To follow up on some earlier research that she did, Clare Halpenny from Edinburgh University would like to engage with care home residents in Lothian who are over 65 and have moved into the care home within the last 5 years. This is to help understand what is important to people living in care homes about moving. Taking part would involve participation in a craft activity, with no prior experience of crafts needed.

If you are interested, please get in touch with Clare on clare.halpenny@ed.ac.uk. 

Researchers from the University of Liverpool are examining variations in knowledge and awareness of dementia across Europian countires and demographics. The findings from this study could inform targeted educational inititives, foster greater undersradning of dementia and contribute to the development of policies aimed at improving early detection and more equal access to care. The findings could also help reduce disparities in dementia outcomes and improve the quality of life for people affected by dementia and their families.

• Access the survey here

This study is looking at exploring resilience in the dementia social care workforce as part of a wider project, specifically how the physical and mental health of dementia social care workers impacts their resilience. The survey can be accessed at 'Exploring resilience in the dementia social care workforce' and takes around 20 mins to complete. Participants can opt in to a prize draw as reimbursement for participation, 1^st prize £100, 2^nd £50 or 3^rd £25 Amazon voucher. 

If you have any questions, please contact Jessica Bird on j.bird@liverpool.ac.uk. 

ENRICH have been working alongside NHS Grampian and Aberdeen and Edinburgh Universities on a research study exploring the inclusion of care home residents in vaccine trials. We have been lucky enough to have had input from care home managers, and are now looking to speak with care home residents and staff about their views and experiences on recruiting care home residents for vaccine trials. The aim of gaining a better understanding of this, is to ensure that the care home population become better represented in care home trials.
 
Staff and family members from across Scotland can participate, as well as residents in homes in the Grampian area. Discussions can take place via teams/phonecall or for Aberdeen participants, a face to face conversation. Please contact selvarani.subbarayan2@nhs.scot for any further information. She is very happy to answer any questions. 

Lucy Halamova from Aberdeen University would like help to create a useful conversation guide to help older adults and their families be better prepared for making decisions about care. She is holding a workshop at Aberdeen University and on Teams to gain input from care home staff, relatives and older adults. Participants will be given £20 cash or voucher as compensation for their time.

If you think you might be interested, please contact Lucy on l.halamova.23@abdn.ac.uk. 

Care homes face challenges such as high staff turnover, vacancies, low pay and limited career opportunities. These factors, amongst other things, can lead to poor staff wellbeing. There is limited support available for care home staff wellbeing and significant barriers to staff accessing support. Researchers from the University of Liverpool are looking to speak to care home staff to see how ’Schwartz Rounds' could be adapted to support care home staff wellbeing. Schwartz Rounds are group-based reflective interventions that have positive outcomes in staff wellbeing in healthcare settings.

Participation would involve a 45 minute video call with the researcher. If you are interested, please contact tfkitto@liverpool.ac.uk. 

This is a UK-wide survey to understand the knowledge, confidence and approaches that care home staff have towards supporting people living with dementia who experience  hallucinations, in care home settings.

The survey is likely to take 15-30 minutes.

This is an opportunity to take part in a UK wide study exploring whether including personalised music within individual care plans can improve wellbeing, support quality care, and reduce changed behaviours, such as distress, for people living with dementia.

Half of the care homes taking part will receive training to support the of use personalised music within care planning, and the other half will continue with usual care — both groups are vital for comparing outcomes and will be randomly allocated. If you are interested in participating or would like more information, please contact puma@sheffield.ac.uko or get in touch with the ENRICH team on tay.enrichscotland@nhs.scot. 

This study invites people with Alzheimer’s disease and their carers or family members to take part in a 12-week trial of “AMPER,” a digital tool designed to support reminiscing through prompts and memorabilia like photos and audio recordings. The aim is to explore whether AMPER can improve well-being, identity, and self-worth by encouraging meaningful conversations. Participation is voluntary, and both patients and carers can withdraw at any time without affecting care. Sessions will take place either at the University of Strathclyde or in the participant’s home, depending on space.

Those interested please contact Professor Mario Parra at mario.parra-rodriguez@strath.ac.uk or call 07872 417411.