Professor John Bayley announces Alzheimer's Society - Iris Murdoch Research Fellowship

Opening the 1st International Quality Research in Dementia Conference in London, Professor Bayley will say:

"It is fitting and appropriate that Iris Murdoch's name should be leant to research that will further our understanding of the communication difficulties faced by people with dementia and those close to them. I hope investigations in this under-researched field will lead to tangible improvements in the way we communicate with those suffering from this devastating disease."

People with dementia face increasing difficulties in understanding what is said or what is going on around them as their disease progresses. They gradually lose their speech, endlessly repeat the same words or cry out from time to time. What is sometimes seen as challenging behaviour exhibited by people with dementia is often an attempt by the person to communicate. Very little is known about the way in which dementia affects the language centres of the brain and the Alzheimer's Society - Iris Murdoch Research Fellowship will focus on this area.

Applications for the Alzheimer's Society - Iris Murdoch Research Fellowship will be invited in due course. It is expected that the Fellowship will be for three years with funding up to £150,000.

The Society's director of research, Dr Richard Harvey, commented:

"People with dementia should be encouraged to communicate in whatever way seems most appropriate in order to help them preserve their own sense of identity and improve their quality of life. Topics for the fellowship might include the psycho linguistics of dementia or the use of non-verbal communication with people with dementia. This research fellowship will therefore play an invaluable role in furthering our understanding in this field and in helping us to better communicate with people with dementia in the future."

Over 500 scientists and carers attending the four-day Quality Research in Dementia conference will hear papers presenting new and recent research on the causes of dementia, genetics, current and future treatments and quality of care.