Success stories - The Dunhill Medical Trust

Success stories

Here are some of the projects we’ve previously funded, as well as some which are “success stories in progress”. You can search more of our academic and clinical research grant awards and the resulting publications on Europe PubMed Central.

All projects
Staying Independent
Social Factors
Suitable Homes
Quality of Life
Understanding the mechanisms of age-related disease
Addressing health inequalities
Developing capability and resilience
Building age-friendly communities

New steps to recovery for painful walking in older people

Staying Independent
New steps to recovery for painful walking in older people

Organisation: King's College London

Supervised walking exercise is used to treat leg pain in older people caused by restricted blood flow. But it’s expensive for the NHS to provide and often difficult for patients to complete. Professor Lindsay Bearne and her team trained physiotherapists to provide patients with the knowledge, motivation and skills they needed to engage with walking […]

Spotting dementia earlier in the deaf community using an automated screening tool

Addressing health inequalities
Spotting dementia earlier in the deaf community using an automated screening tool

Organisation: University of Westminster

Within the older British Sign Language community, dementia can show itself as changes in the way someone signs - but these subtle changes are hard to spot by those who don't use sign language. Dr Anastasia Angelopoulou and her team have developed an automated machine learning tool that can spot these changes. The tool will help identify the early stages of dementia among older users of sign language - ensuring they get the right support quicker.

Can ‘brain training’ pass the test? Exploring whether people with dementia can brain train at home

Staying Independent
Can ‘brain training’ pass the test? Exploring whether people with dementia can brain train at home

Organisation: University of Leicester

Brain training is a fun and simple intervention to keep minds active in older age. However, there are many unknowns. What benefits does it have on the brain? And can people living with dementia realistically brain train using technology they’re not necessarily familiar with? Dr Lucy Beishon wanted to find out whether people living with dementia can do brain training at home using a computer, and to see if it has potential to bring benefits.

Turning back the clock: Uncovering new therapies for age-related diseases

Turning back the clock: Uncovering new therapies for age-related diseases

Organisation: University of Exeter

When we talk about ageing, people often highlight the external signs. But there’s plenty more going on inside our bodies as we get older. Worn-out senescent cells accumulate within our tissues, pumping out inflammatory chemicals – a phenomenon known as SASP (Senescence-associated secretory phenotype). In turn, these chemicals are thought to alter how cells function, […]

Skin wounds that won’t heal: can stem cells help where antibiotics can’t?

Quality of Life
Skin wounds that won’t heal: can stem cells help where antibiotics can’t?

Organisation: Cardiff University

Skin wounds that won’t heal are a big problem, particularly for older people, and have a big impact on quality of life. However, current treatments and antibiotics aren’t very effective, running the risk of long-term, chronic infection. Professor Phil Stephens and his team are investigating whether packets of bioactive compounds secreted by stem cells could create an anti-microbial environment that will help skin wounds to heal better.

What does ‘good care’ look like? Understanding the complex systems in care homes

Suitable Homes
What does ‘good care’ look like? Understanding the complex systems in care homes

Organisation: University of Glasgow

Change is a common and necessary part of care environments - but what sort of culture within care homes leads to them adapting well to change? Dr Al Ross and his team wanted to understand what ‘good care’ looks like, discover which aspects of care homes’ systems and culture support this, and share their findings to improve life for older people in care homes.

Can music therapy protect cognitive functions in older people?

Quality of Life
Can music therapy protect cognitive functions in older people?

Organisation: Middlesex University

Music therapy can enhance people’s lives, and stimulate their minds. Dr Fabia Franco and her team are assessing the impact of music therapy on older people’s cognition through a randomised controlled trial. An important factor in this will be the use of human-like robots in addition to the face-to-face sessions, to see whether this is a viable way to deliver the therapy.

Dropping the needle: developing a less invasive method to deliver drugs for age-related macular degeneration

Quality of Life
Dropping the needle: developing a less invasive method to deliver drugs for age-related macular degeneration

Organisation: University of Birmingham

Age-related macular degeneration is one of the biggest causes of sight loss in the UK - yet the only treatment available for the condition involves injections directly into the eye. Many patients are desperate for a less invasive treatment, especially one that doesn’t require hospital visits. Dr Felicity de Cogan and her team have discovered a way to carry drugs across the eye’s protective membranes, moving towards the development of eye drops to treat the disease.

