Symposium at the 35th Alzheimer Europe Conference

On October 8th, the HOMEDEM candidates presented a symposium titled “One day from a life of a person with dementia”. The session, chaired by Prof. Dr. Marjolein de Vugt and Dr. Niels Hendriks, featured presentations by the candidates on their individual research projects, followed by an engaging discussion.

The symposium explored a wide range of topics, including:

🌙 Night-time agitation
🍽️ Supporting autonomy during mealtimes
👥 Social needs of people with dementia and their loved ones
🎲 Supporting initiative with open-ended play
🏡 Interior design reinforcing the sense of home
❤️ Sustaining couplehood
🏛️ Policies and care systems shaping daily experiences
⚖️ Resource allocation & the role of design and technology in supporting autonomy

We sincerely thank everyone who attended the symposium for their interest and participation, and INTERDEM for kindly hosting the session.

Highlights from Marine and Ajda’s Conference Contributions

HOMEDEM candidates Marine Markaryan and Ajda Flisar showcased their ongoing research at the Alzheimer Europe Conference.

Marine presented her work “Maintaining Couplehood in the Face of Dementia: The Perspective of People with Dementia,” highlighting how couples sustain their relationships when one partner is living with dementia.

Ajda shared three presentations exploring different aspects of dementia care and research. In her talk “Exploration of Nighttime Agitation in People with Dementia Living at Home – Perspectives of Informal Caregivers,” she discussed caregivers’ experiences and challenges related to nighttime agitation. Her poster “Assessment of Nighttime Agitation Using Passive Sensing: A Dyadic N-of-1 Observational Design Study” introduced an innovative approach to studying these behaviours through technology. Finally, she took part in the INTERDEM session “Impactful Communication Facilitating Collaboration,” sharing lessons learned across career stages and reflecting on the importance of effective communication in research and practice.

In early October, the HOMEDEM Doctoral Candidates met for the second time with the EWGPWD. They shared emerging findings through presentations, stories, cards, and visual collages, sparking rich discussions about the next steps of their research. The group’s feedback offered valuable perspectives on what truly matters for people living with dementia and their caregivers.