IDEAL
Welcome to the IDEAL programme website which includes information about IDEAL and IDEAL-2.
IDEAL is the largest study of living well with dementia in Great Britain and began in 2014. The evidence will enable the development of new policy, interventions and initiatives to transform the lives of people with dementia and their carers.
Living with Dementia Reconsidered: The IDEAL Book
Our new book, Living with Dementia Reconsidered, is a first of its kind drawing on over a decade of research evidence conducted by the IDEAL programme alongside the perspective and voice of people with living dementia and their carers. Publication date: 19th May 2025.
You may also want to read our Policy Brief, summarising the programme and sharing the manifesto for the changes necessary for living with dementia to be truly reconsidered which is at the heart of the book. You can read the Policy Brief here (PDF, 3.1MB)
'The World Turned Upside Down' film released
Our documentary film about dementia and communication 'The World Turned Upside Down' has been released. It is freely available on YouTube and we hope that many different groups of people will find it useful. You can read much more and download an accompanying screening pack from the dedicated Projects page.
Guide to the Living with Dementia Toolkit launched
As part of our commitment to reaching people affected by dementia who may not have access to the internet, we have produced a Guide to the Living with Dementia Toolkit. This is available in English and in Welsh/yn Gymraeg. You can download the PDF and print it off at home, or encourage local services to print it for you. We will also be adding printable versions of individual Toolkit resources over the coming weeks!
Brave New World - a song of hope about living with dementia
We collaborated with Thred CIC in Liverpool to produce a song about living with dementia. 'Brave New World' was written and recorded by Paul Hitchmough and Tommy Dunne BEM, both of whom live with dementia. The song has already had over 1000 plays, and was featured on ITV Granada. The song also features on 'The power of music' resource within the Living with Dementia Toolkit. You can listen to 'Brave New World' below.
To find out more about Thred, visit their homepage https://www.thred.org.uk/.