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Financial abuse of older people in Northern Ireland: the unsettling truth
- Author:
- COMMISSIONER FOR OLDER PEOPLE FOR NORTHERN IRELAND
- Publisher:
- Commissioner for Older People for Northern Ireland
- Publication year:
- 2016
- Pagination:
- 24
- Place of publication:
- Belfast
This study provides evidence of the scope and scale of the financial abuse of older people in Northern Ireland. The study interviewed 1,025 people older people (aged 60 and over) across Northern Ireland were surveyed in relation to financial abuse. They were asked 29 questions in relation to their personal finances, money-management and decision-making in the last 12 months. The results found that that 21 per cent of older people surveyed had experienced some kind of financial abuse. The most prevalent forms of financial abuse identified were issues relating to money and possessions (7 per cent of respondents); buying and selling goods (6 per cent of respondents); and issues relating to charity contributions (4 per cent of respondents). Other types of financial abuse identified included: coercion to sign and fraudulent use of signatures; changes to legal and financial documents and investments; experience of coercion; bank account activity; deception and misuse of money; and issues relating to inheritance and power of attorney. Based on the result of the survey sample, which was representative of Northern Ireland’s older population, the findings suggest that over 75,000 older people are experiencing some form of financial abuse in Northern Ireland. (Edited publisher abstract)
Older people and legal advice - the need for joined up and creative approaches
- Authors:
- DUFFY Joe, BASU Subhajit, PEARSON Katherine C.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law, 34(1), March 2012, pp.31-47.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
This paper reports the findings from research conducted with older people which investigated whether their needs for legal information and advice were being met. Participants included 25 key informants such as solicitors, advice centres in the voluntary sector and staff in the statutory social sector. Also 7 focus groups were conducted with 83 older people across Northern Ireland. The findings suggest that online legal information may frequently assist older people in identifying potential answers to their legal questions, but may not be an adequate substitute for personal communication and advice. The research also highlighted the need for professionals to work together to meet the needs of older persons for legal advice and to safeguard their interests. Such ‘joined up’ approaches are particularly important, for example at the point of dementia diagnosis, where information sharing between health and social care professionals may significantly promote the legal and welfare interests of older people at a vulnerable point in their lives.
A qualitative evaluation of the provision of bereavement care accessed by service users living in a health and social care trust area in Northern Ireland
- Authors:
- MONTGOMERY Lorna, CAMPBELL Anne
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Work in End-of-Life and Palliative Care, 8(2), April 2012, pp.165-181.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia
Within the health and social care sector today, the management of death and bereavement has become increasingly challenging. This qualitative study aimed to investigate the bereavement care offered to individuals living in one Health and Social Care Trust catchment area of Northern Ireland. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 16 key government and voluntary agency staff. The results suggest that much of the bereavement provision is based on the interest and initiative of individual staff members, with few processes to assess the level of bereavement care needed and those best skilled to provide it. Recommendations are made for a bereavement care strategy that outlines a bereavement needs assessment process. Implications for practice are presented.
The impact of devolution: long-term care provision in the UK
- Author:
- BELL David
- Publisher:
- Joseph Rowntree Foundation
- Publication year:
- 2010
- Pagination:
- 41p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- York
This report on long-term care provision policies, from a series on the impact of 10 years devolved government in the United Kingdom, considers the constraint that tax and benefit structure (control of which remains centrally within the Departmental Expenditure Limits (DEL) system), has on Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and England. The importance of having secondary social care, funded from Annually Managed Expenditure by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and less bound to annual budgets than DEL, in minimising diversity of delivered care is discussed. The inability of devolved governments to steer DWP, due to weak intergovernmental relations, is highlighted and in section 2 Scottish attendance allowances and Welsh domiciliary care charges are contrasted. Section 3 details demand for care varies more within countries than between them, while section 4 highlights divergence in older people’s ability to pay. A current snapshot of care provision across the UK in section 5, is followed by a focus on free personal care, personalisation and charging in Section 6. Section 7 reiterates that policies can be constrained as well as enhanced by devolution. Other reports, in this series, detail area based regeneration, indicators of poverty and social exclusion, employment and employability and housing and homelessness.
