An agreement has been signed between the University of Plymouth and Kiang Wu Nursing College of Macau, which will see the two organisations working with each other to further the cause of dementia in the UK and China.
The two organisations will work together on a number of projects, including exploring how assisted technology relating to dementia might help Macau in its quest to become a dementia-friendly community.
There are plans for a joint conference on dementia to be held in Macau possibly in 2018 and an education project with nurses and doctors in Macau to share skills and knowledge. A two-way Visiting Scholar scheme will be introduced, as will exchange opportunities for students.
Mirroring the University of Plymouth’s own world-leading activity around rural dementia, a project will be established to explore ways of tackling dementia in rural areas of Macau and China.
In terms of research, collaborative research projects will build on existing work led by the University of Plymouth – such as the ground-breaking initiative to improve airport and airline experiences for those with hidden disabilities and which was taken on as a mandatory requirement for UK airports by the Civil Aviation Authority last year.
There will also be a focus on patient-centred care research, with collaborations between Kiang Wu Nursing College and Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry.
Professor Bridie Kent, Head of School/Associate Dean of Nursing and Midwifery at the University of Plymouth, said:
“This is a truly exciting collaboration and one which has huge potential for us here in Plymouth and our colleagues in Macau. Dementia is a growing issue in China and there is an eagerness there to learn from our experiences in the UK. We are looking forward to developing this new partnership over the coming years.”
Ian Sherriff, Academic Partnership Lead for Dementia and Chair of the Prime Minister’s Rural Dementia Friendly Task and Finish Group, commented:
“This is the latest in a series of partnerships and agreements we have forged with institutions overseas, from across Europe to Japan and China. As a dementia-friendly University in a dementia-friendly city we are ideally placed to help share our experience and knowledge, combining research and clinical excellence with pragmatic approaches which we know to work to the benefit of those with dementia.”
He added:
“With a special interest in rural dementia I am interested to see how the initiatives we have introduced here, such as dementia-friendly parishes and closer working between rural agencies, will translate to the Chinese landscape.”