The Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Improvement Group, based at the JR Hospital, is running a volunteer recruitment campaign in conjunction with the development of a free online course “Making Sense of the Evidence in Dementia”, primarily aimed at caregivers and former caregivers of people with dementia.
It is a year’s Cochrane-NHS Engagement feasibility project funded by the National Institute of Health Research, designed to:
*Improve knowledge and understanding of the Cochrane Collaboration and its work
*Build a community of evidence-savvy, “expert” carers
*Increase confidence and enthusiasm when dealing with clinicians and other medical or social services professionals
*Encourage active engagement with primary research into dementia
*Foster well-informed consumer advocacy at all levels within the NHS
THE VOLUNTEER TASK
Firstly we are calling for volunteers to help maintain the Group’s online specialized register of dementia studies – ALOIS – http://www.medicine.ox.ac.uk/alois/ . This involves reading trial reports, extracting key information about the trial, and populating the register for publication.
It is a uniquely flexible type of volunteer task, which can be carried out from home, and is ideally suited to IT-literate carers who may find it difficult to travel away from home for any length of time. It requires a very small time commitment – as little or as much as you wish – an interest, and an internet connection.
FREE, SUPPORTED, ONLINE COURSE
Secondly, we are developing a series of online interactive modules both to help support the volunteer task specifically, and also to educate interested laypeople, and health or social services professionals about the evidence in dementia.
SPREAD THE WORD
Please pass this information on to relatives, friends, and colleagues who you think may be interested, either in volunteering, or in taking the online course.
FREE WORKSHOP FOR CARERS
For volunteers in the Thames Valley area – although anyone from further afield would be very welcome – we will be running a launch workshop for carers and former carers on 17 February 2011 at Kellogg College in Oxford. The workshop promises to be an inspiring and inspirational event, and will be run by Amanda Burls (Director of Postgraduate Programmes in Evidence-Based Health Care, University of Oxford) and Sally Crowe (James Lind Alliance).
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Caroline Struthers, Project Manager
ALOIS Community Volunteer Project
Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Improvement Group
Nuffield Department of Medicine
Oxford University
John Radcliffe Hospital
Room 4401c (4th Floor)
Oxford, OX3 9DU
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
Tel: + 44 (0)1865 234 606