Experiences of social interaction and communication after a CST group
Research type
Research Study
Full title
How do people with dementia and their carers experience social interaction and communication after attending a Cognitive Stimulation Therapy group?
IRAS ID
201654
Contact name
Amy Murphy
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 1 months, 30 days
Research summary
This study is interested in exploring how people with dementia and their carers experience social interaction and communication after attending a cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) group.
CST is a 14 session group based intervention for people diagnosed with early stages of dementia. National guidelines recommend CST as a non- drug form of treatment that is suitable for all types of dementia. Research has shown that CST can lead to improvements in language abilities and other areas of cognition (memory and attention) as well as improved quality of life, including social interaction and relationships with others. To date, most of the research on CST has focussed on measuring changes in these areas and little research has explored the direct day to day experiences of people with dementia after attending the group. This study will therefore aim to interview people with dementia who have attended a CST group and their main carer, to explore how they experience social interaction and communication after attending the group.
The study will include people in the mild to moderate stages of dementia who have attended a CST group in Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust. A semi-structured interview schedule will be used and three interviews will take place in total. The person with dementia and their carer will each take part in a short individual interview and then they will be interviewed jointly together about their experiences. Data will be analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis.
REC name
North West - Haydock Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/NW/0615
Date of REC Opinion
11 Aug 2016
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion