Alzheimer Scotland Student Research Programme: 2025 award recipient

The Alzheimer Scotland Student Research Programme are delighted to announce the selected project that has been funded during its 2024/25 round of applications. It has been awarded to Dr Andrew Reid at Abertay University, who will supervise a Masters student for the project titled Memories through Touch: Designing Multisensory Experiences for People Living with Dementia.

This project will develop an interactive experience game that blends physical and digital elements to support reminiscence therapy for people affected by dementia. The development and application of games in areas such as health, education, and awareness-raising – defined as “applied games” – is of increasing social and scholarly interest, including in dementia research. This project proposes the use of applied games to promote values of agency and independence, remembrance and memories, and enjoyment and satisfaction. 

The game will encourage users to interact with familiar objects in a natural and accessible way, encouraging players to reminisce and draw upon personal memories. This aims to provide a valuable resource for improving the quality of life for people living with dementia.

We look forward to working with Dr Reid and his colleagues, including the successful student throughout the duration of this project. As with previous rounds of this programme, we will be sure to update SDRC members on the project’s progress!

The Alzheimer Student Research Programme support the next generation of dementia and brain health research by funding studentships at institutions across Scotland. Find out more here