Facilitators and barriers to engaging with community support services in dementia: A mixed-methods approach of addressing health inequalities

Dementia affects approximately 850,000 people in the UK (Alzheimer’s Society, 2014). Whilst there is no cure for dementia, more needs to be done to support people with dementia and their carers to live well within their communities and in their own homes for as long as possible, and also stated as a priority in the recent NHS Long Term Plan 2019.

One way of supporting people with dementia and their carers is by supporting them to engage in social activities. Research supports the link between engaging in social activities and improved levels of well-being in dementia (Beerens et al., 2016; Giebel et al., 2018; Reilly et al., in press). Access to social activities is enabled via social prescribing, whereby local agencies and clinicians refer to a link worker, who assesses a person’s motivations and can direct them to local activities, such as a dancing group or arts and craft clubs, depending on what the person is interested in.

However, not everyone may have equal access. This may be due to their socio-economic background, and what is available locally. Research into health inequalities in dementia service uptake is very limited (e.g. Morgan et al., 2002), and some existing evidence suggests that people with dementia from more advantaged backgrounds are 25% more likely to access disease modifying medication for example (Cooper et al., 2016). It is unknown whether there are any socio-economic variations in social prescribing in dementia. Moreover, some activities may be targeted at both people with dementia and their family carers, yet not every person with dementia has a family member supporting them, and may thus struggle accessing activities in the community.

The aim of this PhD is to explore the facilitators and barriers to accessing community support services in dementia, with implications for subsequent implementation of strategies to overcome some of these barriers. The PhD student will develop the individual objectives of this PhD based on the research question in consultation with the supervisory team and may include to map the availability of community support services available in the North West Coast of England, exploring potential facilitators and barriers to accessing and utilising community support services for people living with dementia; to understand the effects that non-access can have on people living with dementia and their family carers; and develop strategies to potentially overcome barriers that lead to inequalities in access and utilisation.

Application is by CV and covering letter. The covering letter must detail your interest in the studentship, related experience and training and suitability for the position. Applications are to be sent to Professor Mari Lloyd Williams, [Email Address Removed].