About me: I completed my MSc in Clinical Mental Health Sciences at UCL in 2015. Afterwards I began working as a research assistant in dementia research at UCL, including on a randomised controlled trial of a psychological intervention to improve sleep disturbances in people living with dementia (DREAMS START project). This sparked my interest in the sleep disturbances in dementia, and I began my +3 PhD in this area in October 2017.
My research: My PhD focusses on sleep disturbances in people with dementia living in care homes; as these disturbances are one of the most common reasons why people with dementia will move to a care home. I am interested in how prevalent sleep disturbances are and if they persist or change over time in this population. I also want to know what the causes and consequences of sleep disturbances are.
The difference my research makes: There is little research in this area, and as the number of people living with dementia increases due to an aging population, more people with dementia may move into care homes. Knowing more about the prevalence, persistence, causes and consequences of sleep disturbances in this population will be helpful when thinking about both the prevention and treatment of these disturbances.
Supervisors: Professor Gill Livingston (UCL), Dr Sergi Costafreda (UCL), Dr Simon Kyle (Oxford), Dr Julie Barber (UCL).
Selected publications:
- Webster L, Groskreutz D, Grinbergs-Saull A, Howard R, O’Brien JT, Mountain G, et al. (2017). Development of a core outcome set for disease modification trials in mild to moderate dementia: a systematic review, patient and public consultation and consensus recommendations. Health Technology Assessment 21(26). 1
DOI: 10.3310/hta21260 - Webster L, Groskreutz D, Grinbergs-Saull A, Howard R, O’Brien JT, Mountain G, et al. (2017). Core Outcome Measures for interventions to prevent or slow the progress of dementia for people living with mild to moderate dementia: systematic review and consensus recommendations. PLoS ONE 12(6) e0179521.
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0179521
Pathway: Mental Health and Mental Health Care
Location: UCL Division of Psychiatry
Email: lucy.webster.14@ucl.ac.uk
