Trial-based preference assessments with people with dementia
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Investigating trial-based preference assessments with people with dementia
IRAS ID
200979
Contact name
Rebecca Sharp
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
School of Psychology, Bangor University
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 2 months, 31 days
Research summary
Approximately one third of people living with dementia reside in care homes, and there is an increasing need to ensure that they have a good quality of life and retain their independence for as long as possible. One of the key aspects of your quality of life is the ability to make choices, exercising daily preferences about which clothes to wear, what to have for dinner, or which activities you will partake in. However, for people in the more advanced stages of dementia, for whom speech and conversation are challenging or impossible, it can be difficult to determine preferences. Behavioural researchers have found that one way to measure preferences in people who cannot communicate in conventional ways is to measure how people respond when provided with the different options at the same time. For example, to assess a person’s preference for a biscuit or scone, both can be presented together to the person so that they can make a choice without having to speak.
The purpose of our study is to evaluate a method for assessing preferences for activities in people with dementia and communication difficulties. We will compare preferences for activities already in the environment to preferences for novel activities. We will also determine whether family and staff predictions of preferences are accurate. Determining preferences for activities can be of benefit to ensure that environments in which people with dementia live are enriched with activities that they enjoy.REC name
Wales REC 4
REC reference
16/WA/0108
Date of REC Opinion
25 May 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion