The Housing and Support Needs of Older People with Visual Impairment

Visual impairment is one of the most prevalent anddisabling conditions among older people, and yet verylittle research has been conducted that could inform thedevelopment of appropriate public services. In order toaddress this deficiency, Thomas Pocklington Trust fundedresearch to examine the housing and support needs of 400visually impaired people aged over 55.The study found that:? There is little professional recognition, or offers of help andadvice for the anxiety, depression, and sense of profoundloss that people experience with late onset of visualimpairment.? Both blind and partially sighted people need timely andholistic assessment, rehabilitation, affordable equipment andregular review.? People with sight loss do not wish to leave their homes.Home is the epicentre of a mental map that assistsorientation and continuity following sight loss.? Social isolation and lack of human contact are majorproblems for people with sight loss.? People with sight loss have poor knowledge of supportgroups, community services and/or specialist housingoptions for older people with visual impairment. Visual impairment is one of the most prevalent anddisabling conditions among older people, and yet verylittle research has been conducted that could inform thedevelopment of appropriate public services. In order toaddress this deficiency, Thomas Pocklington Trust fundedresearch to examine the housing and support needs of 400visually impaired people aged over 55.The study found that:? There is little professional recognition, or offers of help andadvice for the anxiety, depression, and sense of profoundloss that people experience with late onset of visualimpairment.? Both blind and partially sighted people need timely andholistic assessment, rehabilitation, affordable equipment andregular review.? People with sight loss do not wish to leave their homes.Home is the epicentre of a mental map that assistsorientation and continuity following sight loss.? Social isolation and lack of human contact are majorproblems for people with sight loss.? People with sight loss have poor knowledge of supportgroups, community services and/or specialist housingoptions for older people with visual impairment

Meeting the needs of older peoplewith visual impairment: social care orsocial exclusion?

This paper is based on the research study ?Housing and supportneeds of older people with visual impairment ? experiences andchallenges? (Hanson et al, 2002).1The full findings of this study are reported in another occasionalpaper produced by Thomas Pocklington Trust.2 It is, however, usefulto state that this study found evidence that sight loss in later life hassignificant emotional consequences, often unacknowledged byprofessionals. It also showed how older people with visionimpairment often have their own coping strategies, but are less ablethan sighted peers to carry out certain daily tasks.The study suggested that professionals should offer sensitive andtimely support, in a more collaborative manner, and that serviceshave to be monitored and evaluated to avoid wide-ranging needsremaining unmet. In respect of the home environment, researchindicated that adequate and accessible domestic space in which todo housework safely, low vision equipment and the provision ofovernight accommodation for guests and carers was required.Most participants in the study wished to stay in their homes andneighbourhoods. When asked about possible alternative options,participants emphasised the importance of location and sufficientspace. If they were considering supported housing, they requiredfull information about how it addressed their particular needs.This paper focuses on whether older people with visual impairmentare vulnerable to social exclusion if their social care needs are unmet. In particular, this paper argues that:? Greater professional collaboration is required to improve eyeclinic and community support services.? Relevant staff should aim to provide timely and holisticassessments of need.? Older people with vision impairment have significant needs asregards home care support, access to information, psychologicalstress and social isolation.? Initiatives such as peer support groups and resource centres offeropportunities to tackle social exclusion arising from unmetneeds. This paper is based on the research study ?Housing and supportneeds of older people with visual impairment ? experiences andchallenges? (Hanson et al, 2002).1The full findings of this study are reported in another occasionalpaper produced by Thomas Pocklington Trust.2 It is, however, usefulto state that this study found evidence that sight loss in later life hassignificant emotional consequences, often unacknowledged byprofessionals. It also showed how older people with visionimpairment often have their own coping strategies, but are less ablethan sighted peers to carry out certain daily tasks.The study suggested that professionals should offer sensitive andtimely support, in a more collaborative manner, and that serviceshave to be monitored and evaluated to avoid wide-ranging needsremaining unmet. In respect of the home environment, researchindicated that adequate and accessible domestic space in which todo housework safely, low vision equipment and the provision ofovernight accommodation for guests and carers was required.Most participants in the study wished to stay in their homes andneighbourhoods. When asked about possible alternative options,participants emphasised the importance of location and sufficientspace. If they were considering supported housing, they requiredfull information about how it addressed their particular needs.This paper focuses on whether older people with visual impairmentare vulnerable to social exclusion if their social care needs are unmet. In particular, this paper argues that:? Greater professional collaboration is required to improve eyeclinic and community support services.? Relevant staff should aim to provide timely and holisticassessments of need.? Older people with vision impairment have significant needs asregards home care support, access to information, psychologicalstress and social isolation.? Initiatives such as peer support groups and resource centres offeropportunities to tackle social exclusion arising from unmetneeds

