- United Kingdom
- I am an Associate Professor in Ageing and Well Being at the Department of Nursing, Midwifery and Health, Northumbri... moreI am an Associate Professor in Ageing and Well Being at the Department of Nursing, Midwifery and Health, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. My interests broadly encompass participatory approaches to working with older people, to develop preventative, enabling and cost effective, services and supports. I have managed and supported international and national research projects including those focusing on: health technologies and older adultsedit
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... Citation: Roberts, S., Bailey, C., Dana, J., Callan, A. and King, K. (2009) ''When I grow older', The work of the Ethnographic Unit, Technology Research for Independent Living Centre (TRIL), University College Dublin,... more
... Citation: Roberts, S., Bailey, C., Dana, J., Callan, A. and King, K. (2009) ''When I grow older', The work of the Ethnographic Unit, Technology Research for Independent Living Centre (TRIL), University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland. ...
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This report summarises the findings from recent research conducted on the lived experiences of home adaptations, funded by the Centre for Ageing Better. It draws on the views of both people in later life and practitioners to explore the... more
This report summarises the findings from recent research conducted on the lived experiences of home adaptations, funded by the Centre for Ageing Better. It draws on the views of both people in later life and practitioners to explore the home adaptations journey, including triggers, access, installation and outcomes. Given that most older people live in mainstream accommodation and wish to continue living in their current property, the ability to modify one’s home environment to meet changing needs is central to facilitating healthy ageing in place. The report highlights the importance of how personal contexts exhibit influence over each stage of the journey and recommends that delivery of home adaptation services and their future evaluations consider important contextual factors.
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There is a wealth of research addressing falls aetiology in older persons. This may be framed within western world, ageing demographics and financial concerns that require evidence of effective bio-medical interventions (Kingston 2000).... more
There is a wealth of research addressing falls aetiology in older persons. This may be framed within western world, ageing demographics and financial concerns that require evidence of effective bio-medical interventions (Kingston 2000). Drawing on older persons’ falls narratives and building on a small body of work (see, for example, Horton and Arber 2004; Kingston 2000; McKee et al 1999; Yardley 2004), this paper highlights ways in which fallers view falls and calls for complementary, social and cultural analyses. In so doing, negative culturally and linguistically embedded notions of falling in relation to ageing, usefulness, personal control, autonomy, social embarrassment and social standing, may be challenged. In turn, the ‘faller’ may position him- or herself beyond connotations of ‘loss of control’ and decline (Horton and Arber 2004; McKee et al 1999). The falls narratives have been collected as part of an ongoing, multi-sited and multi-disciplinary Irish study Technologies f...
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There is a wealth of research addressing falls aetiology in older persons. This may be framed within western world, ageing demographics and financial concerns that require evidence of effective bio-medical interventions (Kingston 2000).... more
There is a wealth of research addressing falls aetiology in older persons. This may be framed within western world, ageing demographics and financial concerns that require evidence of effective bio-medical interventions (Kingston 2000). Drawing on older persons’ falls narratives and building on a small body of work (see, for example, Horton and Arber 2004; Kingston 2000; McKee et al 1999; Yardley 2004), this paper highlights ways in which fallers view falls and calls for complementary, social and cultural analyses. In so doing, negative culturally and linguistically embedded notions of falling in relation to ageing, usefulness, personal control, autonomy, social embarrassment and social standing, may be challenged. In turn, the ‘faller’ may position him- or herself beyond connotations of ‘loss of control’ and decline (Horton and Arber 2004; McKee et al 1999).
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Research Interests:
Evaluating home-based independent living technologies for older adults is essential. Whilst older adults are a diverse group with a range of computing experiences, it is likely that many of this user group may have little experience with... more
Evaluating home-based independent living technologies for older adults is essential. Whilst older adults are a diverse group with a range of computing experiences, it is likely that many of this user group may have little experience with technology and may be challenged with age-related impairments that can further impact upon their interaction with technology. However, the evaluation life cycle of independent living technologies does not only involve usability testing of such technologies in the home. It must also consider the evaluation of the older adult’s living space to ensure technologies can be easily integrated into their homes and daily routines. Assessing the impact of these technologies on older adults is equally critical as they can only be successful if older adults are willing to accept and adopt them. In this paper we present three case studies that illustrate the evaluation life cycle of independent living technologies within TRIL, which include ethnographic assessme...
