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Researching telecare use using everyday life analysis: introducing the AKTIVE working papers: AKTIVE working paper 1
- Author:
- YEANDLE Sue
- Publisher:
- University of Leeds. Centre for International Research on Care, Labour and Equalities
- Publication year:
- 2014
- Pagination:
- 14
- Place of publication:
- Leeds
The AKTIVE Working Paper series, of which this paper is an introduction, comprises papers outlining the results of the AKTIVE research project. Focusing on older people living at home with different types of frailty, the project aimed both to enhance understanding of how they (and those supporting them) accessed, engaged with and used the telecare equipment supplied to them, and to explore the consequences for them of doing so. This paper briefly describes the two telecare services studied, in Leeds and Oxfordshire, providing a context in which some of the differences seen in research participants’ experiences and reactions can be understood. It describes the 60 frail older people included in the everyday life analysis (ELA) sample, a key source of information and data for the project, including their personal characteristics, their living situations and family circumstances, their health situations at the start of the study and some of the changes they experienced during the research contact. Finally, it describes the different types and combinations of telecare equipment in place in the ELA households. All papers in the AKTIVE Working Paper series draw on the ELA research findings, and each indicates which AKTIVE research questions it addresses. (Edited publisher abstract)
Research partnerships – embracing user involvement: practical considerations and reflections
- Author:
- O'SULLIVAN Roger
- Journal article citation:
- Quality in Ageing and Older Adults, 19(4), 2018, pp.220-231.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Purpose: Academic researchers are increasingly required, and rightly so, to demonstrate the impact of their work beyond the gates of the university. This has led to an increasing focus, especially in response to funded calls, on developing research partnerships that cross disciplines, sectors and borders to help address our grand societal challenges. The purpose of this paper is to set out learning from the work of the organisation the Centre for Ageing Research and Development in Ireland (CARDI) and reflections on how to bring forward effective research partnerships involving users. Design/methodology/approach: This paper is based on reflections and learning from the organisation CARDI which delivered a highly successful programme of interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral and cross-country research partnerships in both rural and urban areas between 2007 and 2015, across the island of Ireland. Findings: Research partnerships that wish to involve users require time, commitment, support, understanding and a willingness to change and be challenged. This paper highlights that there are methodological, philosophical, moral, economic and of course, practical aspects to be considered. Research limitations/implications: This reflective paper is based on a case study from the island of Ireland during the period 2007–2015 working in the area of ageing and older people. Practical implications: The author emphasises that for research partnerships involving users to be successful, they need to not only consider the most effective research methods but also focus on the overarching purpose of the work and adopt an ethos and practice that maximises each partner’s knowledge and expertise to their full potential. Social implications: This reflective paper focused on the characteristics associated with partnership success, i.e. communication style, values, philosophy and practice and argues that establishing effective and inclusive partnerships requires time, the appropriate framework and reviewing the process on an ongoing basis. Originality/value: The issue of user involvement in research partnerships requires much more consideration. Researchers, government, funders, businesses and service providers are increasingly recognising the benefits of “user” involvement to help design programmes and services that are most effective. (Edited publisher abstract)
Reflecting on user-involvement and participatory research
- Editors:
- PEACE Sheila, HUGHES Jonathan, (eds.)
- Publisher:
- Centre for Policy on Ageing
- Publication year:
- 2010
- Pagination:
- 84p.
- Place of publication:
- London
The editors have collected together a series of papers showing how professional researchers can adopt ways of working with older people that better recognises their potential contributions. The writers look at how research organisations select, use and involve older people in carrying out research, how effective they are and the advantages and disadvantages of using them as a resource. Issues of adequate financial support, tokenism, avoiding patronising attitudes, and the importance of collaboration between all parties are raised as particularly important considerations. A qualitative case study listens to older carers using a range of research methods including diaries, focus groups and participant observation. A critique of experience to date, including the broader European perspective, suggests that the involvement of older researchers can benefit both the research and the older individual. However, it appears that these benefits do not necessarily translate into improvements in service quality. It is concluded that putting research into practice remains a challenge.
The challenge of evaluating mental health services for older people
- Authors:
- McCRAE Niall, BANERJEE Sube
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 26(6), June 2011, pp.551-557.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Despite a consensus on the need to expand service capacity and function in mental health care for older people, evidence on models of service development is limited. The authors suggest that while clinicians move towards evidence-based practice, health service management and commissioning tends to continue to be driven by political expediency. In attempting to answer the question “Does it work?” it is necessary to remember that programmes do not work; people make them work. Evaluators need to look beyond the formal aspects of the programme and understand change from each participant’s perspective. Mixed methods were applied to evaluating two developments in mental health services for older people run by the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust: Improving Quality of Care for Older People in Lambeth, and Croydon Memory Service. Drawing on these two case studies, the authors consider how evaluation of service innovations can inform policy and practice. They suggest that combining formative and summative methodology improves the contribution of evaluation of service development to the evidence base and that the realist evaluation model is useful in generating theory from complex interventions in a unique context. It is concluded that evaluation should involve both measurement and meaning when judging the value of an intervention.
