Search results for ‘Subject term:"older people"’ Sort:
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English forums on ageing: a first step in good practice
- Author:
- UK ADVISORY FORUM ON AGEING
- Publisher:
- Great Britain. Department for Work and Pensions
- Publication year:
- 2011
- Pagination:
- 6p.
- Place of publication:
- London
- Edition:
- Rev. ed.
The UK Advisory Forum on Ageing offers older people a direct line to government to comment on new policy ideas, services, legislation and areas important to them. It aims to improve the well-being of older people and to respond to the opportunities and challenges of an ageing society. Government is encouraging the development of local and regional communication channels to identify common themes that need to be brought to the attention of national government, provide direction and leadership on local and regional issues affecting older people, and to help spread good practice locally. This document offers some ideas for discussion and development, which emerged from a DWP-facilitated workshop held in December 2009.
Involving older people in commissioning: more power to their elbow?
- Authors:
- WISTOW Gerald, WADDINGTON Eileen, DAVEY Vanessa
- Publisher:
- Joseph Rowntree Foundation
- Publication year:
- 2011
- Pagination:
- 75p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- York
This research set out to investigate what happens when older people are given the opportunity to shape service commissioning and delivery. The study also raises wider question of whether it can change the nature of local power relations in the long term. Dorset and Salford were identified as two areas where structures and processes exist which encourage and facilitate the involvement of older people in local decision-making. Through focus groups the research examined: how older people in these areas were involved in commissioning and service delivery; what difference their involvement made; the factors which lead to successful engagement; and the barriers to involving older people. Key findings revealed that public policy has made increasing reference to voice and choice for service users. Yet there were few examples where users have a real say in commissioning and more strategic approaches to service planning. Older people and agencies felt that their local involvement processes were worthwhile and associated with identifiable results. National focus groups were more sceptical about whether outcomes justified the time and resources involved. In conclusion, involvement should concentrate specifically on outcomes more than on processes.
An interdisciplinary outreach model of African American recruitment for Alzheimer's disease research
- Authors:
- WILLIAMS Monique M., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 51(S1), June 2011, pp.S134-S141.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
The African American Outreach Satellite provides educational outreach to facilitate African American recruitment for longitudinal studies at the Washington University Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. This article describes its recruitment methods and strategic plan for community engagement, which included social marketing, training for health care providers, outreach literature and use of media. It discusses implementation of the plan and sets out the results of outreach and recruitment activities. It notes that following implementation of the recruitment initiative the number of African American participants in ADRC supported activities has increased considerably, and that establishment and maintenance of successful community partnerships is an essential component of effective African American outreach and recruitment efforts.
Attempts to reach the oldest and frailest: recruitment, and adherence, and retention of urban elderly persons to a falls reduction exercise program
- Authors:
- STINEMAN Margaret G., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 51(S1), June 2011, pp.S59-S72.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
The Exercise and Training in Aging (EXTRA) protocol development study aimed to design a culturally appropriate intervention for elderly, mostly African American urban residents who suffered a fall of sufficient severity to need an emergency department visit. EXTRA included 2 elements: an intervention to reduce the risk of falls, and an intervention to increase adherence and retention, tailored to the socioeconomic, cultural and ethnic characteristics of the target community. This article describes the recruitment and retention of people aged 65 years and older from Philadelphia, and their adherence to the on-site and at-home components of an exercise programme, in a randomised controlled trial. Participants were taught exercises during on-site group classes and encouraged to continue exercising at home and to attend additional on-site classes. Trained community interventionists recruited from participants' neighbourhoods acted as primary contacts for participants, served as coaches, and made weekly phone calls to encourage participants. The article reports on the findings concerning adherence to on-site and at-home components. Adherence was better for the on-site than for the home-based exercise component. Living alone was a strong positive motivating factor to participation and depressed mood was a negative factor. The authors note that although it was possible to recruit and retain participants through development of a culturally appropriate protocol, the process was challenging and resource intensive.
Recruitment and retention strategies among older African American women enrolled in an exercise study at a PACE program
- Authors:
- SULLIVAN-MARX Eileen M., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 51(S1), June 2011, pp.S73-S81.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
PACE (Program for All-Inclusive Care of Elders) is a US model of care for older people. The aim of this study was to examine the use of specific recruitment and retention strategies in a study evaluating outcomes of an exercise programme for older African American women with functional impairments who were members of a PACE, through which they were eligible for nursing home level of care while living at home in the community with family or other support. The strategies focused on partnership between researchers and participants, partnership between researchers and clinicians, overcoming administrative issues, and reducing burden on clinicians and participants. The exercise protocol consisted of strength and endurance activity 2 to 3 times a week for 16 weeks. The article reports on recruitment and retention methods used and the results of the study, including characteristics of completers and non-completers of the exercise programme and satisfaction outcomes. The project enrolled 52 women and 37 (71.2%) of them completed the exercise programme. The authors discuss the challenges of engaging frail older adult adults in exercise as a life habit and the need for a systematic team approach that includes rigorous processes and evaluation.
