SHAPE is an international research project aiming to improve quality of life and well-being for people with early stage dementia.
What is SHAPE?
SHAPE stands for Self-management and HeAlth Promotion in Early-stage dementia with e-learning for carers.
The aim of SHAPE is to enhance the people with dementia’s belief in their own abilities to adapt and manage living with dementia. SHAPE provides a course with ten weekly group sessions for people with dementia where the participants will learn about dementia, decision-making, social interaction and healthy behaviours. Their care partners get information through an e-learning programme.
The SHAPE intervention is designed to meet the needs of people with dementia to maintain independence and dignity, improve health behaviours, plan the future together with the family and live well with the disease in their own home for as long as possible.
SHAPE is a randomised controlled trial. Norway, UK and Australia take part in the study. It is an EU Joint Programme – Neurodegenerative Disease Research project, JPND
People with mild to moderate dementia over the age of 65 can take part. They must have a care partner who is willing to participate. Read the full list of participation criteria
eSHAPE is ongoing
Due to the Covid-19 situation, SHAPE has been converted into a digital group course intervention; eSHAPE.
The first groups using eSHAPE have started in all three countries.
The participants have received iPads ready to for use. They join the group session by accepting an incoming call.
The use of the iPads allows the participants to come together despite the level of COVID-19 restrictions.
Participate
The recruitment of health care providers to deliver the SHAPE project is done differently in the three countries. Information specific to each country about the SHAPE intervention and participation can be found below.
Project timeline
The duration of the SHAPE project is three years.
After recruitment of health care providers and training of group facilitators, the project was put on hold in March 2020 due to the pandemic. The intervention was converted into a digital group course intervention called e-SHAPE, and group facilitators were trained to use e-SHAPE.
The start of recruitment of participants to e-SHAPE differs in the three countries. The timeline below has the starting point for the first country to start, which was Norway.
Recruitment of health care providers
The health care providers will identify people with dementia and their care partners to take part in the intervention.
Training of group facilitators
Training of group facilitators to run the group sessions for people with dementia
May 2021
The project was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic
The intervention was converted into a digital group course intervention called e-SHAPE, and group facilitators were trained to use e-SHAPE
Recruitment of participants for e-SHAPE
Baseline data collection by telephone
Interviews with the participating people with dementia and their care partners
e-SHAPE intervention start
Start of group sessions for people with dementia and e-learning for their care partners
Follow-up data collection by telephone
There will be two follow-up interviews with the people with dementia and their care partners by telephone.
-The first follow-up interviews will be immediately after the course
-The second follow-up interviews will be 6 months after the first follow-up interviews
Why is SHAPE important?
Latest News
Milestone reached in Australia
The first online group session has been delivered in Australia. The study iPads have been… Read more
e-SHAPE
A milestone is reached. The first groups in e-SHAPE has started both in Norway and… Read more
Research shows positive effects of a 12‐week health promotion course for people with early‐stage dementia.
Read the newly published study here. Read more
