Saints Talk
Dr Maggie Ellis
The Gift of Curiosity – the importance of remaining curious to the communicative actions of individuals living with advanced dementia
- Date
- Thursday 4 December 2025
- Time
- 5.15 pm GMT
- Location
- Microsoft Teams
Development is delighted to invite you to the next Saints Talk, which will be given by Dr Maggie Ellis MBE. Dr Ellis' talk is entitled 'The Gift of Curiosity - the importance of remaining curious to the communicative actions of individuals living with advanced dementia'.
Dr Maggie Ellis MBE is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology & Neuroscience at the University of St Andrews. Her research focuses on the facilitation of communication at all stages of dementia and how this is impacted by our attitudes towards those living with the condition. Maggie is particularly interested in uncovering the retained communication skills of people living with advanced dementia and how we can tap into them to create human connection without speech. She was recently awarded an MBE for her services to people living with dementia, their family members and professional caregivers.
In this talk Dr Ellis will discuss her recent work on Adaptive Interaction – a communication technique designed to help us recognise and use the retained communication skills of people living with advanced dementia. She will also discuss how this relates to her latest work on the impact of attitudes towards those diagnosed with the condition.
Following the talk, attendees can ask Dr Ellis questions in a live Q&A session.