04.03.2026
This week, Matia Institute welcomed Welsh researchers Dr. Aelwyn Williams and Dr. Maria Cheshire-Allen, with whom it is collaborating on the international INVALUABLE project, which focuses on analyzing and measuring the value of unpaid care for people with dementia. Researcher Katherine Cullen is also participating in the project online.
This collaboration is part of a government agreement between the Basque Country and Wales that promotes the exchange of knowledge and joint research in the field of care and social and health policies.
The INVALUABLE project seeks to explore whether the standardized instruments used to assess the quality of life of caregivers truly capture what is important to them. In particular, it investigates whether these tools take into account the subjective assessment of the time spent on caregiving and its impact from an economic perspective.
To this end, the team is developing focus groups in both Gipuzkoa and Wales, with the aim of gathering the direct experience of caregivers and comparing the support systems in place in both territories.
Another relevant aspect of the work is the importance of respecting people's expression in their native language, a key element in understanding more accurately how they live and value their caregiving experience.
The results will enable a critical review of the questionnaires currently in use, generate recommendations for improving their application, and advance a more accurate economic assessment of the value of care, thus helping to guide decision-making in public policy and the funding of support services.
The INVALUABLE pilot project is funded by the British Academy, Wellcome, and the Welsh Government.
This meeting also strengthens the foundations for future collaboration and research between Matia Institute and the Welsh research team on the recognition and measurement of the social value of care.
