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Group photo of all of the staff on the dementia team
Brighton & Sussex Medical School

Research

Research

The Time for Dementia programme is a new method of training students and research is being carried out to assess outcomes with students and families taking part. The research component is an optional aspect of the programme and is offered to students and families taking part.

What is the purpose of the research study?

  • To understand the learning outcomes and changes in student attitudes, understanding, and knowledge towards dementia and carers of people with dementia following their participation in the Time for Dementia programme.
  • To evaluate the satisfaction and experiences of students taking part in a longitudinal educational programme, where the individuals living with dementia and their carers act as the key informants in students understanding of dementia. 
  • To evaluate the satisfaction and experience of families (person with dementia and their family carer) taking part in an educational programme.
  • To inform the iterative development of Time for Dementia. As the programme roles out to new student populations and new universities, research findings inform the continuous improvement of the programme in new and existing sites. 

Who takes part in the research study?

Students 

  • Undergraduate healthcare students taking part in the Time for Dementia programme
  • Comparative groups of students that have not taken part in the Time for Dementia programme
  • Qualified healthcare staff that completed Time for Dementia as a student

Families 

  • People with dementia
  • Family carers of people with dementia

Implementation staff

  • Professional staff involved in the implementation of the Time for Dementia programme in new sites
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Research Aim 1

The impact of Time for Dementia on student attitudes, understanding and knowledge towards dementia

To evaluate their learning outcomes and experiences, questionnaires were completed with students taking part in Time for Dementia as well as those who did not (to form a comparison group of students). An analysis of questionnaire information completed by medical students showed that those participating in Time for Dementia improved in terms of their attitudes towards and knowledge of dementia.

In addition to questionnaires, interviews were conducted with medical, nursing and paramedic students to understand their experiences.  Through a series of individual interviews and focus groups, it was found that students could apply knowledge more effectively when they had a family affected by dementia to relate to, their insight into the real-life effects of dementia on the family’s lifestyle and emotions increased, previous attitudes and the stigma around dementia from the media was challenged and lastly, students reported enhanced dementia practice such as how to communicate effectively, and see the person beyond the disease.  

In-depth interviews were also conducted with nursing students over three years to understand how nursing students' perceptions of their professional learning and practice changed during their participation in Time for Dementia. It was found that students' views of dementia broadened to include the person's lives and relationships and this led to a person‐centred shift in students' practice. 

Reflecting on their learning experiences of Time for Dementia, students said:

“I previously placed too much emphasis on the medical treatment of dementia. The psychosocial aspects of care may actually have the biggest impact on quality of life outcomes for the patient.” (Medical student)

“The experience will definitely make me more empathetic with patients with dementia and their family worries while they are in hospital.” (Adult nursing student)

“He [person with dementia] is still quite switched on, and he makes jokes and stuff…I wasn’t expecting that at all…you know, dementia is so stereotyped [and] it’s really not like that at all.” (Paramedic student)

To read about research outcomes in Time for Dementia, see our publications.

Visit our publications webpage here >

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Research aim 2

The satisfaction and views of the people with dementia and their carers enrolled in Time for Dementia

To understand the satisfaction and views of people with dementia and their carers in Time for Dementia, 18 families completed an interview with a researcher to discuss their experiences.  

Motivated by an altruistic purpose, families took part in Time for Dementia to share their lived experiences with students to enhance understanding and knowledge of dementia.  They valued the opportunity to contribute to the improvement of dementia education. Resulting feelings of making a difference to student learning, and positive relationships with students were important factors in their continued involvement in the programme.  

Taking part in Time for Dementia was seen as an enjoyable experience reported by families.  The continuity of visits meant that the family could build a relationship built on rapport and trust with the visiting students.  Families enjoyed the social interaction with students visiting them in their home. 

Reflecting on their experiences of taking part in the Time for Dementia programme, families said:

“My aim is to make the world more aware of what dementia is…” (Person with Dementia)

“I think it has reached a very good stage and atmosphere that we look forward in a way to when they say they’re coming again.” (Carer of a person with dementia)

“It was quite a pleasant experience to find out that even at our age we’re still useful to somebody.” (Person with Dementia)

To read about research outcomes in Time for Dementia, see our publications.

Visit our publications webpage here >

Research aim 3

The feasibility of delivering the Time for Dementia programme

Following its initial implementation and Brighton and Sussex Medical School, and University of Surrey, proof of concept in both sites, along with positive experiences and learning outcomes in students taking part meant the programme was introduced at new universities across the South of England. To date, the programme has been delivered at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Surrey, University of Brighton, University of Greenwich, Canterbury Christ Church University, University of Exeter and the University of Plymouth s. To date, students from the following disciplines have completed the programme: medical, nursing, paramedic, radiotherapy , speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, and dietetic undergraduates. 

To explore the experiences and challenges involved in delivering the programme in new universities, researchers completed interviews with 12 key staff. The study highlighted the common barriers and facilitators experienced when implementing an educational programme at scale. Key learning included the importance of resilient leaders, belief in the value of the programme and supportive teams. Challenges such as student engagement and workload reduced over time.  The findings presented in the study can be used by other educational institutions wanting to introduce the Time for Dementia programme or manage significant changes to their curriculums.

Reflecting on their experiences implementing Time for Dementia, university leads said:

“For a long time, dementia aging has not been particularly valued in education and I think it gave me hope that actually there was that impetus to make a difference and to really kind of make changes around dementia.” (University lecturer) 

“I think there was a general excitement about being involved in something that was so innovative … actually, to incorporate the voice of people with dementia, you know, it really, for me, has made it more meaningful.” (University lecturer)

To read about research outcomes in Time for Dementia, see our publications.

Visit our publications webpage here >

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What is next?

Research in progress

Continued data collection is ongoing including at the new participating universities and will provide larger data sets to analyse enabling us to build on the research so far. In summary, Time for Dementia has changed the way dementia education is conducted in seven universities and preliminary research has shown positive outcomes for students, satisfaction of families involved, and provided learning on how to deliver such programmes.

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Contact the research team

If you are interested in hearing more about the research or wish to be involved, you can contact the team.