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Dementia Action Week – showcasing new research to support people living with dementia

Dementia Action Week, led by the Alzheimer’s Society, runs from Monday 19 May until Sunday 25 May 2025.

To mark the week, Dementia Research Fellows supported by the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) North East and North Cumbria have been hosting events to share how research in our region is helping to improve care and quality of life for people living with dementia and their families.

More people are living longer in the UK and the number of people with dementia is increasing. Alzheimer’s Society estimates that the total cost of dementia in the UK is £42 billion.

Over 28,000 people in the North East and North Cumbria have a diagnosis of dementia, although it’s estimated that more than 40,000 are actually living with the condition.

The first event of the week took place at the Newcastle United Foundation on Wednesday 21 May, demonstrating new research that aims to support people with dementia to live as well as possible.

This includes a new training package for staff to improve mealtimes in care homes, work to support dementia patients through music therapy, and research around how sporting clubs, particularly football clubs, are supporting those with dementia, and their families.

The event was attended by more than 50 guests, including those living with dementia, and their families. The event was brilliantly supported by staff from the Newcastle United Foundation, who hosted an engaging quiz and walking football session (pictured below).

Attendees also enjoyed an impromptu sing-along to ‘The Blaydon Races’ led by Dementia Research Fellow Steven Lyons on guitar. Steven’s research focuses on exploring how music provides opportunities for people with dementia to build relationships and help maintain independence and dignity. The sing-along highlighted how music can defy memory loss and offer a source of comfort for those with dementia.

Later in the week, St Thomas’ Complex in South Tyneside hosted a session focussing on music therapy and support at mealtimes, attended by residents and their families, alongside care home staff and other health and care professionals.

You can read a blog about this work, here: Connecting through music to support people living with dementia – ARC

The sessions were part of a national week-long NIHR Festival of Applied Dementia Research being held across England to promote better health and care for people with dementia and to showcase research. The NIHR Festival of Applied Dementia Research has been timed to coincide with Dementia Action Week | Alzheimer’s Society.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) alongside Alzheimer’s Society, has invested £7.5 million in creating a network of specialist research fellows across England.

The research fellows work on all aspects of care and support for people with dementia and their carers, and they are hosted within NIHR Applied Research Collaborations (NIHR ARCs) across England.

The NIHR ARC North East and North Cumbria is supporting five Dementia Research Fellows as part of this national investment.

They are:

• Connor Richardson – who is delivering an investigation into the effects of anti-inflammatory medication have on risk of in life dementia and pathology in a population representative cohort age 65 years and over, using the Cognitive Function and Ageing Studies (CFAS) population.
• Marie Poole – whose research project covers two core areas: The role of Integrated Care Systems (ICS) in the provision of dementia care for people from socially disadvantaged backgrounds; and the role of sporting clubs as emerging providers of dementia support to engage with people from socially disadvantaged communities.
• Tamlyn Watermeyer – whose research involves people with Learning Disabilities in dementia research and care through technological solutions.
• Steven Lyons – who is exploring how music provides opportunities for residents in care homes to live healthy lives, build relationships and maintain independence and dignity.
• James Faraday – who is investigating mealtime care for people living with dementia in care homes, including the development and use of a new staff training programme.

Read more about our Dementia Research Fellows.