Two QoLEAD PhD students, Ellis and Teis, traveled to Sweden for an inspiring week of learning, research, and exchange at Linköping University. Read about their experiences! “Recently we traveled to Norrköping, Sweden, to attend a course at Linköping University on how to critically approach data. Working with people with dementia, we’ve been aware for a longer time that researchers play a major role in how data is collected and interpreted. In fact, we leave a significant mark on the entire process.  During this course, we explored the meaning of the term “data” in depth. What counts as data? How do we collect it? And most importantly, how neutral is it…

Last month, the Alzheimer Europe Conference gathered more than 1,500 people passionate about improving the lives of people with dementia. Among them were QoLEAD PhD students Anne, Teis and Baran who share their experiences with us. AnneThis year, I had the opportunity to present my research at Alzheimer Europe for the second time. Just like last year, I really enjoyed seeing how diverse the participants, speakers, and research projects are. People living with dementia are truly at the heart of this conference, which is also something we strive for in the QoLEAD project. I will definitely take all the lessons…

In the summer of 2024, Ellis Bartholomeus began her PhD journey at Eindhoven University of Technology, as part of the QoLEAD project within the Expertise Centre for Dementia & Technology (ECDT). Within QoLEAD, Ellis dives into co-creation and participatory design, specifically exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) can support people with dementia and those who care for them. With a background in game and play design, she investigates how AI technologies can enhance interaction, communication, and reflection in care settings. During her exploration of evidence-based methods in dementia care, Ellis came across the ABC-method course “Challenging Behaviour” by Rino Zuid via…

One of our QoLEAD PhD students Jinjing Fu had the opportunity to attend the 12th EuHEA PhD & Supervisor Conference at Brussels — three days of inspiring discussions on health economics. ‘I was glad to attend alongside my supervisor, Ron Handels, and to exchange ideas with researchers from across Europe. Dementia and neurodegenerative diseases were recurring themes, reflecting the urgency of this challenge across Europe. It was motivating to see researchers from different countries bringing innovative perspectives to this shared issue. In our session, we presented and discussed our health-economic model for dementia care. We received valuable feedback and constructive…

One week ago, the annual QoLEAD meeting took place, with a full focus on co-creation. Researchers, care professionals, and practice partners came together for a day filled with exchange and collaboration. The morning started with updates from the various work packages within QoLEAD. This was followed by an inspiring and interactive keynote by Wina Smeenk, who shared her vision on co-creation and empathic design. Using her Co-Design Canvas – a practical and visual tool for shaping co-creation processes – participants collaboratively explored one of the work packages. This session clearly demonstrated how design-oriented research can foster meaningful collaboration with all…

We are proud to announce that PhD student Dirk Steijger, part of the QoLEAD research consortium, will present two studies at the 35th Alzheimer Europe Conference, taking place from 6 to 8 October 2025 in Bologna, Italy. His work has been selected for poster presentation, showcasing innovative approaches to improving the quality of life for people with dementia through artificial intelligence and natural language processing. The first poster presentation, titled Effectiveness of Artificial intelligence-aided literature screening approaches: Comparisons with manual screening”, explores the use of ASReview to compare two AI configurations with manual screening. The study assessed their efficiency and…

Driving innovation in AI to make a meaningful difference in the lives of people with dementia — worldwide The pre-registration for the World JAIN Challenge 2026 has been launched! The World JAIN Challenge is a public competition for developed technical e-health prototypes and full-fledged products based on Artificial Intelligence. It concerns products that support the quality of life and self-reliance of people with memory problems or dementia and their informal carers and that will support professionals and informal carers in providing optimal care for their loved ones. Apply here to join the challenge: https://lnkd.in/gadfmWj6

We’re proud to share that another QoLEAD PhD candidate Anne Kolmans will present her research at the 35th Alzheimer Europe Conference, taking place from 6 to 8 October 2025 in Bologna, Italy. Anne’s study focuses on a crucial but often overlooked aspect of dementia care: public stigma. While stigma can significantly impact the wellbeing and social inclusion of people living with dementia, little is known about how it manifests in the Dutch general population. Anne’s research addresses this gap by examining the prevalence of stigma, exploring public perceptions, and analysing how factors like familiarity with dementia and ageism influence attitudes. Using a mixed-methods survey with a nationally representative sample of 524 Dutch citizens, Anne and…

The JAIN Foundation is excited to host two pivotal workshops at the Dutch National Dementia Congress (NDC 2025), titled “Technology with a human heart.” These sessions, specifically designed for the QoLEAD program, will explore how AI-driven technology can genuinely support people with dementia, their loved ones, and care professionals. Why these workshops matter for QoLEAD work package leaders and PhD candidates The JAIN Foundation’s workshops are crucial for QoLEAD  Work Package Leaders and their PhD candidates because they offer direct, practical insights into applying technology in dementia care. These sessions align perfectly with QoLEAD ’s mission to foster and implement innovation in…