Older people – recipients but also providers of informal care: an analysis among community samples in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland
- Authors:
- MCGEE Hannah M., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Health and Social Care in the Community, 16(5), September 2008, pp.548-553.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Data on both the provision and receipt of informal care among populations of older adults are limited. Patterns of both informal care provided and received by older adults in the Republic of Ireland (RoI) and Northern Ireland (NI) were evaluated. A cross-sectional community-based population survey was conducted. Randomly selected older people (aged 65+, n = 2033, mean age (standard deviation): 74.1 years (6.8), 43% men, 68% response rate) provided information on the provision and receipt of care, its location, and the person(s) who provided the care. Twelve per cent of the sample (251/2033) identified themselves as informal caregivers (8% RoI and 17% NI). Caregivers were more likely to be women, married, have less education and have less functional impairment. Forty-nine per cent reported receiving some form of care in the past year. Care recipients were more likely to be older, married, have more functional impairment, and poorer self-rated health. Receiving regular informal care (help at least once a week) from a non-resident relative was the most common form of help received. Five per cent (n = 102/2033) of the sample reported both providing and receiving informal care. Levels of informal care provided by community-dwelling older adults were notably higher than reported in single-item national census questions. The balance of formal and informal health and social care will become increasingly important as populations age. It is essential, therefore, to evaluate factors facilitating or impeding informal care delivery.
Person-centred care in Northern Ireland: learning from the experiences of adult social care users
- Author:
- CHAPMAN Alexandra
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Integrated Care, 29(3), 2021, pp.242-253.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Purpose: The move towards a “person-centred” or “personalised” system of adult social care has been at the heart of policy debates in Great Britain. However, policy developments in Northern Ireland are more limited than in other parts of the UK, and less attention has been paid to reforming adult social care. The purpose of this paper is to examine the views and experiences of adult social care users who receive care at home, to explore if and how a person-centred approach might work for older adults in Northern Ireland. Design/methodology/approach: Using a qualitative approach, semi-structured interviews were carried out with 12 people aged over 70 years who receive social care provision at home. Findings: The empirical findings show that social care users experienced limited involvement in their care planning process, reflecting a predominantly service-led approach. The importance of care worker continuity and consistency was crucial for all participants, particularly for maintaining discreet routines and promoting personal dignity. However many experienced different care workers which presented challenges caused by the inconsistency of carers. Research limitations/implications: The majority of participants in the study were women, despite attempts to achieve greater gender diversity. It was also difficult to recruit a range of ethnic groups for the study. It would be important for future studies to include these groups and to ensure their voices are represented in further work in this area. Nonetheless, the findings offer valuable insight into the views of adult social care users and can form a useful basis for future studies. Originality/value: The findings provide a more nuanced understanding of what people want and expect in social care to generate future policy debates and discussions in planning long-term adult social care provision in Northern Ireland. It also provides important and timely contribution to this area, where there is currently limited research and information available. (Edited publisher abstract)
Who's calling? Levels of cold calls and scams of older people in Northern Ireland
- Author:
- COMMISSIONER FOR OLDER PEOPLE FOR NORTHERN IRELAND
- Publisher:
- Commissioner for Older People for Northern Ireland
- Publication year:
- 2016
- Pagination:
- 24
- Place of publication:
- Belfast
Drawing on the results of a survey, this report looks at the scale and nature of cold calls and scams affecting older people. The survey involved 1,025 older people and used a representative sample of Northern Ireland’s older population in terms of age group, region, gender and quintile of deprivation. Questions covered unsolicited calls, junk mail, coercion to sign and fraudulent use of signatures, and rogue traders pressurising older people into buying something that they later regretted. The figures show that significant numbers of older people are the victims of scams, with technological developments making older people more vulnerable. It also highlights the emotional impact of scams, which could result in older victims becoming more socially isolated. The survey found 67 per cent of respondents experienced unsolicited calls to their home, with 22 per cent receiving these calls once a week. In addition 2 per cent of respondents reported that they signed documents without understanding what they were signing and 4 per cent disclosed that they felt tricked or pressured into buying something that they later regretted. Short quotations from survey respondents are included. (Edited publisher abstract)
