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Dementia Action Week call for research volunteers

Residents in the East Midlands are being urged to use Dementia Action Week (17-23 May) to put themselves forward to support urgent research into dementia.

Following the public enthusiasm shown for research during the COVID-19 pandemic, people are being asked to sign up to the Join Dementia Research service, which connects people to research trials that are helping experts to understand more about the disease.

According to data from the Alzheimer’s Society, there are currently around 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK. This is projected to reach 1.6 million by 2040.

Research into dementia has already increased understanding of the disease, but for continued progress more people in Nottinghamshire are needed to take part in studies.

Join Dementia Research (JDR) is a partnership between the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Alzheimer’s Scotland, Alzehimer’s Research UK and the Alzheimer’s Society. The service allows people to register their interest in dementia research and matches them to suitable studies.

It matches people aged 18 and over, with or without dementia with researchers who are seeking participants for their studies.

Professor Tom Dening (NIHR CRN Specialty lead for Dementia and Neurodegeneration) said:

“The past year has demonstrated the power of research. It is only through research that we can understand what causes the disease, develop effective treatments, improve care and hopefully one day find a cure. More than 25 million people in the UK have a friend or family member with dementia, and research is vital so that we can understand more about the condition.

“This Dementia Action Week, we are asking people in Nottinghamshire to help us by registering to take part in dementia research. This will help people living with dementia now, and improve diagnosis, treatment and care for people with dementia. Research is at the very heart of how we deal with dementia, and we hope that even more people will be inspired to be part of dementia research this year.”

Join Dementia Research is supported by NHS Trusts and GP Practices across the region. Anyone aged over 18 can sign up to take part in dementia research, whether they have dementia or not. 

For more information, visit: https://www.joindementiaresearch.nihr.ac.uk