Log in
A key challenge for UK Government is to identify how older generations can continue to live independently in their own homes. The UK's changing demographics, recent increases in the cost of institutional care coupled with its declining availability make this a priority for policy makers. A twelve stage research programme undertaken by Professor Tinker has investigated how improved home care and assistive technologies including aids and adaptations could be employed to enable older people to remain at home longer. It examined and costed these options and provided recommendations on how they, and other specialised housing types such as sheltered housing, could be provided. Central government, local authorities and housing associations have employed her findings in revising their approaches to housing support for this rapidly growing population. Her findings have recently been employed by governments in Europe, Canada, the USA, Australia and the Far East in their reappraisals of policy on assisted living in later life.
Research into participative practice and well-being with older people has contributed directly to the development and application of an ethic of care in policy and service delivery, as well as to practices in older people's participation, locally, nationally and internationally. The research has directly impacted on practitioners and practice developments in services for older people, with learning resources (co-designed with practitioners and older people) being used in professional education and training across the UK and in New Zealand. An innovative participatory methodology has both enhanced older people's participation locally and been adopted more widely by university community research collaborators working to enhance older people's citizenship and well-being (eg in Netherlands). Research has directly informed policy concerning older people's needs assessments by recognising the centrality of relationships to well-being in older age. The well-being research involving collaboration with service users and providers has been described as `exemplary' by the leading national charity Age UK.
Research on residential care- and extracare-supported housing conducted by Swansea's Centre for Innovative Ageing (CIA) has impacted on the development and reconfiguration of supported housing services in Wales. Our research on care home closures has directly led to Welsh Government (WG) consultation on guidance regarding `escalating concerns' for care home closures, and the Independent Advisory Group on Local Authority Closure of Care Homes has recommended that our amendments to escalating concerns should be adopted in relation to care home closures due to strategic/policy reasons. Work is now underway by the WG to publish revised guidance in relation to care home closures based on our research. Three local authorities (Swansea, Vale of Glamorgan and Wrexham) have used our research on the challenges associated with extracare provision to inform the development of future services.
The Personal Social Services Research Unit (PSSRU) at the University of Manchester (UoM) has run a programme of research examining community care of older people since 1996. The findings have informed key government decision-making around two important national policy initiatives between 2008 and 2013: (1) the development and implementation of Personal Budgets in Social and Health Care and (2) National Strategies to improve Dementia Services. This has affected the national provision of social care for older people and other adult social care users. In 2011-12, there were over 1.2 million people in England receiving social care affected by these policy changes (over 800,000 aged 65+), with a cost of £6,600m spent on their care (NHS and Social Care Information Centre).
The research has had significant impact in the UK on the development of social and spiritual support for people at the end of life and their families. With Professor Holloway as Social Care Lead on the National End of Life Care Programme (NEoLCP) since 2009, the research has underpinned the launch of a framework for the delivery of social care at the end of life which is now in its second phase of implementation. The framework is endorsed by the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services and has led to local and regional Action Plans and social care practice initiatives. The research on spirituality has led to scoping and training initiatives in healthcare practice and in the funerals industry within the UK and internationally.
Quality of care for the increasing numbers of frail older people is an issue of international concern. Led by Professor Meyer at City University London, in partnership with Age UK and Dementia UK, My Home Life (MHL) is a collaborative movement of people involved with care homes for older people. It was established to improve the quality of life of everyone connected with care homes for older people and has become the recognised voice for the sector. The original underpinning research and ensuing projects all focused on knowledge translation, in particular the factors that enhance quality improvement in care homes. MHL actively works with care homes to progress quality improvement and share the lessons learned throughout the system. The programme has had a significant impact on both policy and practice in health and social care, influencing Government policy and supporting practice improvement across national and international borders.
The University of Nottingham's Sue Ryder Care Centre for the Study of Supportive, Palliative and End of Life Care has enhanced the understanding, implementation and uptake of advance care planning for end of life care. Its work has shaped public policy and influenced national initiatives that have improved quality of life and reduced the number of deaths in hospitals. The research has been cited as an exemplar by the World Health Organisation and has helped inform policymaking at European level. It has guided professional practice, educated care staff and contributed to a more positive public attitude towards talking about end of life issues.
We have contributed, nationally and internationally, to a changing approach, content and implementation of planning policy by including the needs of our ageing society in streetscape design, to address the requirements of older people, benefitting their independence, welfare and quality of life. In the UK 23% of the population is projected to be aged over 65 by 2035, according to the Office of National Statistics (2010). Our focus upon the needs of an ageing society has been adopted as part of the skills and knowledge development agenda in sustainable planning through the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI). Tools have been developed, policy informed and reformed, and our findings included in a House of Lords report on assistive technology for older people.
The project:
This case study presents the impact of the Health and Temperature Research Group (HTRG) at Sheffield Hallam University, led by Professor Tod. The group generates novel, collaborative, translational, interdisciplinary (e.g. health, housing and environment, energy and welfare) research with a focus on cold related ill health. The research impact is illustrated here by The Keeping Warm in Later Life Project (KWILLT). KWILLT findings provide a unique understanding of the complex environment and multiple factors influencing older people keeping warm and well in winter. Beneficiaries include NHS, local and national policy makers, and practice organisations.