Qualitative study on dementia carers
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A qualitative study on the experience of spouses providing care at home in rural locations for a partner with dementia
IRAS ID
207519
Contact name
Emily Boyd
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
NHS Highland
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 10 months, 1 days
Research summary
Title: A qualitative study on the experience of spouses providing care at home in rural locations for a partner with dementia
Background: It is estimated that there are around 850,000 people in the United Kingdom living with dementia (Prince, Knapp, Guerchet, McCrone, et al 2014). Many individuals are cared for in residential settings, particularly in the later stages of the condition. However, two thirds of people with dementia remain cared for in their own home (O’Shaughnessy, Lee & Lintern, 2010). There are a shortage of studies which have looked at the experiences of relatives caring for a partner in the later stages of dementia and a lack of research focusing on the impact of rurality on care giving.Aims
This study aims to determine the lived experiences of spouses caring at home for a partner with the later stages of dementia in rural populations. It will focus on determining their experiences of coping, their needs and any other issues they encounter.Method
Participants will be spouses who are caring at home for a partner in the advanced stages of dementia. They will be recruited from rural populations across the older adult community mental health teams (CMHT's) in NHS Highland and through the Join Dementia Research (JDR) network. Data will be gathered through the use of semi-structured interviews, lasting around one hour. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) will be used to analyse the interviews.This project is being completed in part fulfilment for a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the University of Glasgow.
REC name
Scotland A: Adults with Incapacity only
REC reference
17/SS/0006
Date of REC Opinion
6 Mar 2017
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion