Poverty, caring and older age

Due to the high incidence of disability amongst their contemporaries, older people are likely to be involved in informal caring relationships. Due to the limited nature of post-retirement incomes, such carers are also likely to be relatively poor. In spite of this, little attention has been given to the role of older carers of disabled people or to the influence of poverty upon this role. It is therefore the purpose of this paper to help to redress this neglect by examining the influence of material circumstances on the role of older carers aged over sixty. With this aim in mind a sample of 34 older co-resident carers were asked a series of questions relating to their access to resources and their caring role

Person centred dementia care: problems and possibilities

Purpose Dementia care is an issue of increasing policy focus, with person centred approaches becoming synonymous with quality provision in this area. However, the implementation and efficacy of this approach is difficult to measure and there are still huge variations in working practices, with task centred approaches traditionally predominating over more holistic forms of care. In order to address these issues the procedure of dementia care mapping has been developed, which aims to assess the wellbeing of people with dementia and other vulnerable groups through the observation of communal activities. This article aims to critically assess the implementation of a person centred approach. Design/methodology/approach – With the use of dementia care mapping, this article assesses the implementation of a person centred approach with a group of care home residents. All were female, their ages ranged from 77 to 92. Findings – It is shown that while participants potentially experienced many benefits from person centred approaches and the social engagement and integration that derived from this, its efficacy and impact was undermined by contextual factors such as staff shortages. Originality/value – In order that contextual factors are recognised and addressed, practice should transcend its focus on the promotion of individual wellbeing and address the wider group and social contexts which can facilitate or prevent its fulfilment

The national evaluation of the Care Certificate

Care Certificate training was introduced in 2015 as a means of assuring fundamental skills in front line care.The national evaluation of the Care Certificate indicates that it has been widely adopted and welcomed by care organisations throughout England.The flexible approach adopted by organisations in the process of its implementation has been both an asset and a drawback

Caring and resources in older age

Due to the high incidence of ill health and disability amongst their contemporaries, older people are likely to be involved in informal caring relationships. Due to the limited nature of post-retirement incomes, such carers are also likely to be relatively poor. In spite of this, little attention has been given to the role of older carers or to the influence of material deprivation upon this role. Drawing on fieldwork interviews with a sample of older co-resident carers and the secondary analysis of official statistics, this research aims to redress this ‘ageless’ and ‘classless’ analysis of informal care. While the original intention of the research was to focus solely on the way in which material resources went on to affect caring in older age, subsequent analysis revealed a complex interaction between material circumstances, physical pathology, culture and attitude. The concept of resources was therefore broadened to incorporate these issues and the study’s materialist focus has been supplemented by a consideration of the age-based specificity in the way in which respondents manage and experience their financial situation and caring role. The thesis concludes with a consideration of the implications of these findings for future policy, literature and research. Thus, it is suggested that in view of the high degree of interdependence in caring relationships, intervention should focus less on the conflicting needs of care providers and care receivers and more on their commonality and their shared need for adequate and appropriate support. Similar synthesis is required in the exploration of poverty, older age and caring and also in the three generations of thought that have engaged in this exploration. In the light of this synthesis, it is argued that the ‘relative autonomy’ of the age dynamic should be recognised and responded to by researchers, practitioners and policy makers alike

Implementing person centred dementia care: a musical intervention

Purpose - Recent years have seen the advocacy of person centred approaches to dementia care. An important component of this approach has been the use of arts in the promotion of health and wellbeing. However, relatively little attention has been given to the barriers and facilitators experienced in trying to implement these types of interventions in a dementia care setting. It is therefore the purpose of this article to help to redress this neglect by examining the process of implementing a personalized musical intervention for clients of a specialist dementia home care service. Design/methodology/approach - Drawing on interviews with five project stakeholders, the paper examines, not only the potential benefits to be gained from the musical intervention but also identifies the barriers experienced in its implementation and ways in which they could be overcome. Findings - It was found that although the musical intervention had a potentially positive impact, there were multi-leveled barriers to its implementation including issues of training, leadership as well as contextual issues such as commissioning and resourcing more generally. Originality/value - The key role played by these issues in the process of implementation suggests that practice should transcend its focus on individual well-being and address the wider factors that can facilitate or prevent its fulfillment. While the multi-leveled nature of the obstacles identified suggest that the implementation of innovative interventions within health and social care settings should adopt a similarly eclectic approach

Creative practice in a group setting

Purpose – Involvement in creative practice is commonly regarded as “therapeutic” but what is actually meant by this and how does this work promote social inclusion and mental well-being, particularly when performed in a group setting? Drawing on the findings of a research project called Clay Transformations (AHRC), the purpose of this paper is to consider these questions. The project involved running a series of clay workshops aimed at people with experience of mental health service use and those who work with them. Design/methodology/approach – In order to explore the significance of art involvement to people who use mental health services, qualitative research findings are presented. These are then linked to relevant literature in order to consider the way in which workshop participation helped to promote social inclusion and mental well-being. Findings – Many benefits were gained from workshop attendance deriving from involvement in the process and the outcome of art creation. These benefits were enhanced by the group context in which the work took place and the mutual support and interaction arising from this group membership. Originality/value – The recognition of the therapeutic value of creative practice has been accompanied by the emergence of the notion of “mutual recovery” which extends the concept of recovery beyond an individualised focus. The positive findings of this project uphold these developments and suggest that mental health practice should address the wider social contexts that can facilitate the promotion of mental well-being

Creative practice with clay: a mutual route to recovery?

This article summarises the findings of a project called ‘Clay Transformations’ and was part of the Creative Practice as Mutual Recovery Programme funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. Using a mixed methods approach, the project aimed to assess the extent to which involvement in clay workshops promoted the well-being of a group of 42 participants, including mental health service users, artists and practitioners. A particular focus in this respect was placed on the incidence of ‘mutual recovery’ which extends the concept of recovery beyond the individual to incorporate the wider group and its context. It was subsequently found that workshop involvement helped to promote, not only the well-being and mutual recovery of participants, it also enhanced the supportive capacities and social capital of the settings in which these activities took place, both within the workshops and beyond