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Research and development work relating to assistive technology 2012-13: presented to Parliament pursuant to Section 22 of the Chronically Sick and Disbled Persons Act 1970
- Author:
- GREAT BRITAIN. Department of Health
- Publisher:
- Great Britain. Department of Health
- Publication year:
- 2013
- Pagination:
- 136
- Place of publication:
- London
The report describes the wide range of government funded projects supporting the development, introduction and evaluation of assistive technology that might increase the range of activities and independence or wellbeing of disabled and older people. The report covers any aspect of research and development work in assistive technology, including service provision, research on motivation, cost or patterns of use, as well as technological development. Annex A provides a full listing of government and EU funded research into assistive technology in the UK that has started, finished, or carried out during the year. The report will be of interest to those who want to understand how advances in technology can directly benefit disabled and older people living in the community. (Edited publisher abstract)
Technology in cognitive rehabilitation
- Editors:
- GREGOR Peter, NEWELL Alan, (eds.)
- Publisher:
- Psychology Press
- Publication year:
- 2004
- Pagination:
- 256p.
- Place of publication:
- Hove
Communication and Information Technology has been used to support older and disabled people for over thirty years and there have been many successes in this field. Until recently, research has largely concentrated on people with physical or sensory dysfunction; computer technology has been increasingly used to support cognitive activities in able bodied people but its use to support people with disabilities has not had much widespread recognition. Yet well-designed C and IT systems have great potential to enhance the quality of life and independence of people with cognitive dysfunction, by: enabling them to retain a higher level of independence and control over their lives, providing appropriate levels of monitoring and supervision of 'at risk' people, without violating privacy, keeping people intellectually and physically active, and providing communications methods to reduce social isolation. This book recognises the potential of information technology to provide support for people with cognitive dysfunction, including the use of computers to provide traditional prostheses, albeit within the cognitive domain. The selection of papers in this issue shows that the help and support available can be far more than the 'artificial replacement of part of the body' (the literal definition of prosthesis) and can include techniques to provide lifestyle support for people who would not be thought of as requiring 'prosthetic support'.
Research and development work relating to assistive technology: 2017 to 2018
- Author:
- GREAT BRITAIN. Department of Health and Social Care
- Publisher:
- Great Britain. Department of Health and Social Care
- Publication year:
- 2018
- Pagination:
- 65
- Place of publication:
- London
An annual report setting out progress made in government-funded projects which support the development, introduction and evaluation of equipment and assistive technology to increase the independence or well-being of older and disabled people. The report includes developments in assistive technology to address issues in relation to physical health and also those helping people with mental health problems to live more independent lives. This includes systems, combinations of technologies, and interfaces to mainstream technology such as the internet. The report highlights selected studies covering a number of areas, including dementia and mobility, assistive technology in the home; and initiatives to support the uptake and spread of assistive technology. A full list of research projects is included as an annex. (Edited publisher abstract)
Supporting family carers through telephone-mediated group programs: opportunities for gerontological social workers
- Author:
- SHANLEY Chris;
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 51(3-4), 2008, pp.199-209.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Supporting the carers of frail or disabled older people is a key part of the work of gerontological social workers. Although this is often on a one-to-one basis, some social workers are also trained to run face-to-face groups, but are less familiar with conducting group programs through the telephone. This article briefly reviews the literature regarding the use of telephone-mediated group programs elsewhere for patients and also for carers, and describes the experience of a Carer Support Network Project (CSNP) which trained 22 health and community professionals in setting up and running telephone-mediated support groups for carers of people with dementia in rural Australia.
Caring in company: a pre-Covid snapshot of day centres in south London: report of a mapping exercise of publicly available information from four south London boroughs
- Authors:
- GREEN Caroline, et al
- Publisher:
- NIHR Applied Research Collaboration South London
- Publication year:
- 2021
- Pagination:
- 55
- Place of publication:
- London
This research was undertaken to better understand day services in south London as an essential part of social care pre-Covid 19. Between January and September 2020, we collected information about day services for adults with diverse social care needs across four south London boroughs (Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham and Merton). Altogether, 65 day services were identified as serving five of our six target groups (older people, people with dementia, people with complex disabilities or long-term conditions, people experiencing homelessness, and people with mental health problems). We also identified a wealth of community-based associated services in addition to day centres, such as lunch-clubs, drop-in cafes or advisory services that are open for shorter times or by appointment. The research process itself revealed how hard it was to identify day services for certain groups, including for people with long-term disabilities and older people, when primarily using the internet. Furthermore, the regular changes to day services mean that information often becomes out of date, with various services or activities being altered, shut or moved, with limited information on where future enquiries should be directed. Information needs to be more accessible, so that potential service users and their carers can find and use information on day services online. Potential volunteers need such information too. This is also a time when new services such as social prescribing are developing and their staff will need accurate information about local services to avoid wasting their time and others’. This map of day services across the four south London boroughs, although not exhaustive, will be a baseline for research into services during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. Services that offer company to people who are not generally able to access other community facilities should be in a prime position to help rebuild wellbeing and reduce the harms and risks of loneliness. (Edited publisher abstract)
Digital inclusion in health and care: lessons learned from the NHS Widening Digital Participation Programme (2017-2020)
- Authors:
- STONE Emma, NUCKLEY Peter, SHAPIRO Robert
- Publisher:
- Good Things Foundation
- Publication year:
- 2020
- Pagination:
- 72
- Place of publication:
- Sheffield
