Improving dementia care in African and Caribbean minority ethnic group
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Improving dementia care in African and Caribbean minority ethnic groups
IRAS ID
152118
Contact name
Gill Livingston
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London
Research summary
Black and minority ethnic groups account for 15% of the UK and 40% of the London population. African and Caribbean elders develop dementia more often and earlier than the white UK population but access services later, usually in crisis. Diagnostic certainty allows people with dementia and their carers to plan and make choices, and play a more active role in their care, facilitates access to specialist services, support and treatment, reduces costly and disruptive crises and delays care-home admission. We are conducting a study in which African and Caribbean participants will be invited to take part in qualitative interviews to develop an intervention. This interview will use a vignette to investigate barriers and facilitators to early access to dementia care in black and minority ethnic groups and will use this information to devise a pilot intervention. Focus groups will be convened in which a dementia case vignette will open a discussion of how participants would help a relative with similar problems, what would encourage them to seek help and from where. Qualitative analysis will be used to develop the intervention which will be tested with focus group volunteers to test whether it is understandable, acceptable and clear. We will then pilot it with GP practice attenders for acceptability and whether there is any indication it make change behaviour The purpose of this intervention is to benefit patients and their family carers by increasing timely diagnosis of dementia in African and Caribbean minority ethnic groups and thus allowing choices, symptomatic treatment, reduce carers’ depression, avoid crises, and delay care home admission. This aims to improve access to specialist dementia services for Black minority elders people with dementia, who currently experience health inequalities in this area.
REC name
East of England - Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/EE/0136
Date of REC Opinion
31 Mar 2014
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion