Coles-Medlock Foundation
The Coles-Medlock Foundation has supported pioneering research in the fields of dementia and prosthetics and orthotics at the University of Salford in 2015.
Salford Institute for Dementia (SIfD)
The Salford Institute for Dementia (SIfD) emerged from the goal of University colleagues to enable those faced with the challenges of dementia and their supporters to improve their lives in meaningful ways.
The generous donation from the Coles-Medlock Foundation enabled us to appoint a Coles-Medlock Director for SIfD, providing the institute with much-needed support during a transformational time as they strived to develop their reputation in the dementia and healthcare community.
Professor Anthea Innes, a renowned leader in dementia care research, is the current Coles-Medlock Director for SIfD. Under Professor Innes’ guidance, SIfD have reviewed their structure, development, and future planning to enhance their work and ensure a healthy future for the institute.
The support of the Coles-Medlock Foundation was central to the development of SIfD as a leading researcher in dementia care. SIfD are guided by real world projects and use a range of innovative, scientific research techniques and the creative arts to make a positive difference to those impacted by dementia.
Dementia Hub
Professor Anthea Innes
Dementia Hub Music Cafe
International Scholarship in Prosthetics & Orthotics
In 2019, thanks to the generosity of the Coles-Medlock Foundation, our Centre of Doctoral Training in Prosthetics and Orthotics launched a new International Scholarship.
Sisary Kheng, an outstanding Cambodian practitioner, won the scholarship and has completed the first two years of her PhD and done some incredible work.
Sisary is based in Cambodia and has worked in prosthetics and orthotics education for over 20 years, providing life-changing support for people living with disabilities. She is also the Director of Exceed Worldwide (EW), an organisation supporting people with disabilities living in poverty in South and Southeast Asia by providing free prosthetic and orthotic services.
During the first year of her PhD, Sisary focused on the application of social enterprise in the field, implementing innovative techniques and measuring the impact. More recently, she has played an integral role in the provision of the prosthetics used on Chhouk, the Asian elephant.
When Chhouk, the elephant calf, was found in March 2007 in Mondulkiri, Northeast Cambodia, he was alone, underweight and had a severe foot injury – a wire snare had cut off his foot and his leg had become seriously infected.
Conservationist Nick Marx of the Wildlife Alliance rescued the baby elephant and, with help from EW and an elephant named Lucky, nursed Chhouk back to health. EW’s clinical team in Phnom Penh Physical Rehabilitation Centre worked tirelessly to create an artificial foot for Chhouk that would enable him to walk again, leading on the design, materials, and repair of the elephant’s new foot.
Sisary said: "The team test different designs, and this time, for a more durable shoe, we draped stiff but flexible plastic. For a stay-on shoe, we added belts. For a comfy shoe, we padded it with foams. Chhouk’s shoe has two separate parts, a soft flexible inside shoe and a hard-durable outside shoe with a tractor tire on the bottom. Chhouk also wears special socks to prevent chafing. Every six months he needs a new shoe, and every time we work together to make one. So far, Chhouk has had 17 new shoes. Prosthetic limbs aren’t just for people; they can be for elephants too."
Take a look at Chhouk's incredible prosthetic in the video below!
With thanks to the support of the Coles-Medlock Foundation, we have no doubt that SIfD and Sisary will continue their outstanding work.