Join Dementia Research reaches 60,000 volunteers
More than 60,000 people across the UK have now signed up to Join Dementia Research to be informed of dementia studies they can take part in.
Since the service began in 2015, a total of 61,639 people have signed up, with 69,515 enrolments into studies during this period.
Professor John O’Brien, NIHR National Specialty Lead for Dementia, said:
“A big thank you to the more than 60,000 people who have signed up to Join Dementia Research to be informed of dementia studies they can choose to take part in.
“Research is the only way we will improve diagnosis, treatments and care for people with dementia and the generous participation of volunteers ensures we can carry out these vital studies.”
Driving recruitment to the service
This comes after former Prime Minister Boris Johnson launched a national mission to tackle dementia in memory of the late Dame Barbara Windsor earlier this year.
The NIHR’s local research teams have also successfully helped with recruitment through a text message project, which aims to encourage GP surgery patients to sign up to the Join Dementia Research service.
This has helped increase the number of people signing up to the service in the following regions since it launched in September:
- East Midlands – 223 sign ups
- North East and North Cumbria – 222 sign ups
- Yorkshire and Humberside – 193 sign ups
- North Thames – 118 sign ups
- Greater Manchester – 110 sign ups
- East of England – 109 sign ups
- North West Coast – 44 sign ups
Current studies
A number of important studies which recruited participants through the service have published results this year, which will help improve our understanding of dementia and care for those affected by the condition.
These studies include:
- Investigating the effects of the adapted dementia diagnosis and consultation processes during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Testing whether Lecanemab could be a potential treatment for early stage Alzheimer’s disease
There are also many ongoing dementia studies which people can take part in, such as:
- Investigating the impact of anti-inflammatory drugs on Alzheimer’s disease
- Whether an anti-sickness drug can treat dementia-related hallucinations
- How can virtual reality help with early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease
Join Dementia Research is a UK nationwide service. By registering, people with dementia and healthy volunteers sign up to be contacted about research studies they could take part in.
We still need more people to take part in vital dementia research studies. Speak to your friends and family about Join Dementia Research and encourage them to sign up today!