Making the extra years count: understanding life expectancy in the context of years spent disability free

Addressing health inequalities
Making the extra years count: understanding life expectancy in the context of years spent disability free

Organisation: Newcastle University

We know that people are living longer, but simply measuring life expectancy doesn’t tell us anything about the quality of life that older people are experiencing. In this research, Professor Carol Jagger and her team are using longitudinal data to assess how much of this increased life expectancy is spent with disability - and whether changes are seen across the population, or are affected by deprivation.

Better research in care homes through collaboration

Building age-friendly communities
Better research in care homes through collaboration

Organisation: University of Worcester, University of Lincoln, University of Exeter, Care home partners

In this innovative community programme, co-funded with the Alzheimer's Society, researchers will work in and with care homes to develop a model for research that is collaborative and effective.

Can 3D printing provide a better way to make dentures?

Quality of Life
Can 3D printing provide a better way to make dentures?

Organisation: University of Leeds

The techniques used to make dentures are labour-intensive, expensive, inaccurate and have remained largely unchanged for decades. Recent advances in technology now make it possible to create 3D printed dentures, so Dr Andrew Keeling is finding out if this is feasible, and whether the results are acceptable to wearers and as good or better than existing dentures.

Do fall-prevention exercise programmes benefit older people in the long term?

Staying Independent
Do fall-prevention exercise programmes benefit older people in the long term?

Organisation: University of Warwick

Specially-designed exercise programmes have been shown to help prevent older people from falling. However, we do not know how well these exercises benefit people in the longer-term. In her PhD studentship, Dr Susanne Finnegan followed up with people after a trial of a fall-prevention exercise programme to find out if they were still exercising, and what motivated them to keep going.

Understanding how people use walking frames in their daily lives

Staying Independent
Understanding how people use walking frames in their daily lives

Organisation: University of Salford

Many older people use walking aids to get around, but there are questions over their effectiveness. Using technology to measure the stability of walking frame users in different environments, Dr Sibylle Thies was able to understand more about the use of these aids in daily life, and develop new advice for safer usage.

How can we make sure that digital innovations in care work for older people?

Suitable Homes
How can we make sure that digital innovations in care work for older people?

Organisation: University of Cambridge

Digital innovations and ‘smart’ homes are often seen as a way to provide more efficient care for older people. However, the evidence on whether these innovations actually work, or do what commissioners need them to, is sparse. This research investigates the landscape of technology available to support older people, who is buying it, and what they want from it.

Uncovering ethnic inequalities in access to dementia care

Addressing health inequalities
Uncovering ethnic inequalities in access to dementia care

Organisation: University College London

There is a large amount of healthcare data available in the UK, and new statistical techniques are allowing researchers to analyse differences in dementia care between ethnic groups in detail for the first time. Professor Claudia Cooper used this data to identify inequalities in access to dementia diagnosis and prescription of different drugs in Black, Asian and White groups.

Understanding the needs of older trans people in Wales: The Trans Ageing and Care project

Addressing health inequalities
Understanding the needs of older trans people in Wales: The Trans Ageing and Care project

Organisation: Swansea University

Very little research has been done to understand the health and social care needs of older trans people, particularly those transitioning at an older age. Dr Paul Willis and his team wanted to understand the challenges faced by older trans people accessing health and social care in Wales.

Too hot, too cold or just right? Thermal imaging in care homes

Suitable Homes
Too hot, too cold or just right? Thermal imaging in care homes

Organisation: Sheffield Hallam University

As we get older, our senses change, including our sensitivity to temperature. People living in care homes don’t have control over their environment, and may not be able to determine or communicate if they’re uncomfortably warm or cold. Professor Charmaine Childs used thermal imaging to understand how people’s physical temperatures compared with how they felt, and whether this was affected by dementia.

