The Trust is pleased to reveal the projects resulting from the 2019 Disruption Awards. The Trust awarded grants to five projects, with the objective of generating new thinking around dementia. At the heart of the awards is an attempt to improve the public understanding of dementia in order to make change happen. This is also at the heart of the Dementia Services Development Trust. Please watch the video below to find out more about the projects.

Daytime Dancehall

from the “University of Atypical”. This is an organisation established in Northern Ireland for 25 years, led by people with a disability. It’s an intergenerational dance experience. Young physical theatre performers learn and prompt social dances that build and retain friendships and give everyone involved a good time. One benefit of the project is to underscore the legacy of the Atlantic Philanthropy project in Northern Ireland and remind people of the role of the Dementia Trust in delivering work there over the last ten years.

Digital Dementia Game

is from the Queen’s University, Belfast. There is strong representation on the delivery team of people with dementia and their caregivers. The professionals involved have experience of developing technology for health and patient and public involvement in research.

Reframing Dementia

is a collaborative audio-visual project between documentary photographer, Keith Lloyd Davenport, and composer, Shona Mackay. Their project documents the experiences of people with dementia through photography and sound, culminating in an exhibition. The first stages of the project will involve a weekly camera club, where Keith provided guidance on basic camera techniques for people with dementia. Shona created a corresponding sonic element which includes sound recordings made from conversations with participants, focusing on their personal narrative. The participants and their caregivers will be involved in the launch of the exhibition, which will also be captured for the Dementia Trust website.

Paths for All

is a project for best practice for those involved within the outdoor access sector. This project is to develop a dementia friendly area on one of their popular walks at Oatridge College in West Lothian, Scotland and use that as the stimulus for an educational launch event, an on-line resource, and a stage on the walking path that is used by people on courses at Oatridge, which includes people who manage rural landscapes.

Drawing from Experience

is a project from Andy Hyde from Upstream, who with colleagues at the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design at Dundee, developed a role for comics or graphic novels to disseminate information about the needs of people with dementia when travelling. It’s a proof of concept to test the potential for graphic illustration to convey the transport needs of people with dementia, based on their views. The graphic novel will be displayed and downloaded from the Trust website.