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The Dementia Research Collaborative (DRC) at UEA is a group of researchers, educators, clinicians and lay people who are interested in dementia research.
The aims of the group are:
i) to disseminate cutting-edge dementia research findings across UEA, health services and the public, and
ii) to foster research collaborations across UEA, health services and the public.
We run an ongoing series of free bi-monthly dementia open forums at UEA (currently online) which create an exchange of knowledge between researchers, clinicians, the general public, people with dementia and their carers. Anyone with an interest in dementia research is welcome.
Researchers from UEA, and guests, will present their latest innovative research studies and findings, with a different dementia researcher leading each event. There's an opportunity to ask questions of the researcher and to find out how to take part in any upcoming studies at UEA.
You can watch previous Open Forums on our YouTube channel, the UEA Dementia Open Forum.
Our next Dementia Open Forum will take place online on:
Thursday 17 September 2026 at 2pm.
Presenter: Dr Connor McDonald
Title: "Strengthening Family Connections Through Reminiscence"
In this session, Dr Connor McDonald will present findings from his PhD, a collaborative Action Research study exploring family-centred reminiscence during care home visits for people living with dementia. Working alongside family members, the project co-developed a new approach to using reminiscence as a way of strengthening and preserving relationships.
The session will explore how collaboration with families shaped the intervention, what was learned through the co-design process, and how reminiscence can support meaningful interaction and connection within care home settings. This talk will explore how can families maintain meaningful connections with loved ones living with dementia after they move into a care home, and how can reminiscence help make visits more engaging and rewarding for everyone involved.
Connor is an early career researcher whose research focuses on dementia care, family involvement, and collaborative approaches to improving the experiences of people living with dementia and those closest to them.
Our Open Forum will be taking place online via Microsoft Teams. If you would like to join the forum please email dementia.research@uea.ac.uk for the joining link.
Previous Open Forums
Thursday 22 January 2026
Our guest speaker from January Dr Sarah Griffith kindly provided her slides to be downloaded.
Thursday 27 November 2025
Featured speaker James Faraday has kindly provided links to a number of resources associated with his talk which are as follows:
A recipe for positive mealtimes (view the video on Vimeo)
Making a difference through dementia research (view the video on Vimeo)