Decision-making capacity of elderly patients assessed through the vignette method: imagination or reality?
- Authors:
- VELLINGA A., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 9(1), January 2005, pp.40-48.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This article evaluates whether providing hypothetical or realistic information influences the assessment of decision-making capacity in elderly patients with (and without) cognitive impairment. Decision-making capacity was assessed by means of a clinical vignette that presented a choice about whether to undergo an endoscopic procedure. The following standards of decision-making capacity were evaluated quantitatively and qualitatively: ability to evidence a choice, to understand, to reason, and to appreciate a situation. The vignette was presented to patients in either a hypothetical or real situation. In the hypothetical situation cognitively impaired patients performed significantly poorer than cognitively non-impaired patients on all abilities associated with decision-making capacity (with the exception of evidencing a choice). The realistic situation showed the same pattern among cognitively impaired and non-impaired patients in their ability to understand and in the total vignette score. Both types of patients reasoned about and appreciated the realistic situation equally well. Qualitative analysis revealed that patients gave comparable answers in both hypothetical and realistic situations. The answers were not related to standards of decision-making capacity. Moreover, personal circumstances were taken as a reference point for making a decision, regardless of the situation. We did not find any major differences between the hypothetical and realistic situation. Our findings do raise questions about the validity of hypothetical vignettes, however, especially when used with cognitively impaired persons.
Practically relevant research: capturing real world tasks, environments, and outcomes
- Authors:
- CZAJA Sara J., SHARIT Joseph
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 43(Special Issue), March 2003, pp.9-18.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Development of strategies to optimise the functional performance of older adults requires understanding the behaviour of older people doing tasks in real-world settings and capturing these interactions in research protocols. This is a major challenge as there is some degree of tension between capturing the contextual variables and constraints that operate in the real world and the scale of research that can be realistically conducted within controlled experimental settings. This article presents a research approach that can be used to help ensure the ecological validity of research protocols. The intent is to demonstrate how an ecologically valid approach affords greater insight into the performance of older adults in real world settings. The approach involves techniques such as task analysis and simulation. Examples from two research projects examining aging and the performance of real-world computer-based work tasks are used to demonstrate the application of this approach. The article demonstrates how an ecologically valid research approach yields information about human performance that can be translated into solutions for real-world problems.
ENRICH (Enabling Research in Care Homes)
- Publisher:
- Dementia and Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Network (DeNDRoN)
A simple, practical guide for researchers, care home staff, residents and carers, which provides information and advice on carrying out and participating in research in care homes. Separate sections provide advice and guidance to: researchers on how to prepare and carry out research in care homes; for care home staff on what it means to support research in a care home; and for residents, carers and families on the role they can play in supporting research. Tools, case studies and a list of useful links and resources are included The resource has been developed by the Dementia and Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Network (DeNDRoN) and draws on work from the NIHR School for Social Care Research (SSCR).
Descriptive functional analysis of behavioral excesses shown by adults with Down syndrome and dementia
- Authors:
- MILLICHAP David, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 18(9), September 2003, pp.844-854.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The study examined the hypothesis that a functional relationship exists between social environmental events and behavioural excesses in individuals with Down syndrome and dementia. A case-series design was employed (n = 4) using an direct observation-based descriptive functional assessment procedure. Observations were conducted in the natural environments of four participants over periods ranging from 11 to 15.4 hours. Data were collected on non-verbal and verbal behavioural excesses, appropriate engagement and verbal interaction with others. Social environmental events observed including both staff and peer behaviour. Analysis of co-occurrence for behavioral excesses and social environmental events indicated significant relationships for some behaviours consistent with operant reinforcement processes. Sequential analysis showed that changes in the probability of social contact occurred in the period directly preceding and following verbal behaviours. Results support the hypothesis that, consistent with literature for older adults with dementia in the general population, some behavioral excesses were functional in nature and not randomly occurring events. No relationship was found between appropriate engagement and staff contact. Evidence of the functional nature of target behavioral excesses indicates that behavioural interventions have potential for this client group.
Integrating theory, basic research, and intervention: two case studies from caregiving research
- Authors:
- PILLEMER Karl, SUITOR Jill, WETHINGTON Elaine
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 43(Special Issue), March 2003, pp.19-28.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
The premise of this article is that interventions should be based explicitly on theory and basic research findings. Although there appears to be general agreement with that assertion, the connections among theory, research, and intervention in the field of gerontology are often tenuous or nonexistent. In this article, we argue for better integration of these three domains, providing two case studies that illustrate the positive role theory and research can play in intervention designs and broader applicability of findings. Study 1 involved a social support intervention for persons making the transition to becoming a family caregiver. Study 2 was an organizational intervention designed to improve interpersonal relationships and increase mutual support between family caregivers and staff in nursing homes.