All projects
Staying Independent
Social Factors
Suitable Homes
Quality of Life
Understanding the mechanisms of age-related disease
Addressing health inequalities
Developing capability and resilience
Building age-friendly communities

Transforming care for older people by developing future leaders within community nursing

Building age-friendly communities
Transforming care for older people by developing future leaders within community nursing

Organisation: Queen’s Nursing Institute Scotland

Summary: Community nurses are a diverse and essential part of care for older people. Developing community nurses to become leaders and changemakers empowers them to meet the changing and growing needs of older people. The Queen’s Nurse Development Programme provides a framework for community nurses in Scotland to encourage and nurture the professional leader within. […]

Farming Comes to You – Finding togetherness for people with dementia through animals

Building age-friendly communities
Farming Comes to You – Finding togetherness for people with dementia through animals

Organisation: Heeley City Farm

Summary: People with dementia can sometimes struggle to communicate and build relationships with others, especially in care environments. Heeley City Farm, located in Sheffield, runs animal-assisted therapy sessions called ‘Farming Comes to You’, that help bring warmth, connection, and community to people with dementia, their carers and families. The Farming Comes to You sessions have […]

IMPACTAgewell® – Revolutionising the way that older people access healthcare

Building age-friendly communities
IMPACTAgewell® – Revolutionising the way that older people access healthcare

Organisation: Mid and East Antrim Agewell Partnership (MEAAP)

Older people may need support from a variety of health and social care providers. The IMPACTAgewell® project brings together a range of different providers to create a holistic model of care. They support older people to understand and navigate the health and social care services that they need, empowering them to take control.

Care Home Friends and Neighbours Intergenerational Linking Project: linking older people in care homes with young people in their communities

Building age-friendly communities
Care Home Friends and Neighbours Intergenerational Linking Project: linking older people in care homes with young people in their communities

Organisation: My Home Life England & The Linking Network

Fostering relationships and links across generations can bring benefits to all. With matched funding from the National Lottery Community Fund #iwill campaign, the Dunhill Medical Trust is supporting projects that are establishing intergenerational links between young people and older people in care homes.

Developing a way to measure the impact of our Community Grants

Developing capability and resilience
Developing a way to measure the impact of our Community Grants

Organisation: Addenbrookes Charitable Trust/Helix Arts/Independent Arts/Paintings in Hospitals/Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Timebanking UK

The Dunhill Medical Trust funds a wide range of projects within the Community Grants portfolio. This diversity means it is challenging to come up with a universal set of measures to evaluate their impact.

Collaborations

We like to collaborate with other organisations that share our vision. We believe that by combining our resources and actively looking for partners with complementary capabilities, we can achieve so much more – and in the process, contribute to our own learning and development and that of the communities we serve.

TAPPI: Phase 2 – from Principles to Implementation: Call for proposals for Evaluation partner

Open for applications for an Evaluation and Shared Learning Partner Following the successful publication of the Technology for our Ageing Population: Panel for Innovation

Joint BGS / Dunhill Medical Trust Doctoral Training Fellowship – open for applications

The Dunhill Medical Trust (DMT) and the British Geriatrics Society (BGS) invite front-line health professionals to apply for a Doctoral Training Fellowship. After the success

Jointly funded post-doctoral fellowship with RNID: closing date 13 Jan

Once again, we’re delighted to announce that we’ve partnered with RNID to fund a 2-year post-doctoral fellowship, aiming to build research capacity in hearing research.

Getting switched on to technology: the big insights

Join us at the Housing LIN‘s Festival of Ideas on 7th December at 3pm to hear more about the TAPPI Inquiry report. The session will

Report published today by the Commission on the Role of Housing in the Future of Care and Support

Funded by the Dunhill Medical Trust, and managed by SCIE, the Commission on the Role of Housing in the Future of Care and Support was

TAPPI report published

Chaired by Professor Roy Sandbach, the former Director of the National Innovation Centre for Ageing at University of Newcastle, and funded by the Dunhill Medical Trust, we

Housing must be at the heart of the vision for health

Paul Burstow discusses the crucial link between housing and health in article published today in Health Service Journal. Paul co-chairs the Commission on the Role

Boosting later life housing options key to ageing well says new report

Housing settings don’t always provide the choice and availability for people who use care and support services. That’s the conclusion in our report, published on

RE-COV research project launched with St Monica’s Trust and Housing LIN

Led by the St Monica Trust, in partnership with the Housing LIN, we’re delighted to announce our support for the RE-COV project. The aim of the

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