Dementia and relationships
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An investigation into how significant relationships change in the context of dementia.
IRAS ID
128503
Contact name
Ivan Eisler
Contact email
Research summary
Historically, in dementia care, a diagnosis was not always given to a client or their family as it was not considered to be in their best interests. This is no longer the case and practice has evolved to include an extensive assessment and diagnostic process. Recent research has looked at the experience of individuals and their caregivers as they go through this process, with a view to how services can be improved. However, very little has been written about how dementia affects these significant relationships. Although current practice has improved in terms of the diagnostic process, there is potential for service development in terms of supporting families through these very difficult transitions.
The purpose of this study is to interview people with dementia and their carers, and ask them how their relationships have changed as the dementia has progressed, with a view to whether service provision can be improved. For example, should services be providing more information, links to groups, or access to family therapy or other longer term support?
Participants will be recruited from the Kings Memory Clinic, the Southwark & Lambeth Memory Service, and from the Community Mental Health Teams for Older Adults in Lambeth. People eligible for the study will be those people with a diagnosis of dementia who still retain capacity to consent to participating. It will also include people who have had a long-term close relationship with the diagnosed person both before and since the diagnosis (eg. a spouse or other close family member). Consent will need to be gained from the person with dementia and the caregiver. Interviews will be semi-structured and will be analysed using a thematic analysis. It is anticipated that around ten interviews will provide enough data for this small-scale study (ie. five pairs of people).
REC name
London - Camden & Kings Cross Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/LO/1564
Date of REC Opinion
14 Nov 2013
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion