Presenter(s):
Kimberley Littlemore, eHealth Digital Media Ltd, United Kingdom
Abstract
Dementia research has largely focused on cognitive impairment, but increasing evidence highlights the significant impact of sensory and perceptual dysfunction across multiple modalities—including vision, hearing, touch, olfaction, and gustation. A New Approach to Dementia: Examining Attention Impairment, authored by Professor Andrea Tales and contributors, including documentary filmmaker Kimberley Littlemore, provides a crucial lens on this overlooked aspect of dementia care. By integrating academic rigour with lived-experience, the book underscores the need for person-centred approaches that account for how sensory dysfunction exacerbates cognitive and behavioural symptoms, contributing to unmet needs in care provision.
Kimberley Littlemore has collaborated with academic and clinical colleagues and innovation experts from the Alzheimer’s Society in the UK, to translate these insights into a practical application: a sensory-based dementia assessment tool designed to evaluate how individuals experience dementia across all sensory domains. This tool bridges the gap between research and real-world care, enabling carers to understand the full spectrum of cognitive and sensory changes affecting those they support. By identifying the sensory-perceptual challenges faced by individuals living with dementia, the tool generates tailored recommendations for assistive technology, environmental adaptations, and innovative products that promote independent living.
Drawing from personal experience as a documentary filmmaker, dementia carer and advocate, Kimberley has long recognised the urgent need for accessible, user-driven solutions for carers. Professor Tales’ research highlights how sensory-perceptual dysfunction often goes unrecognised, leading to misinterpretations of cognitive impairment and inadequate care strategies. The assessment tool represents a practical and critical step toward individualised dementia management, moving beyond the outdated one-size-fits-all approach by embracing diverse lived-experiences and evidence-based interventions.
This presentation will explore the journey of translating academic findings into actionable change, detailing the methodology behind the assessment tool, its practical applications, and its potential impact on dementia care. It will discuss how research collaborations and co-creation with carers have shaped its development, ensuring accessibility, inclusivity, and efficacy. Attendees will gain insights into the implications of sensory-perceptual dysfunction on dementia care and the transformative power of integrating research into practical tools that enhance quality of life.
By bridging the gap between research, lived-experience, and innovative solutions, this work paves the way for a new era in dementia care—one that prioritises individualised support and fosters greater awareness of sensory-perceptual challenges in those living with dementia.
Bio(s):
Kimberley Littlemore is an award-winning former BBC filmmaker and founder of eHealth Digital Media Ltd. Her strong academic abilities (MA, Oxford University, Dip Journ) allow her to combine visual flair with an ability to master and communicate complex theoretical content. Kimberley and her team have built the PocketMedic film library of content to support people to live well with chronic conditions. Personal experience of dementia care led her to develop an innovation to support carers to better understand and support sensory-perceptual challenges in those living with dementia. She has strong partnerships with academics, clinicians, people with lived-experience and the Alzheimer’s Society in the UK and seeks to widen those networks with fellow attendees. Her goal is to develop and share this innovation with the global community of people with lived-experience of dementia to empower people with cognitive and sensory dysfunction to live as independently as possible for as long as possible.
