New study involving persons with dementia/cognitive impairment and their caregivers
We are seeking persons with dementia or cognitive impairment and their caregivers to the new study LIVE@Home. Path. The goal of the project is to increase knowledge about the elderly with dementia living at home, and how to improve the dementia pathway in health care services.
Main content
LIVE @Home.Path aims to improve the safety and dignity of elderly with dementia/cognitive impairment by coordinating and integrating a variety of measures, individually adjusted to meet the needs of each patient and their caregivers.
With the question «What matters to YOU?» as a starting point, we will offer education to patients and their caregivers, combined with volunteer and technological support. Thus, we hope to reduce the caregiver burden and rate if institutionalization.
Moreover, we will offer education and support to increase inter-professional cooperation and increase the attention given to specific challenges, observations, and possibilities for improving the health care services.
What matters to you?
LIVE is an acronym describing:
Learning: Patients, next of kind, caregivers, formal caregivers, and volunteers will receive a tailored introduction program and increase their knowledge of dementia.
Innovation: Local and trained coordinators will have regular contact with participants, as a part of service innovation. They will assist in finding the way through the administrative trajectory by home visits and monthly telephone follow-up. We will develop and test a communication platform. We will focus on assistive technology in everyday life.
Volunteers: The coordinator will assess the PWD and caregivers’ attitudes and needs for volunteer involvement, and, if requested, aid in the process of applying for one. We will increase the volunteers’ knowledge of dementia.
Empowerment: Participants will discuss the question “What matters to YOU?”. These questions will address open communication and advance care planning. We aim to enable the elderly with dementia and their families to reflect on their own wishes regarding care at home as long as possible.
Who can participate?
Home-dwelling elderly aged 65 years or more with dementia or cognitive impairment living in Bergen, Bærum or Kristiansand are eligible for participation. Frequent contact with their caregivers is necessary. You cannot participate in this study if you are already enrolled in other studies.
The study starts in autumn 2019 and lasts for two years. All participants will have a designated coordinator. The coordinator will have regular contact with participants to assist in finding the way through the administrative trajectory of health care services. Home-visits and telephone contact will be important for follow-up.
In addition to getting the opportunity of contacting the coordinator when needed, the coordinators contacted all participants and/or caregivers by phone monthly throughout the project period. Every six months, participants will have to answer questionnaires. In addition, some participants will be in-depth interviewed.
More information is available on https://www.uib.no/en/sefas/89888/livehomepath
