A new report based on the 'External Evaluation of the Alzheimer's Society Carer Information and Support Programme (CrISP)' project has recently been published by Marian Barnes, Flis Henwood, Naomi Smith and Diane Waller from the School of Applied Social Science. The report confirms that information is really important for supporting informal carers of people with dementia in their caring roles. However, as the findings also show (pdf 227Kb), information is considered all the more valuable when it is offered in a caring and supportive environment where carers can share experiences and local knowledge. Care is also needed to help deal with the more 'de-stabilising' effects of new information and knowledge about dementia.
The External Evaluation of the Alzheimer's Society Carer Information and Support Programme (CrISP) was carried out between April 2012 and February 2013. The research team used a narrative approach in their in-depth interviews with a sample of carers who had attended the programme in the South of England.
For more information about the research please contact Naomi Smith at the University of Brighton on 01273 644530 or email nms4@brighton.ac.uk. The summary findings and full report of the evaluation are available to download from the SSPARC research project reports and findings webpage.
