Kirsty Bennett, Terri Preece and Deb de Fiddes (Evoke Collective Australasia) have been appointed as Australian-based Design Associates for the Dementia Services Development Centre (DSDC) at the University of Stirling in Scotland. Here, they talk with Lesley Palmer, chief architect for the DSDC, about what the new relationship could offer to Australian aged care providers

Hilton Koppe shares the story of Rose and Carl*, and the learning that arose from supporting this couple and their extended family, in his role as their GP, for over a decade as Rose’s dementia progressed

Meaningful activity is known to be beneficial for older people in hospital, but health care staff may not feel confident about encouraging engagement, particularly with people living with dementia. Susan Gee and Tracey Hawkes introduce a hospital project which trialled the use of an activity resources trolley and education sessions to increase staff confidence in providing activities for patients

Mark Carter, James Vickers and Zara Quail share their learnings about working internationally to adapt and launch a version of the Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre’s popular massive open online course (MOOC), Preventing Dementia, in China

Gail Kenning introduces an award-winning immersive artwork, called The Visit, developed by researchers at fEEL (felt Experience and Empathy Lab) at the University of New South Wales to cultivate empathy and overcome the stigma related to dementia. Viewers are invited to engage with ‘Viv’ a character who shares her experiences of living with dementia – and who was created directly from real-world accounts of women living with dementia

Changing the way we view and treat people with dementia, coupled with a human rights approach, underpinned by a social model of disability, has the potential to transform the narrative about what authentic dementia care practices should look like, explains advocate John Quinn