Postgraduate Scholarships Archives - DCRC

Meet our PhDs:Dr Deborah Brooks examines support for spousal carers of people with dementia following placement into residential aged care

Alexandra McTavish — Wed, 14 Oct 2020 02:16:36 +0000

My journey into a PhD at QUT started with conversations with partners of people with dementia. They talked about how difficult the transition into residential care was for them, and their partner with dementia.

Some of these couples had been married for fifty or sixty years, and the separation was often referred to as a ‘bereavement without death’- which became the title of my thesis.

I was struck by the lack of formal emotional and psychological support people received during and following this transition and I wanted to investigate how we could improve support for people who were struggling to cope.

Spouses and family carers often find it difficult to seek and access psychosocial support during such a stressful transitional period. If these needs are not met, they may continue to experience negative outcomes, such as feelings of stress, grief, guilt, loneliness and depression.

My research identified a range of supportive services that could be offered to carers during and following placement, including psychosocial interventions such as the Residential Care Transition Module, developed in the US by Professor Joseph Gaugler and colleagues.

For me, research is about trying to make a positive difference to people’s lives. I’m so grateful to the residential care staff and spousal carers who agreed to take part in my research.

They gave me their time and spoke openly and honestly about often difficult and stressful experiences, in the hope that it would one day help other carers.

I hope my research improves the quality of care and support that people with dementia and their families receive across the whole dementia trajectory; from diagnosis and living well with dementia at home, to possible residential care placement and end-of-life care.

People who are caring for someone with cognitive decline need to be kind to themselves and reach out to family, friends or professionals for help and support.

Dementia Australia is a good place to start as they provide information, advice, support, and dementia-specific counselling for carers. Support from other carers who’ve had similar experiences and feelings can be really helpful too – either via a support group or an informal chat over coffee. Talk to your GP if you’re feeling depressed. Talk to residential care staff about how you can work together to help your partner settle into the facility and how you may also need some time and support to adjust.

If you or a family member is struggling with a dementia diagnosis, Dementia Australia has a series of factsheets to help people with dementia, their families and care staff: https://www.dementia.org.au/resources/help-sheets

Dr Deborah Brooks completed her PhD with Professor Elizabeth Beattie (QUT), Dr Elaine Fielding (QUT), and Professor Helen Edwards (QUT) and Professor Joseph Gaugler (University of Minnesota). Deborah is currently working with Dementia Training Australia (DTA) to help develop a program that builds expertise and capacity around the assessment and management of responsive behaviours within residential aged care facilities.

To find out more about DCRC postgraduate scholarships in dementia research and apply: https://dementiaresearch.org.au/news/2020postgrad-scholarships/ Applications close December 2, 2020.

The post Meet our PhDs:
Dr Deborah Brooks examines support for spousal carers of people with dementia following placement into residential aged care appeared first on DCRC.

Meet our PhDs: Dr Tierney’s Own Meaningful Activities

Alexandra McTavish — Tue, 29 Sep 2020 03:00:15 +0000

Dr Laura Tierney completed her PhD examining meaningful activity for older adults with dementia. Her research proposed a conceptual model for understanding “meaningful activity” and a person-centred approach to care that respects individuality, focuses on individuals’ strengths rather than impairments and empowers individual decision-making.

“I worked as a research assistant for many years across lots of projects related to quality of life and quality of care for people living with dementia. That, combined with a personal experience drew me to the idea of exploring meaningful activity.”

Dr Tierney was always close to her great-grandmother growing up. She lived at home on her own until she had a fall when she was 100 and had to move into a Residential Aged Care Facility (RACF).

“One memory from that time that has stuck with me is her saying that she just wanted to go home and peel a potato. The abrupt end to doing those everyday tasks was so hard for her. After spending time with other RACF residents through my work and hearing similar comments and stories it got me thinking: what was it about peeling a potato that was so important to her?”

There was no defining moment that led Laura to pursue a PhD in the field but her connection with Professor Beattie and Dr Fielding meant that QUT was an obvious home for her research.

Dr Tierney completed her PhD prior to COVID but her PhD study served her well to transition to working from home.

Dr Tierney’s own meaningful activities take her outdoors and into the bush.

“For activities to be meaningful it is important that they have a social aspect. In these times of distancing and isolation we need to be creative about how we can establish and maintain social connections through the activities we engage in.”

There is evidence to suggest that meaningful activities build protective behaviours against cognitive decline.

“When I have time, I enjoy reading a good book (for fun, not work!), going for a bushwalk or enjoying the outdoors.”

Dr Tierney’s current work focuses on two main areas; innovative, small-scale models of living for people with dementia and the mental health and wellbeing of the dementia care workforce

“Research is so important to share the experiences and voices of people living with dementia. The best thing about the research I do is that I get the opportunity to talk to so many wonderful people who participate in our studies. I’ve learnt so much from older adults who have life experiences and wisdom to share. I’m so inspired by the compassion and kindness of those who support and care for people living with dementia.”

“My ultimate aim is to improve quality of life for people living with dementia and those who support them.”

Dr Laura Tierney completed her PhD with Professor Elizabeth Beattie, Dr Elaine Fielding, Dr Kathleen Doherty (University of Tasmania) and Margie MacAndrew (QUT).

To find out more about DCRC postgraduate scholarships in dementia research and apply: https://dementiaresearch.org.au/news/2020postgrad-scholarships/ Applications close December 2, 2020.

The post Meet our PhDs: Dr Tierney’s Own Meaningful Activities appeared first on DCRC.

Three Postgraduate Scholarships in Dementia Research Announced!

Alexandra McTavish — Wed, 02 Sep 2020 06:00:56 +0000

The Dementia Centre for Research Collaboration (DCRC) and the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) would like to announce the 2021 DCRC Postgraduate Research Scholarships for Dementia Research. Three PhD scholarships are on offer at $30,000 per annum for up to 3 years starting in 2021.

Funded by the Australian government, the DCRC’s primary research foci within the broader topic of dementia research are:

Prevention
Assessment and diagnosis
Intervention and treatment
Living with dementia and care

The DCRC’s primary goals are to increase knowledge and implementation of research findings in these areas and to address the five priority areas listed under the Strategic Roadmap for dementia Research and Translation, see https://dementiaresearch.org.au/about-us/ for more information.

For this scholarship round, candidates undertaking research into dementia care and prevention will be prioritised for funding. Students applying for these scholarships must:

Be eligible for enrolment in a research PhD at an Australian institution and undertake their studies full-time or part-time (pro-rata).
At least one member of the supervisory team must be a member of the DCRC.
Have a written agreement from a qualified supervisor and the support of an Australian university to carry out the proposed project.
The research proposal must relate to dementia care or dementia prevention.
Not be employed in paid work during the scholarship period for more than maximum number of hours per week as specified by the administering university (normally 14 hours per week).
Be a citizen or permanent resident of Australia or New Zealand citizen living permanently in Australia. Applicants who have been resident in Australia for at least two years and have evidence of eligibility and an application for permanent residence in progress may also be eligible.

For questions, please contact: Tiffany Jessop or Ani Johnston
Email: DCRCgrants@unsw.edu.au

Download the Application Guide

The post Three Postgraduate Scholarships in Dementia Research Announced! appeared first on DCRC.