“My Life” – co-producing self-management resources with people with dementia

Award Number
ICDA-D09
Award Type
Career Development Awards (Fellowship)
Programme
Three Schools’ Dementia Programme (2021-2024)
Status / Stage
Active
Dates
1 July 2022 -
31 March 2024
Duration (calculated)
01 years 08 months
Funder(s)
NIHR SSCR
Funding Amount
£33,370.00
Funder/Grant study page
NIHR SSCR
Contracted Centre
University of Exeter
Principal Investigator
Rachael Litherland
PI Contact
rachael@myid.org.uk
WHO Catergories
Methodologies and approaches for risk reduction research
Understanding risk factors
Disease Type
Dementia (Unspecified)

CPEC Review Info
Reference ID611
ResearcherReside Team
Published29/06/2023

Data

Award NumberICDA-D09
Status / StageActive
Start Date20220701
End Date20240331
Duration (calculated) 01 years 08 months
Funder/Grant study pageNIHR SSCR
Contracted CentreUniversity of Exeter
Funding Amount£33,370.00

Abstract

In 2021 Rachael Litherland was instrumental in co-producing a resource for and by people with dementia called My Life, My Goals. This was an output of the GREAT-IP research project – cognitive rehabilitation that supports people with dementia with their everyday activities. Over eight months a team of people with dementia worked with researchers to: learn about cognitive rehabilitation, share and create examples, translate the research evidence so that people could practice strategies themselves and write and design My Life, My Goals.

This work potentially provides a model for the development of a suite of resources that meet a range of needs. These would provide practitioners with things to offer or signpost to and would lead to more helpful and hopeful discussions around living with dementia. In turn, these resources might be expected to help people to manage better with dementia and live more positively.

Aims

The aims of this award are to:

equip Rachael with research skills to explore and draw conclusions about co-production and impact of self-management resources by and for people living with dementia
build relationships with colleagues at University of Exeter particularly around routes to dissemination in primary care
learn about and apply a realist evaluation approach to My Life, My Goals (in the first instance) to understand which people with dementia it is useful for, at what point, under what circumstances and why, as well as finding out what health and social care practitioners think about My Life, My Goals
use these results to begin thinking about a broader model of the benefits of co-produced resources by and for people living with dementia, and how these are best disseminated for greatest reach and impact
position herself for a broader career in research including exploring further funding options with colleagues at University of Exeter.