Evaluation of the Alzheimer's Disease Society South Cleveland Project

The South Cleveland branch of the Alzheimer's Disease Society (ADS) asked the Institute of Human Ageing of the University of Liverpool to undertake a comprehensive evaluation of their project in South Cleveland. In South Cleveland the ADS has a well-developed programme of day care and carer counselling, together with a range of other support services, such as a sitting service and information service. The evaluation focused on the following issues: What is the impact of the project on the lives of the carers? Are carers coping longer and what is the effect on their quality of life? What aspects of the service have had the most impact? Are the services meeting the needs of all carers? Where could improvements be made? Assessment of the care provided for sufferers: Are sufferers being provided with a high quality of care? What are the implications of different levels of disability? What effect has the project had on other services in South Cleveland? What is the level of I need for services in the local community? Does the ADS project play a significant role within the overall pattern of care in the district?Public awareness of Alzheimer's Disease: Are members of the public aware of AD and its effects? What profile does the ADS have within the local community? Has the ADS had any effect on raising public awareness of AD? The evaluation touched on a wide range of issues, which demanded a range of methodologies. Interviews were conducted with carers, ADS staff and with professionals from other organisations that deal with care of the elderly and the elderly mentally ill. A self-completion questionnaire was also sent to carers, which provided essential background information on their experiences of being a carer and their attitudes towards available services. All the ADS slay centres were visited during the course of the research. On these visits, observational research was undertaken, together with interviews with volunteer workers and sufferers and dependency assessments of clients. Public awareness of AD in South Cleveland was assessed by undertaking a Street survey in Middlesborough, which generated a random sample of some 300 respondents. The field research was undertaken over a 12 month period in 1990 and 1991.