Researching the Provision of Psychosocial Interventions for Older People Diagnosed with Mild-Moderate Dementia

The focus of our research is on the current and planned provision of psychosocial interventions for older people living in the community who are diagnosed with early to moderate dementia. Older people living with this serious condition both need and deserve services once diagnosed, but service provision varies considerably across the region and country. Therefore in the first instance we are conducting a scoping review of the evidence base on the range and variety of psychosocial interventions currently available and their effectiveness. The second strand of our research comprises a consensus-style survey of the directors and managers of memory clinics and services across Yorkshire and Humberside in order to audit current local service provision through the NHS and independent sector, and to garner opinion about which interventions should be provided in the future and by whom. We aim to use the results of our work  to generate different models of service provision to assist in the future service development of memory clinics and services and inform future research agendas.

Written by Dr Sue Easton