The Value of Museums in Meeting the Global Dementia Challenge
Added on Wednesday, April 18th, 2018
The ICC is delighted to have received a grant from the Global Challenge Research Fund 2018 at Liverpool John Moores University. Research funded under this programme is designed to promote the economic development and welfare of developing countries as its main objective, via enduring and equitable research partnerships. Awards are given in a pump priming capacity, to support future applications to UK Research and Innovation’s Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), which forms part of the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) commitment, monitored by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Working in collaboration with House of Memories, National Museums Liverpool’s museum-led dementia awareness programme and Museu Paulista at the University of Sao Paulo (Brazil), the GCRF funding will support innovative knowledge exchange and research development activities on the value of museums in dementia care, linked to our established Crossing Boundaries research programme. Dementia is a significant global challenge. In 2015, dementia affected 47 million people worldwide, a figure that is predicted to increase to 75 million in 2030 and 132 million by 2050. Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, in England and Wales, are currently the leading cause of death for men and women aged 80 years and over. Projections for the Brazilian population point to an increase in the prevalence of dementia in the 65+ age-group, which means 55,000 new cases a year between 2010 and 2020.
The application was led by ICC Research Associate Dr Rafaela Ganga, building on her lead researcher role in the Crossing Boundaries study and existing professional connections with colleagues at Museu Paulista. We look forward to welcoming them to Liverpool in July as part of the project. More information will be shared via the ICC website as the project progresses.
Image: House of Memories dementia awareness for family and friends © Gareth Jones
