Caring for Me and You: A toolkit for carers of people with dementia

Alzheimer's Society is working with Oxford Health NHS Foundation to develop research to test an online psychological support service for carers of people with dementia.

The burden and isolation experienced by carers leads to high incidence of stress. Over 50% of carers require medication to treat depression. Many of them do not seek support because they are unable to leave their cared person at home or live far away from local support services.

An online clinical trial to help carers with anxiety and depression

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is an effective psychological intervention to help people cope with problems such as anxiety and depression. Evidence has shown that CBT helps carers to develop coping strategies. More recently, this therapy has been delivered through online formats that were effective in changing behaviour.

We plan to launch a randomised controlled trial (RCT) to test this online therapy in carers of people with dementia. This research could make an enormous difference to the thousands of carers who are unable, or reluctant, to access in-person support services.

Get involved

We plan to recruit a large number of current carers to participate in our online CBT trial for a period of 26 weeks.

We kindly ask you to spread the word about this important research project to your friends and family. Do note down www.alzheimers.org.uk/caringformeandyou and make sure you remember to come back and check for updates.

Funding

This project is generously funded by Nominet Trust and Stavros Niarchos Foundation.