Ambient Assisted Living, Telecare and Telehealth are conceptual frameworks that combine technological developments and organizational innovation in order to allow frail, older people or people with chronic diseases or disabilities... more
Ambient Assisted Living, Telecare and Telehealth are conceptual frameworks that combine technological developments and organizational innovation in order to allow frail, older people or people with chronic diseases or disabilities independent living at home. In recent years a variety of political initiatives and pilot projects were established internationally. Those range from the development of new technologies and trials, qualitative studies on the impact on clients, carers and professionals to large randomized control trials. In the European project MATSIQUEL the diffusion and the current situation of Telecare and Telehealth concepts in Australia, the United Kingdom and Germany are analyzed in more depth. This contribution looks in a generic way on the developments in Australia and the UK.
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ABSTRACT In this article, we report on our interpretation of past and current literature on negotiating risk and resilience in the everyday lives of people living with dementia. We undertook the literature review on which this article is... more
ABSTRACT In this article, we report on our interpretation of past and current literature on negotiating risk and resilience in the everyday lives of people living with dementia. We undertook the literature review on which this article is based as part of an ongoing qualitative study designed to explore issues of risk and resilience from the point of view of people living with dementia in urban and rural communities. We carried out a search of international, peer-reviewed publications in 2012 with an emphasis on UK policy and practice. We also accessed UK Government documents and reports for background detail. We found that there is a personal, collective, practice and policy-based will to secure robust and positive responses to risk and to work with individual and collective notions of resilience. However, there is a competing practice narrative of vulnerability and protection, and a concern with litigation that undermines positive responses to risk. There is some recognition that for community dementia services to be responsive and proactive to the needs and wishes of their users, risk and resilience need to be considered from within complex and diverse, local perspectives and lifelong knowledge. We would add to this by emphasising that an understanding of local context is also needed to fully appreciate complex and nuanced positioning of the person living with dementia. Resources may or may not be in place, but how and why they are used (or not used), and how the person with dementia may be influenced (or not) by others and by localised contexts, may have far-reaching implications for policy and practice.
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Older people, even those living with long-term conditions or poor mobility, can be supported to live well at home, through adapting their home to meet changing need. Installing home adaptations, from grab rails to walk in shower rooms, is... more
Older people, even those living with long-term conditions or poor mobility, can be supported to live well at home, through adapting their home to meet changing need. Installing home adaptations, from grab rails to walk in shower rooms, is cost effective, may prevent falls, reduce social isolation and improve self confidence. Despite austerity cuts to public spending, the UK government increased home adaptations’ funding. However, not much is known about older people’s experiences and understanding of acquiring and living with home adaptations and uptake of home adaptations could be improved. Using wearable camera and face to face interview data, this qualitative study explored a diverse group of older people’s retrospective experiences (n = 30). Focus group discussions were also carried out with a wide range of professionals involved in the provision of home adaptations (n = 39). Findings suggest people may delay having adaptations, because of perceived stigmatising associations wit...
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Purpose Quality, accessible and appropriate housing is key to older people’s ability to live independently. The purpose of this paper is to understand older people’s housing aspirations and whether these are currently being met. Evidence... more
Purpose Quality, accessible and appropriate housing is key to older people’s ability to live independently. The purpose of this paper is to understand older people’s housing aspirations and whether these are currently being met. Evidence suggests one in five households occupied by older people in England does not meet the standard of a decent home. The Building Research Establishment has calculated that poor housing costs the English National Health Service £1,4bn annually (Roys et al., 2016). Design/methodology/approach This paper reports on the findings of a participatory theatre approach to engaging with those not often heard from – notably, those ageing without children and older people with primary responsibility for ageing relatives – about planning for housing decisions in later life. The project was led by an older people’s forum, Elders Council, with Skimstone Arts organisation and Northumbria University, in the north east of England. Findings Findings suggest there is an u...