We’re excited to share that QoLEAD PhD candidate Baran Polat has had his abstract accepted for a poster presentation at the upcoming 35th Alzheimer Europe Conference, taking place from 6 to 8 October 2025 in Bologna, Italy. Baran’s research explores how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to classify stages of Alzheimer’s disease based on speech characteristics in Dutch-speaking individuals. While speech is increasingly recognized as a promising biomarker for Alzheimer’s, there is still relatively little research focusing on Dutch speakers. This study contributes to a growing body of work exploring how Dutch-specific linguistic features—such as diminutives, grammatical gender, and compound word complexity—might help detect early cognitive decline. The study has now entered…

Dirk, one of QoLEAD’s researchers, attended the Data Driven Healthcare conference—an inspiring event that focused on the role of data and AI in the future of healthcare. In this article, he shares his key takeaways from the day, highlighting the urgency for collective action, the importance of data availability, and practical insights for successful AI implementation in healthcare. ‘Yesterday, I attended the Data-Driven Healthcare conference—an inspiring day focused on the role of data and AI in healthcare. The central message? The time for merely talking about AI in healthcare is over. Now is the time for the sector to take…

PhD student Jinjing from the Qolead consortium recently attended the lolaHESG 2025 conference. Below, she shares her reflections on this inspiring day! I just returned from the lolaHESG 2025 conference—and what an inspiring experience it was! Unlike traditional academic conferences, lolaHESG takes a refreshing approach: instead of presenting your own paper, a fellow researcher presents it for you. A full hour of in-depth discussion is guided by a dedicated discussant and a group of researchers. This format creates space for thoughtful, constructive feedback that genuinely pushes our work forward. It was also energizing to connect with peers across the Netherlands…

In May, QoLEAD’s Teis spent three intensive weeks as a visiting researcher with the Gender Studies (TEMAG) group at the Department of Thematic Studies at Linköping University in Sweden. Under the guidance of Professor Ericka Johnson, he had the opportunity to deepen his expertise in qualitative research methods. During his stay, Teis engaged in inspiring conversations with renowned researchers such as Jelmer Brüggemann, Alma Persson, and Lisa Guntram. These exchanges enriched his methodological knowledge and broadened his academic perspective. A particularly valuable part of the visit was his seminar presentation at Chalmers University in Gothenburg, hosted by Sofia Thunberg. Teis´s presentation sparked…

On May 20th, Dirk had the pleasure of attending the very first National AI in Healthcare Conference in Amsterdam — and what an inspiring day it was. Curious about what the day had to offer? Read about Dirk’s experience below! ‘The morning opened with a series of thought-provoking plenary talks that each, in their own way, underscored the growing importance of AI in shaping the future of healthcare.  Diederik Gommers set the tone with a compelling reflection on the looming “healthcare infarct” and the urgent need to keep care both humane and accessible. Following him, Bart Scheerder shared how the…

The Dementia Lab Conference 2025 in Portugal provided a unique opportunity for researchers and professionals to come together and share their knowledge and experiences on warm technology for people with dementia. A team of dedicated researchers from the Expertise Centre for Technology and Dementia, attended the conference. QoLEAD’s Ellis and Teis reflect on this inspiring event and share their insights and experiences, which have been of great value both personally and professionally EllisVisiting DementiaLab was super great for me, since I am still new to the academic field, I feel I got marinated in the people, the topic and the…

The abstract from QoLEAD’s health-economic team “Conceptualizing a Health-Economic Model to Assess the Impact of Artificial Intelligence-based Technology in Dementia Care” has been accepted for discussion at the lolaHESG (Lowlands Health Economists’ Study Group) Conference 2025 this May! Congrats to Jinjing Fu, Ron Handels, Erik Buskens and many others in the QoLEAD consortium who have contributed to this project 🙌 Why is this important?AI-based technologies hold great promise in dementia care—for example, by reducing caregiver burden and improving the quality of life for people living with dementia. However, these innovations also come with significant costs: hardware, software, maintenance, training for…

The first study within the QoLEAD consortium has been published in the journal ‘Ageing Research Reviews’: Use of artificial intelligence to support quality of life of people with dementia: A scoping reviewQoLEAD’s Dirk Steijger shares insights on his latest publication, created in collaboration with his co-authors Hannah Christie, Sil Aarts, Wijnand IJsselsteijn, Hilde Verbeek, and Marjolein de Vugt. Dementia significantly affects the quality of life of people with dementia, and while artificial intelligence (AI) offers exciting opportunities for personalised care, its role in supporting the quality of life has remained unclear — until now. Dirk is excited to share this…