Observation of 'Mobile Me' activities with people with dementia
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Observational study as part of an evaluation of the (externally delivered) 'Mobile Me' activity program in care homes when delivered for people with dementia.
IRAS ID
218594
Contact name
Andy Jones
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of East Anglia
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 10 months, 29 days
Research summary
This observational study of people with dementia will take place as part of an evaluation of a project being run by ‘Active Norfolk’ the County Sport Partnership for Norfolk. The project, Mobile Me, involves delivery of 10 week long sports programme for residents aged 55+ in sheltered housing and care homes in Norfolk; the sports involved are primarily variants of bowling. The intervention aims to normalise physical activity as part of the culture for older people living in supported accommodation. The evaluation of Mobile Me is being undertaken by the School of Medicine at the University of East Anglia, and has received ethical approval from the university’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Science Research Ethics Committee (20152016-11 SE). This application for an additional observational study (as part of the broader evaluation) is being submitted as it will involve individuals with dementia who are not capable of giving informed consent.
When preparing the original protocol for the evaluation, it was decided that participation in the evaluation would be limited to those that were able to give informed consent. As the project has progressed the intervention delivery team have become aware, anecdotally, of the potential benefits of the programme to those with dementia, of the growing interest in this area and the lack of information about best practice for delivery. The intention is to carry out structured observations using ‘Dementia Care Mapping’ (DCM), which was developed by the University of Bradford, to identify best practice, and to use a semi-structured qualitative observation to produce case study descriptions. This will build on an earlier DCM observation that took place with participants that were able to consent and that helped develop the team's practice. The purpose is to prepare best practice guidance and illustrative case studies, as well as inform the evaluation more broadly.
REC name
Social Care REC
REC reference
17/IEC08/0011
Date of REC Opinion
26 Apr 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion