Many people with dementia living in supported residential care homes have significant hearing and/or vision impairment. Often unrecognized and unaddressed, poor sensory function can worsen quality of life for residents with dementia by making communication more difficult and by increasing confusion.
Several barriers and facilitators to sensory health within residential care have been identified. Barriers include the loss of glasses and hearing aids, as well as systemic barriers such as staffing levels and limited access to staff training. Facilitators include staff knowledge and sensory-enabling environments.
Taking this together, by addressing sensory function through staff skills training, systemic pathways, and correcting the local environment, in addition to correction of the sensory deficit, we may be able to significantly improve quality of life and other key outcomes for residents with dementia.
SENSE-Cog Residential Care，一项基于爱尔兰的2年可行性试点研究，目的是这样做！Sense-Cog的住宅护理希望通过支持听力和视力功能来改善生活在住院护理中的痴呆症居民的生活质量。这将通过开发用于住宅护理的感觉支持干预（SSI-RC）和试点研究以评估其可行性。
The intervention
Guided by the sensory-cognitive model of place, as well as consultation with expert professionals and people with lived experience, the SSI-RC comprises of four elements:
- Personalized resident sensory support (i.e., screening, assessment, device fitting and adherence support)
- Staff training: awareness-raising and training in sensory-cognitive healthcare
- 感官友好的环境设计：纠正当地环境应对感官挑战
- 视觉和听力护理路径开发：确保对社区专业听力和视力护理提供者的无缝推荐途径。
The intervention is designed to be delivered by Sensory Champions. Sensory Champions will be existing staff members who will receive training and support in the delivery of the intervention.
The pilot study
为了检查SSI-RC对于居住在疗养院中的痴呆症居民的可行性（爱尔兰老年人的支持住宅护理），我们希望招募约10所房屋来进行可行性 - 群集随机试验。在这些家庭中，研究人员将招募痴呆症的员工和居民参加。
Homes will be randomly assigned into two groups: about five in the intervention group and five in the care as usual group. Those in the intervention group will receive the intervention and those in the care as usual will continue their usual care.
Participants, both staff and residents, will be asked to provide information about their perceptions of the intervention to ascertain if the intervention is feasible, acceptable, and tolerated. As well as this, exploratory factors such as changes in quality of life, behavior and cognition, and quality and culture of care will be assessed using questionnaires given at the beginning of the intervention, after the intervention, and at 3 months follow up. Findings will inform progression to a larger definitive trial and contribute to emerging evidence of care home research methodology.
November 2021 saw the launch ofSENSE-Cog CARE: A feasibility study of hearing and vision support to improve quality of life in care home RwD,led by Professor Iracema Leroi, Consultant Geriatric Psychiatrist and Associate Professor at Trinity College Dublin. Recruitment will begin in Ireland Summer 2022. If you would like to learn more about this project, please contact Helen Tormey, SENSE-Cog RC study coordinator, at tormeyh@tcd.ie.
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