On March 26th, the EMPOWER Dementia Network+ held a Policy Lab in partnership with the Policy Institute at King’s College London, bringing together people with lived experience of dementia, practitioners, researchers, and policymakers to explore a critical question:

“How can we reduce inequalities in care for people living with dementia, and their families, who need greater support?”

Over the past year, the EMPOWER Network has been working to co-produce a shared vision for equitable dementia care for people needing greater support. This vision is shaping the next steps of our Network, and the Policy Lab marked a key milestone on this journey.

Ahead of the event, we shared a briefing pack with attendees that included: our bold vision, research evidence highlighting inequalities in dementia care and research for people needing greater support, and examples of how community organisations are leading innovative solutions to these inequalities.

The aim of the Policy Lab was to co-develop actionable priorities with diverse groups — priorities that will directly guide the future work and funding streams of the EMPOWER Network.

We engaged in several group activities to co-develop priority areas

• Reflecting together on the briefing pack and setting the tone for the day
• Exploring what drives inequalities for people who need more support
• Identifying practical actions that could help reduce these inequalities
• Reviewing the actions and voting on the most important ones to prioritise
• Developing clear, forward-looking proposals for the top priorities

Several priority ideas were co-developed over the day:

• Supporting people with limited support networks – Improving how we identify and support people who live alone, by strengthening data collection in health systems (e.g., using risk assessments or care coordinators), and offering clear, accessible information to support self-advocacy.
• Raising underrepresented voices – Highlighting the need to support influential people from diverse communities to talk more openly about dementia.
• Tackling stigma – Addressing the social and cultural stigma surrounding dementia, particularly for underrepresented communities, and amongst the workforce, starting with educating them from the start. 
• Tapping into community strengths – Using local assets and networks to deliver more personalised and responsive care – such as through intergenerational projects.
• Exploring tech innovations – Including the role of technology to support people living with dementia, especially those living alone.

Looking Ahead

The Policy Lab plays a central role in shaping the Network’s next steps. Insights from the event will directly inform the guidance and priorities for our Small Research Project Funding call. 

Expressions of Interest for this call will launch on June 2nd, 2025. Full applications will open in the fall of 2025. Stay tuned for updates!

This is just the beginning of our work. We will be sharing more soon on our shared vision, funding guidance, and how we’ll continue co-producing the future of dementia care together.

Thank you 

We are grateful to have had the chance to hold this event collaboratively and extend our deepest thanks to:

• Our lived experience panel, PLEDGE, for their wisdom and generosity
• All attendees for their time and contributions
• Our brilliant collaborators at the Policy Institute — especially Harriet Boulding, Tianne Haggar, and Ross Pow — for their insight and support

#DementiaCare #HealthEquity #CoProduction #InclusiveResearch #EMPOWERDementia