Federica is wearing a dark grey suit jacket with a white top underneath. She has long brown hair parted in the middle and large dark brown eyes.
Federica is wearing a dark grey suit jacket with a white top underneath. She has long brown hair parted in the middle and large dark brown eyes.

UWL’s Dr Federica D’Andrea selected for prestigious INTERDEM Academy Publication Award

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Dr Federica D’Andrea, Lecturer in Dementia Studies at UWL's Geller Institute of Ageing and Memory, has been awarded joint second prize in this year’s INTERDEM Academy publication award competition.

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INTERDEM is a European network of researchers. Its mission is to bring together leading experts in dementia research collaborating with people with dementia to enhance high quality research.

Dr D’Andrea’s publication, ‘Object handling for people with dementia: A scoping review and the development of intervention guidance’, was recognised for its "originality and innovation", as well as its "scientific rigor."

Federica D'Andrea

Commenting on the award, Dr D’Andrea said,

I was delighted to be selected for this award. The publication I submitted is a review of object handling interventions for people with dementia. This research was undertaken as part of my PhD focused on the development and design of a novel theory- and evidence-based multi-sensory intervention for people with dementia living in care homes. This included using thematic boxes with olfactory stimuli and heritage items.”

Dr D’Andrea’s work is important as there are few "object handling" studies on dementia. Furthermore, the research lays the foundations for creating a framework of universal terms which can be used by her international research colleagues.

She added,

This research provides valuable insights and recommendations for implementing object handling interventions in practice, which will improve the care and quality of life of people with dementia. This is at the heart of the INTERDEM mission.”

Professor Tom Dening of the University of Nottingham and Professor Victoria Tischler of the University of Exeter were co-authors on the study.

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