Research led by Claudia Cooper, Professor of Psychological Medicine at Queen Mary University of London, shows that a new therapy, NIDUS-Family, helps people with dementia and their family carers attain their personal goals.
The NIDUS-family package of care and support focuses on practical changes people can make, with sessions designed around the specific priorities of the person with dementia. It can be delivered to the person with dementia and family carer together, or the family carer alone, by phone, video-call or in person. In the NIDUS-family trial involving 302 pairs of family carers and people with dementia published today, participants were supported to set their own goals. These might be enabling the person with dementia to carry out more activities, experience better mood, sleep, appetite, relationships or social engagement, or to improve carer support and wellbeing. Those receiving the new support package met with a therapist 6 to 8 times in six months, then received 2 to 4 further support phone calls over the next 6 months. The support provided was tailored to the goals they set.
