New Dementia Specialty Lead appointed: Meet Dr Simon Vann Jones, Consultant in Old Age Psychiatry at Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Why did you apply for the position of Dementia Specialty Lead?
I feel it’s so important that our patients have access to high quality research regardless of their postcode and I wanted to be doing more to help this happen. I feel especially passionate that the patients we see, in a predominantly rural part of the country, have similar opportunities to those living in urban areas near large research centres. The NIHR is the vehicle for this, providing an unparalleled network of research and researchers which massively broadens the range of research available to our patients. I am keen to help connect researchers, clinicians and patients and to continue to raise the awareness locally of the outstanding range of research available to us through the NIHR.
Why is dementia research so important?
These are horrible, horrible diseases. Dementia robs sufferers of their memory, language, and independence. It takes away years of life and robs loved ones of the person that they knew, leaving long-term pain and grief in its wake. Currently we have no (zero!) disease modifying treatments and, in the UK at least, there have been no new symptomatic drug treatments for almost two decades. Research provides hope that it doesn’t have to be this way.
What are your hopes for research within this specialty?
We are years behind other areas of medicine such as cardiovascular disease and cancer but I am hopeful, through research, that we are catching up. We are beginning to gain a much better understanding of protective and risk factors, are developing a range of new treatment approaches, and are learning what matters most in helping people with dementia to live as fulfilling lives as possible. I hope that we will soon have disease modifying treatments, enabling those who are at high risk of developing dementia to start preventative treatment. And I hope that we will be able to expand on quality-of-life research not just for those with dementia but also for carers and loved ones.
Anything else you would like to add?
I am very grateful that we have the NIHR and am excited to start this role. I am optimistic (eternally!) that we will see some major developments in this field in the next few years that will positively change the way we practice and how we manage and live with dementia.
