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Daniel Kelleher

Dementia Care Trainer

Area
Centre for Applied Dementia Studies
Faculty of Health Studies
E-mail
D.Kelleher@bradford.ac.uk
Daniel Kelleher

Biography

Dan is a Dementia Care Trainer in the Centre for Applied Dementia Studies, delivering a wide range of dementia care training, including short courses and bespoke training programmes. These courses are designed to support care providers in developing practical skills for delivering high-quality, person-centred care.

As a licensed Dementia Care Mapping™ (DCM) trainer, Dan also leads DCM courses, helping organisations assess and improve their care practices through this evidence-based observational tool.

In addition to face-to-face teaching, Dan is experienced in developing and delivering online learning via interactive, video-call based sessions. Dan also provides consultancy services, working closely with organisations to develop tailored strategies for improving dementia care. Within the team, Dan leads the ongoing evaluation of Training & Consultancy work.

Dan has been part of the Centre since 2019, previously working as a researcher on the New Interventions for Independence in Dementia Study (NIDUS). This project, a collaboration between the University of Bradford and UCL, focused on developing and evaluating evidence-based support and training programmes for family carers and professional homecare workers. Dan contributed to the co-production, delivery, and evaluation of these training programmes, with the goal of enhancing carers’ skills and confidence in supporting people living with dementia to remain living in their own homes.

Research

Dan’s primary research focus is his part-time PhD, in which he is conducting a process evaluation of the NIDUS-Professional training programme for homecare professionals. This work explores how and why the intervention works in different settings, with the aim of informing future implementation and contributing to the evidence base for effective dementia training in the homecare sector. 

Dan has an extensive background in the development, delivery, and evaluation of psychosocial interventions, particularly those co-produced with people living with dementia, family carers, and professionals. Much of his work has centred on understanding what makes interventions meaningful and impactful for those involved in dementia care, and how they can be implemented in real practice, considering scalability and cost-effectiveness.

Dan’s wider research interests include dementia prevention and healthy ageing, as well as behavioural and cultural change, and workforce development. He is especially interested in how evidence-based approaches can be embedded into everyday practice and how the experiences of care workers and experts by experience can shape innovation and improvement in services.

Previous experience

Dan has an MA in Psychology from the University of Glasgow. Before joining the Centre he worked as a Senior Research Assistant in the NHS, supporting the delivery of a variety of research projects across health and social care. Dan also has experience working as a carer with Alzheimer Scotland, where he supported people living with dementia to live independently in the community and facilitated memory cafes and activity groups. He also has experience working therapeutically with families and young people as an assistant psychologist within a Child and Adolescent Mental Health team. Throughout his career, Dan has worked closely with experts by experience, and he is committed to fostering inclusive and meaningful engagement in all aspects of his work.

Research

  • Improving access to quality dementia training
  • Psychosocial interventions
  • Post-diagnostic support
  • Promoting independence in dementia
  • Developing the homecare workforce
  • Understanding complex care systems
  • Healthy ageing and dementia prevention
  • Process evaluation and implementation science

Teaching

  • Dementia Care Mapping
  • Person centred dementia care
  • Enhanced communication skills
  • Understanding behaviour change
  • Post-diagnostic support
  • Health and social care workforce development

Publications

Peer reviewed journal (7)