Effective Home Support Dementia Care: Costs Informal & Formal Care v.1

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    Effective Home Support in Dementia Care: Project 3.1 Analysis of costs to people with dementia and carers and their relationship to formal care

  • IRAS ID

    181066

  • Contact name

    David Challis

  • Contact email

    david.j.challis@manchester.ac.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    University of Manchester

  • Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier

    N/A, N/A

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    0 years, 5 months, 31 days

  • Research summary

    With population ageing dementia represents a significant public health and care challenge. About 60% of people with dementia live in their own homes but finding the best ways of helping them to live well at home and supporting their carers has been seen as a challenge. Although more innovative home support services, from the NHS, social care and voluntary organisations, exist in some localities, they are often underdeveloped. There are various forms of non-drug treatment that research has suggested may be effective but translating these into forms of support that may be provided, routinely, at home has been difficult. We know very little of the different forms of home support in existence, what is preferred, their relative effects and cost-effectiveness.

    This project is part of a wider programme of research, funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) investigating these issues: an analysis of costs to people with dementia and their carers and their relationship to formal care. This will collect, through consultations with carers and NHS staff, information on the relative balance in costs incurred by informal carers versus formal paid staff in providing care. This cost information is to be used in later economic modelling as part of the wider research programme. The information will be collected through consultations with two voluntary sector carers groups and also through two group meetings with NHS staff working in Community Mental Health Teams in one NHS Trust. The project is to last for 6 months.

    The programme’s potential benefits are in demonstrating, to those purchasing care, the public and researchers, what forms and features of home support for dementia are preferred and could be most cost-effective.

  • REC name

    London - Stanmore Research Ethics Committee

  • REC reference

    15/LO/1137

  • Date of REC Opinion

    26 Jun 2015

  • REC opinion

    Further Information Favourable Opinion