Dementia Support Line
Marie Curie and Alzheimer’s Society partnership: end of life care in dementia
We have partnered with Marie Curie in a joint funding call to transform end of life care for people living with dementia and their loved ones.
Tackling an urgent and growing challenge
In the UK there are currently almost 1 million people living with dementia– this is expected to rise to 1.4 million by 2040.
Despite being the leading cause of death in the UK, dementia remains one of the most under-served areas of palliative and end of life care.
People living with dementia often receive poorer end of life care when compared to those with other terminal illnesses.
Our partnership
Together, Alzheimer’s Society and Marie Curie are investing £1 million in pioneering research that will focus on improving end of life care.
This unique partnership supports five innovative research projects, each focused on improving how end of life care is delivered to people living with dementia — and the families, friends and carers who support them. These projects will explore practical, evidence-based solutions: new tools, models of care, and ways to better coordinate support across health and social care services.
All projects are grounded in real-world impact and shaped by the voices of people with lived experience.
Our jointly funded projects
Our hope for the future
Every person living with dementia deserves to live and die with dignity — supported by trained professionals, in a place of their choosing, and with the right care at the right time.
Together with Marie Curie, we are committed to changing the future of end of life care for people living with dementia.
Our research portfolio
Today Alzheimer's Society are supporting over £50 million of world leading dementia research to understand the causes of dementia, advance diagnosis, improve care, and search for a cure.
Lead: Dr Lesley Williamson, King’s College London
Funding: £203,314
Duration: 24 months
Summary: This project will pilot the use of the IPOS-Dem tool with care home staff, helping them better recognise and respond to the needs of people living with dementia at the end of life. The study aims to improve the consistency and quality of care provided in the home.
Lead: Dr Nicola White, University College London
Funding: £177,191
Duration: 24 months
Summary: Dr White will adapt the Death Literacy Index to create a tool specifically for carers of people living with dementia. The aim is to improve carers’ knowledge and confidence, helping them better support their loved ones in the final stages of life.
Lead: Dr Therese Johansson, King’s College London
Funding: £69,527
Duration: 12 months
Summary: This study will analyse data from bereaved families to understand how the use of community and primary care affects hospitalisation in the last months of life. Dr Johansson hopes that these findings will help shape better policy and practice.
Lead: Professor Sebastian Crutch, University College London
Funding: £349,919
Duration: 24 months
Summary: This project will explore how people living with young onset, non-memory-led and inherited dementias, such as frontotemporal dementia or young-onset Alzheimer’s disease, experience end of life care. It will co-develop new resources to support earlier and better-informed conversations.
Lead: Professor Roma Maguire, University of Strathclyde
Funding: £191,040
Duration: 24 months
Summary: Professor Maguire’s team will adapt and test CARE-PAC, an app that allows people at the end of life and carers to regularly record symptoms, tracks wellbeing and triggers support when needed. It aims to help families and professionals manage symptoms and avoid crises at home.