Background The visually impaired have a higher risk of falling and are likely to avoid activity. Objectives To adapt the existing Falls Management Exercise (FaME) programme, which is delivered in the community, for visually impaired older... more
Background The visually impaired have a higher risk of falling and are likely to avoid activity. Objectives To adapt the existing Falls Management Exercise (FaME) programme, which is delivered in the community, for visually impaired older people (VIOP) and to investigate the feasibility of conducting a definitive randomised controlled trial of this adapted intervention. Design Phase I – consultation with stakeholders to adapt the existing programme. Two focus groups were conducted, each with 10 VIOP across the study sites. Phase II – two-centre randomised pilot trial and economic evaluation of the adapted programme for VIOP versus usual care. Phases III and IV – qualitative interviews with VIOP and Postural Stability Instructors regarding their views and experiences of the research process, undertaking the intervention and its acceptability. Intervention This was adapted from the group-based FaME programme. A 1-hour exercise programme ran weekly over 12 weeks at the study sites (New...
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Research Interests:
Page 1. Integrated Impact Assessment UK Mapping Project Report Produced by Dr Cathy Bailey Julia Deans Dulcie Pettigrew Northumbria University Health Impact Assessment Research & Development Programme March 2003 Page 2. Page 3.... more
Page 1. Integrated Impact Assessment UK Mapping Project Report Produced by Dr Cathy Bailey Julia Deans Dulcie Pettigrew Northumbria University Health Impact Assessment Research & Development Programme March 2003 Page 2. Page 3. Integrated Impact Assessment ...
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Although the benefits of breastfeeding to mother and infant are now well established, within Britain initiation rates are low and have changed little since 1980. This is despite many health promotion initiatives aiming to increase... more
Although the benefits of breastfeeding to mother and infant are now well established, within Britain initiation rates are low and have changed little since 1980. This is despite many health promotion initiatives aiming to increase breastfeeding. In this paper we discuss some of the findings of an exploratory qualitative research study of infant feeding decisions in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, where health professionals are actively seeking to increase local breastfeeding initiation and duration rates. Our findings suggest that for health promotion initiatives to be effective across all social groups, there needs to be (i) a socio-cultural understanding of different social groups' access to and interpretation of pre- and postnatal formal breastfeeding support health services, and (ii) more appreciation of how mothers' informal support networks impact on their access to, interpretation and use of formal breastfeeding support.
Research Interests: Geography, Social Work, Health Promotion, Decision Making, Accessibility, and 14 morePrimary Health Care, Health Policy, England, Self Help Groups, Humans, Female, Feasibility Studies, Infant, Infant feeding, Newborn Infant, Adult, Public health systems and services research, Breast feeding, and Health Services Accessibility
... to inform the preparation of Regional Planning Guidance, other strategic documents, local plans ... The scale of an IIA also presents challenges for multi-disciplinary working ... the existence of several other forms of impact... more
... to inform the preparation of Regional Planning Guidance, other strategic documents, local plans ... The scale of an IIA also presents challenges for multi-disciplinary working ... the existence of several other forms of impact assessment such as environmental impact assessment (EIA). ...
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Research Interests:
Although the benefits of breastfeeding to mother and infant are now well established, within Britain initiation rates are low and have changed little since 1980. This is despite many health promotion initiatives aiming to increase... more
Although the benefits of breastfeeding to mother and infant are now well established, within Britain initiation rates are low and have changed little since 1980. This is despite many health promotion initiatives aiming to increase breastfeeding. In this paper ...
