A unique scholarship program offered by The University of Queensland has enabled two students to undertake a research project which will provide valuable advice to caregivers of people with dementia.
The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences (SBS) Dean’s Scholar program rewards outstanding students and provides them with opportunities to further develop their study interests.
Sarah Price and Louisa Young, under the supervision of Dr Nancy Pachana from the School of Psychology, developed a practical guide for caregivers of people with dementia.
Ms Price, an honours year psychology student, and Ms Young, a combined journalism/law student, collaborated on the guide which covers a range of topics including tips for caring for those with dementia and advice for a caregivers’ own mental and emotional health.
Dr Pachana said up to 66 percent of caregivers suffered from emotional, mental or physical illnesses as a result of the stress of caring for a person with dementia.
The guide is a good first contact point, providing some practical tips.
“I’m extremely proud of what Sarah and Louisa have achieved,” Dr Pachana said.
“The guide is thorough and written in an accessible manner, and contains lots of local information relevant to caregivers.”
Dr Pachana said services such as the Alzheimer’s Association of Queensland and other support organisations would also find the guide useful.
As part of its Dean’s Scholar program, SBS offers research internships for top students in many areas including psychology, ageing, peace studies and community engagement.
The caregivers guide has been published online in the UQ ePrints archive and is available for community groups to download at no cost. The address is http://eprint.uq.edu.au/archive/00002378/01/cip3.pdf
Media: Dr Nancy Pachana (07 3365 6832, 0405 790 054) or Elizabeth Kerr at UQ Communications (07 3365 2339, e.kerr@uq.edu.au).
