Cambridgeshire woman ‘proud’ to take part in dementia research in memory of late grandparents

A Godmanchester woman who cared for her late grandparents as they lived with dementia is taking part in research in memory of them.

Bonnie Jackson, 47,  is encouraging others to take part in research this World Alzheimer’s Month.

Bonnie, who lives with her husband and 2 sons, is proud to have signed up as a volunteer for Join Dementia Research.

The registry matches volunteers to studies they may be able to take part in, both online, nationally and in their local area. The service connects registered volunteers with dementia researchers across the UK.

Bonnie’s commitment to dementia research stems from her personal experience caring for her grandparents, Ted and Ivy. They both lived with dementia in their final years.

She found this time particularly tough, as she watched their personalities change over time. Keeping them safe at home became increasingly difficult. Soon after moving to a care home, Ted and Ivy died within 3 months of each other. 

Her experience with caring for them daily, combined with her family’s medical history, is her main motivation to improve dementia care for future generations. 

Bonnie was also inspired to train as a nurse, and she now works in health and care research. She said:

“I feel really strongly that we should do our best to prevent people from getting ill in the first place as well as finding the best treatments if they do get a diagnosis. It’s really important that we do as much as we can to try and find the answers to how we can do this.”

Through Join Dementia Research, Bonnie has been matched with a few research studies that she’s taken part in online. One of these studies was as simple as playing a game on her phone. 

She also took part in the motor neurone disease and stroke arms of CognoSpeak. This is looking at a digital tool to look for early signs of neurodegenerative disease and stroke more quickly and efficiently.

It uses artificial intelligence and speech technology to automatically analyse language and speech patterns that could be early signs of disease and warrant further investigation. She said:

“My participation is going to help researchers to learn things, and even by just spending a few minutes online as a healthy volunteer I can still contribute.

“I like helping people and research is a really good way of helping a wider group of people – it reaches and impacts everyone.

“Taking part makes a real difference to the future of dementia care, diagnosis and treatment, and I’m proud to be a part of that.”

As well as taking part in research, Bonnie has been involved in fundraising for dementia. In the past, she has run 3 marathons, countless half marathons, skydived, abseiled, and cycled 75 miles for various charities over the years.

Next on this long list is a Hyrox event in London in December, raising money and awareness for Alzheimer’s Research UK. Hyrox is a fitness race which takes place around the world, with 8 x 1-kilometre runs, each followed by a gruelling exercise station.

Visit the Join Dementia Research website to sign up today!