Connecting, evaluating dementia

The Care Connect Western Sydney and Nepean Region team has won a grant to evaluate dementia case management services in partnership with the University of NSW.

The grant will allow the not-for-profit organisation to undertake best practice research and evaluate the long running and successful dementia case management program.

As part of the study titled Dementia Services Evaluation Grants Program (DSEGP), Care Connect will evaluate outcomes over the next 12 months for clients with dementia, their families and carers. Other community service providers involved with the dementia case management program will also be evaluated.

The project will evaluate the outcomes for clients by using validated assessment tools at the time of intake. These assessments will be repeated after three months of case management (and other services) to measure outcomes for the client. Services to be evaluated include respite, social support and case management.

Care Connect chief executive, Paul Ostrowski, claimed that based on anecdotal evidence, “we believe our dementia clients and their carers benefit from a case management approach”.

“This study, however, with its tools, insight and support will be able to formally evaluate this hypothesis. We look forward to sharing our findings with the sector,” he told DPS News.

The DSEGP is an initiative of the federal government’s Dementia Cooperative Research Centre. The Centre’s purpose is to conduct dementia research to improve diagnosis, reduce the risk of dementia, as well as improve the lives of people living with dementia, their families and carers.

For more information about the research program, contact Care Connect project leader, Lisa Clarke, on (02) 9830 8903 or email lallen@careconnect.org.au