Understanding the eating and drinking experiences of people living with dementia and dysphagia in care homes from multiple perspectives.

I am a Clinical Specialist Speech and Language Therapist, specialising in dementia, specifically supporting people who are living with dementia who also experience difficulties with eating, drinking and swallowing (called dysphagia). I am also an experienced dementia care consultant and trainer. In 2020 I completed my PhD, which was titled "Understanding the eating and drinking experiences of people living with dementia and dysphagia: a qualitative study of the multiple perspectives of the person, their family, care home staff and Speech and Language Therapists."

This fellowship would provide me with the opportunity to consolidate my PhD research and move forward as a clinical-academic researcher. There are three key areas under which I would achieve this aim:
1. Dissemination of PhD Findings
This will involve:
a) Submitting three papers for publication in peer-reviewed journals, directed at care providers, healthcare professionals and qualitative researchers
b) Creating two infographics and short, animated video to highlight my findings to health and social care staff, care regulators and policy makers
c) Submitting abstracts to three UK and two international conferences, directed at healthcare professionals, care providers, researchers, people living with dementia and their families
d) Attendance at Clinical Excellence Network events throughout the UK to network and collaborate with fellow Speech and Language Therapists.
As well as sharing the valuable findings from my PhD, completion of these activities will help establish myself as a clinical academic with a developing public and academic dissemination track record and strong networks with relevant stakeholders, professionals and academics in my field.

2. Training and development
This will involve completing:
a) A MSc module at the University of Bradford in Project Planning and Design
b) The Aurora Leadership Programme with Advance Higher Education
c) A week-long research visit to the Faculty of Social Science and Public Policy at King's College, London.
Completion of these activities will develop my knowledge and skills relating to research strategy, project planning and delivery, mentoring and leadership, social sciences research and effective networking. These are all skills that I have identified through my personal reflection and use of the Vitae Research Development Framework as being necessary for me to become a successful researcher.

3. Proposal Development
This will involve:
a) Forming a stakeholder panel of people who have an interest in dementia and dysphagia, including healthcare professionals, social care providers, care regulators, people living with dementia and family carers
b) Developing and submitting an application for an NIHR Advanced Fellowship.
These activities will allow me to develop strong networks and collaborations for future research and for me to develop a research proposal that draws on the findings from my PhD and further research in this area.