An increasing number of people in Ireland are providing care for a relative with dementia. This important unpaid work comes with an underappreciated cost to the health of the caregiver. Evidence suggests that dementia caregiving is associated with heightened psychological stress, as well as problems such as depression. Our research examines the impact of dementia caregiving on the stress levels of caregivers, and how this in turn affects their physiology. We are also interested in the potential of stress reduction classes to reverse such effects.
Our interactive outreach campaign, which will be heavily promoted via social media, will create greater awareness of our findings. In collaboration with the Glucksman gallery at University College Cork, we will host i) an arts workshop for dementia caregivers and the people they care for and ii) a larger public event, as a forum to showcase our results and to open up a discussion of the effects of dementia caregiving.
Key researchers in dementia caregiving research will be assembled for a research seminar series aimed at healthcare providers and policy makers and including dissemination of our own results, to help create a synthesis with the field’s state-of-the art. Educational material and an audio file of stress reduction classes will be produced and made freely accessible to caregivers through the APC website. Finally, we will exhibit at the Senior Times’ Active Over-50’s event at Cork, with associated articles in Senior Times’ magazine, to increase awareness of our HRB funded activities.
