The Bi-directional Relationship between Trauma and Dementia: A Co-Produced Exploration of Why Trauma-and-Violence-Informed Dementia Care Matters
Parallel 4
18 November, 2026 12:00 – 1:10 pmTechnology, Taboos and Open Conversations
Mary-Joy qualified as a general nurse (RGN) and mental health nurse (RMN) in 1989. Her extensive career has included working with people with head injury, acute mental illness, complex behavioural needs, infectious diseases including HIV and HIV-related dementia. Between 1997 and 2001 she lived in India, working as a volunteer HIV specialist. On her return, she worked in education and public health, before returning to nursing in 2014. Since then, she has worked in the private care home sector and has become a specialist in dementia care, now working as a freelance nurse consultant. In additon to her nursing qualifications, she has a BSc in Health Promotion, MSc in public health and is currently undertaking a PhD at Univeristy of Worcester Association of Dementia Studies, exploring trauma-and-violence-informed dementia care within care homes in England
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Summary
Studies suggest a bi-directional relationship between trauma and dementia.
People who have experienced trauma are up to twice as likely to develop a dementia in later life, whilst people living with a dementia may experience previously unrecognised symptoms of past trauma. In this co-produced presentation, a dementia nurse consultant and two people with lived experience of both dementia and trauma combine research evidence with lived experience. We will explore why a knowledge of the relationship between these two conditions is essential, the negative impact that day to day care activities could have on a person living with dementia and trauma, and why truly person-centred dementia care is unachievable without a trauma-and-violence-informed lens



