PhD Researcher
My PhD title is The Role of Social Support Networks in Dementia Health-literacy and older people
My background
I originally worked as a therapy radiographer in the UK and Australia before completing my MA in Health Promotion at Brighton University in 2000. I then worked within the voluntary sector as a health development worker and health and social care facilitator working alongside voluntary sector and health and local authority colleagues for many years. I have recently worked in the Older People and Ageing Research and Development Network in Swansea as the network coordinator and have developed a keen interest in ageing issues and research activities, particularly the involvement of older people in the research process.
My research
I commenced my PhD in January 2015 and this will focus on the ‘role of social support networks on the dementia literacy of older people’. Health literacy can provide opportunities to empower individuals and communities to better manage their own health and reduce poor health outcomes. This PhD aims to estimate the current dementia health literacy status in the older population and to identify gaps in their understanding of dementia. This may then better inform practitioners and policy makers, for example, about individual’s and their social support networks needs around dementia issues and potentially which type of interventions may be most suitable for health education and health promotion.
Supervisors
Prof Vanessa Burholt, Prof Norah Keating, Dr Martin Hyde
