Who will notice when I start forgetting things?
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Door/By: Max Alvares Vega
Introduction
The life expectancy of people with PIMD has increased significantly. As a result, more individuals with PIMD will develop dementia later in life. The challenge facing those caring for these individuals is that to date, very little is known about how to detect and diagnose dementia in people with PIMD.
The aim of this research project is to find out how dementia manifests itself in people with PIMD. This entails mapping the relevant symptoms. Using a combination of literature and medical history research, focus groups, questionnaires and interviews with hands-on experts, we will draw up an initial version of a list of symptoms of dementia in people with PIMD. We understand from those working in the field that there is a strong desire for opportunities to share knowledge and experiences relating to dementia in people with PIMD. As part of this project, we will therefore also research the information needs of families and healthcare professionals and we will use our findings as the basis for the development of an online course.
Benefits to practice
Healthcare professionals and families will be able to use both the list of symptoms and the online course as tools to help them to recognise when a person with PIMD is becoming forgetful.
About the researcher
Maureen Wissing
What is your role within the Academic Collaborative Centre related to people with PIMD?
I am a PhD student affiliated to the University of Groningen, conducting research into how dementia manifests itself in people with PIMD and what information families and healthcare professionals need.
What do you hope to achieve?
My ambition is to generate knowledge that is actually useful in practice. In the course of this research project, I hope to develop tools for healthcare professionals and families that will help them to map the cognitive deterioration of a person with PIMD.