Exploring the prevalence of and factors associated with pain: a cross-sectional study of community-dwelling people with dementia
- Authors:
- BARRY Heather E., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Health and Social Care in the Community, 24(3), 2016, pp.270-282.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of pain among this community-dwelling people with dementia (PWD) and to explore medication use. It also sought to investigate patient and caregiver variables associated with the presence of pain. Community-dwelling PWD and their caregivers were recruited between May 2009 and July 2012 from outpatient memory clinics in Northern Ireland to take part in a face-to-face structured interview with a researcher. Patients' cognitive status and presence of depression were established. A full medication history was taken. Both patients and caregivers were asked to rate patients' pain, at the time of the interview and on an average day, using a 7-point verbal descriptor scale. From the 206 patients who were eligible to take part, 75 patient–caregiver dyads participated in the study (participation rate = 36.4%). The majority of patients (92.0%) had dementia classed as mild or moderate. Pain was commonly reported among the sample, with 57.3% of patients and 70.7% of caregivers reporting patient pain on an average day. Significant differences were found between patients' and caregivers' reports of pain. Two-fifths of patients (40.0%) were prescribed analgesia. Antipsychotic, hypnotic and anxiolytic drug use was low, whereas antidepressant drugs were prescribed more commonly. Presence of pain was unaffected by dementia severity; however, the use of prescribed analgesic medication was a significant predictor of the presence of pain in these patients, whether reported by the patient or their caregiver ‘right now’ or ‘on an average day’. Patient and caregiver recruitment was challenging, and remains a barrier to research in this area in the future. (Edited publisher abstract)
The denial of NHS continuing healthcare in Northern Ireland
- Authors:
- CROSS Judith, KEARNS Brenda
- Publisher:
- Age NI
- Publication year:
- 2014
- Pagination:
- 70
- Place of publication:
- Belfast
This is a report of an investigation undertaken by Age NI to examine the provision of NHS Continuing Healthcare to older people in Northern Ireland. The report examines the principles that underpin the NHS, outlines the role of NHS Continuing Healthcare and discusses the contribution of the Health and Social Care Trust towards nursing care. It also discusses the demographic and public policy agenda in Northern Ireland. Finally, it details the actions that Age NI undertook to investigate the provision of NHS Continuing Healthcare in Northern Ireland and sets out a series of recommendations to clarify and ensure a consistent approach to NHS Continuing Healthcare across Northern Ireland. The report finds that while there is provision for NHS Continuing Healthcare in Northern Ireland its impact is modest as assessment for eligibility does not appear to be consistent across the HSC Trusts. The report calls for government guidance and for a formal investigation into the provision NHS Continuing Healthcare. (Edited publisher abstract)
Usability of a new electronic assistive device for community-dwelling persons with mild dementia
- Authors:
- MEILAND Franka J.M., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 16(5), July 2012, pp.584-591.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
COGKNOW is a three-year project supported by the Inclusion unit of the European Commission’s Information Communication Technology (ICT) Research Programme. The project commenced in September 2006 and concludes in late summer of 2009. The goal of COGKNOW is to develop an integrated cognitive prosthetic solution that supports people with mild dementia in four areas: memory, social contact, recreational activities and experiences of safety. A user participatory method was applied to evaluate the development process of the COGKNOW Day Navigator (CDN), and consisted of three iterative 1-year cycles with field tests in Amsterdam, Belfast and Luleå. In the successive cycles 16, 14 and 12 persons with dementia and their carers participated. Data on usability were collected by means of interviews, observations, questionnaires, logging and diaries. The CDN prototype consists of a touch screen, a mobile device, sensors and actuators. The evaluation showed that persons with dementia and carers valued the CDN overall as user-friendly and useful. CDN was expected to be a useful tool for supporting community-dwelling persons with mild dementia and their carers. Implication for practice are discussed.