Building a registry of research volunteers among older urban African Americans: recruitment processes and outcomes from a community-based partnership
- Authors:
- CHADIHA Letha A., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 51(S1), June 2011, pp.S106-S115.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
In this article, the authors describe recruitment strategies for increasing older black and minority adults' participation in health research through health educational community outreach. The study used a community-based participatory research framework and examined a community-based partnership between academic researchers and older urban African-Americans. The recruitment activities were in the context of the Healthier Black Elders Center (part of the Michigan Center for Urban African American Aging Research, which provides community outreach health education to older African American residents of inner-city Detroit), and recruitment to a research volunteer registry. The article discusses the study's retrospective case design and methodology, evaluation of the recruitment process, procedures for building a registry of research volunteers, and the annual total of elderly enrollees in the volunteer registry from 2003 to 2009. It includes a logic model illustrating the recruitment processes and outcomes. The results showed that the annual total count of enrollees participating in the research volunteer registry grew each year over 7 years, increasing from 102 to 1,273.
Engaging with older people: evidence review
- Author:
- AGE UK
- Publisher:
- Age UK
- Publication year:
- 2011
- Pagination:
- 30
- Place of publication:
- London
Drawing on published research, this evidence review provides the theory behind engagement and provides a starting point for any community or organisation wanting to engage or involve older people in their activities. It outlines the different levels of engagement, from being consulted, to higher levels of involvement such as decision-making and agenda setting. It also identifies the benefits of participation for older people, organisations and communities as a whole. Benefits include older people having a greater sense of purpose, developing new skills, organisations getting feedback about their services, reaching groups who might not access their services; and improved relationships with communities. The review also identifies barriers and facilitators to successful engagement. Engagement is most likely to be successful when there is careful planning to overcome barriers of participation, making efforts to include people who are representative of the community, and providing feedback to participants and organisations. The review identifies a lack of published research and evaluation on engagement, especially with older people, and highlights the need for more evidence on what works well. (Edited publisher abstract)
Not a one way street: research into older people's experiences of support based on mutuality and reciprocity: interim findings
- Authors:
- BOWERS Helen, et al
- Publisher:
- Joseph Rowntree Foundation
- Publication year:
- 2011
- Pagination:
- 34p.
- Place of publication:
- York
This paper outlines emerging findings and key messages from the first 2 stages of an action research project called 'Not A One-Way Street', which is part of the Better Life programme. The project focuses on the various ways in which older people with high support needs take up active roles within different support arrangements based on 'mutuality and reciprocity'. Mutuality and reciprocity refers to arrangements designed to enable those involved to both give and receive support. Research activities have involved: a call for information which has led to useful case studies and leads for follow-up work; a literature search; a mapping exercise of known reciprocal schemes; and a public meeting. Drawing on the findings of this research, this paper explores alternative approaches to planning, funding and providing long term care for older people with high support needs, particularly focusing on the ways older people take up active roles based on mutuality and reciprocity. It provides stories and situations where those involved are giving and receiving support, rather than more traditional services provided by professionals or organisations. The aim is that this work will contribute to emerging discussions and developments associated with mutuality and reciprocity.
Older carers and involvement in research: why, what and when?
- Authors:
- KENNEDY Sheila, et al
- Publisher:
- University of Nottingham
- Publication year:
- 2011
- Pagination:
- 11p.
- Place of publication:
- Nottingham
This briefing paper describes the views, experiences, motivations and plans of 6 older carers who decided to stay involved in research following their participation in a one year research project. The project was set up to study the experiences and main support needs of older carers looking after someone with advanced cancer and was designed to also encourage and facilitate the active involvement of carers in the research process. The carers recruited into the research project were asked if they would like to stay involved in the project and invited to attend an introductory course about research and public involvement. This publication provides in their own words the stories from 6 of these carers. It describes their experiences of various stages of the research process including: contributing ideas about the focus of the research; being on the project advisory group; helping with recruitment; taking part in a focus group; contributing to the project report; commenting on the report; and publicising the project findings. The benefits of involvement of carers in research for both carers and research are considered and a number of top tips for carers and researchers are provided.
Up close and personal: a qualitative study exploring the lived experience of older carers
- Author:
- PARKER Ethna
- Journal article citation:
- Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, 8(1), Autumn 2011, pp.15-29.
- Publisher:
- South West Yorkshire Mental Health NHS Trust and University of Huddersfield
It has been estimated that 15 per cent of those aged 65 or over provide some form of informal care in England. However, despite a growing literature on the involvement of older people in research, there remains a paucity of literature on the involvement of older carers. The author explored the experiences of informal carers who were aged 65 years and over identified via a General Practice register in one urban medical practice. Data were collected through four focus groups and research diaries completed by the carers, along with reflective notes, field notes, minutes from meetings and memos. Every carer aged 55 or over and registered with the medical practice was invited to take part in the study. Four female carers and one male carer took part (age range 65-83). Themes emerging during the data analysis included; managing things in an emergency, feeling valued because they took part in the research, and the day-to-day reality of living with social exclusion. The author highlights the contribution older people can make to decision making within the statutory, independent and voluntary sectors. She concludes that GP registers provide a valuable tool for identifying older carers who may otherwise be difficult to engage in research, but suggests that persuading GPs to engage with qualitative research may prove challenging.