What I did:

With the animation now in its production phase, I’ve started reaching out to organisations and individuals who work in dementia, to ask if they’d be willing to view John’s Journey as part of my user testing phase. The total commitment will be around 10 minutes, including the film itself and a short online questionnaire.

I contacted five organisations today: the Irish Dementia Training Academy, Engaging Dementia, the Association for Dementia Studies at the University of Worcester, ADRE in Leicestershire, and Dementia UK. The Worcester and Leicestershire contacts felt particularly personal — the story is set in Worcestershire, where I was born, grew up and my parents still live, and I lived in Leicestershire for a time. With Dementia UK, an Admiral Nurse has supported my mum in recent years, so that contact is also personal.

I also messaged Professor Suzanne Cahill via LinkedIn. Her work on dignity-centred representation of dementia has been central to the theoretical framework of my research, and I’ve been trying to reach her at Trinity College Dublin for some months without success. LinkedIn is my last resort.

The response from the University of Worcester was almost immediate, and brilliant! Dr Catrin Hedd Jones replied warmly and pointed me towards two further contacts: Will Dean, an Atlantic Fellow at Trinity College Dublin whose focus is on dementia storytelling and advocacy, and Dr Patricia Masterson-Algar at Bangor University, who works with young dementia carers. I hadn’t previously considered young carers as an audience, but having watched Patricia’s talk on YouTube, it’s opened up a whole new perspective – one I’m already thinking about in the context of potential follow-up animations beyond this thesis.

Will Dean responded immediately too and has offered to have a call with me. Having watched his film, I see many parallels between what he’s trying to achieve and what I hope ‘John’s Journey’ will do, in changing the way the world sees dementia, both inspired by a parent’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis. I’m looking forward to that conversation.

ADRE in Leicestershire also responded, with an offer that went well beyond what I’d asked for. Jane offered to put the animation in front of members, carers, staff and volunteers – potentially including people living with a dementia diagnosis. My ethics approval covers adults aged 18 and over with no exclusions, so I’ve left the judgement of who is best placed to participate with Jane, as she knows her members. The prospect of gaining feedback from people with a lived experience of dementia is something I hadn’t anticipated when I sent that email.

What I learned:

One email to the right person can open doors you didn’t know existed. I emailed five organisations today, by the end of it I had two warm responses, three new contacts, a call offer from someone whose work is genuinely aligned with mine, and a potential pool of participants that includes people living with dementia themselves. The personal connections – Worcester, Leicestershire, Admiral Nurses – made the emails feel genuine rather than generic, and I think that matters.

Next:

I’ll follow up with my new contacts once the animation is nearing completion. I’ll also contact Naz, my dad’s social worker, once the alpha is ready to view. I’m still hoping to hear from Prof Cahill. I also need to work on the animation!