Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
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The experiences of carers of people with cancer and dementia sought for new study
Mollie Price, a Psychology PhD student within the School of Social Sciences at Leeds Beckett, is looking to uncover the unmet needs of carers of people with both cancer and dementia as part of a new research project which will result in the creation of a support programme delivered by Carers Leeds.
Mollie is looking for volunteers to take part in one-to-one interviews with her, which can take place wherever the carer feels most comfortable. Interviews will take from 60 to 90 minutes. Refreshments will be provided and any expenses and carer replacement costs will be covered. As part of the interview, volunteers will be asked to talk about their experiences as a carer, and their challenges and supportive needs.
Mollie said: “By 2020, almost 50% of the UK population will develop cancer in their lifetime and, by 2025, there will be more than one million people in the UK with dementia. Therefore, the number of people living with two or more chronic conditions, which is known as comorbidity or multi-morbidity, is expected to rise in the coming years. This includes people living with co-occurring diagnoses of cancer and dementia.
“While previous studies have explored the experiences of carers of adults with more than one chronic condition, none have focused on carers of people with both cancer and dementia. The findings from the interviews will inform the next stage of my study, which will be the development and testing of a support programme or approach to be delivered by Carers Leeds to help address carers’ support needs. I don’t yet know what this support will look like because it will be based on what carers tell me they need, but examples of carer support for other conditions include education, coping skills training, social support groups, improving communication between carer and care-recipient, and help with problem solving. I hope the support programme or approach will help to improve carer health and wellbeing and improve outcomes and quality of life for the person they care for.”
Earlier this year, Mollie won the prize for the best three-minute-thesis oral presentation on her doctoral research at the British Psychosocial Oncology Society (BPOS) 2017 annual conference at the University of Oxford.
If you are a carer and may be interested in taking part then you should be providing, or have provided (within the last five years), unpaid care to someone with both cancer and dementia, be over 18 and speak fluent English. For more information, or if you would like to take part, please contact Mollie Price on 0113 812 8969 or by email or contact Carers Leeds on 0113 246 8338.