Meeting Centres

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Validation of the Meeting Centres Support Programme for people with dementia and their carers in England

• IRAS ID

  176743

• Contact name

  Dawn Brooker

• Contact email

  d.brooker@worc.ac.uk

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 8 months, 31 days

• Research summary

  Meeting Centres are an innovative way of supporting people with mild to moderate dementia and their families through an evidence-based, person-centred approach. Meeting Centres are designed to provide support to people living with dementia and their families and (or) carers, and offer an enjoyable, flexible and adaptive programme. This project is led by the VUmc University Amsterdam and focuses on establishing Meeting Centres in the UK, Italy and Poland and evaluating the impact of these Centres 12-18 months after being opened.
  The Meeting Centre involves a professional team of staff and volunteers who provide a range of social and informative activities up to three days a week. This evidence-based, person-centred, approach has been positively evaluated and successfully implemented in the Netherlands, and is now well-placed to be piloted in other EU countries. The benefits include: higher self-esteem, reduced symptoms of depression, enhanced mood and behaviour, delay in admission to residential care as well as evidence of carers feeling less isolated and more supported.

  The project will be carried out over 36 months with two main phases. In Phase One activities have focused on establishing an initiative group of relevant organisations and user representatives in each country, exploring the various pathways to care and potential barriers and facilitators (aids) to implementing the programme. In Phase Two, training will be provided to organisations and staff, after which the Meeting Centres will be opened and people with dementia and their carers will be welcomed to start participating with the centres. An evaluation will then commence to assess the impact of the Meeting Centres.

  In the UK a pilot Meeting Centre will be opened in Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire, in September 2015. It is for the evaluation of this Meeting Centre that we seek ethical approval.

• REC name

  Wales REC 1

• REC reference

  15/WA/0232

• Date of REC Opinion

  27 Jul 2015

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion