Empowered Conversations: supporting carers of people with dementia
Carers of people with dementia in the UK could soon receive much-needed psychological support thanks to a major research study led by researchers at Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH), the University of Manchester and the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR).
There are nearly one million families caring for someone with dementia in the UK. Partners, adult children, family members or friends have a significant amount of responsibility put upon them as they navigate caring for their loved one who has been diagnosed with dementia.
“In dementia care, relationships often change dramatically, for example, a child may become the carer of a parent, or a spouse may shift from partner to caregiver”, said Professor Kathrine Berry, one of the lead researchers for the Empowered Conversations project.
“Carers often face a painful conflict between remembering the person as they used to be and coping with who they have become.
“Seeing someone who looks the same physically but has changed in memory, personality, and communication can feel confusing, distressing and bring a sense of loss and grief.“Stress associated with these changes in close relationships can make it harder to understand and interpret another person’s thoughts and feelings. While some carers adapt by adjusting their expectations and priorities, this kind of coping does not happen easily or automatically. This is where learning skills in mentalisation can help.”
Greater Manchester researchers have developed a psychological course called ‘Empowered Conversations’ that research has shown can improve the person with dementia’s communication and behavioural symptoms. It uses evidence-based psychological and communication theories to support carers to improve relationships and reduce stress.
Following an initial small study with 15 carers, the research team are now progressing to a larger study across three different sites in England. The course will be offered across Greater Manchester with GMMH being the lead site.
Among the positives, carers said the course resulted in changes to themselves, their relationships, and their communication skills. Participants also described letting go of their expectations of what the person should be able to do and replacing that with more realistic goals.
Dr Lydia Morris, another lead researcher on the project, said:
“…the carers we worked with reported positive experiences of participating in Empowered Conversations and valued meeting people who, despite sometimes different circumstances, shared their understanding of supporting someone with dementia.
“The course supported participants to rethink communication and have a greater appreciation of the other person’s perspective during everyday interactions.”
Arun Chidambaram, Chief Medical Officer at Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH), said:
“This is a really important trial that will address some unmet needs of both the carers and service users with dementia. My lived experience as a long distance carer for my father especially during his terminal months of dementia is that a focus on the emotional and relational aspects of communication would have made a positive difference”.
You can find out more about the Empowered Conversations trial by visiting the study page on our website here or the Empowered Conversations project website here. You can contact the GMMH research team at EmpoweredConversationsRCT@gmmh.nhs.uk.
