Dr Emma Ferguson-Coleman
Dr Emma Ferguson-Coleman is a Lecturer in Dementia and Ageing at the Geller Institute of Ageing and Memory (GIAM), School of Medicine and Biosciences, University of West London.
Emma has worked as a researcher with Deaf British Sign Language users living with dementia and their carers since 2010. Her work has focussed on the support needs of this minority population in accessing culturally appropriate support after diagnosis.
Before joining the University of West London in 2024, Emma was a key member of the Social Research with Deaf People research group (SORD) based at the University of Manchester. Most recently, Emma was awarded a junior fellowship by the Alzheimer’s Society, UK investigating the unmet support needs of Deaf carers who are caring for a person with dementia (who may themselves be hearing or Deaf). She was also a research associate with the Neighbourhoods and Dementia study, funded by ESRC NIHR in response to the Prime Minister’s Dementia Challenge, which explored developing culturally appropriate life story work approaches with Deaf people with dementia and their carers alongside other distinct workstreams within the whole study.
Emma’s PhD, achieved in 2016, probed the general Deaf communities’ knowledge of dementia and associated symptoms and for the first time in the world, interviews were conducted directly with Deaf people living with dementia and their close family members. This data showed the resilience of Deaf people with dementia in facing new challenges alongside their everyday lived experiences of barriers in accessing healthcare services and community-based support, both within the mainstream and within their own communities. This PhD and associated research project were funded by Alzheimer’s Society, UK.
This research evidence has been presented at international conferences including the Gerontological Society of America’s annual congress in Boston, USA in 2018. Emma was an invited speaker at Alzheimer Europe’s annual congress in the Hague in 2019 and an invited speaker at a research seminar in Vancouver, Canada.
Emma has worked within the field of mental health and Deaf people since 1996 in various roles. Including psychological interventions, advocacy within acute and medium-secure psychiatric units and managing nationwide counselling services.
-
Qualifications
- BA (Hons),
- PGDip,
- PhD,
- FHEA.
Research
-
Research and publications
Ferguson-Coleman, E., & Young, A. (2023). "What have YOU done in the past few years?": Deaf BSL users' experiences caring for people with dementia during COVID-19. Quality in Ageing and Older Adults. https://doi.org/10.1108/QAOA-07-2023-0048
Ferguson-Coleman, E., & Young, A. (2023). Sign language communities, neighbourhoods, and dementia. In J. Keady (Ed.), Reconsidering Neighbourhoods and Living with Dementia: Spaces, Places, and People. (pp. 106-126). Article - (Reconsidering Dementia Series). Open University Press.
Ferguson-Coleman, E. (2020). Overcoming ethical challenges affecting the involvement of people with dementia in research: recognising diversity and promoting inclusive research. Alzheimer Europe.
Young, A., Ferguson-Coleman, E., & Keady, J. (2018). Authentic Public and Patient Involvement with Deaf sign language users: it is not just about language access. Dementia - The International Journal of Social Research and Practice, 17(8), 1001-1010. https://doi.org/10.1177/1471301218789567
Ferguson-Coleman, E., Johnston, A., Young, A., Brown, F., de Sainte Croix, R., & Redfern, P. (2018). How do we know what we don’t know? Exploring Deaf people’s experiences of supporting their Deaf family member living with dementia. Dementia - The International Journal of Social Research and Practice. https://doi.org/10.1177/1471301218798993
Young, A., Ferguson-Coleman, E., & Keady, J. (2018). How might the cultural significance of storytelling in Deaf communities influence the development of a life story work intervention for Deaf people with dementia?: A conceptual thematic review. Ageing and Society. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X18000946
Young, A., Ferguson-Coleman, E., & Keady, J. (2014). Understanding the personhood of Deaf people with dementia: Methodological issues. Journal of Aging Studies, 31, 62-69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaging.2014.08.006
Ferguson-Coleman, E., Keady, J., & Young, A. (2014). Dementia and the Deaf community: Knowledge and service access. Aging and Mental Health, 18(6), 674-682. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2014.880405
Young, A., Ferguson-Coleman, E., & Keady, J. (2014). Understanding dementia: effective information access from the Deaf community's perspective. Health and Social Care in the Community, 24(1), 39-47. https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.12181
