Exploring the implementation of the Living Lab model in Dutch and English social care settings

In the Netherlands and England, care homes and dementia support services are testing a "Living Lab" model—a real-world setting where researchers, care staff, people with dementia, and their families work together to design and test new approaches to care. This matters because traditional dementia care research often takes place in controlled clinical settings, far removed from the messy reality of daily life. The gap between what works in a trial and what works in a busy care home is wide. The Living Lab model aims to close that gap by embedding research directly into care settings, making it more practical and responsive to what people actually need. If this project succeeds, it could change how dementia care is developed and delivered. Instead of waiting years for top-down policy changes, care homes could become ongoing testbeds for small, practical improvements—adjusting mealtime routines, redesigning communal spaces, or trialling new communication tools. The impact would be felt in the quiet, everyday systems that shape quality of life for people with dementia: how staff interact with residents, how daily schedules are structured, and how families stay involved. The project is exploratory, not a large-scale trial, but it could provide a blueprint for more responsive, human-centred care.