Dementia Care Education Study Begins
Recruitment

July 16th, 2007 - Media Statement

From the beginning, the DIRECT study has been ambitious: a long, large, randomised study into the quality of life of people with dementia living in residential care facilities, and the effect that education on their formal carers has. And now, the study is officially underway.

DIRECT has received its first wave of consents from Residential Care Facilities (RCF), which will allow the study team to commence with the recruitment of both their attending General Practitioners as well as pursue consent from residents' relatives.

In addition, the information provided by the first set of Residential Care Facilities begins the action research phase of the project, where surveys, focus groups, and interviews will shape the educational strategy to come.

Information Sessions were held in June in Perth and on-site information sessions in July to answer questions from RCFs about involvement in the project. The response has been enthusiastic: so far, no RCF that has attended an information session has refused to participate.

Follow up of both RCFs and GPs will now continue, focusing on participation in the development of the educational strategy.

About DIRECT

DIRECT (Dementia in Residential Care: Education Intervention Trial) is an NH&MRC funded project out of the Western Australian Centre for Health and Ageing (a sub centre of the Western Australian Institute for Medical Research) on the quality of life of residents with dementia.

For more information please contact:
Study Manager
Phone: (08) 9224 8440