Research Interests: Geography, Social Work, Health Promotion, Decision Making, Accessibility, and 14 morePrimary Health Care, Health Policy, England, Self Help Groups, Humans, Female, Feasibility Studies, Infant, Infant feeding, Newborn Infant, Adult, Public health systems and services research, Breast feeding, and Health Services Accessibility
There has been little research that addresses the importance of place in enabling resilience and citizenship - most to date focussing on these as a characteristic of the individual. This paper reports on findings from a qualitative study... more
There has been little research that addresses the importance of place in enabling resilience and citizenship - most to date focussing on these as a characteristic of the individual. This paper reports on findings from a qualitative study that aimed to explore the everyday experiences of living with dementia within rural and semi-urban communities. Data collection included a sequence of four research diaries and interviews with 13 families living at home with dementia and interviews with service providers and commissioners (a total of 57 diaries, 69 interviews with people living with dementia and 6 interviews with service providers and commissioners). Key themes identified included: Others Knowing and Responding; Socially Withdrawing and Feeling Excluded; Sustaining and Changing Activities; Belonging and Estrangement from Place; Engaging Services and Supports. The study found that familiarity with people and place can be supportive, and these factors support a narrative citizenship i...
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In the UK, 1 in 5 people aged 75 and over live with sight loss. Visually impaired older people (VIOP) have an above average incidence of falls and 1.3-1.9 times more likely to experience hip fractures, than the general population. Older... more
In the UK, 1 in 5 people aged 75 and over live with sight loss. Visually impaired older people (VIOP) have an above average incidence of falls and 1.3-1.9 times more likely to experience hip fractures, than the general population. Older people with eye diseases are ∼3 times more likely than those with good vision, to limit activities due to fear of falling. This feasibility study aims to adapt the group-based Falls Management Exercise (FaME) programme to the needs of VIOP and carry out an external pilot trial to inform the design of a future definitive randomised controlled trial. A UK based 2-centre mixed methods, randomised, feasibility study will be conducted over 28 months. Stakeholder panels, including VIOP, will make recommendations for adaptations to an existing exercise programme (FaME), to meet the needs of VIOP, promoting uptake and adherence, while retaining required effective components of the exercise programme. 80 VIOP aged 60 and over, living at home, ambulant with or without a walking aid, will be recruited in Newcastle (n=40) and Glasgow (n=40) through National Health Service (NHS) Trusts and third sector partners. Participants randomised into the intervention arm will receive the adapted FaME programme. Participants randomised into the control arm will continue with usual activity. Outcomes are, recruitment rate, adherence and validated measures including fear of falling and quality of life. Postintervention in-depth qualitative interviews will be conducted with a purposive sample of VIOP (N=10). Postural stability instructors will be interviewed, before trial-specific training and following the intervention. Ethics approval was secured through the National Research Ethics Service (NRES) Committee North East, Newcastle and North Tyneside 2. Glasgow Caledonian University was approved as a non-NHS site with local ethics approval. Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals, national and international conferences. ISRCTN16949845.
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Research Interests:
Evaluating home-based independent living technologies for older adults is essential. Whilst older adults are a diverse group with a range of computing experiences, it is likely that many of this user group may have little experience with... more
Evaluating home-based independent living technologies for older adults is essential. Whilst older adults are a diverse group with a range of computing experiences, it is likely that many of this user group may have little experience with technology and may be challenged with ...
... E-mail: cathy. ... A number of studies suggest that fear of falling among community dwelling older adults aged 65 years and upwards is common, with prevalence ranging from 26% to 55% (Arfken et al., 1994; Bruce, Devine,... more
... E-mail: cathy. ... A number of studies suggest that fear of falling among community dwelling older adults aged 65 years and upwards is common, with prevalence ranging from 26% to 55% (Arfken et al., 1994; Bruce, Devine, & Prince, 2002; Howland et al., 1993; Murphy, Dubin, & ...
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ABSTRACTThis paper draws attention to the need for further understanding of the fine details of routine and taken-for-granted daily activities and mobility. It argues that such understanding is critical if technologies designed to... more
ABSTRACTThis paper draws attention to the need for further understanding of the fine details of routine and taken-for-granted daily activities and mobility. It argues that such understanding is critical if technologies designed to mitigate the negative impacts of falls and fear-of-falling are to provide unobtrusive support for independent living. The reported research was part of a large, multidisciplinary, multi-site research programme into responses to population ageing in Ireland, Technologies for Independent Living (TRIL). A small, exploratory, qualitative life-space diary study was conducted. Working with eight community-dwelling older adults with different experiences of falls or of fear-of-falls, data were collected through weekly life-space diaries, daily-activity logs, two-dimensional house plans and a pedometer. For some participants, self-recording of their daily activities and movements revealed routine, potentially risky behaviour about which they had been unaware, which may have implications for falls-prevention advice. The findings are presented and discussed around four key themes: ‘being pragmatic’, ‘not just a faller’, ‘heightened awareness and blind spots’ and ‘working with technology’. The findings suggest a need to think creatively about how technological and other solutions best fit with people's everyday challenges and needs and of critical importance, that their installation does not reduce an older adult to ‘just a faller’ or a person with a fear-of-falls.