This report summarises learning from across 23 locally-led pathfinders to explore ways to widen digital participation in health and care in England – each with a different focus ranging from refugee health to supporting informal carers of people living with dementia – as well as from pathfinders which further tested and evolved a model of community ‘digital health hubs’. Pathfinders engaged a wide range of stakeholders and delivery partners, including: Clinical Commissioning Groups, GPs, hospitals, local authorities, care homes, housing associations, specialist voluntary sector providers, libraries, community organisations, patient participation groups, carers groups and the people who are affected by services themselves. Topics covered include: improving digital health literacy; digital health hubs in communities; digital health and people with complex lives; disability, dementia and digital health inclusion; older people, social care and digital inclusion; co-designing digital health services; and upskilling the health and care workforce. The report sets out key recommendations and eight overarching messages, which include: recognise digital access and skills as a social determinant of health; co-design digital health services; improve digital health literacy in the population; develop ‘digital health hubs’ to improve inclusion; build trust and relationships with poorly-served groups; harness the benefits of digital for health and wellbeing; embed digital inclusion in strategies and partnerships. (Edited publisher abstract)
Family caregivers of older adults, 1999–2015: trends in characteristics, circumstances, and role-related appraisal
- Authors:
- WOLFF Jennifer L., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 58(6), 2018, p.1021–1032.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Purpose of Study: To assess trends in family caregiving between 1999 and 2015. Design and Methods: The authors constructed nationally representative profiles of community-dwelling older adults receiving help with self-care or indoor mobility and their “primary” family or unpaid caregiver using the 1999 and 2004 National Long Term Care Survey, 2011 and 2015 National Health and Aging Trends Study, and linked caregiver surveys. Trends are examined. Results: Older adults receiving help were incrementally younger, more racially diverse, and better educated in 2015. Primary caregivers overwhelmingly continued to be spouses and adult children. Arrangements were increasingly 4 years or longer in duration (shifting from 44.8% in 1999 to 60.5% by 2015). On average, primary caregivers provided about or in excess of 30 hr per week at all four time points. Spouses provided fewer hours of care, were twice as likely to work, and half as likely to report substantial emotional, physical, and financial difficulty due to caregiving in 2015 than 1999. Adult children provided comparable hours of care to a more impaired population; a similar proportion reported substantial caregiving-related difficulty at each time. Use of respite care nearly doubled from 8.5% in 1999 to 15.7% in 2015. Dementia caregivers were less likely to report substantial physical and financial difficulty and more likely to use respite care in 2015 than 1999. Implications: Family caregivers’ circumstances generally improved during the 16-year period. Results diverge from prevailing concerns regarding the state of family caregiving and demonstrate the importance of longitudinally monitoring trends in late-life family caregiving. (Edited publisher abstract)
Behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia: advanced disease stages and death. a step to palliative care
- Authors:
- DIEHL-SCHMID J., et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 32(8), 2017, pp.876-881.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Objective: The aim of the present study was to gain insight into the living and care situation in advanced behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), to describe symptoms and findings in advanced bvFTD, and to evaluate somatic comorbidities and circumstances of death. Methods: Standardised interviews were conducted with family caregivers of 83 patients with bvFTD. Forty-four percent of the patients were already deceased at the time of the interview. Results: At the time of the interview or death, respectively, 47% of the patients lived in a nursing home. The median time between symptom onset and nursing home admission was 5.0 ± 5.5 years. In moderate and severe dementia stages almost all patients suffered from severe disabilities including impairment of language, gait, swallowing, and of the ability to care for themselves. Sixteen percent of the patients had got enteral tube feeding. Comorbid somatic diseases were diagnosed in 46% of the patients. Twenty-three percent of the deceased patients had been admitted into a hospital before death. Cardiovascular disease and respiratory disease, mostly pneumonia, were the most frequent causes of death. Conclusions: Advanced bvFTD is characterised by severe cognitive impairment and physical disabilities. BvFTD leads to a premature death. Our findings stress the importance of strategies that maximise patient comfort in advanced disease stages and allow for a peaceful death. (Edited publisher abstract)
The collaborative home improvement agency
- Authors:
- PHILLIPPA Francis, RAMSAY Malcolm
- Publisher:
- Foundations
- Publication year:
- 2016
- Pagination:
- 32
- Place of publication:
- Glossop
This guide sets out a vision for a collaborative home improvement agency and highlights importance of working collaboratively with other services and providers, for both the agency and the people using its services. It highlights the role of HIAs in an integrated health and care system which promotes wellbeing at home and can provide a preventative response to reduce, delay or remove the need for costly institutional care. It suggests that HIAs services will increasingly need to be focused in two areas: highly targeted services to high need individuals, and low level preventative services to a larger population, both grant-eligible and self-funders. It then looks at the importance of understanding and influencing commissioners, developing partnerships with other providers, and HIAs role in shaping the market for the supply of equipment and home modifications. Practice examples are included throughout which provide ideas about how collaboration can work successfully. The guide is aimed primarily at home improvement agencies and related service providers, but will also inform commissioners and policy makers in local government, health and wellbeing boards, health trusts and clinical commissioning groups. (Edited publisher abstract)
People with sight loss in later life: RNIB evidence-based review
- Author:
- ROYAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF BLIND PEOPLE
- Publisher:
- Royal National Institute of Blind People
- Publication year:
- 2015
- Pagination:
- 42
- Place of publication:
- London
This review looks in detail at blind and partially sighted people in later life in the UK and includes quotes from people with sight loss, case studies and personal stories. Sight loss is closely linked to ageing, and as the number of older people is set to rise dramatically, so will the number of blind and partially sighted people. People in later life face unique challenges as, in addition to sight loss, they are also more likely to have additional health problems such as loss of hearing, reduced physical mobility or dementia. The review provides a profile of older people and identifies the major causes of sight loss in later life. It also examines examples of services and support that is available, including support to help people live independently and outlines the current policy context. The review draws from the evidence some key lessons, focusing on: involving older people with sight loss; preventing unnecessary sight loss; improving access to health and care services; and reducing isolation. (Edited publisher abstract)