Around 7.5% of people diagnosed with dementia in the UK are under 65 and may still be in paid work when they receive their diagnosis, while many family caregivers juggle jobs alongside caring duties. This network tackles a gap in knowledge: how dementia reshapes the workplace for employees, managers, and carers. Current support often focuses on clinical care, not on keeping people economically active or helping employers adapt. The project brings together people living with dementia, employer representatives, health and social care experts, and researchers from multiple fields to co-design a research agenda and fund pilot projects. If successful, the network could shift how employers and policymakers think about dementia. Instead of seeing it solely as a retirement trigger, they might develop flexible working arrangements, job retention schemes, and workplace training that allow people to stay in the labour market longer. For family carers, better workplace policies could reduce financial strain and career disruption. The ultimate goal is to reduce the social and economic inequalities that dementia creates, making workplaces more inclusive for everyone affected.
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Dementia is and will increasingly become a workplace issue. Out of the 800,000 people living with dementia in the UK, approximately 7.5% of them are under the age of 65 and may still be working when diagnosed. Furthermore, an increasing number of family caregivers will be in employment while caring for a family member living with dementia. There is an urgent need to further understand the impact of dementia on the workforce and to develop innovative research-informed supports to improve the economic and social well-being of people affected by dementia. The Working with Dementia (WWD) Network Plus will create a research network that includes the views and real-world experiences of people living or working with dementia and other non-academic stakeholders, such as employer representatives, in the research process. The aim is to shift our current understanding of working with dementia, drive positive change, and open new horizons to enhance labour market experiences for those affected by dementia. By doing so, we aspire to play a pivotal role in alleviating the social and financial inequalities associated with dementia in society. Working with Dementia research requires an integrated understanding of the individual, organisational, societal, and economic factors at play to develop innovative and impactful research solutions. We will achieve this through the following objectives: Establish a Transdisciplinary Research Network: Create and grow an inclusive transdisciplinary research network to address the identified issues by assembling experts from diverse academic fields, individuals with experiences of living and working with dementia, health and social care, third-sector experts, and employer stakeholders, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange. Collaboratively Shape the Research Agenda: Explore existing research and real-world experiences to inform and shape the research agenda, ensuring alignment with the Network's aims and objectives. Empower Researchers: Provide comprehensive support and resources for career development, including mentorship, training, and knowledge-sharing platforms, to enhance research capabilities and sustain careers in dementia and work research. Support and Fund Innovative Research Projects: Seed fund and promote innovative transdisciplinary research projects aimed at enhancing labour market experiences for individuals living with dementia and their family caregivers, encouraging a culture of collaboration and innovation. Drive Societal Impact: Engage in creative dissemination strategies, policy advocacy, and public engagement efforts, as well as fund innovation projects to ensure research findings reach a wide audience, drive positive change in societal perceptions, policies, and practices related to dementia and employment, and contribute to a more inclusive and supportive labour market environment. Our transdisciplinary approach will allow us to work collaboratively with these groups to cultivate integrated knowledge of working with dementia, shape the aims of the network, and ultimately develop impactful research solutions. We firmly believe that research should translate into change in the real world, benefiting individuals, organisations, and society. The WWD Network Plus will ultimately improve the lives of those affected by dementia by advancing societal understanding of dementia and work and improving work-based support available to individuals and organisations.
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