Prof Pat Sikes – Professor Emeritus of Qualitative Inquiry, University of Sheffield and family member

Pat is Professor Emeritus of Qualitative Inquiry at the University of Sheffield. She began researching the perceptions and experiences of children and young people who have a parent with a young onset dementia when her husband was diagnosed with vascular and posterior cortical atrophy dementias when their children were in their early teens. The family lived with dementia for 17 years.

Pat is currently involved in a study with Professor Caroline Gelman at the Silberman School of Social Research, Hunter College, City University of New York and Dr Mel Hall, Manchester Metropolitan University looking at how young people who have a parent with an inheritable form of dementia make decisions about genetic testing.

Pat is a member of the Young Dementia Network’s research workstream.