Kate Gridley

Kate has a background in community involvement and now works as a qualitative researcher at the Social Policy Research Unit. She has a particular interest in research involving people with dementia and their carers, and has led and worked on several studies in this area, including an evaluation of life story work with people with dementia and a study of specialist nursing services for carers of people with dementia. She is currently working on DETERMIND, an ambitious collaborative research project looking at the determinants of unequal quality of life for people with dementia and their carers. 

Qualifications

• BA (Hons), Newcastle University
• MRes, University of York

Current / recently completed research

Good Life with Dementia1st January 2023 to 31st March 2024

Understanding the Role of 'Peer Tutors' in Post-Diagnostic Support for People with Dementia: A Realist Process Evaluation of the Good Life with Dementia Course: An Evaluation of the Good Life with Dementia Course to explore how and why peer led support might benefit people with Dementia.

The preferences of older self-funders navigating community social care (the PRESENCE study)January 2020 - December 2021

Investigating the preferences and decisions of older self-funders of community social care as they navigate the system.

DETERMIND: Determinants of quality of life, care and costs, and consequences of inequalities in people with dementia and their family carersJanuary 2019 - December 2023

DETERMIND is designed to address critical, fundamental, and as yet unanswered questions about inequalities, outcomes and costs following diagnosis with dementia.

The influence of social care on delayed transfers of care (DTOC) among older peopleApril 2017 - March 2019

This project will explore the relationship between the discharge approach employed by a particular NHS/local authority site and their delayed transfers of care (DTOC) rates. The project aims to answer two questions: 1) why delays are happening; and 2) how they might be reduced or prevented.

Specialist nursing support for unpaid carers of people with dementiaNovember 2015 - July 2017

This project is evaluating a specialist support service for the carers of people with dementia.

Evaluation of 'Life Story' intervention: Feasibility studyJuly 2012 - March 2015

Everybody has a life story. These are rich and varied and can be used to communicate who we are to the people around us. People with dementia sometimes need help to communicate their histories and identities, and 'life story work' might provide a way for them to do this more easily.

External roles

• Advisory Committee Member - The personal is political: women's experiences of dementia project funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation
• Member of the Advisory Committee - NIHR Research for Social Care funded project: 'Living alone with dementia: managing without formal support to contact and navigate services'