title: Improving the experience of dementia and enhancing active life--living well with dementia: study protocol for the IDEAL study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Enabling people with dementia and carers to 'live well' with the condition is a key United Kingdom policy objective. The aim of this project is to identify what helps people to live well or makes it difficult to live well in the context of having dementia or caring for a person with dementia, and to understand what 'living well' means from the perspective of people with dementia and carers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Over a two-year period, 1500 people with early-stage dementia throughout Great Britain will be recruited to the study, together with a carer wherever possible. All the participants will be visited at home initially and again 12 months and 24 months later. This will provide information about the way in which well-being, life satisfaction and quality of life are affected by social capitals, assets and resources, the challenges posed by dementia, and the ways in which people adjust to and cope with these challenges. A smaller group will be interviewed in more depth.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings will lead to recommendations about what can be done by individuals, communities, health and social care practitioners, care providers and policy-makers to improve the likelihood of living well with dementia.
authors.affiliation: Research in Ageing and Cognitive Health, School of Psychology, Bangor University, Bangor, UK. l.clare@bangor.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Clare
authors.affiliation: Research in Ageing and Cognitive Health, School of Psychology, Bangor University, Bangor, UK. s.nelis@bangor.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Sharon M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Nelis
authors.affiliation: Research in Ageing and Cognitive Health, School of Psychology, Bangor University, Bangor, UK. catherine.quinn@bangor.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Quinn
authors.affiliation: Research in Ageing and Cognitive Health, School of Psychology, Bangor University, Bangor, UK. a.martyr@bangor.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martyr
authors.affiliation: Personal Social Services Research Unit, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK. c.henderson@lse.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Henderson
authors.affiliation: School of Medical and Health Care Sciences, Bangor University, and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, Bangor, UK. j.v.hindle@bangor.ac.uk.
authors.forename: John V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Hindle
authors.affiliation: Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research, Data and Methods, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK. jonesir4@cardiff.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Ian R
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for the Care of Older People, Bath, UK. r.w.jones@bath.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Roy W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK. m.knapp@lse.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Knapp
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Medicine, King's College London Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK. michael.kopelman@kcl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Kopelman
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, King's College London Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK. robin.morris@kcl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Robin G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.affiliation: Alzheimer's Society, London, UK. james.pickett@alzheimers.org.uk.
authors.forename: James A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Pickett
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Sussex, UK. j.rusted@sussex.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Jennifer M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Rusted
authors.affiliation: Innovations in Dementia, Dementia, UK. nada@innovationsindementia.org.uk.
authors.forename: Nada M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Savitch
authors.affiliation: School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. j.thom@unsw.edu.au.
authors.forename: Jeanette M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Thom
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Brunel University, London, UK. christina.victor@brunel.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Christina R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Victor
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D003704:Dementia / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012649:Self Concept; D006113:United Kingdom