Eating, drinking and swallowing (EDS) difficulty is common in dementia and earlier identification could reduce morbidity, mortality, healthcare costs and improve quality of care. A proactive and condition-specific strategy for identifying EDS difficulty at an early stage for people living with dementia has yet to be developed. Before this can be achieved, holistic person-centred early indicators of EDS difficulty in early-stage dementia are needed and more understanding of barriers to early identification is required. Hence, the aim of this research is to inform earlier identification of EDS difficulty for people living with dementia. By employing an integrated multi-method approach, involving published evidence, personal experience, and expert opinion, it was possible to provide insights to inform early identification and discover key indicators of EDS difficulty in early-stage dementia.  

Principal Investigator/ Researchers:

Michelle O’Neill

Orla Duffy

Mo Henderson

W George Kernohan

Disease Area:

Dementia (including Alzheimer's Disease and other dementias)

Field of Research:

Clinical Research

Institution:

Ulster University

Start year:

2019

Project Completed:

Yes

Funding body:

Department for the Economy

Recruiting Research Participants?:

No