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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Genio is a non-profit organisation which aims to bring together government and private/ philanthropy funders to develop cost-effective ways of supporting people who are disadvantaged to live full lives in their communities. With funding from the Atlantic Philanthropies and the Health Service Executive (HSE) it has supported and facilitated considerable investment in dementia in Ireland. For example, in 2012 it supported four regional projects which aimed to develop and test new service models that would improve the range and quality of community-based supports for people with dementia.
Project Aim(s): This study aims to contribute to improving quality of life for people with end stage dementia living in residential care settings by investigating the experiences of elderly spouses whose relatives died with end-stage dementia in nursing homes in both Northern Ireland (NI) and the Republic of Ireland (RoI). A second aim is to develop guidelines for nursing home staff for the delivery of quality care in residents with end stage dementia in residential institutions.
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.