How you can get involved in Dementia Research

At the moment, our Research Team are making large strides in their effort to support Dementia Research. Here’s some of the ways in which we are involved and encouraging others do to the same:

 

1. Join Dementia Research

The key message within this work in the importance of joining dementia research and the affect your generosity can have on such a cause. Particularly, the Join Dementia Research (JDR) website is a good place to start as this is a national service which matches volunteers to dementia research studies.

 

Who can join dementia research?

Anyone over the age of 18 can join – you don’t have to have a memory problem. Some of the studies are looking at particular lifestyles or require healthy volunteers to take part.

 

What does this entail?

When you register on the website, you become what is known as a ‘volunteer’.

Volunteers don’t have to take part in every study that they are matched to and even if they request information about a particular study they still do not have to become involved. When signing up, you choose how you want to be contacted about a potential study match - either by email, phone or mail.

If you want to find out more about what being a volunteer means and what would be expected of you, you can find full details on how it works here.

 

How can I register?

To register, simply go to the website and you will see on the home page a clear option to sign up yourself or on behalf of someone else.

The team are always available to help people register their interest by either method or to discuss further. The team are also happy to assist people with dementia to join or help their carers or family supporters to join. Family supporters can also register on behalf of the person with dementia. You can find their contact details here.

2. Problem adaptation therapy for depression in dementia (PATHFINDER)

This is a study investigating if an adapted form of a problem solving therapy called ‘Problem Adaptation Therapy’ (PATH), can be successfully applied in an NHS setting to assist people living with dementia who are also experiencing depression.

It is a Randomised Control Trial (RCT) comparing 12 weeks of modified PATH therapy sessions with current treatment offered ‘as usual’ within the NHS.

 

Who can help?

We are recruiting people who have been diagnosed with mild to moderate dementia, who are also experiencing depression and have a family caregiver (supporter) whom they have contact with for an hour or more at least three days per week. The caregiver would need to agree to act as co-therapist for the intervention if randomly allocated and training will be given within the therapy. (If the person with dementia is required to isolate or be shielded from visits; the identified caregiver should be in contact with the participant twice a week and be available to act as a co-therapist).

3. Exploring the cause and prevalence of memory problems in mental health (Cap-Mem)

This is a study exploring if the autonomic nervous system works differently in people with psychiatric disorders using a ‘one off’ questionnaire.

 

Who can help?

 

We are looking to recruit people either diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder, a neurodevelopment or a neurodegenerative disorder primarily; however, healthy comparators are also needed at times.

4. Supporting independence at home for people with dementia (NIDUS-Family)

This study is a Randomised Control Trial (RCT).

 

Who can help?

The intervention is designed to support a person with dementia and a family caregiver, to identify areas of health and/or wellbeing that they would like to improve. Therefore we would be looking for pairs who meet this description.

 

What would be expected of us?

During eight sessions with a researcher, over six months, the couple are assisted to develop strategies to manage these areas. The study will compare the intervention participants alongside participants who continue to receive their usual services and care without the intervention.

If you would like to know more about how you can help dementia research, or if you would like to register your interest in any of the above studies, please contact the Humber Research Team via hnf-tr.ResearchTeam@nhs.net or (01482) 301726.

Please note, due to Coronavirus, all current research studies are being operated over the phone instead of face-to-face.