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10 reasons to be hopeful for the future of dementia research

24 February 2025

Today marks 10 years since Join Dementia Research began helping people take part in vital dementia research across the UK. The service was set up on 24 February 2015 by Professor Martin Rossor and Adam Smith of the University College London (UCL) Institute of Neurology.  Join Dementia Research enables people to register their interest in […]

Blood test study recruits first UK participants

29 January 2025

A UK-wide study into using blood tests to diagnose dementia is now recruiting its first participants. The READ-OUT (REAl World Dementia OUTcomes) study began testing patients at Warneford Hospital in Oxford this week.  The study The study aims to assess blood tests to detect different types of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s, vascular dementia, and dementia […]

Simple programme can improve sleep in dementia

16 January 2025

A recent study involving people from the Join Dementia Research community has looked at the topic of sleep in dementia. Sleep disturbances are a common and distressing issue for people with dementia and their families. These disturbances can make the symptoms of dementia worse. They can also negatively affect the quality of life for both […]

Why having conversations about end-of-life in dementia is so important

18 December 2024

In any area of healthcare, the topic of end-of-life is very difficult. It’s hard to talk about for people with a diagnosis, their families and healthcare professionals. But it is important to discuss, particularly with people living with dementia. Research has shown that people who have had end-of-life care conversations early on have an improved […]

2024 in dementia research

17 December 2024

As 2024 draws to a close, we look back at some of the breakthroughs in dementia research and the achievements and milestones of the Join Dementia Research service.  More volunteers sign up to Join Dementia Research than previous year More than 80,000 volunteers have now signed up to Join Dementia Research since its inception in […]

Anonymous online survey studies seeking volunteers

26 November 2024

Many anonymous online survey studies are seeking volunteers through Join Dementia Research. These studies are quick and easy to take part in. They provide important data to help further our understanding of dementia. Here are 2 studies currently taking place: MINDER (TIHM Technology Perceptions) People with dementia may have biases towards health technologies. This may […]

Blog: Internet use is now a vital part of daily life for many older adults

25 November 2024

  Terry Quinn is a Professor of Cardiovascular Ageing at the University of Glasgow. He recently led a study, working with volunteers in the Join Dementia Research community. The aim was to investigate what activities of daily living are important to older adults.  They found that the existing tools and methods often used to measure […]

Donanemab – an update

31 October 2024

Last week it was announced that the dementia drug, donanemab, has been approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). This means it will be available under private prescription in the UK. However, it has been rejected by National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE), so it will not be available on […]

Blog: using music to help improve dementia symptoms

18 October 2024

Dimana Georgieva is the Programme Manager for a charity called Music for my Mind. The charity helps people with dementia to create free music playlists through their website. In this blog, she shares insights from their online study, ‘Generating and using personalised music playlists to improve behavioural and psychological symptoms in people with dementia: a […]

Volunteer survey findings 2023

24 September 2024

Last November, we invited Join Dementia Research volunteers to have their say and tell us about their experiences of the service by completing our annual survey. Feedback from our volunteers helps us to understand what we are doing well and enables us to identify areas for improvement. Engagement The annual survey was sent out to […]