Dr Maggie Ellis is a lecturer in Psychology at the School of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of St Andrews where she develops teaching, training and consultancy in dementia care, based on her own research. Maggie has been working with and researching the lives and experiences of people with dementia, their family members and professional caregivers for eighteen years and is dedicated to improving the experience for all concerned. Her research portfolio includes the development of positive interventions to support people to live well with dementia and to maintain and create relationships. Maggie’s main research focus is on identifying and utilising the spared communication skills in people at very advanced stages of dementia. For example, with Professor Arlene Astell she developed Adaptive Interaction, a method of supporting meaningful communication between caregivers and people with very advanced dementia. This work has generated much interest in the fields of both dementia research and care.
When we asked Dr Ellis about her appointment, she said: “I am delighted to have been voted onto the SDRC Executive Committee. As a lecturer in psychology at the University of St Andrews, my research interests lie in the psychology of dementia where cognitive and social perspectives meet, with a focus on the communication difficulties experienced by people with dementia and those who care for them. I applied to sit on the SDRC Executive Committee for two main reasons. Firstly, I wish to improve my knowledge of dementia research in terms of interdisciplinarity and in so doing, expand my network. Secondly, I believe I can bring a fresh perspective to the Committee in terms of my expertise in psychology.”
You can view and find out more about the entire SDRC Executive Committee members here
The SDRC Executive Committee are elected from SDRC membership annually. If you would like to know more about when these elections are, become an SDRC member