What can design-led research do for people living with dementia (PLwD)?

Tools

Rodgers, Paul A. and Tepehan, Neslihan and Brisco, Ross and Robinson, Andrew; Urquhart, Lewis and Maclean, Laura, eds. (2026) What can design-led research do for people living with dementia (PLwD)? In: Designing the Future of Healthcare. Design Research for Change . Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. (In Press)

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Abstract

Healthcare systems in the UK are often described as being ‘under pressure’ (British Medical Association, 2026; Powell et al., 2024), yet this familiar phrase can obscure a deeper problem. Many systems are not simply overstretched, but fundamentally misaligned with contemporary real-world challenges they are designed to meet (NHS England, n.d). Existing healthcare models are increasingly unable to respond to an ageing population and the rise of chronic long-term conditions. At the same time, ongoing underinvestment and severe workforce shortages mean services are frequently operating at or beyond capacity (Sun & Li, 2023; Dunn et al., 2023). In the UK, as health inequalities continue to widen, and life expectancy has begun to decline (Mooney et al., 2026), efforts to respond to current challenges remain organised around isolated conditions, institutional boundaries, professional silos and short-term interventions. Patients and practitioners are left to live with complexity, uncertainty and the everyday consequences of fragmented provision. These challenges, while straining the existing systems, also expose an opportunity for radical rethinking of healthcare. This chapter draws on design-led research that explores how health and social care systems for people living with dementia (PLwD) might be reimagined and build on insights from previous UKRI and AHRC-funded projects that have examined how design-led research can support the development of meaningful, sustainable services for PLwD.

ORCID iDs

Rodgers, Paul A. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3149-191X, Tepehan, Neslihan, Brisco, Ross ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8216-9218 and Robinson, Andrew ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9778-1788; Urquhart, Lewis and Maclean, Laura
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)