King's College London

Dementia affects the mind, memory and decision-making which can impact everyday activities and cause dependency and high levels of care, often offered by family members.

As technology advances and information becomes more accessible, the healthcare professional’s ability to signpost people to reliable online health information becomes increasingly important. Previous research found that most people used online health forums to seek support from people who shared similar experiences. The same study found that the use of a skilled moderator would prove beneficial and ensure the safety and accuracy of information being provided.

This project aims to: 

• Define the support priorities of family carers of people with dementia, to build a sense of community in a virtual platform.
• Explore the knowledge and information deficits in healthcare appointments that draws people to online solutions and how best to address deficits.
• Investigate how to incorporate a sustainable moderator function that facilitates information sharing that is accurate, accessible from the perspectives of family carers and healthcare professionals.
• Co-design a virtual platform prototype with family carers and professionals and undertake user acceptability testing to identify opportunities to strengthen, and requirements for use, ready for feasibility testing.

Co-design workshops and a user-testing workshop will be held with family carers, healthcare professionals, and people working in the dementia area to co-design and develop a prototype of the platform.

A virtual platform can become a valuable resource that addresses the needs of family carers of people with dementia and provides a resource that healthcare professionals can signpost to family carers for extra support.