The power of conversations: Ask about dementia. Ask about Alzheimer’s

Conversations that shape innovation

At SCIE, we’ve seen how conversations need to sit at the heart of innovation. Our Insights to Empower project, part of the Longitude Prize on Dementia, is a good example of that.

The technology uses discreet sensors in the home to notice changes in daily routines. That’s powerful in itself; it can help carers spot signs of restlessness, confusion or distress earlier, and provide reassurance out of hours. But what made the project meaningful was not just the technology—it was the conversations with people living with a dementia and their families. They told us what they wanted technology to do, what felt supportive and what felt intrusive. That dialogue shaped the design and the way the insights were generated. The result was not simply a set of devices, but a tool grounded in real lives—one that helps people stay independent and live in a place of their choosing for longer.

Co-production is built on dialogue

Co-production with people with lived experience of social care underpins and informs everything we do at SCIE, enabling us to recommend best practice in social care.

Our Insights to Empower project highlights what co-production really means: not delivering solutions to people, but building them together. And it starts with conversations.

When we ask people with lived experience about their needs, hopes and goals, we uncover ideas and perspectives that professionals alone might miss. During Co-production Week 2025, we heard how important it is that technologies shouldn’t be designed in isolation. They need to be designed through conversations with the people who use them.

Without that back-and-forth, innovation risks missing the mark. With it, we can create something that is practical, respectful and empowering.

This emphasis on co-production was also at the core of the Department of Health and Social Care’s Accelerating Reform Fund (ARF), which SCIE supported. The ARF supported local projects across England that are testing new approaches in adult social care. What stands out from many of these projects is how co-production has been central, with councils, providers and communities working directly with people who draw on care and support. Those conversations have shaped priorities, helped test new models, and made sure that services and future innovation reflect what people actually want and need.

Conversations about equity

Another conversation we need to have is about equity.

Equity in dementia care doesn’t mean everyone gets treated the same. It means recognising that people have different needs and barriers to accessing support. For some, language or cultural stigma gets in the way. For others, it’s geography, income or digital exclusion. If we treat everyone the same, we risk leaving some people behind.

At SCIE, we’re exploring this through our forthcoming Equity Evidence Hub, due to launch later this year. The Hub will bring together evidence and lived experience to show where barriers exist and what can be done to reduce them. The aim is to highlight practical steps for creating a fairer system that responds to people’s varied circumstances.

Conversations will be at the centre of this. Asking people about the obstacles they face helps us see what support should look like in practice. Listening carefully to those voices allows us to design care and services that are not just equal, but equitable.

This approach is embedded in the work of the EquaDem Network Plus, of which SCIE is a partner. This research collaborative focuses on tackling inequities in dementia care and support. The network’s research aims to influence policy, improve care delivery, and ultimately enhance the well-being of those affected by dementia and their caregivers.

Without those conversations, inequities persist. With them, we can move towards a system where support is fair, responsive and accessible to all.

What policymakers need to hear

For policymakers, the message this World Alzheimer’s Month is clear. Conversations are not ‘nice to haves’, they are the foundation of good policy.

• Ask people with lived experience what matters most to them.
• Listen to what they say, even if it challenges existing plans.
• Act by embedding co-production in dementia care and support, making sure services and policies are inclusive and equitable.