zumbrunn is a PhD researcher in the School of Psychology at Dublin City University under the supervision of Dr David McGovern and Dr Louise Hopper. Nina’s research is concerned with the potential of multisensory integration – the ability to combine information across the senses- to act as an early biomarker of dementia. To address this question, she uses a combination of psychophysics (precise behavioural testing methods) as well as electroencephalography (EEG).
Louise will present on her study aimed at assessing the effectiveness of an 8-week program of activities; whilst examining levels of activity, social connectedness, communication, activities of daily living and quality of life in adults over the age of 65, living with an Intellectual Disability.
It is largely established that dementia occurs more commonly in people living with an intellectual disability (ID), and even more commonly in those with Down Syndrome; particularly as they age. The project focused on enhancing activity participation among this population who currently live in a residential campus setting in Ireland.
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Louise O’Reilly is a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Dementia, in a nurse led specialist memory clinic for people with an intellectual disability, providing comprehensive assessment and post diagnostic support across the continuum of dementia. She is the project lead for the NMPDU funded programme, ‘Menu of Life Enhancing Activities’ within the Avista Service. Qualifying in 2015 from Dublin City University as an RNID, she worked in a specialist dementia home supporting people with advanced dementia and palliative care needs at both Staff Nurse and Clinical Nurse Manager 1 grades. She received her Masters Degree in Dementia Care from Trinity College Dublin in 2019. Louise is particularly interested in psycho-social approaches in dementia care.
In this presentation, Kirsty will discuss the impact that unsuitable seating can have upon people living with dementia and their caregivers; and the contribution of clinical therapeutic seating to health, well being and quality of life.
Many people today, including those with dementia, are sitting in unsuitable, uncomfortable chairs, contributing to pressure sores, contractures, reduced function, challenging behaviours and falls. Kirsty will give an understanding of the changes happening in the brain, the difficulties with seating and posture, and how providing seating solutions for dementia care can benefit both patients, and their caregivers
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Kirsty O’Connor is an Occupational Therapist in Ireland, working as a mental health nurse prior to her current role. With experience in long term care facilities and in the community, Kirsty developed a particular interest in helping those with dementia and became a seating specialist in her local healthcare area. As a long-time advocate for Seating Matters chairs, she joined the company at the start of 2023 as Clinical Training Manager and has already delivered powerful and award-winning seminars and webinars in Ireland, UK and beyond.
In this presentation, Jane will explore the understanding and perceptions of brain health in men in low socio-economic status areas in Ireland. It is estimated that 40% of dementia is attributable to modifiable risk factors, but risk reduction messaging may not reach peoples living in low socio-economic status areas, or with less education. Jane’s findings can support healthcare professionals, in partnership with key stakeholders, to design tailor-made programmes on brain health and dementia risk reduction for this group.
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Jane Carbery is a Senior Occupational Therapist working in the Memory Clinic in St. Finbarr’s Hospital, Cork. Jane qualified in 2002 from Cardiff University and completed her MSc Older Persons Rehabilitation, University College Cork in 2023. Jane worked in the UK and Ireland in acute care, neurological & spinal rehabilitation and in community care. Jane has extensive experience working with Older Persons with Dementia and has a particular interest in brain health and dementia risk reduction.
Katie and Áine will talk about the ‘Meaningful Activities Guide’ and it’s aims to provide a framework for healthcare professionals to implement meaningful activity within the constraints of the acute hospital environment, with the overarching goal of enhancing patients’ experience and well-being.
It is estimated that 25% of admissions to acute care setting are people living with dementia. Acute hospital admission can be distressing for people with dementia and often leads to poorer care outcomes and experience. Meaningful engagement is crucial for enhancing well-being of inpatients living with dementia in acute care. Integrating purposeful activity into standard ward routines can significantly improve patient experience.
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Katie Oakes became a qualified nurse in 2017. She started her career at Lisheen Nursing Home and then worked as a staff nurse at Naas General Hospital before taking up the position of Dementia Clinical Nurse Specialist in the hospital’s in-patient service. She moved to the Regional Specialist Memory Clinic at St. James’s Hospital. At the memory clinic, Katie has a multi-faceted role that includes leading the Dementia Post Diagnostic Support Clinic, completing neurocognitive assessments, and managing inpatients with a diagnosis of dementia or delirium.
