Online Survey For Family Carers of People With Dementia Launched

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed people’s lives in so many ways, and it has been particularly challenging for people living with dementia and their families. To date, the impact on family carers is not known. A new international survey has recently been launched to hear the voices of carers & families and learn about their experiences during the pandemic.  Please click here to undertake the short survey and help us understand this topic better.

Led by a team of international researchers the CLIC (Coping with Loneliness, Isolation and Covid-19) survey has been developed by the Institute of Public Health (Ireland) and Trinity College Dublin with significant involvement by GBHI faculty Brian Lawlor and Iracema Leroi and many of the Atlantic Fellows for Equity in Brain Health, including those from Spain, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Romania, Bangladesh, France, Belgium, Greece, Egypt among others.

Through understanding the impact of COVID-19 on carers and families of people with dementia, the research team aims to influence policy, community and agency response. 

Associate Professor in geriatric psychiatry at Trinity College Dublin, Consultant Psychiatrist in St. James’s Hospital, Dublin and GBHI faculty Iracema Leroi said “This survey can offer invaluable insights into life before and during the Covid-19 pandemic, including key challenges faced and coping strategies used. It will help us understand how the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted on individuals, families, communities, policies and services at both a country and global level and will be key to informing society in the future”. 

She continued, “We know that chronic loneliness and social isolation are associated with poor health outcomes and we suspect that unfortunately many more people will have experienced loneliness and social isolation during this time. By working with international experts and gathering data at a global level we can pool expertise and support governments and policymakers in making decisions to address this challenge. Furthermore, this study is a wonderful opportunity for the GBHI network to leverage its strength to deliver important global data.” 

The survey is being circulated globally and therefore results will give the team a unique insight into family carers’ experiences in different countries and at different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The anonymous survey is open to anyone over 18 years of age who has access to the internet and it is available in many languages. Respondents can offer invaluable insights into life before and during the Covid-19 pandemic, including key challenges and coping strategies.

Click here to undertake the short survey and forward it to everyone in your email contact list (including family, friends and colleagues). If you think you can help distribute this to communities in your region so that we can reach care partners of people with long term conditions, particularly dementia, please contact iracema.leroi@tcd.ie