SENSE-Cog Residential CARE: hearing and vision support for residents with dementia

INTERVENTION: There will be two study arms involving up to 10 nursing homes across Ireland, randomly allocated (1:1) to receive a complex intervention, the Sensory Support Intervention for care homes (SSI‐C), or to continue Care as Usual (CAU). Randomisation will be conducted by the Clinical Trials' Facility at St James Hospital via secure web‐based randomisation system. Those in the CAU group will receive care as usual within their care home setting. Those in the SSI‐C group will receive the intervention by Sensory Champions (care home staff) selected from each care home. The SSI‐C will involve personalised resident sensory support, staff training, developing a ‘sensory friendly’ environment and ensuring optimal care pathways to hearing/vision providers. The total duration of treatment will be 12 weeks. Assessments will be undertaken by a blinded researcher with all study arms at baseline, 3‐ and 6‐month follow‐up. CONDITION: Sensory support for hearing and vision impairment in residents with dementia living in the care home setting ; Mental and Behavioural Disorders PRIMARY OUTCOME: ; 1. Feasibility to conduct the SSI‐C in Irish care homes is measured using, the rate of recruitment of care homes, and retention rate of randomised homes and participants.; 2. Feasibility of the intervention is measured using percentage staff agreeing to participate, staff reporting sufficient time to undertake the intervention, barriers, and facilitators of the intervention.; 3. Acceptability/tolerability of the intervention is measured using Staff attendance, Residents’ adverse event (AE) rate related to the intervention and Staff perceptions of the training component using qualitative interviews and the Training Acceptability Rating Scale (TARS), pre‐post training.; SECONDARY OUTCOME: ; 1. Exploratory Outcome Set for Residents (EOS‐R) measured using key dementia‐ and sensory‐ related outcomes including measures of quality of life at three time points: baseline and post‐intervention (3‐ and 6‐months).; 2. Battery of Care home staff measures including sensory‐cognitive health knowledge and change in staff practice, care home culture measured using self‐report questionnaires and qualitative interviews at three time points: baseline and post‐intervention (3‐ and 6‐months).; 3. Battery of Care Environment measures including sensory aspects such as the physical environment (light, temperature, and noise) using Screening Surveys and standardised assessment protocols at three time points: baseline and post‐intervention (3‐ and 6‐months).; INCLUSION CRITERIA: 1. Care Home has at least 60% of residents with dementia. 2. Care Home must be ‘compliant’ or ‘substantially compliant’ based on HIQA reports. 3. Staff Is aged =18 years. 4. Staff Is a current member of staff in a participating care home and is involved in the care of the RwD (all grades including: Director of Nursing; nurses; allied health professionals and front‐line care workers). 5. Resident with Dementia (RwD) Is aged =60 years. 6. RwD Is a permanent resident of a participating care home. 7. RwD Has received a clinical diagnosis of dementia or has evidence of dementia as per care home staff 8. RwD Has mild to moderate stage of dementia as indicated by a score of 1 or 2 on the Clinical Dementia Rating global score (CDR) 9. RwD if taking cognitive enhancing medication (i.e., cholinesterase inhi