We were delighted to collaborate with our lived experience colleagues to deliver both a Greater Manchester showcase and parallel sessions at this event.
The UK Dementia Congress is the largest annual multi-disciplinary dementia-focused event and exhibition in the UK and over 500 people attended over the two days.
Sarah Kirkland, Senior Project Manager at Dementia United, chaired a Greater Manchester Showcase. This featured a range of organisations who involve and work with experts by experience (people living with dementia and family carers). True co-production in action. Dementia United were joined by Sania Rehman (Team Sahara South Asian Project Greater Manchester) and Masood Ahmed Qureshi (Expert by Experience, Team Sahara.
As part of the Greater Manchester Showcase, Ruth Turner (Chair) and Ann Booth spoke passionately about meaningful co-production and the importance of the work of DCERG members. Ruth highlighted their key role as equal partners in representing carers, informing strategic decisions and improving health outcomes. As their presentation demonstrated, they make a difference!
Sarah then went on to chair the discussion following the keynote address by Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester. Andy’s keynote ‘Redefining public service: Supporting people to live well with dementia in Greater Manchester’ showcased and celebrated Greater Manchester’s pioneering approach in providing great everyday support and services for people living with dementia, their families and carers. It also explored Greater Manchester’s whole system approach through the lenses of prevention, diversity and inclusion, and research and innovation and offered a vision for the future of public services both across the city-region and nationally.
DCERG members were very much in demand at #UKDC2025, taking part in, and leading several parallel sessions and workshops to an audience of over 500 across two days at Bridgewater Hall.
Jenny Harris co-presented the Tom Kitwood Memorial Address on The Art of Care: How the study of care aesthetics reveals a new direction for person-centred practices in dementia care. Jenny is the lead artist on the Care Aesthetics project at Manchester University and curator of the exhibition Our Long Goodbye an exhibition of photos, film and writing exploring a mother and daughter’s journey with Alzheimer’s
Leah Payne co-presented The World in One Shining Moment, with Dementia United’s academic advisor and NIHR ARC Dementia Research Fellow, Dr Sarah Fox. Their workshop focused on the meaningful everyday experiences (glimmers) which help people living with dementia to maintain connection with their own unique identities and to feel safe and connected in their environments. Attendees were encouraged to consider their own personal sensory and glimmer-focussed biographies, co-creating collages reflective of the sights, smells, sounds and experiences which bring them joy.
Kellie Leatherbarrow shared learning from the successful implementation of Living with Dementia Passport as part of a wider session on dementia care in acute hospitals. Dementia Passports contains salient points of information to improve communication during the transition of care, are patient centred and stay with an individual throughout their journey. They can be downloaded here.
Full details of the conference programme can be found here and for further information on any aspect of the Greater Manchester showcase, please contact sarah.kirkland@nhs.net
