Research: IDoService

Research summary

• October 2020 to October 2022 (IDoService)
• September 2023 to May 2024 (I-Can-Do Service)

Dementia is a key health priority nationally and internationally. With currently no cure, urgent action is needed to improve care to support people and their families. From the point of diagnosis, people have an average life expectancy of 10-15 years. Help at the early stages can increase wellbeing and quality of life and slow the progress of dementia. Keeping active and socially connected is vital to promoting physical and mental wellbeing.

The IDoService is a volunteer service for people living with dementia to support them with staying connected with their community, finding a purpose and meaning in their everyday lives, and feeling valued following the diagnosis. During the IDoService people with dementia work with their wellbeing mentor, who will be a professional dementia support worker, and volunteer services professionals. The Service comprises three repeatable ‘wellbeing mentor sessions’. The three sessions explore people’s strengths and interests in an intimate one-to-one setting; allow to meet volunteer service representatives to find out what is on offer locally and to discuss interests with peers; and to work out details for realising the interests identified with their wellbeing mentor, care partner and volunteer services representative.

The IDoService is being developed with and for people with early-stage dementia. The Service bridges the current gap in service provision and enhance the support to people after the diagnosis. The Service development started in 2020 and has been supported through funding by the European Commission (I Do Service, 2020-2022, GA 895620) and from UKRI’s ESRC Health Aging Challenge fund (I Can Do Service, 2023-2024, ES/Y007778/1), and was renamed ‘ICanDo Service’ following suggestions by project participants.

You can read more about the development of the Service, past and present, by selecting the two tiles below to find out more, and you can also access the Service guide and workbook from the below link.

Access the Guide

• I Can Do Pathway guide and workbook. View online, download PDF or get physical booklet.