Seminar 2pm - 4 pm, free networking lunch from 1pm
St Peters House Auditorium
People with Parkinson’s disease are 20 – 40% more likely to develop dementia compared to people without the disease. Dementia, or mild cognitive impairment, in Parkinson’s disease can cause mental impairment, such as problems with memory and attention, and can have a negative impact on people with the disease and their companions.
Cognitive Stimulation Therapy for Parkinson’s disease (CST-PD) is a new therapy that has been developed to address the mental and emotional challenges that can decrease quality of life for people with dementia and their companions. The therapy involves engaging in structured, enjoyable activities that support memory, stimulate communication and enhance well-being.
We have recently investigated the feasibility of rolling out CST-PD as a large-scale study in UK. In this afternoon of short talks we will describe the development of the therapy and present the early findings from the pilot trial. We will discuss the challenges associated with using questionnaires to assesses changes in disease symptoms and well-being, and introduce alternative outcome measures. We will finish by inviting you to take part in an interactive session of CST-PD to gather your views on therapy and how it might be improved. The feedback from the session, together with the findings from the pilot CST-PD trial, will be used to further develop the intervention prior to a UK-wide randomised controlled trial.
13:00 - 14:00 - Free Networking Lunch
14:00 - 14:05 - Introduction - general introduction by chair
14:05 - 14:30 - Iracema Leroi. The INVEST study: the story so far.
14:30 - 14:55 - Julio Vega and Sabina Vatter. Addressing the challenges in measuring change in Parkinson’s- related dementias.
14:55 - 15:10 - Coffee Break
15:10 - 15:30 - Group interactive session
15:30 - 16:00 - Q&As with the panel of speakers
Speakers
Prof Iracema Leroi
Role: Professor of the Psychiatry of Aging
Organisation: University of Manchester
Ms Sabina Vatter
Role: Research Assistant and Doctoral Researcher
Organisation: University of Manchester
Mr Julio Vega
Role: Doctoral Researcher
Organisation: University of Manchester
