How can the mental health and well-being of older adults with dementia and their families be improved at the time of and following discharge into the

The research aims to address how the mental health and wellbeing, of older adults with dementia and their families and carers, can be improved at the time of and following discharge into the community. The study will use ethnographic and mixed methods approaches to address the psycho-social well- being of older adults with a dementia diagnosis. Validated tools and qualitative interviews will be implemented to discover if and why depression, loneliness and social isolation are present in older adults with a dementia diagnosis and their family members, upon discharge into the community. The study seeks to identify opportunities to improve the psycho-social well-being of patients with dementia during the discharge and return to home experience and subsequently improve the discharge process overall. It also aims to identify social and health services that support psycho- social wellbeing effectively at discharge and in the community, through a qualitative study and a close examination of a pre-existing quantitative data set.