Dr Peter Murdoch, the longest serving Dementia Trustee, tells us about the history of the Trust.

35 Years on the origins and continuing evolution of the Dementia Trust

In the early 1980’s, dementia was seldom spoken of, or recognised, and services for people with dementia and their carers was rudimentary and sporadic, at best. “Dementia” was the great unmentionable in society. A few health and social care professionals proposed a short life alliance called Scottish Action for Dementia (SAD) and sought representatives from the then Scottish Office, professional organisations such as medical and nursing royal colleges, Directors of Social Work and Alzheimer’s Scotland to raise the public and political profile of dementia and propose practical action.     

As a newly appointed consultant geriatrician I joined alliance as a nominee from the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and was soon persuaded to chair an Education and Training committee which surveyed training programmes throughout public, private and third sectors –  it was  clear there was little awareness, next to no academic or practical training resources and very few services available for people living with dementia. Between 1986-88 we met with a succession of Scottish Office ministers seeking their support for the establishment of a Dementia Services Development Centre (DSDC) to support sharing of information, practical training and to encourage innovative service development. We then sought expressions of interest from Scottish Universities to host such a centre, receiving four applications before choosing Stirling.  Michael Forsyth, who, at the time, was the local MP as well as Minister of State for Health, was persuaded to give £30,000 as a one-off starting Government grant. In October 1988, the Dementia Services Development Trust (DSDT), was established to take forward this work of improving services for people with dementia. The Trust included representatives of SAD and the University, as well as a range of others as its trustees.

Two part-time lecturers were recruited operating out of a room in the University, but the work of the Centre really took off in the early 1990s with the appointment of its first Director, Professor Mary Marshall. The Centre was the first of its kind in the world and earned an international reputation. The Trustees attracted grants from Government Bodies, Charitable Foundations, industry and individual donors to support work training programmes for nurses, social work and independent care providers, as well as publications, workshops, conferences and consultancy work. 

As activity and pressure on office space increased, the trustees recognised the need for new larger purpose build facilities, and so, using business and media contacts, friends and multiple fundraising events in Stirling Castle and elsewhere, the Trust raised around £3 million to enable the building and opening of the Iris Murdoch Building on the Stirling Campus in 2003. The building and surrounding garden itself showcase many “dementia friendly” design features.

Professor Marshall was succeeded as Director of the Centre by Professor June Andrews, who continued to enhance its reputation nationally and internationally, before her retirement from the University in 2016. The Trust worked with Atlantic Philanthropies to encourage services in Northern Ireland. As the Centre within the University has developed further, the Dementia Service Development Trust, although still enjoying a strong relationship with the University, has branched out to encourage and support more innovation such as the annual disruption awards and acclaimed films, highlighting such things as the challenges from the pandemic in care homes and powers of attorney. In retirement, June Andrews continued as adviser to the Trustees. As the work of the DSDC and other Dementia charities have expanded in recent years, the trustees of the Dementia Services Development Trust have sought to avoid confusion with the Centre by simplifying their name to “Dementia Trust.”

There are now countless Dementia Centres across the UK and worldwide. Government, business, private and voluntary organisations raise awareness and invest in services. Helping people and their families and carers live well with dementia continues to be a major challenge, but the Dementia Trust remains committed to developing innovative services for people with dementia and their unpaid carers. If you would like to read about some projects the Trust has supported, these can be found on our projects page. It has been a great privilege to be a trustee of the Dementia Trust over the last 35 years, as it has sought to work with others to improve the quality of life for those with dementia and their carers.      

If you would like to support the work of the Trust, you can make a Donation here.