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Keele's research on retirement communities, care and wellbeing in old age has contributed to a transformation in the way in which housing for older people is conceived of, built and experienced across the UK (and beyond), and has led to improved quality of life for thousands of older people. It underpins national, regional and local policies; has improved stakeholder (charities, trusts, businesses) and practitioner understandings of the significance of suitable housing and care; and had direct impact on practices at Berryhill Retirement Village and, more widely, on ExtraCare — the charity who have developed and now run 14 retirement villages and 17 housing schemes, including Berryhill, across the Midlands and the North of England.
Research undertaken at Keele has made the social exclusion of older people visible to opinion- leaders and policy makers, helping to shape their perceptions of ageing. These changes in attitude have contributed to transforming provision for older people and promoting inter-generational interaction within local communities through both policy and practice, in both national and local government. The research has had a direct impact on national government policies, and has also coalesced into national campaigns to improve older people's lives. Regional impacts initially focussed on making Manchester an `age-friendly city' which has subsequently been used as a model for other local councils across the country.
Our research has had a direct influence on policy makers', commissioners' and practitioners' understanding of the value of peer led self-help groups and the potential of citizen/service user researchers for driving service improvements grounded in lived experience. That impact is reflected in:
This case study focuses on the construct of mind-mindedness: parents' or carers' ability to `tune in' to what their young children are thinking or feeling. Durham-based research highlighted how parental mind-mindedness is associated with a range of positive child and family outcomes, and has had impact via two main routes: (a) advice and support offered to parents (10,000 copies of the NSPCC's All Babies Count booklet and associated social media sites reaching 800,000 parents), and (b) interventions targeted to improve outcome in parents and families experiencing difficulties.
Over the past 15 years, research within the Nutrition and Metabolism in Health and Disease Theme has provided evidence to inform policy and practice in the nutritional care of older and nutritionally-vulnerable adults. This information has been referred to by other bodies when improving guidelines for nutritional management and care in residential or community settings. Theme members have identified key changes in nutritional status and dietary needs which occur with advancing age; these observations have contributed to the development of standards associated with nutritional, food and fluid provision for the care of vulnerable groups in hospitals and care homes in Scotland and beyond.
Two books and review/research articles in Italian have disseminated the findings from the underpinning research on creating false autobiographical memories and the dangers of inadequate interviewing techniques. This work has critically increased awareness in the Italian legal system amongst both barristers and judges, to the point of shaping the practice of interviewing witnesses in that country. It has also informed all verdicts on child sexual abuse by the Supreme Court of Cassation.
This case study outlines the impacts arising from research conducted since 2001 by members of the UoA working in the Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health (SDHRC), into the health and wellbeing benefits of group singing. The impacts have included improvements in the health and wellbeing of participants in specially created `singing for health' choirs, including clinically significant improvements in: mental health (mental health service users); lung function and health-related quality of life (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease COPD patients); and social, emotional and physical health benefits (older people). Additionally, an ongoing programme of research, dissemination and public engagement has acted to demonstrate and measure these benefits, promoting their potential for public health, and thus informing professional practice, public understanding and public policy.
Our research has directly informed the development of services that are supporting recovery from mental ill health by enabling mental health service users to:
Paracetamol self-poisoning is a major cause of liver failure and death. Research by Professor Keith Hawton and colleagues in Oxford in the 1990s revealed the extent and characteristics of the problem, and led to UK legislation to restrict pack size in 1998. Hawton and colleagues then showed that this was followed by a substantial reduction, over 30%, in the number of deaths from paracetamol poisoning. Importantly, a 2013 analysis shows that the benefit has been sustained and is not diminishing, with an estimated 374 fewer deaths in the UK since 2008. Registrations for liver transplants due to paracetamol toxicity have also decreased. As a result of these benefits, three other countries have introduced similar restrictions since 2008.
Research on telehealthcare at the University of Stirling has guided the delivery of telehealthcare at home in West Lothian Scotland in the first instance, subsequently influencing decisions to adopt and implement telehealthcare in communities in Norway, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Sweden, the Western Isles and Shetland. Research was translated into the MAST (Methodology for the ASessment of Telemedicine) manual, a practical tool which has been used across Europe by decision makers considering telehealthcare implementation. Through the DSDC (Dementia Services Development Centre) at the University, telehealthcare information and guidance has been provided to thousands of service providers and family care givers.