Last night a celebration took place for the participants of the The Brain Busters Project, their families and support staff. Joe McCarthy, rugby star, was in attendance, presenting the completion certificates and medals as his brother Andrew participated in the research.
The St John of God Brain Busters Project, in collaboration with University College Dublin (UCD) was conceptualised by Dr Sharon Hardiman of St. John of God Intellectual Disability Services, Dublin South East (SJOG ID DSE) and Dr Flavia H Santos of UCD and was funded by St John of God Research Foundation (SJOG Research).
The research saw 11 participants take part in Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) to determine if it could improve the cognition and well-being of adults with intellectual disabilities.
Joe said “Andrew participated in the research from the start, attending assessment sessions and a CST programme over a 12 month period. It’s been amazing to see the impact on his confidence and interactions over the time of his involvement. We hope that programmes like this become mainstream for Andrew and his friends to ensure best possible cognitive health is maintained as they get older.”
Andrew added “I loved being part of the Brain Busters Project. The activities were fun, and I made new friends. I feel more confident talking to people now, and I’m excited to keep my brain healthy as I get older!”
Dr Sharon Hardiman, Senior Clinical Psychologist, SJOG ID DSE says ““We had huge interest and enthusiasm from people involved in our services and were thrilled to have received funding from SJOG Research to carry out this randomised control trial pilot study of CST for people with Down Syndrome. CST has a strong evidence base for boosting memory and quality of life for older people with dementia. We wanted to see if we could adapt this programme for younger adults with Down Syndrome who are at ultra-high risk of developing memory problems and dementia as they get older. Our pilot study results have shown that these adults made significant gains in memory and independence following attendance at our CST programme”.
These are exciting results, that SJOG ID DSE, UCD, and SJOG Research hope will inspire national initiatives in the future. The next study in this research project is a randomised control trial pilot study examining the benefits of robust weekly exercise classes for these adults.
Dr Lesley O’Hara, CEO of SJOG Research, said ‘this study shows the importance of embedding research within our service delivery. We are delighted to the people who attend SJOG services have the opportunity to take part in research and contribute to knowledge’.
About Brain Busters Project
The Brain Busters Project is an innovative research initiative that aims to evidence base healthy aging interventions for people with Down Syndrome and intellectual disabilities. Dr Sharon Hardiman is a Senior Clinical Psychologist at St. John of God Intellectual Disability Services (Dublin South East) and Principal Investigator of the Brain Busters Project. Sharon leads the Brain Busters Project in close collaboration with Dr Flavia H Santos from University College Dublin. Their first randomised control trial pilot study measured the feasibility and benefits of proactive cognitive stimulation for younger adults with Down Syndrome. Their second randomised control trial pilot study will measure the feasibility and benefits of a robust exercise programme for this population. The Brain Busters Project has been funded by the St John of God Research Foundation.
It won numerous awards this past year including;
- Best Overall Presentation – Dementia Research Network Ireland National Conference Mercer’s Institute for Successful Ageing, St. James’s Hospital, Dublin 8; October 2023.
- Best Presentation in Theme: Dementia Prevention and Reduction – Dementia Research Network Ireland National Conference. Mercer’s Institute for Successful Ageing, St. James’s Hospital, Dublin 8; October 2023.
- Perpetual Research Trophy for Best Oral Presentation – Saint John of God 33rd Annual Research Conference, Talbot Hotel, Stillorgan, Co Dublin. November 2023.