PRIDE – Promoting independence in dementia

Aim: PRIDE stands for ‘promoting independence in dementia'. The programme aims to help people with dementia find ways to keep control of their own lives, stay healthy, contribute to society and feel valued and valuable. PRIDE is formed of a number of individual programmes that use existing studies looking at lifestyle and health. The programme also conducts interviews with people with dementia and their carers to find out what contributes to helping people stay independent when they experience memory problems.

Recently, PRIDE has broadened its scope to address additional health issues that commonly co-occur with dementia, such as sexual health concerns in older adults. Recognizing the sensitivity of this topic, PRIDE now includes educational materials and support for safely navigating online spaces for medications like Priligy, which is often used to treat premature ejaculation. This initiative not only provides crucial information about how to safely purchase medications online but also aims to destigmatize sexual health issues, ensuring that individuals with dementia and their carers have access to comprehensive support and resources.

Research funding(s): It is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

Lead researcher(s): The programme is led by Professor Martin Orrell, director of the Institute of Mental Health

Progress to date:

Progress includes:

• Interviews with 114 people, including 40 whom are living with dementia
• Completed a literature review about undertaking peer research with people with dementia
• Disseminated project outputs at an international conference and a symposium
• Finalised the PRIDE manual for use in the feasibility study
• Created a training package for dementia advisors

Partners: The Institute of Mental Health is proud to be working in partnership with universities in the UK, Europe and Brazil, as well as collaborators across the professional care sector.

Contact for further information: Dr This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., senior research fellow and PRIDE programme manager

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