Use of Carers’ Diaries in Dementia
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Use of Carers’ Diaries in Dementia
IRAS ID
138812
Contact name
Kunle Ashaye
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Hertfordshire Partnership
Research summary
Rationale
The reason for initial presentation of persons with dementia to health care services is often on account of observations of family carers or the breakdown of care at home. Information is gathered relying on patients and carers’ recollection of problems during the history-taking in an assessment. There are few studies which have involved the use of carers’ diaries in the assessment and management of dementia.Aims
(1) To assess if information recorded by carers in a diary is more detailed than carers giving account of problems retrospectively in a clinic session.
(2) To examine what therapeutic effect keeping a diary of patients’ problems have on carers’ health and wellbeing.Method
Carers will be randomly allocated into two groups, intervention and control groups. In the intervention group, carers will receive a diary and instructions on how to complete it for 7 days. A number of assessment tools and ratings scales will be completed on Day 1 and Day 8. A brief follow up assessment will take place on Day 28. The control group will carry out the same tasks except completing a diary.Results
The problems recorded in diaries will be compared, in terms of their nature and frequency, to similar information provided in narrative accounts of problems on Day 1 by carers in the control and the diary groups. Both descriptive and statistical analyses will be used to evaluate the findings from the secondary measures using the various questionnaires.Expected Outcomes
It is expected the diaries will provide more detailed accounts of problems faced in caring than the narrative account traditionally provided in history taking from carers in memory clinics. The diary keeping may also have therapeutic effects on carers by improving their psychological well being and enhance their understanding of problems.REC name
East of England - Cambridge East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/EE/0008
Date of REC Opinion
27 Feb 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion