Researchers at the University College London are inviting family and unpaid carers of people living with dementia to take part in their latest research.

The study hopes to explore how informal carers of people living with dementia can maintain compassion for themselves and others when faced with difficult situations. Family carers report that carer stresses can result in conflict and potentially harmful or neglectful behaviours of both the person they are caring for and of themselves’. People who report high levels of self-compassion also report better psychological health. Similarly, compassion for others may protect family carers from the effects of stress. However, to date, little research has been conducted into family carers’ experience of compassion in the context of the caring role which is referred to as Continuing Compassion in Care (CCiC).

Participants must be aged 18+ years and be providing practical, social, emotional or supervisory support to a friend or relative with a formal diagnosis of any dementia related disease. Health and Social Care professionals who support family carers including community psychiatric nurses, social workers, Admiral nurses and support workers can also participate.

This is an online  or paper-copy questionnaire, which should take 40-50 minutes, that is completed at 2 time points about 4 weeks apart. Recruitment ends on the 30th of June and last of the second questionnaires will be completed by 31 July 2023 which is end of the study.

If you would like more information,  would like to participate in the study or know someone who would, please contact Dr Nuriye Kupeli (researcher) on 0207 679 9724, or by email: at n.kupeli@ucl.ac.uk