Community resources impacting quality of residential care for older people: a scoping study
ENRICHEnabling Research in Care Homes
GUEST BLOG
Community resources impacting quality of residential care for older people: a scoping study
Dr Jacqueline Damant has worked as a researcher with the Care Policy and Evaluation Centre at the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2006. Her main research interests include the digital inclusion of older people, dementia care and quality of care home services. Jacqueline also works as a RN in a community hospital with the Oxford Health NHS Trust.
Community capital can be defined as the trust that bonds families and communities together. Evidence suggests that community capital can have a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of individuals, and the quality of health and social care services, within in a defined community (a community can be geographic, ethnic, cultural, religious, etc). However, little is understood about the impact of community capital on older people living in residential care. In a literature review, a series of interviews with key experts and a search for existing datasets, this scoping study endeavours to identify the issues around the type of community capital residential care facilities have access to, what effects it may have on the quality of care and how community capital impacts the choices residents and families make around care home services. In addition, during this study a user, carer and practitioner group (UCPG) will be established. Findings from the current study, along with the advice and guidance from the UCPG, will contribute towards the development of a proposal for a substantive study on this topic.
Social capital is loosely defined as the networks and trust that bond families, neighbourhoods, and other types of communities together. There is evidence showing that high levels of social capital have a positive effect on physical and mental health in older people living in their own homes. However, few studies look at the link between social capital and older people living in care homes.
I am undertaking a scoping study, funded by the NIHR School for Social Care Research to gain a better understanding about the links between care homes and communities in which they are located (communities could be defined by geography, ethnic or cultural group, religion and so on) and the effects these links have on residents’ quality of life and the quality of the care services.
I would like to speak to care home owners, managers and service providers about:
– Examples of community links (activities, support services, agreements, events) care homes currently have
– The impact the links have on the care home and its residents
– What changes could be made to improve the links with the communities
As a care home manager or care home service provider, if you would like to take part in a discussion on these topics, please contact Jacqueline Damant at j.damant@lse.ac.uk. We will offer you some compensation for your time.