Mixed methods evaluation of a dementia-friendly swimming project
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A mixed methods evaluation of the British Amateur Swimming Association Dementia-Friendly Swimming Project
IRAS ID
184474
Contact name
Christopher Skedgel
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of East Anglia
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 8 months, 28 days
Research summary
The Alzheimer’s Society suggests that "swimming, under supervision, is a good activity for people with dementia. While there is limited scientific evidence of the benefit, many people find the sensation of being in the water soothing and calming." It considers that exercise is beneficial for health and well-being and can improve the quality of life for people in all stages of dementia. This is supported by a 2013 Cochrane meta-analysis which found that organised exercise for persons with dementia (PwD) was associated with significant improvements in cognitive functioning and their ability to perform activities of daily living. There was also some evidence that the burden on informal caregivers may be reduced when they supervise the exercise of family members with dementia.
The Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) has developed the Dementia-Friendly Swimming Project (hereafter, “the Project”). The objective of the project is to improve the quality, attractiveness and appropriateness of the service. Within this objective strategies include encouraging the frail and elderly to participate in learn-to-swim and relaxation type of classes, lowering barriers to participation, creating information based on customers (i.e. how persons with dementia sufferers see the world), developing a list of dementia-friendly pools, and developing qualified personnel to help with classes and working with carers to assist in delivery at pools.
The proposed study is mixed-methods service evaluation of the Project, with an emphasis on measuring the change in the health-related quality-of-life (HR-QoL) of participants, including PwD and their carers. The evaluation will also explore the acceptability and sustainability of the Project model. Changes in HR-QoL will be considered in the context of costs in an economic evaluation. This economic evaluation will allow a robust comparison of value-for-money provided by the Project to other interventions within dementia or in different disease areas.
REC name
East of England - Essex Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/EE/0002
Date of REC Opinion
28 Apr 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion