Developing a Knowledge Exchange on Older People's Involvement with an Ethic of Care
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Brighton
Department Name: Sch of Applied Social Sciences
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Publications
Barnes M
(2013)
Being well enough in old age
in Critical Social Policy
Ward L
(2016)
Transforming Practice with Older People through an Ethic of Care.
in British journal of social work
| Title | Older people, well-being and participation |
| Description | This is a DVD containing acted scenarios, recordings of the researchers and of the research team. Together with a handbook it is designed as a learning resource for those working with older people. It is designed to enable reflection on the meaning of well-being to older people and how social care practitioners can contribute to well-being through the relationships they establish with older people. In addition to the DVD the resources will be freely available through a web site. The DVD lasts 1 hour 6 minutes and is split into modules for ease of use. The modules are: 1. An introduction to the project, 2. Adjusting to Change; 3. Living Options; 4. Care and Caring Relationships; 5. Making Decisions Together; 6. Working with Older People. |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2013 |
| Impact | Practitioners have adopted the learning resources in their own organisations across West and East Sussex as well as in Brighton. An Operations Manager in OT claimed that they are 'invaluable to our organisation as it is an area that is relatively underdeveloped and I have had difficulty finding suitable material' (CS 2 and CS 3). Between January 2013, when the resources were launched at AgeUK headquarters, and July 2013, the 6 films (CS 4) were accessed a total of 486 times and the accompanying handbook downloaded 696 times. 100 DVD versions have been distributed. |
| URL | http://about.brighton.ac.uk/sass/older-people-wellbeing-and-participation/resources/?PageId=25 |
| Description | This project did not involve new research as it was a Follow On project designed to apply existing research findings to practice. The research on which it was based was participatory research to explore what well-being means to older people and how it is generated. The FO project involved a knowledge exchange between researchers, social care practitioners from statutory and voluntary sectors and older people. The aim was to build understanding of how to involve older people in decision making in ways that can contribute to well-being. It was based on both findings and practice experience of working with older people as co-researchers. Some of the older people involved in the research were also involved in the knowledge exchange. Research findings highlighted the importance of relationships to well-being. Both findings and participatory research practice were considered through the lens of the ethic of care. Discussions within the working group led to the identification of three key issues as the focus for the development of learning resources based on this work. These were: adjusting to change, care and caring relationships and making difficult decisions. Working with a professional production company we produced scripted scenarios based on research findings that were performed by professional actors. Together with films of the research team discussing the project and experiences of working together, these have been used in creating six linked films and an accompanying handbook that can be used in learning and teaching for those working with older people. We are reflecting on the learning coming from the experience of working with older people and practitioners in this knowledge exchange process and are in the process of producing an analysis of this experience. As envisaged, the experience of working with a 'mixed' group was a different one from our experience of working with older people in the collaborative research on well-being. One impact was that some older people felt that they needed to draw more from former professional identities (some had worked in social care before retirement), than on their experiential knowledge of growing older. Practitioner members of the group experienced considerable benefit from close collaboration with older people and researchers over what for them was an extended period. They reported insights into the possibilities of working with older people that they would take into their practice. Both their responses and the feedback on learning resources received so far support the value of the ethic of care framework for practice with older people. |
| Exploitation Route | As above. Plus experiences and findings are being shared with older people and in contexts in which policy and service development focussed on older people's well-being is being pursued. One such example is in the context of Brighton and Hove's bid to become an age friendly city. Learning resources are being used in training social care practitioners in statutory and voluntary settings, as well as in university contexts. |
| Sectors | Education,Other |
| URL | http://www.brighton.ac.uk/sass/older-people-wellbeing-and-participation/resources/?PageId=25 |
| Description | The project has contributed directly to the development and application of an ethic of care in policy and service delivery, as well in practices in older people's participation, locally, nationally and internationally. The research has directly impacted 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. The 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 (e.g. in Netherlands). Research has directly informed policy concerning the older people's needs assessments by recognising the centrality of relationships to well-being in older age. Locally it has informed policy, as indicated in Brighton &Hove's Joint Strategic Needs Assessment, where sections on both 'Ageing well' and 'Older People- Social Care' make explicit reference to the importance of the well-being research and the centrality of relationships to well-being in older age. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2013 |
| Sector | Education,Other |
| Impact Types | Societal,Policy & public services |
| Description | Older people, well-being and participation |
| Organisation | Age UK |
| Department | Age UK Brighton & Hove |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | We have recruited a group comprising social care practitioners from the statutory and voluntary sectors, and older people, to work with us in applying research findings to the development of learning resources and training materials. This group has met monthly since the start of the project and will continue to meet for the duration of the project. The group comprises 7 older people; 5 statutory and 2 voluntary sector workers, plus the three people named below. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Age UK Brighton and Hove provided practitioner expertise, support and facilitation to the older people who took part in this project as members of the knowledge exchange team. The Age UK manager contributed directly to the production of the learning resources and to the dissemination of the outputs locally and through Age UK nationally. |
| Impact | This collaboration has resulted in the production of filmed learning resources and handbook for social care practice with older people, conference presentations and publications. |
| Start Year | 2011 |