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Áine Coe is a Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist, working in Naas General Hospital, formerly a graduate of TCD. Áine completed her MSc. Research with the Discipline of Occupational Therapy, TCD on the development and evaluation of the MSEG intervention. Áine has worked extensively in age-related care and has a special interest in the management of memory impairment.
Doors will open at 9am.
Please follow the signs to the registration desk to sign in.
Light refreshments will be served and there will be time to visit our exhibitors and network before the conference formally opens.
House of Memories is a museum-led dementia awareness programme which offers training, access to resources, and museum-based activities to enable carers to provide person-centred care for people living with dementia.
Museums are experts at recording and caring for people’s memories. Using their experience in reminiscence work, as well as access to museum objects, House of Memories’ unique and innovative training and resources support carers to creatively share memories with the people living with dementia that they are caring for.
The award-winning House of Memories dementia awareness programme was created by National Museums Liverpool.
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Lizzie Salter is the House of Memories Programme Manager within National Museums Liverpool. Lizzie manages the development of programmes within House of Memories and works with the team and partners to create, deliver and evaluate dementia friendly activities within the museums, as well as in community settings.
Indu and Cathal will demonstrate the ‘Focused Intervention Training and Support’ (FITS) programme, an evidence-based training programme that aims to train staff/family members to deliver person-centred care to help safely manage and respond to non-cognitive symptoms of dementia as an alternative to using medication. Person-centred care involves tailoring a person’s care to their interests, abilities, history and personality.
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Indu Thomas joined the Integrated Care Team for Older Persons, Cavan-Monaghan as Advanced Nurse Practitioner in 2018 and currently working with MASS team in Cavan –Monaghan. Worked as Clinical Nurse Manager in Services for Older Persons from 2009 and then in Dementia specific unit in Cavan from 2012 to 2018. Procured Masters in Dementia from Trinity College Dublin (2016), Masters in Advanced Nursing Practice from UCD (2019) and Post Graduate in Person Centred Dementia Care (FITS) from University of Worcester, UK (2020)
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Dr Cathal Lynch – Clinical Psychologist with Mental Health Services Cavan-Monaghan. Cathal introduced the FITS programme to Cavan-Monaghan and is the lead for this initiative.
Siobhán will to host a creative, innovative demonstration by playing a prerecorded video of a roleplay using the VERA framework in a continuing care setting and facilitating discussion on same.
The VERA framework is a validated communication tool that provides a step-by-step approach to aid effective communication in dementia, underpinned by kindness (Blackhall et al., 2011). The framework is based on four key concepts-Validation, Emotion, Reassure and Activity.
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Siobhán Buckley is a registered Nurse Tutor in the Mercy University Hospital, Centre of Nurse Education (CNE), Cork. She graduated from general nursing in 2001 in UCC and went on to achieve a Postgraduate Diploma in Perioperative Nursing before switching her attention to Nurse Education. Siobhan completed her Masters in Nurse Education in 2016 enabling her to register as a nurse tutor. She teaches postgraduate students primarily and is involved in delivering several older adult programmes. Siobhan has a particular interest in promoting the use of simulation and using digital methods for student engagement.
Among the general population, greater subjective wellbeing (SWB) may protect against future dementia risk. Unfortunately, SWB measures for adults with Intellectual Disability are scarce. Thus, associations between higher SWB and reduced dementia risk remain severely under-explored among this cohort.
Rory will discuss his feasibility study to evaluate the acceptability of adapting the Personal Wellbeing Score (Benson et al., 2019) for adults with ID.
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Rory Cousins is a Research Assistant on the Brain Busters Project, a healthy ageing research project based in Saint John of God Intellectual Disability Services. He is a past alumni of Trinity College Dublin having graduated with a B.A. in Psychology & Philosophy (2019) and an M.Sc. in Applied Psychology (2021). Rory is currently working alongside Dr Sharon Hardiman (Principal Investigator of the Brain Busters Project) and collaborates regularly with Dr Flavia H. Santos (Assistant Professor and Ad Astra fellow) based in the School of Psychology, UCD.
