Shaping the future of dementia care at home: Stratford & Warwick

Shaping the future of dementia care at home

We were honoured in 2021 to be invited to contribute to the NIDUS (New Interventions for Independence in Dementia Studies) programme, led by Professor Claudia Cooper of Queen Mary University of London.

Professor Cooper is an internationally respected dementia researcher whose work focuses on helping people live well with dementia and supporting families and carers. Through programmes like NIDUS, her research aims to develop practical support that enables people with dementia to remain independent and live well at home.

Contributing to groundbreaking research

Our care team took part in the development of one of the first dementia training programmes specifically designed for home care workers.

While much dementia training focuses on theory or clinical environments, NIDUS recognises the unique challenges of supporting someone with dementia in their own home , from communication and daily routines to managing risk and supporting family carers.

Our carers contributed practical insights from frontline care, helping to shape the training so it truly reflects the realities of supporting people with dementia at home.

Some of our customers and their families were also introduced to the NIDUS Family Study, which developed structured support sessions designed to help families identify goals and priorities for living well with dementia. Families worked with trained therapists for several months to build strategies that helped them navigate life with dementia more confidently.

Sharing our learning

Our collaboration with Professor Cooper created opportunities to share our experiences with the wider research and care community

Our Registered Manager was invited to speak at an Alzheimer’s Society event for PhD researchers, highlighting the importance of training and support for professional carers and demonstrating how home care providers can contribute to research that improves care.

She was also invited to Queen Mary University of London to speak at a workshop exploring how home care agencies can play a vital role in shaping dementia care policy and practice.

Bringing research back into practice

Research only matters if it improves real life . Inspired by the learning from NIDUS, and in line with Bluebird Care’s national commitment to becoming the leading provider of home care for people living with dementia, we strengthened our own training programmes.

In 2025 we introduced enhanced face ‑to ‑face dementia training for our staff, building on the latest research and continuing professional development.

We also developed a practical dementia care toolkit, peer group workshops to share learning, and strengthened Dementia Champion roles within our team.

This ensures our carers are not only trained but supported to continually learn, reflect and improve the care they provide

Continuing the journey: the GRACE programme

Our collaboration with Professor Cooper continues through the next phase of research with our invitation to coproduce the GRACE programme (Goal ‑directed, Accessible, Equitable, evidence ‑based care).

This programme builds on the success of NIDUS and aims to expand support for people with dementia and their families, including those transitioning home from hospital, families considering future care options, and people who may need resources in more accessible formats

We are proud to contribute our frontline experience to help shape this important work .

Introducing our dementia champions

As part of our commitment to continuous improvement, we are expanding our Dementia Champion programme.These specially trained team members will lead new dementia support visits designed to help people living with dementia stay engaged, maintain communication skills and enjoy meaningful activities.

During these visits, our champions will bring the Moments That Matter Kit , a specially designed activity resource pack filled with items that encourage conversation, support cognition , memory sharing, creativity and enjoyment.

These visits will also provide valuable respite for family carers, offering them time to rest while knowing their loved one is engaged in supportive and meaningful activity.

Why this matters for families

Choosing care for someone living with dementia can feel overwhelming.Families often want reassurance that the service they choose understands the condition and is committed to providing the very best support.

Our involvement in national research programmes such as NIDUS and GRACE demonstrates that we are not only delivering care , we are actively helping shape the future of dementia support at home and continuing to learn.

By combining compassionate care with research ‑ informed practice, we aim to help people living with dementia continue enjoying life in the place they feel safest and most comfortable: their own home.