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Improving the provision of information about assistive technology for older people
- Authors:
- MCCREADIE Claudine, WRIGHT Fay, TINKER Anthea
- Journal article citation:
- Quality in Ageing, 7(2), June 2006, pp.13-22.
- Publisher:
- Pier Professional
- Place of publication:
- Brighton
This article looks at a small piece of research, funded by the Helen Hamlyn Foundation, that looked at the provision of relevant and appropriate information about assistive technology (AT) for older people. It the study the definition of assistive technology included: housing adaptations, aids for daily living and electronic assistive technology. The research involved mapping both AT and information sources, focus groups with 28 users aged 75 and over and 12 carers, interviews with 40 professionals and information providers and a postal questionnaire to 131 care home managers (response rate of 45 percent). The findings point to the large volume of available information, but suggest that there are problems in identifying needs and in accessing all necessary information. Professionals share these problems and organisational issues impact on professional capacity to provide satisfactory information. The situation in care homes appears to be ambiguous in terms of responsibility for AT provision for residence and hence for information. The researchers concluded that there is considerable scope for improving both access to information and the design of that information.