Experts gather in Plymouth for leading national dementia conference
Some of the most influential national figures in dementia research and care will be assembling in January 2014 for the third Plymouth Dementia Conference.
The one-day event, organised by Plymouth University in partnership with Plymouth City Council, aims to unite health and social care professionals, carers and academics to debate future ways of tackling the condition and the commitments made at the recent global G8 Dementia Summit in London.
High profile speakers at the event will include leading Alistair Burns, NHS England's National Clinical Director for Dementia, Baroness Crawley, from the All Parliamentary Group on Dementia, Dr Doug Brown, Director of Research at the Alzheimer's Society, and Angela Rippon, Chair of the Prime Minister’s Dementia Group.
There will also be addresses from nationally renowned experts from Plymouth University, such as Ian Sherriff, Academic Partnerships Lead for Dementia, Ray Jones, Professor of Health Informatics, and Dr Oleg Anichtchik, Lecturer in Clinical Neurobiology at the Schools of Medicine and Dentistry.
Mr Sherriff, Chair of the Prime Minister’s Rural Dementia Task Force, said: “As a dementia friendly city that hosts the country’s only dementia friendly university, we are perfectly positioned to shape the national agenda on the condition. This conference brings together some of the foremost thinkers on dementia, to share innovative approaches to both care and research. It is only by working together in this way that we can continue to progress the treatment and support available for people affected by dementia.”
The conference – titled Dementia Today and Tomorrow: Working in Partnership for the Future – is expected to attract delegates with a personal or professional interest in dementia, including health and social care professionals, researchers, people with dementia, community groups and schools.
As well as sharing current best experience, it will aim to pose questions for the future of dementia care and suggest that working together in partnership is the only way to bring about positive change and have a lasting impact on policy and practice.
The event will also feature a workshop on ACEmobile, a project at Plymouth University and Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust which is translating the popular Addenbrookes’ Cognitive Examination III (ACEIII) into app form to improve dementia assessments and diagnosis. Other organisations taking part will include Stoke Damerel Community College, one of 21 dementia pioneer schools in the UK.
Plymouth City Councillor Sue McDonald, Cabinet member for Public Health and Adult Social Care said: “We are working closely with our partners, including people with dementia and their families, to develop action plans for care services. We want to make sure our services meet people’s needs and our priorities are early diagnosis and intervention, improving care and support and increasing and improving awareness of the condition. Dementia is one of the greatest challenges we face, the Council is funding a range of services with health and there is a huge amount of work going on.”
The conference will be held at the Plymouth Guildhall on Thursday 31 January 2014 and tickets are now on sale, with discounted rates available for those who book before December 31st. For more information, visit http://tinyurl.com/Plymouth-Dementia-Conference, email events@plymouth.ac.uk or call 01752 588946.
