Putting Me into Memory Services (PMIMS) Study
Principal Investigator: Dr Josie Reynolds
Summary:
Funded by the RCGP SFB board, this innovative study is co-produced with community organisations representing ethnically diverse communities across Sheffield and uses creative participatory action research methodology Photovoice to explore cultural understandings of ageing + dementia and barriers faced when accessing healthcare and support. The findings of the qualitative and literature-based workstreams will inform stakeholder workshops to co-design an intervention prototype. The project will culminate in a dissemination and celebration event including an exhibition co-curated by the Photovoice participants and community research link workers.
Putting Me into Memory Services (PMIMS) Study
Dementia & Ethnicity:
Exploring Cultural Understandings, Access to Diagnosis and Uptake of Services through Photovoice and Co-production
This participatory action research study began in July 2023 and is mid-way through data collection. The study has partnered with community organisations representing the African Caribbean, South Asian and Chinese communities across Sheffield. There are 4 phases:
Phase 1: Review existing research to understand the problem and things that have already been tried.
Phase 2: Ask family carers from these communities with elderly relatives experiencing memory concerns to explain their day-to-day experiences, cultural norms, behaviours and traditions around ageing/memory loss and any barriers faced when accessing healthcare and support. They will do this by taking (non-identifiable) photos of daily life and talking about them in group discussions. This is a research method known as Photovoice - please see below for more info.
Phase 3: Hold workshops with community leaders and health practitioners. The findings from phase 1 & 2 will be fed in to allow stakeholders to co-design the first steps towards improving access and uptake of dementia services in these communities.
Phase 4: Share our results with the public and participants through an exhibition and celebration event which will seek to build trust with communities and engage with key policy makers and stakeholders around equity, diversity and inclusion of dementia care.
Community Partner Organisations
This study has partnered with 3 community organisation in Sheffield:
Sheffield Chinese Community Centre (SCCC)
Photovoice
This research method is a creative approach to investigating people’s experiences and views through the visual expression of photos, taken by participants themselves. They say ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’, and this approach allows people to explain their situation in a way which can sometimes be hard using words alone. Once all the photos have been taken, the group will meet to share the photos, discuss the meanings behind them and prioritise the most meaningful for a final exhibition. The method was created under the umbrella of participatory action research, which aims to work in partnership with research participants to explore a complex issue and then consider possible actions which can move the problem forward.
Community Researcher Link Workers
This study is linked to the Deep End Research Alliance (DERA) which is a University of Sheffield organisation formed to generate primary care research with and for communities experiencing marginalisation. The DERA has been developing a new approach to research which employs a relevant community member as a Community Research Link Worker (CRLW) who helps the research team to design and review project materials, recruit participants, facilitate focus groups and workshops with relevant language translation if necessary, assist with analysis and help to organise the final exhibition and celebration event.
Funding
The study was granted funding by the Royal College of General Practitioners Scientific Foundation Board. This will provide funding for the entire 2 year project.
Research Team
The research team is based at the Division of Population Health (UoS) and includes:
· Dr Josephine Reynolds – Principal Investigator
· Dr Kate Fryer – co-investigator
· Dr Qizhi Huang – co-investigator
· Dr Ben Jackson - co-investigator
· Dr Caroline Mitchell - co-investigator
· Carl Case – Community Research Link Worker, SACMHA
· Lungani Sibanda - Community Research Link Worker, SACMHA
· Candice Wang - Community Research Link Worker, SCCC
· Sarah Ng - Community Research Link Worker, SCCC
· Nur Ali, Community Research Link Worker, Shipshape
Study Steering Group
Our study steering group includes:
· Krishna Patel – Centre for Ethnic Health Research, Leicester
· Gurpreet Grewal-Santini – Centre for Ethnic Health Research, Leicester
· Dr Sam Creavin – Bristol Medical School
· Dr Yeyenta Osasu - NHS England North East and Yorkshire
· Prof Dawn Edge – Division of Psychology & Mental Health, University of Manchester
· Dr Lorna Warren, Department of Sociological Studies, University of Sheffield
QR codes for DERA and PMIMS Study WhatsApp updates:
