Ireland rugby star presents awards to mark ground-breaking Saint John of God research project

A celebration was held today for the participants in a key research project which seeks to apply successful therapies used with dementia sufferers to assist people with intellectual disabilities to boost memory and overall quality of life.

The research undertaken 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 over a 16-month period.

Ireland 2nd Row Lock Joe McCarthy with his older brother Andrew McCarthy

Taking some time out ahead of the first and eagerly anticipated Autumn International game against New Zealand this Friday, Irish Rugby’s Second Row star, Joe Mc Carthy said he was delighted to be able to support his brother in what has been an amazing for people with Down Syndrome.

“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.

“I 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 Mc Carthy 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, of St. John of God Intellectual Disability Services, Dublin South East (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.

The St John of God Brain Busters Project, in collaboration with University College Dublin (UCD) was conceptualised by Dr Sharon Hardiman (SJOG ID DSE) and Dr Flavia H Santos of UCD and funded by St John of God Research.

Dr Lesley O’Hara, CEO of SJOG Research, said ‘this piece of research shows the importance of embedding research within our service delivery.

“We are delighted to see the individuals who attend all SJOG services have the opportunity to take part in research and contribute to knowledge.”