Funds Secured For Dementia Projects

A number of data analytics projects aimed at improving public understanding of dementia in Northern Ireland have received funding under the Dementia ehealth and Data Analytics Pathfinder Programme.

Funded by the NI Executive Office, Atlantic Philanthropies and the Department of Health, the programme focuses on using data and technology to inform better services, support people with dementia and help plan for the future.

It is estimated that around 20,000 people are living with dementia in Northern Ireland, with the figure expected to grow rapidly over the next several decades.

A total of nine projects have successfully secured money from the £1 million programme in this third round of funding. Some of the successful bids include:

• Studying data on the diagnosis, carers and patient experience of the Western Health and Social Care Trust's memory services;

• Comprehensive analysis of data from Northern Trust's memory clinic to fully understand prevalence, progression and impact of the CLEAR dementia care model which aims to understand challenging behavior;

• Examining the role of nutrition and lifestyle in reducing the risk of dementia;

• Examining rural areas in Northern Ireland which are likely to have ageing population and increasing rates of dementia;

• Examining data of adults with learning disabilities across Northern Ireland, who are at increased risk of developing dementia at an earlier age.

More details about the programme can be found here.