Psychotherapy experiences of people with dementia and their families
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring the experiences of psychotherapeutic interventions for people with dementia and their families
IRAS ID
326728
Contact name
Alys Griffiths
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Liverpool
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Receiving a dementia diagnosis can lead to changes in how people feel about themselves and their families. One intervention people may be offered is talking therapies. We reviewed existing research and found that while some studies showed benefits for people with dementia, other studies did not. Participants in our latest study reported lots of benefits from talking therapy, including processing and acceptance of the diagnosis, and reduced burden. However, the therapist had not had any dementia training and ‘learned on the job’. We aim to understand what talking therapies are being delivered, who they are delivered to, how people access these, and what (if any) difference they make, to different people.
In Study 1 (which this ethics form relates to) we will interview 30 people with dementia and family members, and in Study 2 we will interview 20 therapists, about their experiences. We will use Framework Analysis to group people’s answers into themes. We will then use these findings in three co-production workshops. We will develop guidance around the ‘key skills’ for therapists working with people with dementia. We will develop a resource for people with dementia and their families about talking therapies, and how to prepare for therapy. We will recruit a Lay Advisory Group of 8 people with dementia and family members, who will work with us across the whole project. We hope to improve support for people affected by dementia when they are considering talking therapies. We also hope to change the way therapists think about working with people with dementia, and influence how therapists are trained.
REC name
London - Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/LO/0568
Date of REC Opinion
7 Aug 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion