DemChamp v1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Developing the role of Dementia Champions in the homecare sector.
IRAS ID
320561
Contact name
Monica Leverton
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 10 months, 18 days
Research summary
Most people living with dementia want to remain living at home. Often they are helped to do so with the support of homecare services. However, there are concerns about the quality of homecare for people living with dementia, including people sometimes only staying in the job for a short while. Homecare workers tend to work alone, with limited supervision, training, or opportunities to develop their skills. Dementia Champions working across health and social care services might be a valuable source of information, support and advice to homecare staff working directly with people living with dementia. However, the idea of Champions is not well established in homecare services.
In this study we will consider how the role of Dementia Champions in homecare services could develop. We will start by learning from the work of other Dementia Champions in some care services. We will then get a ‘real world’ in-depth understanding of what working as a Dementia Champion involves by asking people what works well and what can be improved. We will also look at a selection of online homecare dementia-specialist and Dementia Champion job descriptions to understand what this work currently involves.
We will work with people affected by dementia (people living with dementia and family carers), and homecare workers and managers in this study. We will hold a workshop where we will think about how to take what we have learned so far, and develop the Dementia Champions role for what might be needed and wanted in homecare services. Finally, we will speak to people working in homecare (managers and care workers), and people living with dementia and family members who use homecare services, to understand how Dementia Champions could work within homecare, and what would be needed to support them.
REC name
Social Care REC
REC reference
23/IEC08/0011
Date of REC Opinion
18 May 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion