New INTERDEM member: Silvia Gonella

About Me

I am an Assistant Professor of Nursing at the University of Torino, where I combine research, teaching, and academic service. Before joining the University, I worked as a nurse and research nurse in a large university hospital. I hold a PhD in Nursing Science and Public Health and a postgraduate diploma in Bioethics. My interest in dementia research grew from my work in palliative and end-of-life care and from the need to improve communication and quality of life for people with advanced dementia and their families.

Research Interests

My research focuses on palliative and end-of-life care in dementia, advance care planning, communication in complex clinical situations, family caregiver support, dementia-related stigma, and nursing home care. I am particularly interested in how people with dementia and their families can be meaningfully involved in shared decision-making and how professionals can be supported in emotionally and ethically complex conversations. My methodological interests include evidence synthesis, mixed-methods research, intervention development, implementation and evaluation, and cross-national comparison. I also examine how sociocultural, ethical, organisational, and policy contexts influence care and the implementation of person-centred approaches. A further priority is translating research into practical resources for professionals and families. My current role as member of the INTERDEM taskforces on Palliative and End-of-Life Care in Dementia and on Context, Culture and Intersectionality provide valuable opportunities to advance this work through international and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Tell us about a project you are working on now, which is top of your to-do list

At the top of my to-do list is In-Touch, a Horizon Europe project implementing a person-centred palliative care intervention to improve comfort, quality of life, and social engagement for people with advanced dementia living in nursing homes. I co-lead Work Package 6, which examines the sociocultural, ethical, and policy implications of implementation across different countries and care systems. The project is especially exciting because it combines implementation research with family involvement and international collaboration. Alongside In-Touch, I co-lead IN-CARE, which develops and evaluates approaches to improve communication in care. As part of this project, we have developed an innovative virtual reality and artificial intelligence-based training intervention designed to strengthen complex communication skills among professionals working in nursing homes. I am also involved in research on dementia-related stigma in Italy, where we have adopted an intersectional approach to examine how different social identities and forms of disadvantage may interact in shaping stigma. Through these projects, I hope to develop feasible, ethically grounded resources that strengthen communication, shared decision-making, social participation, and palliative care in routine nursing home practice.

Why I joined INTERDEM?

I joined INTERDEM because it offers a unique interdisciplinary environment in which psychosocial dementia research can be connected with palliative care, ethics, implementation science, and policy. I hope to contribute my clinical and research experience in nursing homes, advance care planning, family involvement, and complex communication. I am particularly keen to collaborate through the taskforces on Palliative and End-of-Life Care in Dementia and on Context, Culture and Intersectionality. I also value the opportunity to learn from colleagues working in different disciplines and countries and to contribute to research that is person-centred, culturally sensitive, and capable of producing meaningful improvements for people living with dementia and their families.

Connect with me:
Email: silvia.gonella@unito.it

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/silvia-gonella-b28777352
ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-6294-9834

ResearchGate: researchgate.net/profile/Silvia-Gonella