Dementia affects approximately 50 million people worldwide, and is one of the major causes of disability and dependency among older people. In the UK, around 850,000 people have dementia, with that number projected to rise to one million by 2025. Dementia has a physical, psychological, social, and economic impact, not only on people with dementia, but also on their carers, families and society at large. Against this backdrop, there is a high demand for evidence-led ideas that can enhance the lives of people with dementia and those who care for them.
We find innovative solutions to the challenges of ageing and dementia that are enabling older people to live independent lives, for longer.
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The Centre for Environment, Dementia and Ageing Research at the University of Stirling carries out multidisciplinary, policy- and practice-relevant research that embraces the perspectives of people with dementia and those who support them. The group brings together a vast mix of skills, from doctors and nurses to economists, psychologists, social workers and artists – all working towards a common goal of promoting better wellbeing and quality of life.
"Scotland has a reputation as a world leader in innovation and research and it is great to see the vital contribution by the University of Stirling to one of society's most pressing problems."
Our Dementia Services Development Centre (DSDC) helps to translate our research into policy-informing practice. It houses a design and technology suite showcasing inspiring technology and equipment, a virtual care home that allows for visualisation of new ideas, and a conference centre which hosts regular international masterclasses bringing together dementia-care experts from around the world.
Our research
into ageing and dementia is enabling older people to live independent lives for longer
Innovative ideas
Our award-winning Iridis app facilitates the implementation of dementia design principles
UoS expertise
has been influential in informing telehealthcare delivery in Scotland and Europe
Our projects include the Iridis app, launched in 2017, in collaboration with Space Group. The app is the first in a suite of technologies to assess and provide feedback on how suitable a residence, care facility or other environment is for older people, particularly those with dementia. The app has been downloaded more than 1,000 times by users all over the world, and in 2018 it won the ‘Best Collaborative’ category the Blackwood Design Awards (BDA) – an international contest held to promote concepts and ideas that have the potential to change lives and help people with disabilities live life to the full.
Research conducted at the University has also been influential in informing telecare and telemedicine implementation in Scotland and throughout Europe. Telehealthcare involves enhancing healthcare, public health and health education through the support and use of telecommunications technologies.
Professor Alison Bowes of the Faculty of Social Sciences evaluated a pioneering project commissioned by the Health Foundation to normalise the use of telecare in the homes of older people. The project provided Smart equipment to everyone of retirement age in West Lothian Council (10,000 homes), and demonstrated a range of benefits – from showing the potential for large-scale roll-outs to the impact of telecare on reducing the stigma of needing support. The work also provided the foundation for participation in an EU funded project with Norwegian and Danish partners, and led to our research being translated into the Model for Assessment of Telemedicine (MAST) manual.
The MAST manual – which helps health and social care providers make decisions about when, where and how to roll out telehealthcare to people with long-term conditions – was subsequently adopted by the British Thoracic Society, Recherche Clinique Santé Publique (Paris), the Basque Office for Health Technology Assessment and the Danish Regions in their Telemedicine Strategy.
Research conducted at the University has been influential in informing telecare and telemedicine implementation in Scotland and throughout Europe.
A new multi-million-pound intergenerational research centre at the University of Stirling will provide pioneering solutions to the challenges posed by an ageing global population.
The Intergenerational Living Innovation Hub will be established with £7.25 million of UK Government funding, secured as part of the Stirling and Clackmannanshire City Region Deal. The Hub – which will include state-of-the-art facilities and a development zone – will bring together researchers, industry, healthcare providers, and the third sector to develop innovative ways for an ageing population to live, work and socialise.
Find out more about the Intergenerational Living Innovation Hub.
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The King and Queen of Sweden paid a royal visit to the University of Stirling today to learn about its world-leading dementia research.
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A new multi-million-pound intergenerational research centre at the University of Stirling will provide pioneering solutions to the challenges posed by an ageing global population.
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An innovative app which helps improve home environments for people living with dementia has won an international award for ‘best collaborative’ project.
