Dear EMPOWER Colleagues,

We hope you are well. It has been a busy year for EMPOWER, with lots to share since our last newsletter in December 2025. In this issue, we highlight the launch of our policy brief in Parliament, the seven projects that have been awarded funding through our Small Research Project Fund, and wider activity across the network.

Small Research Project Fund

We received 28 applications to the Small Research Project Fund. The quality of submissions reflected the hard work and dedication of lived experts, researchers and community organisations in developing these projects together. Applications were reviewed across three stages, involving 3 community partners, 22 lived experts and 18 researchers. We are pleased to announce that we have funded seven projects:

“Seen and heard”: The Role of Sound and Moving Image to Connect People with Dementia Within, Outwards and Across Generations – Ellie Robinson-Carter and Ronald Amanze (University of Hull, RVF Academy)

Exploring how radio and film can help people with dementia feel more visible, connected and empowered.

2. Developing and Implementing Meeting Centres in Northern Ireland: A Co-production Approach to Community-based Support – Shirley Evans (University of Worcester)

Establishing the first Meeting Centre in Northern Ireland as a six-month pilot through co-production with people with dementia, care partners and other stakeholders.

3. Connecting with African and Caribbean Elders – Lizzie Ward (National Museums Liverpool)

Refreshing resources for Caribbean and African elders in Liverpool, co-producing bilingual materials and establishing ongoing community steering groups.

4. Sexual Coercion within Relationships Affected by Dementia Whilst Living at Home: Co-Designing Awareness Resources – Rasa Mikelyte and Esther Wiskerke (University of Kent, Symbiosia)

Co-designing an accessible booklet covering intimacy and dementia, consent, decision making and where to seek help.

5. Helping Family Members and Trusted Contacts Navigate Financial Challenges for People with Dementia – Hang Le and Orii McDermott (University of Nottingham)

Understanding challenges around sensitive conversations about money, transferring financial control and navigating complex financial systems.

6. Amplifying Voices from Ethnic Minority Communities: Hybrid/online Wellbeing Activities for Diverse Communities – Jo Morling and Neil Chadborn (University of Nottingham, Link CVS)

Creating culturally relevant wellbeing activities with local communities that can be accessed at home.

7. Dementia Adventure Green Letter Days: Supporting Wellbeing for People Living with Dementia and their Carers through Meaningful Moments – Manpreet Gill and Marcus Hansen (Dementia Adventure, Liverpool John Moores University, Stevenage Dementia Involvement Group)

Co-designing dementia friendly outdoor experiences that promote joy, movement and social connection.

Celebration Event

We celebrated the seven funded projects in June through an online event that brought together people affected by dementia, community organisations, researchers and practitioners. The event provided project teams with an opportunity to present their work and discuss their intended outcomes.

Get Involved

Join us at an EMPOWER Event

We are supporting the funded project teams to hold in-person events around the themes of their projects. These events aim to platform projects, alongside engage and connect with local communities and community groups. These events are open to people living with dementia, family members and carers, researchers, health and social care professionals, and community organisations. Registration is free but spaces are limited, so attendance will be on a first come first served basis. 

In 2026, three events are confirmed:

1. Community Organisations and Researcher Partnerships (16th September, Liverpool)​: Hosted by House of Memories, this event will bring community organisations and researchers together to share experiences, explore approaches to addressing inequalities in dementia, and learn from other projects. The day will include talks, creative and museum activities, networking and a collaborative workshop focused on strengthening partnerships and sharing learning.

2. Creative Approaches in Dementia Research (13th October, London)​: Hosted by Ellie Robinson-Carter and Ronald Amanze, this event will bring together people living with dementia, carers, researchers, health and social care professionals, and community organisations to explore how creative approaches, including photography, sound, object handling and other arts-based methods, can be used in dementia research.

3. Co-producing community-based initiatives (2nd November, Northern Ireland)​: Hosted by Shirley Evans, this event will provide an opportunity to share best practice in co-producing community-based initiatives in dementia research and care, with a focus on supporting people affected by dementia to live meaningful lives. It will include a table-top discussion on co-production, alongside creative activities exploring what empowerment and living meaningfully means in the context of dementia.

Come along to one of our Special Interest Groups

Creative Methods in Dementia

The network launched its Special Interest Group on Creative Methods in Dementia Research in April 2026. The group brings together people and organisations interested in creative and inclusive approaches that support people affected by dementia to shape research and practice. This includes sharing learning around methods such as storytelling, arts-based approaches, photography, poetry, music, creative workshops, and other participatory approaches.

Palliative and End-of-Life Care in Dementia

The network launched its Special Interest Group on Palliative and End-of-Life care in Dementia in June 2026. The group brings together researchers, healthcare professionals, community organisations, carers, and lived experts who are interested in improving palliative and end-of-life care for people affected by dementia. Through regular online gatherings, the group provides opportunities to share experiences, discuss challenges and ideas, and develop future collaboration opportunities.

