How do family caregivers maintain thier relative's personhood?
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An exploration of the relationship between family carers support for maintaining personhood in patients admitted to hospital with dementia and the eating behaviours of these patients Do positive interactions support patients to eat more, or do patients eat more when family caregivers exert pressure on them?
IRAS ID
155182
Contact name
Vicki C A Leah
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 9 months, 23 days
Research summary
This study will examine the relationship between family caregivers support for maintaining personhood in patients admitted to hospital with dementia and the eating behaviours of this group of patients. Maintenance of personhood in patients with dementia is considered best practice by healthcare professionals with some limited evidence it promotes better patient outcomes in terms of function and well-being. However, the family caregivers perspective on caregiving in relation to personhood has not been investigated. Using a mixed method approach including a comparative case-control study, interviews, Dementia Care Mapping and participant observation, this study will seek to explore the meaning of caring from a family caregiver’s perspective, with a particular focus on mealtimes and the effect the caregivers meaning has on the patients nutritional well-being.
The study will also examine the nurses experience of supporting family caregivers who have different beliefs about the maintenance of person-hood.REC name
London - Queen Square Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/LO/0938
Date of REC Opinion
14 Aug 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion