scholarly journals Older people, information, and social networks in rural Cumbria: doctoral research in progress.

2013 ◽  
Vol 30 (94) ◽  
pp. 61-65
Author(s):  
Linda Banwell ◽  
Susan Elizabeth Capel
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Rural Community ◽  
Population Group ◽  
Information Provision ◽  
Social Network Theory ◽  
Doctoral Research ◽  
Second Stage ◽  
Ethnographic Approach ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Insight Into

Despite there being larger numbers of older people in rural populations in the UK, there has been very little research undertaken with this group. The research uses a social ethnographic approach grounded in information and social network theory. The paper describes the progress so far, places the research within a theoretical context, describes the way stage one fieldwork was undertaken and identifies the themes that emerged to inform stage two design. The second stage fieldwork is described using some of the initial findings from the observation, interview and participant diary data collected. The paper concludes that the research will provide a unique insight into the social networking of information amongst active older people in a very rural community in the rural North Pennines and inform the planning of service provider information provision for this population group.

Shining a light on care homes during the COVID 19 pandemic in the UK 2020

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 217-228
Author(s):  
Annie Stevenson
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Older People ◽  
Age Discrimination ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Human Rights Act ◽  
Human Rights Act 1998 ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Insight Into

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the link between age discrimination and the injustices that have taken place in our care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic in this country. It seeks to show how destructive age discrimination is to those who live in our care homes and attempts to shake up our attitudes to older people, as the pandemic continues. It is hoped that shifts in attitude would lead to a societal revolution in care and support for older people as the pandemic shows us how the current system is breaking down. Design/methodology/approach This is a personal insight into the plight of the care home sector during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK. The writer has worked in the field of social care and older people’s services for many years and felt compelled to share her learning and observations. This led to venturing more deeply into understanding why those who live, work and visit care homes have been so neglected and “cast into the shadows” in the face of such desperate danger. Whilst tracking the media narrative during the first wave, she attempts to apply her knowledge, in particular gained from working for Help the Aged (now Age UK) as a policy manager for Quality Care, but also draws on experiences as a social worker, commissioner and care provider from the 1980’s to the present. By “shining a light” on care homes, revealing that the darker practices that have taken place contravene the Human Rights Act 1998, it is hoped that the recognition of age discrimination will happen at every level and become better known in its application. The paper observes how deeply rooted it is in us all. Findings Having highlighted some shocking examples of bad practice from the authorities relating to care homes, the article concludes that Government policy on care homes from March to July 2020 was discriminatory and questions how far lessons have been learned. The legislation is in place in the form of the Human Rights Act 1998 to protect older people in care homes but is not being widely implemented at regional policy level. Government rhetoric remains far from reality Instead of redressing the gap and admitting mistakes, there is evidence at a high level of continued denial and the projection of blame on to the care homes themselves. Originality/value The author’s professional background includes meeting the founder of the Gray Panthers, Maggie Kuhn, in the United States in the 1988. This was a defining moment that gave her an original insight into age discrimination and influenced her entire career. It eventually led to her working in national policy for one of the most influential charities for older people at the turn of the millennium, Help the Aged. Here, she co-founded the My Home Life Programme (promoting quality of life in care homes). The paper offers a unique insight into why it is so challenging to achieve quality of life for older people needing care and should be of interest to policymakers, clinical commissioning groups, local authorities, older people’s care providers and carer and user organisations.

scholarly journals Accessibility and informational barriers to an age friendly railway

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Musselwhite ◽  
Kelly Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Information Provision ◽  
Rolling Stock ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Rail Network ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Informational Barriers ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Against a backdrop in an increase in the number of older people in the United Kingdom (UK) and an increase in the amount of travel per person for this age group, the number of older people using the railway is in decline. The purpose of this paper is to report on an investigation is a first step towards ascertaining why through audits of issues and problems on rolling stock and station platforms. Design/methodology/approach Rolling stock and station audits were carried out by older people across a rail network in the South West of the UK. A total of 72.2 hours of auditing took place across different sizes of station and different types of rolling stock. Findings Two main themes were found across both rolling stock and station audits: accessibility and information provision. With regards to accessibility, boarding and especially alighting from the train was the key issue. Across stations and in rolling stock luminance, was a key issue for older people with places being too dark or moving from places that were bright to dark. Use of stairs at stations between platforms, especially when the station is crowded was an issue. In terms of information, key issues were found with signage being too cluttered, small, hidden and inconsistent and audible announcements being difficult to decipher. Practical implications There must be improvements made to railways to help older people feel more safe and secure using them. It is suggested step free and level accessibility is found boarding and alighting from the train, but also from station entrance to carriage. Better signage is needed throughout the station and on trains, with large repeated fonts used. Lighting needs to be revisited throughout to ensure areas are bright and well-lit both on station platforms and onboard. Further research needs to look at these findings in relation to slip, trips and fall accident rates. Originality/value There is very little research on older people’s perceptions and barriers to railway use. This adds value in being one of the only studies to do so, especially from the perspective of older people themselves as co-researchers.