Ziyue, along with Prof. Casey and Dr. Sezgin, will discuss their investigation into the rates of social frailty and social isolation in people who show early onset dementia symptoms or have a diagnosis of early onset dementia. The study also explores the factors that influence social frailty and social isolation in people with early onset dementia with the hope that early management of risk factors related to social health could modify the disease progression.
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Ziyue Wang is a PhD student in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at the University of Galway. She obtained her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Central South University. Her PhD research focuses on early onset dementia and social health.
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Professor Dympna Casey (RGN, BA, MA, PhD) has a clinical background in care of older people. She teaches across a range of programmes and supervises students at Masters and PhD level. She was the PI on the EU Funded Horizon 2020 project entitled MARIO (Managing Active and Healthy Aging with the use of caring service robots) within the thematic section `Societal Challenge on Health, Demographic Change and Wellbeing’.
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Dr. Duygu Sezgin is a lecturer and Head of Discipline in General Nursing in the School of Nursing and Midwifery. Dr. Sezgin was a postdoctoral researcher on the EU-funded ADVANTAGE Joint Action for Frailty. Her research background includes psychosocial interventions for people with dementia, chronic disease management, frailty, as well as transitional and intermediate care for older adults. She supervises PhD and Master’s students in these areas and has extensive international research collaborations.
Angela will discuss her ongoing prospective observational study, the first of its kind in an Irish population, which aims to analyse potential cognitive changes in a healthy aging population over 60 undergoing bilateral cataract surgery. Concurrently, it investigates blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction patterns that may correlate with visual and cognitive alterations.
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Dr. Angela Garcia-Gallardo graduated from the School of Medicine of the Universidad del Valle in Cali, Colombia. She completed her neurology training at La Paz University Hospital in Madrid, Spain, and is currently doing a Cognitive Neurology Fellowship under Professor Siobhan Hutchinson at St James’s Hospital as well as Ph.D. research with Professor Matthew Campbell, head of the Genetics Department at Trinity College Dublin, on Cognition and Blood-Brain Barrier profiles in neurological conditions such as cataracts and glioblastomas.
Shiny Joy will discuss her qualitative evidence synthesis aimed at exploring the experiences and perceptions of healthcare staff in managing responsive behaviours of residents living with dementia in older persons’ residential care services.
This is the first Qualitative Evidence Synthesis on this topic, and it utilizes a systematic search across six databases. ‘Best-fit’ framework synthesis using the VIPS (Valuing, Individualised, Perspective, Social and psychological environment) framework guided synthesis.
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Shiny Joy is an Advanced Nurse Practitioner at the Memory Assessment and Support Service in Co. Sligo.
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Mary Butler is the Director of Nursing at Plunkett CNU, in Co. Roscommon.
Neil will be presenting on a programme he developed – A programme of physical and brain aerobics that he run in local nursing homes and the day-care centre.
To have an impact on the growing numbers Alzheimer’s disease cases the programme needed to be developed and targeted at those in early stages of the disease. In 2019 he trained in Cognitive Stimulation Therapy, Dementia Prevention and eventually completed a postgraduate in Healthcare Innovation at Trinity College, where he developed ‘PREVENT – An Alzheimer’s Prevention Initiative. Delivered as part of the Kinsale Community School Adult Ed. Programme it will be part of UCC’s Adult Continuing Education Programme 2024.
Unfortunately William Yeates, a person living with Dementia, had to cancel his plans to attend the 16th International Dementia Conference. He has kindly sent us a recording of his presentation, which we will show at this time.
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In August 2019, at the age of 59, William was diagnosed with Younger Onset Alzheimer’s Disease. Besides being a volunteer surf lifesaver, William competes in masters Swimming, Pool Rescue and Surf Lifesaving Championships, at a local, state, national and international level.
Currently, William is a member of Dementia Australia’s Advocate Program and has been Vice Chair of Dementia Alliance International for the past two years. He is also a member of the World Health Organisation GDO KE Focus Group and a member of the Global Review Panel for ADI Accreditation of dementia care.
Whilst we endeavor to ensure the timetable above is correct, it is subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances.
Should this occur will will do our best to inform all ticket holders of any changes in advance.
