Jul 24 2007
The new University of Hertfordshire Health Research Building which will officially open this week will research the experience of older people with dementia in UK care homes.
The new four storey building, situated on the College Lane Campus, which will be officially opened on Thursday (26th) by Ian Pearson MP, Minister of State for Science and Innovation, signals a strategic investment by the University in both its research potential in the health and human sciences and state-of-the-art training facilities for healthcare professionals.
The new building houses some key aspects of the Health and Human Sciences Research Institute (HHSRI) under the auspices of which Professor Claire Goodman from the HHSRI’s Centre for Research in Primary and Community Care (CRIPACC) has been awarded the ‘Changing Practice in Dementia Care in the community: developing and testing evidence-based interventions, from timely diagnosis to end of life’ project.
The research programme, which is being led by Dr Steve lliffe at University College London and involves five individual projects, is part of the Department of Health’s £45 million investment in research in under-funded areas. The project is funded by the NHS National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) (www.nihr.ac.uk).
The research programme plans to assemble a cohort of people with dementia and their families, recruiting through primary and secondary health care, social services and voluntary organizations.
It will assess areas such as interventions and shared care of medications, an evidence-based toolkit to reduce the impact of incontinence, testing of interventions that support older people and their carers in palliative care and the impact of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
“Our role will involve studying end of life care for people with dementia in care homes and developing and testing specific interventions that support health care professionals, community workers and care home staff in palliative care,” said Professor Goodman. “This will involve tracking the care of older people with dementia and family carers and care home staff for two to three years.”
Journalists are welcome to attend the opening of the Health Research Building on Thursday 26 and should arrive at 1.30pm when a buffet lunch will be served. Tours of the building will be available after the opening.