Reconnecting, Reflecting and Writing: The Department of Applied Dementia Studies Annual Writing Retreat

Surrounded by autumn colours and crisp, clear air, the team came together for focused writing time, collaborative discussion, and a much needed opportunity to reflect and recharge. After a year marked by significant uncertainty and change within the university, this retreat offered space not just for writing, but for rebuilding energy, motivation, and connection.

Across the three days, colleagues worked on a diverse range of projects reflecting the department’s breadth of expertise, from micro-communication in dementia care to large scale intervention, thickened fluids to religion and spirituality, evaluations and co-produced educational research. Each session brought opportunities to share ideas, offer feedback, and learn from one another. Informal discussions over coffee often sparked as much creativity as the quiet hours spent drafting papers or writing reports and resources, and the atmosphere was one of generosity, collaboration, and renewed purpose.

Individual highlights

Professor Jan Oyebode

Jan spent much of the retreat refining a major funding bid for an extension to the Policy Research Unit on neurodegeneration, an important project that will help position the department at the heart of national dementia policy research. She also began drafting an article based on her July presentation at the British Psychological Society’s Faculty for the Psychology of Older People (FPOP) conference, exploring the evolving profile of clinical psychology with older adults.

Dr Emmanuel Nwofe

Emmanuel used the retreat to advance several key aspects of his work. Across the three days, he organised and coded data from his DemAware interviews in NVivo, drafted large sections of a new paper, and completed a full manuscript draft, something that would have taken weeks without the focused environment of the retreat. Emmanuel reflected on how valuable it was to share writing techniques, particularly exploring how AI tools can enhance both writing efficiency and critical thinking. He stated that “The event provided a fantastic avenue for genuine discussions about what unites us as a team”. 

Dr Felicity Slocombe

Felicity dedicated her time to developing a funding application for the NARRATED project (New Approaches to case note Record Terminology across Europe for people with Dementia). This ambitious, co-produced international study aims to explore the language used in dementia care records across four countries (England, Belgium, Greece and Lithuania) to improve inclusivity and create culturally sensitive, co-created language guidance. The project is a collaboration between academic and third-sector organisations and experts by experience, including three people living with dementia and two unpaid family carers. With support from budget enthusiast Lindsey Collins, Felicity completed the lay summary, project overview, and initial budget planning for submission to the ESRC New Investigator Grant scheme.

Helen Young

Helen focused on creating a new resource for social workers to accompany an animation developed through the DYNAMIC project (Dementia in Younger Ages: Mapping Ideal Care). The resource aims to raise awareness among social care professionals about the needs of people with young-onset dementia and their families. By the end of the retreat, Helen had completed the core content, which is now being designed for publication on the Young Dementia Network website. Helen said, “The writing retreat was helpful in allowing me focused time to work on case examples and narrative. I added the links to resources afterwards”.

Dr Lindsey Collins

Lindsey made impressive progress across several projects. She worked on a systematic review exploring the lived experience of people who use thickener in their drinks, completing data extraction and quality checks. She also prepared for her panel presentation at the National Association for Care Catering Conference on “Eating and drinking with acknowledged risk: giving residents permission to have what they want”, drafted two new chapters for the second edition of a book she is co-editing on eating, drinking and swallowing in dementia, and finalised planning for an upcoming NIHR-funded RCT starting in February.

Clare Mason

Clare focused on two key pieces of work during the retreat. She continued developing the Experts by Experience newsletter, which was subsequently released (click here to read the newsletter), and she also worked on the final revisions of a co-authored paper on citizenship. The paper includes contributions from six members of the Experts by Experience group, whose reflections on autonomy, dignity, and participation have shaped its core arguments. Clare reflected that having protected time and space to write felt genuinely invaluable:

“Being together with colleagues was one of the most valuable aspects of the retreat; I learned so much from them, and we were able to discuss our work openly, share ideas, and support each other. We even identified potential new research projects, and I found myself sharing information about our Experts by Experience group in ways I wouldn’t usually have the chance to. We exchanged practical skills too, such as using referencing software like EndNote, and we even had a fascinating discussion about AI! It felt as much a team-building experience as a writing one. I came away with a deeper appreciation of how skilled, knowledgeable, and generous my colleagues are…and also how much we all love food!”

Dan Kelleher

Dan focused on his PhD write-up, working on the narrative review chapter of his thesis. This involved pulling together literature on the history and development of process evaluation, different frameworks and theoretical approaches, and how these have been applied across varied research and practice contexts. He also explored some of the common challenges involved in process evaluation methods. On the final day, Dan took time to reflect on his next steps, developing potential research ideas and considering what he wants from his role in the future once his PhD is complete. Having dedicated space to think beyond day-to-day demands was, in his words, “invaluable.”

Amanda Briggs

Amanda, one of our PhD students, reflected beautifully on what the retreat gave her: SPACE.

• S – Sanctuary: peace and peaceful surroundings away from distractions
• P – Purpose: space to be research-focused, working alongside motivated researchers, reveling in research activities
• A – Acceleration: of her data analysis, with positive guidance, drawing on knowledge from others
• C – Connection and Care: through building relationships and networks
• E – Enthusiasm: renewed passion for her PhD and its potential impact

Amanda’s “SPACE” perfectly captures the spirit of the retreat, a blend of concentration, collaboration, and care.

Dr Danielle Jones

Danielle used her time to draft a paper titled “Co-creating dementia education: What people living with dementia want health and social care professionals to know”. The paper shares findings from a series of co-production workshops in which people living with dementia worked alongside educators to design a postgraduate module, ‘Understanding the Me in Dementia’. The work highlights what people with dementia most want professionals to learn: challenging stigma and stereotypes, seeing the individual behind the diagnosis, and enhancing language and communication. By placing lived experience at the heart of curriculum design, this research shows how education can be more inclusive, rights-based, and transformative. The draft has now been sent to our experts by experience co-authors for review, and we’ll be submitting it soon for peer-reviewed publication.

Reflecting on the retreat, Danielle shared:

“After a period of significant instability in the university and within our team, the writing retreat felt like a breath of fresh air. I had really missed spending time with colleagues, sharing ideas, laughing together, and being inspired by one another. For too long, we had been working in what felt like a frozen state, waiting for clarity about our future. The retreat followed the welcome news that our team was no longer at risk, and for the first time in a long while, we could see the light again. It reignited our motivation, sense of belonging, and purpose. What I loved most was being surrounded by such wonderful people, each working on different aspects of dementia care, yet all so generous with their time and expertise.”

A Reinvigorated Team

From spontaneous peer mentoring, Lindsey helping Felicity with research budgeting and Emmanuel supporting Amanda with NVivo, to lively discussions, the retreat reminded everyone of the transformative power of writing together.

A special thank you goes to Professor Jan Oyebode, whose consultancy work provided the funding that made this year’s retreat possible. Her support enabled the team to step away from daily pressures, find space to think, and reconnect with the joy and purpose of academic writing.

The 2025 writing retreat was far more than just an opportunity to write; it was a moment of reconnection, hope, and shared purpose. It celebrated the diversity of research within the Department of Applied Dementia Studies, spanning policy, diversity, education, clinical practice, communication, and lived experience and the deep sense of community that underpins it all.

As we look ahead to the year to come, we carry forward not only new drafts and project plans but also a renewed commitment to working collaboratively, creatively, and compassionately to improve understanding and support for people affected by dementia.