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Program Area

Murray Alzheimer Research and Education Program (MAREP)

Operating since 1993, MAREP is a well developed program and focuses on bridging the gap between research and practice to benefit and enhance the ability of all involved in dementia care to respond more appropriately and respectfully to the needs of people living with Alzheimer disease and other related dementias.

 

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS:

  • Murray Alzheimer Research and Education ProgramProviding resources and information to persons living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD), their family members, and professionals working in community and long-term care settings.
  • Facilitating and conducting research based on the priorities identified by persons with ADRD, family members and professionals working in dementia care.
  • Identifying and creating new and innovative approaches, paths and models in dementia care that provide unique and creative solutions to issues faced in dementia care.

 

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Assessing the need and best practices for culture change within long-term care, specifically in the area of dementia care.
  • Understanding the experiences of older persons, family members and service providers when transitioning from home to long-term care.
  • Creating education sessions for staff in retirement and long-term care on the meaning behind responsive behaviours and strategies for bathing residents with dementia.
  • Creating education sessions for family and staff on effective communication strategies to engage those with dementia in meaningful activity.
  • Creating education sessions for family members about the basic mechanisms of dementia, and ways to cope with stress as a family caregiver.

Click [HERE] to see a list of current and completed research projects.

 

PEOPLE:

THEME LEADER:
Dr. Sherry Dupuis (Director, MAREP, University of Waterloo)

RESEARCH SCIENTISTS:
Lori Schindel-Martin, PhD (Ryerson University)
Bryan Smale, PhD (University of Waterloo)
Tamara Sussman, PhD (University of Waterloo)
               
RESEARCH ASSOCIATES:
Jennifer Carson, PhD Candidate (University of Waterloo)
Colleen Whyte, PhD Candidate (University of Waterloo)
Lisa Loiselle, M.A (MAREP, University of Waterloo)
Lead Sadler, M.H.S. (MAREP, University of Waterloo)

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

To learn more about MAREP and access a variety of resources, please visit www.marep.uwaterloo.ca.  You can also access resources on MAREP’s Living with Dementia: Resources for Living Well web tool at www.livingwithdementia.uwaterloo.ca:

A sample of MAREP resources include:

  • By Us For Us© (BUFU) Guides, a series of resources created by and for persons with dementia. They are designed to equip persons with dementia with the necessary tools to enhance their well-being and manage daily challenges. Topics include:
    • Living and Transforming With Loss & Grief
    • Managing Triggers
    • Enhancing Wellness
    • Memory Workout
    • Enhancing Communication
    • Tips & Strategies
  • Breaking the Silence: Giving Voice to Persons with Dementia (DVD), highlights the importance of hearing the voices of persons living with Alzheimer Disease and related dementias.
  • Dementia Care Education Series (CD-ROM), a Responsive Behaviour Video and Resource Guide.
  • Changing Melody Forum (DVD), contains presentations from the 2011 International A Changing Melody Forum.
  • Changing Melody Toolkit, a resource guide to help plan and implement forums specifically designed by and for persons with early-stage dementia and their family partners in care.
  • Managing and Accommodating Responsive Behaviours in Dementia Care (DVD/VHS), a video vignette series to illustrate ten of the most intense behaviours experienced by staff working in long-term care homes and provides formal care providers with practical strategies and interventions for managing those behaviours.
  • I’m Still Here (DVD), a powerful research-based play developed in partnership with researchers Dr. Gail Mitchell and Dr. Christine Jonas-Simpson, and playwright Vrenia Ivonoffski, captures important aspects of, and deepens understanding about, the dementia journey from the perspective of persons living with dementia and their family partners in care.
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