The Oral Health Needs of Older People in General Medical Practice: An Overview

2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (10) ◽  
pp. 614-619
Author(s):  
Arijit Ray-Chaudhuri ◽  
Ryan C. Olley ◽  
Rupert S. Austin ◽  
Jennifer E. Gallagher
Keyword(s):  
Oral Health ◽  
Older People ◽  
Dental Care ◽  
Older Patients ◽  
Health Management ◽  
Health Needs ◽  
Oral Disease ◽  
Natural Teeth ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Insight Into

As the UK population ages and older people retain their natural teeth for longer, the complexity of the oral health needs in older people is becoming more challenging. Older patients are often registered with a GP and will increasingly be likely to require dental care. Older people in particular may benefit from dental care but may not have a dentist or perceive any risk of oral disease. This article therefore provides practical insight into the oral health management of older people to assist in addressing their oral health needs.

scholarly journals Special needs of frail people undergoing emergency laparotomy surgery

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 540-543
Author(s):  
Kathryn McCarthy ◽  
Jonathan Hewitt
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Population Group ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Emergency Laparotomy ◽  
Frail Older People ◽  
Operative Morbidity ◽  
Surgical Teams ◽  
One Year ◽  
The Uk ◽  
National Emergency

Abstract There are now over 30 000 emergency laparotomies under taken in the UK every year, a figure that is increasing year on year. Over half of these people are aged over 70 years old. Frailty is commonly seen in this population and becomes increasingly common with age and is seen in over 50% of elderly emergency laparotomies in people aged over 85 years old. In older people who undergo surgery one third will have died within one year of surgery, a figure which is worse in frail individuals. For those that do survive, post-operative morbidity is worse and 30% of frail older people do not return to their own home. In the UK, the National Emergency Laparotomy Audit (NELA) is leading the way in providing the evidence base in this population group. Beyond collecting data on every Emergency Laparotomy undertaken in the UK, it is also key in driving improvement in care. Their most recent report highlights that only 23% of patients over 70 years received geriatric involvement following surgery. More encouragingly, the degree of multidisciplinary geriatric involvement seems to be increasing. In the research setting, well designed studies focusing on the older frail emergency laparotomy patient are underway. It is anticipated that these studies will better define outcomes following surgery, improving the communication and decision making between patients, relatives, carers and their surgical teams.

scholarly journals THE EFFECTS OF BUILT ENVIRONMENT DESIGN ON OPPORTUNITIES FOR WELLBEING IN CARE HOMES

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lesley J McIntyre ◽  
Ian Ruaraidh Harrison
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Older People ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Spatial Diversity ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Environment Design ◽  
Social Connectivity ◽  
Future Improvement ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Insight Into

The built environment influences the wellbeing of older people in care homes. In order to design for enablement, physical activity, and social connectivity there are lessons to be learnt from current care home buildings. Uncovering this design information is key for the future improvement of environments for older people. To the field of architecture, this paper presents an analysis of ethnographic observations (utilising an adapted form of the AEIOU heuristic) from five urban care homes in the UK. Findings provide insight into the qualities of the built environment that have impact on the activity and potential wellbeing of older residents. Five significant qualities of the built environment are identified:  Spatial Legibility, Spatial Interconnectedness, Spatial Traversability, Spatial Diversity, and Spatial Aesthetics.

scholarly journals Service innovations

2003 ◽  
Vol 27 (09) ◽  
pp. 346-348
Author(s):  
Chris Simpson ◽  
Prasanna De Silva
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Older People ◽  
High Quality ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Multi Disciplinary Team

The increase in older people in the UK will increase the need for mental health services to run efficient, high-quality services. Multi-disciplinary team assessments, although not new, provide a method of increasing the capacity to see referrals. Two similar systems of multi-disciplinary team assessments from North Yorkshire are reported with evidence of improvement in quality.

Specialist infantry and defence engagement

2020 ◽  
pp. bmjmilitary-2020-001455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Blair Thomas Herron ◽  
K M Heil ◽  
D Reid
Keyword(s):  
Armed Forces ◽  
Short Term ◽  
The Future ◽  
Uk Government ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Insight Into

In 2015, the UK government published the National Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) 2015, which laid out their vision for the future roles and structure of the UK Armed Forces. SDSR 2015 envisaged making broader use of the Armed Forces to support missions other than warfighting. One element of this would be to increase the scale and scope of defence engagement (DE) activities that the UK conducts overseas. DE activities traditionally involve the use of personnel and assets to help prevent conflict, build stability and gain influence with partner nations as part of a short-term training teams. This paper aimed to give an overview of the Specialist Infantry Group and its role in UK DE. It will explore the reasons why the SDSR 2015 recommended their formation as well as an insight into future tasks.

