Experts by Experience
GIAM navigation
Our work
The work of GIAM is supported by Experts by Experience. This includes older people, people living with dementia, care partners and family, and health and social care professionals. They provide us with crucial insights about their experiences, perspectives, and care, and advise on the values and standards of care that must be prioritised in our education and research.
Involving individuals in this way, also referred to as PPIE - patient and public involvement and engagement, means that not only is the research guided by people with lived experience, but they establish research priorities and inform the design of our education and research.
GIAM Experts by Experience groups:
Dementia Education Advisory Group:
A national and international network of people living with dementia, care partners, family members, experts in dementia education, practitioners from acute care, specialist mental health services, and social care. This group are actively involved in assessing and reviewing the quality of our MSc programme and contribute to its teaching. This group is facilitated by Dr Laura Cole.
People living with Young Onset Dementia:
An established group which provides a platform for discussion of individuals perspectives and experiences relating to care. Initially established as part of the DEFIN-YD Project, funded by The Wellcome Trust, and now supported by UWL funding. This group is facilitated by Dr Laura Cole.
The African and Caribbean Research Engagement Advisory Group:
A group of African and Caribbean older people, people living with dementia, care partners, family members, and healthcare professionals was established in 2022. The group meets to provide input to our on-going research projects, its focus and potential impacts, and to discuss and explore issues of concern within their communities to identify research priorities. This group is facilitated by Dr Shadreck Mwale.
A programme of art workshops to support expression of experiences of care and involvement in research:
Dr Megan Wyatt uses a range of artistic practices to support people living with dementia and other mental health conditions and their care partners to share their experiences and perspectives of care. Megan collaborates with community centres in West London, across Greater Manchester and rural and coastal communities.
A South Asian Communities network:
As part of an ongoing research study, Dr Megan Wyatt collaborates with Shahid Mohammed, an expert by experience who draws on his own lived experiences of caring for his mother who had dementia. Shahid uses his extensive knowledge of community groups and third sector organisations across Greater Manchester to raise awareness about dementia and to listen to the experiences of people living with dementia and their care partners and families from South Asian communities.
Care partners Hospital Care Advisory Group:
This group of carers are based in South Wales and was established in 2015. The group have informed the priorities and design of three research studies funded by NIHR HSDR programme and have been closely involved in their delivery (as co-applicants), governance (as chair and members of Study External Advisory Committees) and the co-production of outputs and impacts. This group is facilitated by Professor Katie Featherstone.
We also work with a network of local older people organisations and groups such as Age UK Ealing, Ealing u3a (university of the third age), Hounslow Alzheimer’s Society Café to consult with about our research.
Get in touch
If you are interested to know more about our Expert by Experience groups within GIAM or become a member of one of these groups, please email Dr Megan Wyatt or Dr Laura Cole.
Contact us
- Contact the Geller Institute of Ageing and Memory at GIAM@uwl.ac.uk.
- Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn.