Awardee: Dr Diana Matovic
Title of project: From isolation to inclusion: Increasing access to social participation for older Australians with mild cognitive impairment/early dementia and their supporters
Year of completion: 2025
Dr Diana Matovic is a postdoctoral researcher and a member of the Macquarie University Lifespan Health and Wellbeing Research Centre.
In 2023, Diana received a grant under the RM Gibson Program, funded through AAG's partnership with Dementia Australia Research Foundation (DARF). The grant funds supported the testing of an intervention designed to improve the social participation and wellbeing of people living with dementia through the adaption of insights gained from a survey and focus groups involving people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI)/early-stage dementia and their carers/supporters. This was followed by a pilot to test the intervention over three months to assess its impact on social participation and wellbeing.
Self-reported outcomes among participants with MCI/dementia included:
- 80% felt highly motivated to use strategies for managing embarrassment and communicating their diagnosis
- 67% felt confident in handling communication changes.
Among carers, 83% felt confident in maintaining support networks, 80% were motivated to expand their networks, and 71% found the strategies for educating others helpful. All participants reported minimal difficulty implementing the strategies.
These findings suggest the intervention offers practical, meaningful strategies that support social participation and reduce barriers for individuals with MCI/dementia and their carers. While larger studies are needed to confirm its effectiveness and long-term impact, current evidence supports continued distribution of the resource to benefit these communities. Throughout the project, participants consistently expressed a strong desire for public access to the intervention.
The developed resource has been shared with Alzheimer’s WA and presented at three community talks since 2024, with two more scheduled for 2025, and each session averaging around 50 attendees. Additionally, the Macquarie University Lifespan Health and Wellbeing Research Centre holds the resource for ongoing community distribution.
Access the People living with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia booklet here.
Access the Carers of people living with dementia or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) booklet here.
Diana thanked the AAG Research Trust and DARF for supporting this project. As someone who is early in her research career, the grant allowed Diana to both lead a project and sharpen her mentoring skills as she helped build the research skills of junior researchers. "Most particularly, this project helped me build connections with the dementia community and dementia organisations," said Diana, who looks forward to future grant opportunities through the AAG Research Trust.