Ulster University partner profile: fellowships will support work on dementia and mental health

Ulster University PhD researchers Kate Turley and Gillian Cameron have been awarded prestigious Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 fellowships to help them accelerate their work on new solutions aimed at improving the wellbeing of people with dementia and supporting mental health in the workplace.

Turley’s research aims to utilise unobtrusive lighting and sensing technologies to improve wellbeing for people with dementia by replicating the sunlight cycle. Cameron is developing a digital intervention designed to deliver personal mental health support to people in a variety of industry sectors with an initial focus on emergency service workers.

Both are employed by companies – Chroma Lighting, and Inspire Therapeutic and Wellbeing Services respectively – which are engaged in knowledge transfer partnerships with Ulster University.

Turley explains the importance of light to people with dementia. “The human circadian rhythm is primarily influenced by light. It governs many daily functions including sleep-wake cycles, mood, rest-activity patterns, metabolism and hormone balance. Supporting the circadian rhythm is especially important for individuals with dementia, as they experience higher than typical circadian disruptions.”

Ulster University partner profile: fellowships will support work on dementia and mental health

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The project involves the development of a luminaire with an integrated sensing device designed to support and monitor the human circadian rhythm. The device is fitted to the ceilings of rooms in residential homes and changes in colour and intensity to replicate the sunlight cycle.

With the Royal Commission funding, this research can contribute to the deployment and analysis of this smart home solution and improve the wellbeing of people living with dementia

—  Kate Turley, PhD researcher

The integrated sensor can detect the position of a person in real time and track activity levels and sleep-wake cycles. In addition, the depth component of the sensor allows for fall detection to be added as a feature.

The solution is currently being trialled at Kirk House care home in Belfast. “We at Kirk House have always strived to improve our facility to enhance the lives of our residents,” says manager Lynne Green. “We were very keen to engage and to be part of a research project that was designed to enhance the lives of people living with dementia through the use of biodynamic lighting.”

Says Turley: “I am absolutely delighted to have been awarded the Royal Commission Industrial Fellowship to help support my PhD journey at Ulster University. With the Royal Commission funding, this research can contribute to the deployment and analysis of this smart home solution and improve the wellbeing of people living with dementia. We hope the solution will be ready to put into wider use and on the market by the end of the year.”

Gillian Cameron’s research is aimed at encouraging people with mental health issues to seek help. “In 2020, 17.9 million working days were lost due to work-related stress, depression or anxiety in the United Kingdom – an increase of almost 30 per cent from the previous year. Research has highlighted the need to focus attention on tailored interventions to address different occupational groups and industry sectors. Tailored digital interventions using a blended approach could provide a way to encourage help-seeking and provide personalised wellbeing support to different industries and occupational groups.”

Digital interventions can include everything from a website with information and guides, to counselling over a webchat. The aim of the project is to investigate whether a personalised digital intervention deployed in the workplace can provide tailored support to specific industry sectors and occupational groups. The objective is to co-design and develop a digital intervention tailored to deliver personalised support, aiming to address mental health challenges facing different industry sectors.

This award further underpins our relationship with Ulster University and our desire to embed evidence-based approaches to mental health in the workplace

—  Alex Bunting, Inspire

“The support of the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 is an invaluable opportunity to bring together the best of the best in industry and academia, generating and sharing knowledge, skills and expertise to develop innovative, evidence-based digitalised interventions to support the mental health and wellbeing of the UK workforce,” says Dr David Cameron, clinical lead, psychological therapies with Inspire and industrial supervisor on the project. “Inspire is absolutely delighted to be part of this exciting project.”

According to Alex Bunting, group director of therapeutic and wellbeing services with Inspire, the fellowship will help with Gillian Cameron’s “personal and professional development as well as enhance and refine our approach to digital mental health solutions. This award further underpins our relationship with Ulster University and our desire to embed evidence-based approaches to mental health in the workplace.”

Having developed the technology platform, the next step is to trial the solution with users in the emergency services. “It’s such a privilege to have the opportunity to research and develop state-of-the-art digital interventions to support employee mental health and wellbeing. I’m very excited to continue to work in partnership with Inspire and Ulster University on such an important area of research. The trial should provide the evidence base for us to bring the solution to different sectors. Inspire Therapeutic and Wellbeing Services is a social enterprise owned by the Inspire charity. All surpluses generated by this solution will be reinvested into community enterprise projects.”