Research
DRNI Members Research is a list of ongoing and completed research carried out by DRNI members.
You can search via project type, disease, or Principal Investigator/Researcher name.
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The proposed research aims to create empirical evidence regarding the impact of befriending services on health and loneliness, assisting ALONE in developing and refining their mission statement. The research question is: “Do befriending services improve health (measured as health-related quality of life and cognitive function), and do they mitigate the impact of loneliness on health?” A secondary aim is to identify, using exploratory methods, potential mechanisms through which befriending impacts health.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a terminal neuro-degenerative disorder of adults, typically having rapid progression and involving both motor and cognitive function. ALS exhibits considerable heterogeneity of both symptom profile and progression. Nevertheless, median survival is typically under three years from disease onset. ALS is the most common motor neurone disease in adults, with an incidence of 2 to 3 per 100,000 in Europe.
Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's disease or another type of dementia can be a very positive and rewarding experience, but it can also leave the carer feeling stressed and isolated. This module is designed to advise carers how the stressful aspects of caring can be minimised and the positive experiences maximised by looking after their social and emotional needs and by managing how they respond to challenging behaviours.
Aim(s):
(i) To characterise patterns of hearing problems and of hearing aid use in NICOLA and to compare these patterns in a qualitative fashion with those found in TILDA.
(ii) To evaluate the cross-sectional relationship between hearing problems and cognitive functioning, using regression modelling.
(iii) To evaluate loneliness, social isolation, and social engagement as moderators of the putative relationship between hearing problems and cognitive functioning, using a structural equation modelling approach.
Project Aim(s): To determine the effect(s) of CSF from Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients on cerebroids cultured healthy human iPSCs and to identify the mediator(s) of AD-CSF-mediated pathology.
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.
IN-MIND is a four country FP7 European funded project which seeks to develop and validate online tools to help doctors assess if an individual’s lifestyle supports long term brain health. The project also generate personal strategies for adopting a brain healthy lifestyle and provide on-line supports to help people in midlife implement and adhere to positive change.
To develop accessible best practice guidelines for post-diagnostic dementia supports for people with an intellectual disability in Ireland. The project aims to:
(1) examine the current landscape of post-diagnostic care at a national level;
(2) consider barriers to access;
(3) incorporate existing best practices; and
(4) give due consideration of the experiences and recommendations of people with an intellectual disability living with dementia and of their families/carers.
IDS-TILDA is a longitudinal study researching ageing in Ireland among people with an intellectual disability aged 40 and over (n=approximately 750 people). Individuals with an intellectual disability, particularly those with Down Syndrome are at an increased risk of developing an Alzheimer’s related dementia. The IDS-TILDA collects information on Intellectual Disability and Dementia.
