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
The SHAPE project is put on hold
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic the SHAPE project was put on hold in March 2020. If the situation allows, we hope to restart the project early in 2021. There may be differences in the three countries regarding restart. Please contact the national site coordinators for information about status for the project in each country.
For more information, please contact project leader Professor Ingelin Testad.
For resources to support community and institutional Long-Term Care responses to COVID-19, click here
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. The start of the different phases of the project vary, depending on the participating health providers in Norway, UK and Australia. If the COVID-19 pandemic situation allows, the first possible starting points for the different phases are:
Recruitment of health care providers
Recruitment of health care providers to deliver the SHAPE intervention. 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
Baseline data collection
Interviews with the participating people with dementia and their care partners
SHAPE intervention start
Start of group sessions for people with dementia and e-learning for their care partners
Follow-up data collection
There will be two follow-up interviews with the people with dementia and their care partners.
-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
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
Facilitator training in Norway
Exeter in UK was the first to conduct SHAPE facilitator training in December 2019. The… Read more
A milestone - The first SHAPE Facilitator Training is conducted
On the 4th December the University of Exeter, UK, played host to six potential SHAPE… Read more
