June NUI Galway Study Recruiting Participants who Care for People with Dementia

Study will focus on service utilisation for both the carer and the person with dementia and will investigate the type of supports required and valued in the period following a diagnosis

The Centre for Economic and Social Research on Dementia at NUI Galway are leading the first ever study in Ireland looking at supports and services available for people with dementia and their families following a recent diagnosis. The study aims to recruit informal carers, often family members, who are providing regular care and support to a loved one diagnosed with dementia in 2017 or 2018.

Carers may feel uncertain following the diagnosis of a loved one with dementia. The study is focused on identifying the most important services and supports at different stages of the illness. The results of the study will inform policy in relation to the supports and services that need to be in place to help carers and people with a recent diagnosis of dementia to deal with uncertainty and plan for future care needs.

The aim of the study is to inform practice and policy regarding services and supports required by carers and people with dementia in the period following a dementia diagnosis and how these needs change over time. The primary focus is on post-diagnostic supports for people with dementia and their principal caregiver. The person receiving care must have received a diagnosis of dementia, or probable dementia, since January 2017.

Dr Patricia Carney, a Health Economist at the Centre for Economic and Social Research at NUI Galway who is leading the study, said: “New investment in dementia care must reflect the preferences and needs of both the person with dementia and their informal carer. Carers require more tangible and practical supports to allow them do the job that most love doing. The consequences of not supporting them will be significant for people with dementia and for society. This study has the capacity and potential to improve the lives of people with dementia and their carers’ in Ireland, especially in the time following diagnosis.”

There are an estimated 60,000 people in Ireland providing unpaid care to a family member or friend with dementia living in the community. Approximately 7,200 new cases of dementia arise each year in Ireland, although it is not known how many of these receive a diagnosis or at what stage. An estimated 55,000 people live with dementia in Ireland and the majority of these people are living at home in the community.

Professor Eamon O’Shea, Director of the Centre for Economic and Social Research on Dementia at NUI Galway, said: “Carers play a crucial role in looking after people with dementia and we need to know much more about their needs and preferences for different kinds of services and supports.”

If you provide regular support or care to a person recently diagnosed with dementia and want to participate in the study or find out more, please email DemCarer@nuigalway.ie. 

To participate in the study visit: www.nuigalway.ie/dementiacare/