Managing agitation in severe dementia

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Managing Agitation and Raising QUality of LifE (MARQUE): feasibility trial of an intervention to improve the management of agitation in severe dementia

• IRAS ID

  226973

• Contact name

  Gill Livingston

• Contact email

  g.livingston@ucl.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  University College London

• Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier

  96745365, DeNDRoN NIHR CRN Portfolio/ISRCTN

• Duration of Study in the UK

  0 years, 4 months, 27 days

• Research summary

  This mixed method study is the sixth work stream contributing to the MARQUE (Managing Agitation and Raising Quality of Life) programme, funded by the ESRC & NIHR. The study is designed to test the feasibility, acceptability, and practicality of a manual intervention for staff caring for people living with severe dementia and agitation in care homes. More than half of people with dementia living in care homes experience symptoms of agitation every month. These symptoms are associated with lower quality of life and higher care costs; increasing the cost of care for a person with dementia by around £30000 a year compared to a person with dementia without agitation symptoms. Our study team has developed a conceptual framework in which agitation experienced by people with dementia is strongly linked to lower quality of life and agitation is conceptualized as arising from, at least in part, a range of possible unmet needs. This includes external factors like staff being available, receptive, aware and skilled in providing accessible activities and physical and emotional comfort (including sensory) and the environment, such as other agitated residents. In severe dementia, unmet need may may manifest in more subtle or hidden agitation behaviours compared to walking without purpose or aggression, and require different skills by staff to recognise and attend to.
  Through mixed methods, we aim to test the feasibility, acceptability, and practicality of the manual. As part of this study, we will interview staff in care homes about the content, mode of intervention (manual), enablers and barriers to the intervention. We will interview family carers about the manual. We will use these for manual development modifying it in response to feedback. In addition, we will test the feasibility of primary and secondary outcomes for a definitive trial.

• REC name

  London - Queen Square Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  17/LO/1400

• Date of REC Opinion

  11 Oct 2017

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion