MAS Attenders
Research type
Research Study
Full title
What prompts people to attend memory assessment services?
IRAS ID
268896
Contact name
Jennifer Yates
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Nottingham
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 3 months, 9 days
Research summary
This project will explore what prompts people who begin to notice changes to their cognitive functioning to seek a referral to the memory assessment service. We would like to know at what point their experiences of cognitive changes become a cause for concern, whether the concern is their own or a family member’s, and how such changes are noticed and evaluated. We would also like to understand their expectations of visiting the memory assessment service, for example whether people experiencing cognitive changes want to confirm or rule out their concerns, and in general their feelings towards the memory assessment process.
Changes within the brain may precede noticeable changes in cognitive functioning by at least fifteen years. Noticing such changes and acting upon them to seek support and diagnosis can enable people to engage with strategies and interventions to delay or prevent further cognitive decline. However, it is not clear what prompts people to decide that their subjective experience of cognitive changes warrants diagnosis or support, and many people live with a cognitive decline without a subjective awareness of it, and without seeking support until the decline impacts more severely on everyday life. It is unclear what circumstances might occur that lead some people to decide to seek help in this instance where other people may continue without noticing or addressing their cognitive changes.
Research gained from this project will extend the literature around the subjective experience of cognitive decline, and add clarity to the understanding of why some people seek help when experiencing cognitive changes. This will help us to understand in greater detail what the subjective experience of cognitive changes is, and how we might raise awareness for people to be more vigilant towards cognitive changes and what to do if they experience them.
REC name
South Central - Hampshire A Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/SC/0396
Date of REC Opinion
16 Aug 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion