Trauma-Informed Support in a Dementia Helpline: Retrospective Mixed Methods Study

Area of Science:

• Gerontology and Dementia Care
• Mental Health Support Services
• Trauma-Informed Care Research

Background:

• Individuals with dementia and their caregivers face significant psychological distress and potential trauma.
• Specialist dementia helplines provide crucial emotional support, but evidence on trauma-informed responses is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the integration of trauma-informed (TI) principles (safety, trust, choice, collaboration, empowerment) in UK dementia helpline responses.
• To characterize callers and reasons for contact during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 198 anonymized dementia helpline call logs from Alzheimer Scotland (April 2020-April 2021).
• Deductive framework analysis mapped call summaries to five TI principles.
• Descriptive statistics summarized caller demographics and contact reasons; intercoder reliability was ensured.

Main Results:

• Most callers were family members/friends (89.5%) seeking emotional support (91 calls) or information on caregiving (51 calls).
• Collaboration (70.4%) and empowerment (60.3%) were the most frequently observed TI principles in call handler responses.
• Safety-focused responses were more common in nighttime calls (76.9%) compared to daytime calls (56%).

Conclusions:

• Dementia helpline responses commonly incorporated TI principles, indicating their feasibility and relevance in this setting.
• Findings suggest a need for structured trauma-informed care (TIC) workforce development for helpline staff.
• Further research using recorded calls and outcome data is recommended to enhance dementia support services.