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What we are doing?
The Promoting Independence in Dementia (PRIDE) research programme has developed a manual to help people living with mild dementia improve their self-management and quality of life through social and lifestyle approaches. The PRIDE-app, a web-based version of the PRIDE manual, has now been developed and needs to be evaluated as part of a low-cost clinical trial. The PRIDE-app study will be looking at the potential benefits and experiences of using the app on tablet computers for people with mild dementia and their family supporters.
Why we are doing it?
In the UK over 800,000 people have dementia, with this number only set to rise with the increasing ageing population. Dementia often leads to social exclusion, loss of identity and loss of independence due to deterioration in cognition and activities of daily living. The societal cost of dementia in the UK, including healthcare, social care, and the hours of care provided by unpaid carers, usually family members, is £34billion a year. People living with dementia and their families are paying approximately two-thirds of this total, equating to £13.9billion a year.
What the benefits will be and to whom?
This research will increase awareness of the use of technology in dementia care and how small changes to lifestyle and social inclusion could benefit the everyday lives of people living with mild dementia by improving their independence and quality of life. The benefits could also reduce the social and financial burden on families, healthcare and social care services. We hope to implement the app effectively across the memory services in the UK via the Memory Services National Accreditation Programme, which includes almost 100 services. We expect the findings to be available by 2023 and they will support the app’s implementation.
Who we are working with?
We will be working with people with dementia and their family supporters, linking up with memory services and community services across the UK. We will also work with the Join Dementia Research (JDR) database to help recruit people into the study. In addition, we will be working with researchers and clinicians with expertise in dementia care as well as organisations such as the Alzheimer’s Society. Lastly, we will be working with Ayup, a technology company, to ensure that the Promoting Independence in Dementia web application (PRIDE-app) is relevant and easy to use for people with dementia and their families.
Contact
Abigail Lee, University of Nottingham, msxal15@exmail.nottingham.ac.uk.
To access the study protocol, click here.