Documentation of ice shapes accreted on the main rotor of a UH-1H helicopter in level flight

Icing tests were conducted on a UH-1H helicopter in level flight behind a spray tanker near Duluth, Minnesota, during the winter of 1983-84 as part of the joint NASA/Army HIFT program. On landing, the ice formations on the main rotor were documented by casting a set of ten-inch molds on the blade using a Dow-Corning silicone rubber compound which was initially liquid at sub-freezing temperatures. Such documentation was accomplished for eight flights in which the temperature ranged from -11 C to -22 C and the in-cloud flight times ranged from 5 to 9 minutes

Attitudes to telecare among older people, professional care workers and informal carers: a preventative strategy or crisis management?

This paper reports findings from an attitudinal survey towards telecare that emerged from twenty-two focus groups comprising ninety-two older people, fifty-five professional stakeholders and thirty-nine carers. These were convened in three different regions of England as a precursor to telecare service development. The results from this study suggest that informants’ views were shaped by prior knowledge of conventional health and social care delivery in their locality and the implication is that expectations and requirements in respect of telecare services in general are likely to be informed by wider perceptions about the extent to which community care should operate as a preventative strategy or as a mechanism for crisis management

Fast Single-Charge Sensing with an rf Quantum Point Contact

We report high-bandwidth charge sensing measurements using a GaAs quantum point contact embedded in a radio frequency impedance matching circuit (rf-QPC). With the rf-QPC biased near pinch-off where it is most sensitive to charge, we demonstrate a conductance sensitivity of 5x10^(-6) e^(2)/h Hz^(-1/2) with a bandwidth of 8 MHz. Single-shot readout of a proximal few-electron double quantum dot is investigated in a mode where the rf-QPC back-action is rapidly switched.Comment: related papers available at http://marcuslab.harvard.ed

Measurement of exciton correlations using electrostatic lattices

We present a method for determining correlations in a gas of indirect excitons in a semiconductor quantum well structure. The method involves subjecting the excitons to a periodic electrostatic potential that causes modulations of the exciton density and photoluminescence (PL). Experimentally measured amplitudes of energy and intensity modulations of exciton PL serve as an input to a theoretical estimate of the exciton correlation parameter and temperature. We also present a proof-of-principle demonstration of the method for determining the correlation parameter and discuss how its accuracy can be improved.Comment: 10 pages, 11 figure

Interlaced Dynamical Decoupling and Coherent Operation of a Singlet-Triplet Qubit

We experimentally demonstrate coherence recovery of singlet-triplet superpositions by interlacing qubit rotations between Carr-Purcell (CP) echo sequences. We then compare performance of Hahn, CP, concatenated dynamical decoupling (CDD) and Uhrig dynamical decoupling (UDD) for singlet recovery. In the present case, where gate noise and drift combined with spatially varying hyperfine coupling contribute significantly to dephasing, and pulses have limited bandwidth, CP and CDD yield comparable results, with T2 ~ 80 microseconds.Comment: related papers at http://marcuslab.harvard.ed

The de Sitter Relativistic Top Theory

We discuss the relativistic top theory from the point of view of the de Sitter (or anti de Sitter) group. Our treatment rests on Hanson-Regge's spherical relativistic top lagrangian formulation. We propose an alternative method for studying spinning objects via Kaluza-Klein theory. In particular, we derive the relativistic top equations of motion starting with the geodesic equation for a point particle in 4+N dimensions. We compare our approach with the Fukuyama's formulation of spinning objects, which is also based on Kaluza-Klein theory. We also report a generalization of our approach to a 4+N+D dimensional theory.Comment: 25 pages, Latex,commnets and references adde