The RUMA Alliance targets: an overview

Livestock ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 176-179
Author(s):  
Chris Lloyd
Keyword(s):  
Task Force ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Antibiotic Use ◽  
Codes Of Practice ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Ongoing Support ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Roll Out

The Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance (RUMA) was established to promote the highest standards of food safety, animal health and animal welfare in the British livestock industry. It has a current focus to deliver on the Government objective of identifying sector-specific targets for the reduction, refinement or replacement of antibiotics in animal agriculture. The creation and roll out of sector specific targets in 2017 through the RUMA Targets Task Force, has helped focus activity across the UK livestock sectors to achieve a 50% reduction in antibiotic use since 2014. This has been realised principally through voluntary multi-sector collaboration, cross sector initiatives, codes of practice, industry body support and farm assurance schemes. This article provides an overview of RUMA's work to date providing insight into the methods used to create the targets, why they are so important, the impact they are having and how ongoing support and robust data are vital components in achieving the latest set of targets.

scholarly journals A Case Study of a Negotiated Tender within a Small-to-Medium Construction Contractor: Modelling Project Cost Variance

Buildings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 260
Author(s):  
James Ellis ◽  
David John Edwards ◽  
Wellington Didibhuku Thwala ◽  
Obuks Ejohwomu ◽  
Ernest Effah Ameyaw ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Review Literature ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Open Book ◽  
Competitive Tendering ◽  
Construction Contractor ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Insight Into

This research explores the failure of competitively tendered projects in the UK construction industry to procure the most suited contractor(s) to conduct the works. Such work may have equal relevance for other developed nations globally. This research seeks to teach clients and their representatives that “lowest price” does not mean “best value”, by presenting a case study of a successfully negotiated tender undertaken by a small-to-medium enterprise (SME) contractor; SME studies are relatively scant in academic literature. By applying the “lessons learnt” principle, this study seeks to improve future practice through the development of a novel alternative procurement option (i.e., negotiation). A mixed philosophical stance combining interpretivism and pragmatism was used—interpretivism to critically review literature in order to form the basis of inductive research to discuss negotiation as a viable procurement route, and pragmatism to analyse perceptions of tendering and procurement. The methods used follow a three-stage waterfall process including: (1) literature review and pilot study; (2) quantitative analysis of case study data; and (3) qualitative data collection via a focus group. Our research underscores the need to advise clients and their representatives of the importance of understanding the scope of works allowed within a tender submission before discounting it based solely on price. In addition, we highlight the failings of competitive tendering, which results in increased costs and project duration once the works commence on site. These findings provide new contemporary insight into procurement and tendering in the construction industry, with emphasis on SME contractors, existing relationships, and open-book negotiation. This research illustrates the adverse effects of early cost estimates produced without first securing a true understanding of project buildability and programming. Our work concludes with a novel insight into an alternative procurement option that involves early SME contractor involvement in an open-book environment, without the need for a third-party cost control.

Agricultural Multifunctionality and Care Farming: Insight from the UK

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 74-86
Author(s):  
Paul Custance ◽  
Keith Walley ◽  
Gaynor Tate ◽  
Goksel Armagan
Keyword(s):  
Learning Material ◽  
Multifunctional Agriculture ◽  
Economic Support ◽  
International Audience ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Generic Points ◽  
Care Farming ◽  
Compare And Contrast ◽  
Insight Into

The purpose of the article is to provide insight into care farming and the role that it may play in agriltural multifunctionality. The paper outlines three case studies of care farming in the UK to compare and contrast the roles that such organizations may play in multifunctional agriculture. Although the work has the obvious limitation of being based on case-study care farms that are based in the UK, the findings are sufficiently generic to serve as valuable learning material for those interested in the subject and located anywhere in the world. The main finding from this study is that care farming can take many different forms but still contribute to agricultural multifunctionality. The study also confirms the important roles that economic support and favourable legislation play in successful care farming. The paper concludes that care farming is a legitimate form of agricultural multifunctionality but reminds those interested in setting up or promoting care farms of the need for a supportive economic and legislative environment. The paper provides contemporary insight into the concept of care farming as a form of agricultural multifunctionality. A number of generic points are made that should be of value to an international audience of academics researching in this area as well as students studying care farming and agricultural multifunctionality, farmers considering diversifying into care farming and politicians working to create a political and economic environment that may support care farms.

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