What does it really mean to work across disciplines — and what happens when you put people with dementia in the driving seat of technology design?

Dr. Jennifer McRitchie (UKRI Future Leaders Fellow, University of Sheffield) joins Lynn and Beth to explore musical technologies for dementia, participatory research, and cognitive science. Jennifer's work bridges electrical engineering, music psychology, and dementia care — and she shares how deep engagement with people living with dementia completely reshaped her project.

We discuss the similarities between composing music and designing research, the role of compassion in collaborative teams, and how COVID forced a rethink of everything — including posting 60 keyboards to research participants.Jennifer also introduces the Bridges for Dementia Network Plus (EPSRC-funded, launching October 2025), which co-designs new technologies alongside people with lived experience of dementia — because music is a cultural right, not just cognitive training.

Links & Resources:

• Bridges for Dementia Network Plus — sign up for updates: https://bridgesfordementia.org/
• Film: Living with Young Onset Dementia — Our Music, Our Voice: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/music
• Jennifer McRitchie project website: https://sheffield.ac.uk/research/co-designing-future-music-technology-dementia

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