If you would like to learn more, join the SIGs, or present your work, please email us.

PALLDEM Homecare

The PALLDEM Homecare study is exploring how homecare workers can be better supported to provide end-of-life care for people living with dementia at home. The project is co-producing and testing the use of the IPOS-Dem tool with homecare workers, alongside people affected by dementia and care professionals, with the aim of improving identification of unmet needs and supporting more person-centred care at home.

Resources

Flexible Fund Guides

Since running the Small Research Project Fund, we have created resources for researchers and community organisations to help guide them in running their own funds. 

1. Flexible Fund Guidance: A behind-the-scenes guide to how EMPOWER designed and ran its Flexible Fund. 
2. A Guide to Running a Small Research Project Fund: A practical walkthrough of how EMPOWER set up and managed a small research fund that put community organisations and lived experts on equal footing with researchers. 
3. A Guide to Co-producing Priority Areas for Research: How EMPOWER worked with communities and lived experts to decide what research to fund, and how you can do the same. 

Dementia Carers Count: Service Evaluation 

A new independent evaluation has found that Dementia Carers Count’s Carer Support Service is playing a vital role for dementia carers, helping them navigate complex health and social care systems, feel less alone, and access support more easily. The findings also show how their specialist intermediary model helps strengthen the wider dementia care system, improving connections between services and reducing barriers to support. Watch the short explainer video and read the full evaluation here.

Network Updates

New Community Partners

We welcomed 9 new Community Partners, bringing us to a total of 46. Their commitment, time, and insight are essential to EMPOWER’s progress and we are deeply thankful for their continued support and expertise. You can view and connect with our Community Partners here.

Thank you, Chandrika

We would like to thank Chandrika Kaviraj, who has stepped down from the network. Chandrika’s contribution has been central to shaping the network and maintaining a consistent focus on co-production. Chandrika’s input has had a lasting impact on how the network works and how we approach working with people affected by dementia.

Requests from EMPOWER Members

Research opportunity for family carers!

Are you a family carer or friend of a person with dementia who has received care from a dementia mental health ward? If yes, the FIND ME team would like to invite you to take part in 3 online workshops in October, November and December. The aim of the workshops is to co-design strategies and solutions to improve family carer support when a relative is admitted to an inpatient unit.  

Each workshop will approximately last 90 minutes and you will receive a £20 thank you voucher per workshop for taking part. The workshop dates are: 

• Workshop 1: Friday 16th October, 1pm – 2.30pm 
• Workshop 2: Friday 20th November, 1pm – 2.30pm 
• Workshop 3: Friday 4th December, 10am – 11.30am 

If you are interested in taking part, please email findme.giam@uwl.ac.uk or tel: 020 8209 4277 to register.  

The DETERMIND study 

Colleagues from the DETERMIND study are inviting people to take part in research on inequalities in dementia care. They are particularly looking to hear from: 

• People from minoritised ethnic and religious communities who have been diagnosed with dementia within the past 6 months 
• People who identify as LGBTQIA+ and are living with dementia 

The study involves a one-to-one conversation with a researcher about your experiences of dementia, with the aim of understanding how inequalities affect wellbeing and how care can be improved. 

More information is available at: www.determind.org.uk 

Or contact Dr Ben Hicks: ben.hicks@nottingham.ac.uk  

Patient Advisory Group  

Our colleague, David Gray, is developing a public and patient advisory group to support the development of research into how older people can be better supported to drink enough fluid in hospital. 

David is looking for expressions of interest from older people who have experience of being in hospital where they may have needed intravenous fluids or felt that they did not get enough to drink, as well as their families and carers who supported them at this time. The team is asking for an hour or two of people’s time and have funds available to reimburse people for their contributions. People can join in-person individually or as part of a group discussion at a venue where they may meet regularly, or over phone or video calls. The team are particularly keen to engage with people with dementia, or who care for someone with dementia, as this is a particular problem for people living with dementia when in hospitals. Please email David (David.2.gray@kcl.ac.uk) if you would like to take part or know more about the study. 

Thea Sobers, University of West London 

Thea Sobers is a PhD researcher at The Geller Institute of Ageing and Memory, University of West London, whose research explores experiences of crisis, particularly a mental health crisis in dementia within Black ethnic communities. Crisis situations often involve significant risk and can lead to contact with mental health services, such as crisis teams or an admission to a mental health ward. Given the existing inequalities within dementia care and mental health care, Black ethnic people living with dementia who experience a crisis represent a vulnerable group. Thea’s research aims to understand what crisis experiences look like in Black communities, what support is being used in these scenarios and what future support could look like for people experiencing a crisis situation. 

Thea is keen to become more involved in local London communities and connect with community members, organisations, and groups who support Black ethnic people. She welcomes suggestions from anyone who would like to help strengthen conversations around dementia and crisis support. Please feel free to contact Thea at thea.amorsobers@uwl.ac.uk.