CFAS II Wales (http://cfaswales.bangor.ac.uk/)

Cognitive ageing and dementia are major consequences of the ageing of the population. They present challenges to national and local policy makers and service providers in planning and providing for the social protection needs of the older population. However the projection of future needs, planning of services and the development of treatment are dependent on accurate information on the factors that may interlink, impact on or are affected by cognitive ageing and dementia. 

The study builds on the design and infrastructure of the successful MRC Cognitive Function and Ageing
Study collaboration (CFAS) and will investigate new cohorts in Wales.  As Gwynedd was an original CFAS
site in 1993, important questions about generational change can be ascertained through comparing the two
waves of data. This is a significant resource for informing policy. Devolution in Wales has resulted in a number of new policy initiatives for the older population. CFAS Wales is perfectly placed to explore the impact of policy changes under the Welsh Assembly Government. The proposal will extend the current CFAS, which includes 3 sites in England, by allowing a more in-depth examination of rural-urban variations, which have not been adequately addressed in previous studies.

The study will interview a representative sample of 5000 people aged 65 and over in two areas in Wales (Gwynedd and Swansea).  Using established and standardised techniques it will collect data that will enable the investigation of cognitive impairment, depression, physical disability and healthy active life expectancy for the whole group and within social groups.  It will provide a foundation for other collaborative studies that investigate biomarkers and other early indications of risk of cognitive decline, such as imaging. It will investigate factors that may delay the onset of dementia, specifically focussing on the role of bilingualism and social networks. As the participants reside in a bilingual area this is a key opportunity.

CFAS Wales will examine activity and participation, exploring what factors people with and without cognitive impairment believe affect their inclusion and exclusion from community and civic life. It will examine environmental factors, looking at the impact of cognitive impairment on attachment to place, and comparing variations in cognitive functioning across rural and urban areas, including those that are socially deprived. It will examine generational change and estimate changes in the prevalence of cognitive impairment and dementia in Wales 15 years after the first CFAS cohort was established. It will examine adaptation and resiliency, identifying factors that might have a detrimental effect on resilience and those related to a more favourable outcome.  It will examine the relationship between nutrition (vitamin B12) activity and cognitive impairment. In addition to the standard CFAS data collection, a number of additional qualitative interviews will be carried out, based on life history data, 10% of the sample will be asked to provide a blood sample (for vitamin B12 analysis), and a small sub-sample will be interviewed regarding life-style and health behaviours.

CFAS Wales is supported by the Clinical Research Collaboration Cymru, which is the umbrella organisation of thematic research networks in Wales. The applicants are leading members of two of these networks; the Dementias and Neurodegenerative Diseases Network (NEURODEM) and the Older People and Ageing Research Network (OPAN). CFAS Wales will benefit from utilising the support and methodology of the CFAS collaboration, and will provide the environment for the development of new researchers through PhD study. Reflecting the considerable expertise of the interdisciplinary project team, CFAS Wales presents a unique opportunity to enhance the bio-psycho-social understanding of older peoples' lives and cognitive ageing.

Research Information

Background

Brief Introduction

Research Themes

Bolt-on Studies

Glossary of Terms

CFAS I

Design and Interview

Study Protocol

Scientific Strategy

CFAS II

Study Protocol

CFAS Wales

Introduction

Documentation

Study Information

Consent Forms

Neuropathology Forms

Questionnaires

Data

Data & Analysis

Liverpool Data

Oversight

Advisory Committee

Biological Resources

Fundings

Ethics & Legal Aspects

Archive Documents

Management Structure