Research Interests: Ageing Society and Ageing
Abstract There is a high prevalence of falls in older adults. It has been recognised that a highly challenging balance and strength retraining program can reduce the incidence of falls significantly. This paper describes the design and... more
Abstract There is a high prevalence of falls in older adults. It has been recognised that a highly challenging balance and strength retraining program can reduce the incidence of falls significantly. This paper describes the design and initial evaluation of a home-based ...
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Research Interests:
Research Interests: Nursing, Health Promotion, Decision Making, Poverty, Social Support, and 16 moreMidwifery, England, Humans, Female, Mothers, Risk factors, Newborn Infant, Questionnaires, Adult, Public health systems and services research, Breast feeding, Risk Factors, Low Income, Socioeconomic Factors, attitude to health, and cultural characteristics
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In this paper, we report on key aspects of recruiting and retaining a small group of community dwelling older adults in to a study, piloting motion sensors in their homes for 8 weeks. This was to further understanding of older... more
In this paper, we report on key aspects of recruiting and retaining a small group of community dwelling older adults in to a study, piloting motion sensors in their homes for 8 weeks. This was to further understanding of older adults' falls at home. We consider our recruitment strategy in terms of informed consent and non-exploitation; planning and explaining, and our retention strategy in terms of communicating and recording and pacing and sharing data. Offering reflective analyses of our challenges and strategies may help develop skills that maximise the involvement of older adults in research, particularly technologies related research, whilst at the same time ensuring inclusive and non-exploitative research relationships.
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Research Interests:
... E-mail: cathy. ... A number of studies suggest that fear of falling among community dwelling older adults aged 65 years and upwards is common, with prevalence ranging from 26% to 55% (Arfken et al., 1994; Bruce, Devine,... more
... E-mail: cathy. ... A number of studies suggest that fear of falling among community dwelling older adults aged 65 years and upwards is common, with prevalence ranging from 26% to 55% (Arfken et al., 1994; Bruce, Devine, & Prince, 2002; Howland et al., 1993; Murphy, Dubin, & ...
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Research Interests: Human Geography and Area
ABSTRACT This paper shares ‘user perspective’ insights from the ethnography component of an ongoing Irish interdisciplinary study, Technology Research for Independent Living (TRIL).22TRIL is further outlined below. Please visit:... more
ABSTRACT This paper shares ‘user perspective’ insights from the ethnography component of an ongoing Irish interdisciplinary study, Technology Research for Independent Living (TRIL).22TRIL is further outlined below. Please visit: http://www.trilcentre.org/. The views and opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of the project's funding bodies. The research is informed by a shared pool of knowledge, medical and research expertise, engineering resources, design and ethnography and is exploring new technologies that may support older people to live independently in their own homes, even if dealing with age-related illness or injury. To provide theoretical context, we position both our understanding of user perspective and our anthropological ethnographic method of enquiry. We draw on early case study material to illustrate older persons’ understanding and experiences of existing technologies from a life course perspective. We then offer an example from our ongoing ethnographic enquiry, focusing on participants’ experiences of new technology. We consider technology as social and discuss ‘having the know-how’; ‘user-led technology’ and ‘enabling/disabling new technologies’. A critical goal of the research is to achieve user perspective technological design. We argue that it's important to be clear about what is meant by ‘user perspective’ and how such user perspective is obtained; in our case, through our anthropological ethnographic lens on older persons and their ongoing relationships with existing and new technologies.