Time for care: exploring time use by carers of older people
Bowes A, Dawson A & Ashworth R (2019) Time for care: exploring time use by carers of older people (Forthcoming/Available Online). Ageing and Society. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X19000205
Designing Environments for People with Dementia: A Systematic Literature Review
Bowes A & Dawson A (2019) Designing Environments for People with Dementia: A Systematic Literature Review (Forthcoming). Bingley: Emerald. http://ebiz.turpin-distribution.com/products/373080-designing-environments-for-people-with-dementia-a-systematic-literature-review.aspx
Planning and design of ageing communities
Phillips J (2018) Planning and design of ageing communities. In: Skinner M, Andrews G & Cutchin M (eds.) Geographical Gerontology: Perspectives, Concepts, Approaches. Routledge Studies in Human Geography. London: Routledge, pp. 68-79. https://www.routledge.com/Geographical-Gerontology-Perspectives-Concepts-Approaches/Skinner-Andrews-Cutchin/p/book/9781138241152
Down's syndrome and dementia
Watchman K & Quinn S (2019) Down's syndrome and dementia. In: Jackson G & Tolson D (eds.) Textbook of Dementia Care. London: Routledge, pp. 178-186. https://www.crcpress.com/Textbook-of-Dementia-Care-An-Integrated-Approach/Jackson-Tolson/p/book/9781138229242
Issues with the Measurement of Informal Care in Social Surveys: Evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing
Rutherford AC & Bu F (2018) Issues with the Measurement of Informal Care in Social Surveys: Evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Ageing and Society, 38 (12), pp. 2541-2559. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X17000757
Connectivity of older people in rural areas
Hennessy, CH and Means, R. (2018) Connectivity of older people in rural areas. In: A. Walker (ed.) The New Dynamics of Ageing, Bristol: The Policy Press, pp.147-166. https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/the-new-dynamics-of-ageing-volume-1
Epidemiology and outcomes of people with dementia, delirium, and unspecified cognitive impairment in the general hospital: prospective cohort study of 10,014 admissions
Reynish, E.L., Hapca, S.M., De Souza, N., Cvoro, V., Donnan, P.T. and Guthrie, B. (2017) Epidemiology and outcomes of people with dementia, delirium, and unspecified cognitive impairment in the general hospital: prospective cohort study of 10,014 admissions. BMC Medicine, 15 (140), DOI 10.1186/s12916-017-0899-0
Family meetings in inpatient specialist palliative care: a mechanism to convey empathy
Forbat, L. François, K., O’Callahan, L. and Kulikowski, J. (2018) Family meetings in inpatient specialist palliative care: A mechanism to convey empathy. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 55 (5), pp. 1253-1259. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2018.01.020
Facilitating creativity in dementia care: the co-construction of arts-based engagement
Robertson, J. and McCall, V. (2019) Facilitating creativity in dementia care: the co-construction of arts-based engagement. Ageing & Society, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X18001575
The lived neighbourhood: understanding how people with dementia engage with their local environment
Ward, R., Clark, A., Campbell, S., Graham, B., Kullberg, A., Manji, K., Rummery, K. and Keady, J. (2018) The lived neighbourhood: understanding how people with dementia engage with their local environment. International Psychogeriatrics, 30 (6), pp. 867-880, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1041610217000631
Scaffolding and working together: a qualitative exploration of strategies for everyday life with dementia
McCabe, L., Robertson, J. and Kelly, F. (2018) Scaffolding and working together: a qualitative exploration of strategies for everyday life with dementia. Age and Ageing, 47 (2), pp. 303–310, https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afx186
Person-centred assessment to integrate care for older people
Philp I, Tugay K, Hildon Z, Aw S, Jeon Y, Naegle M, Michel J, Namara AA, Wang N & Hardman M (2017) Person-centred assessment to integrate care for older people. In: Global Consultation on Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE) – the path to universal health coverage. Background Paper, 2. Global Consultation on Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE) – the path to universal health coverage, Berlin, Germany, 23.10.2017-25.10.2017. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organisation. http://www.who.int/ageing/health-systems/icope/icope-consultation/en/ Philp I, Tugay K, Hildon Z, Aw S, Jeon Y, Naegle M, Michel J, Namara AA, Wang N & Hardman M (2017) Person-centred assessment to integrate care for older people. In: Global Consultation on Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE) – the path to universal health coverage. Background Paper, 2. Global Consultation on Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE) – the path to universal health coverage, Berlin, Germany, 23.10.2017-25.10.2017. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organisation. Ward R, Clark A, Campbell S, Graham B, Kullberg A, Manji K, Rummery K & Keady J (2018) The lived neighbourhood: understanding how people with dementia engage with their local environment. International Psychogeriatrics, 30 (6), pp. 867-880. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1041610217000631