Research Projects

DEMCARES is looking to adapt the ADAS-Cog scale and assess the reliability and validity of the adapted assessment. ADAS-Cog is a useful for intervention studies and for use in low – middle income/low literacy settings. To participate in this research click here.

DEMCARES is part of an international study funded by the Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases (GACD) and coordinated by University College London in 3 countries – Brazil, Tanzania and India. The study seeks to understand implementation factors in deliverng Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) in these 3 Low and Middle income countries. DEMCARES is the Indian lead site coordinating CST implementation in Chennai, Mysore, Thrissur and Delhi. DEMCARES has adapted the intervention for use in urban settings within Tamil Nadu. It has also assessed the acceptability and feasibility of the intervention. This work can be accessed here. For updates on the project, you can sign up to the monthly CST International newletter here. If you are interested in participating in this project (as a caregiver/person with dementia) please write to us here.

Rural Interventions for Dementia is an Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) funded study that aims to collaborate with local stakeholders to understand and strengthen services and resources available for persons living with dementia in rural communities. This is a 3 year implementation study in which Community Health Workers (CHWs) will be trained to deliver modified interventions for persons with dementia living in the Thiruporur taluk (50 kms from Chennai city) to determine their accepibility and feasibility.

DEMentia CARgiver Experience Schedule is a tool that was developed by the DEMCARES team at SCARF to assess and understand the experience of the caregivers who have been looking after persons with dementia. The project was funded by World Health Organisation – SEARO (South East Asia Regional Office) and currently the validation phase of the tool is being carried out and will be published soon.

SENSE- Cog Asia is a project in collaboration with the University of Manchester, London which is being modelled based on the SENSE-Cog EU project. The details of the SENSE-Cog EU project can be assessed here. SENSE-Cog Asia is a feasibility study to support and improve the mental well being of people with dementia and hearing impairement. The study involves a hearing support practitioner’s assessment of the person with dementia including their level of hearing impairment and their range of functional needs in a home-based setting. The intervention (support offered) is then tailored to the specific needs of the participant and the individual components of intervention identified for the participant. The study will be conducted in six sites across India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. If you would like to get more information on the project or if you would like to participate in the project please get in touch with us here.

Robotics in Dementia Care is a study conducted in collaboration with Imperial College London. Dementia is a major cause for disability and dependency in elderly and the care needs increase with progression of the illness. In low and middle income countries such as India, the family takes the role of providing care. The WHO predicts that the availability of informal caregivers may reduce in the future. To maximize the availabiliy of interventions, Social Robots are being employed in developed countries to provide engagement for persons with dementia. The use of robots to provide engagement to persons with dementia is being explored for the first time in India. A Hybrid Face Robot capable of emotive responses will be used to engage persons with dementia. This preliminary study of feasibility and acceptance is being conducted at DEMCARES, SCARF. If you would like to get more information on the project or if you would like to participate in the project please get in touch with us here.