Understanding Care Homes

Katherine Froggatt trained as a nurse and worked in care for older people before moving into research. She is currently a Senior Lecturer at Lancaster University, where she works at the International Observatory on End of Life Care leading a programme of research around older people and supportive and palliative care as part of the Cancer Experiences Collaborative. Sue Davies has more than 20 years of experience as a nurse and health visitor, working predominantly in care of older people. She was Senior Nurse in an Elderly Services Unit in London before moving into higher education. She is an Honorary Reader at the University of Sheffield. Her research interests focus on the needs of older people and family caregivers in continuing care settings and preparation for working with older people. Julienne Meyer is a registered nurse and qualified teacher who leads the Care for Older People Research and Development programme at City University, London. She is also Director for the My Home Life programme, an initiative led by Help the Aged in collaboration with the National Care Forum and City University to promote quality of life for those living, dying, visiting and working in care homes for older people. She holds an Adjunct Professorship at the University of South Australia.

This refreshing and non-biased book challenges the unhelpful and negative portrayal of care homes depicted by the media. It is a practically-sized paperback presenting examples of good practice, with each chapter guiding the reader through a broad range of research methods, interventions and developmental suggestions contributed by experts in this field... This book will be valued by any professional wishing to perform research in an older-adult care home. It will help to prepare them for the unexpected problems they will certainly encounter upon entering such an intimate and private environment.

• 1.Research and Development in Care Homes: Sue Davies, Katherine Froggatt and Julienne Meyer, University College London, Lancaster University and City University London. 2. Developing Person-Centred Care in an NHS Continuing Care Setting. Cathy Ashburner, Julienne Meyer and Angela Cotter, City University. 3. Action Research in Care Homes to Improve Care Planning for People with Dementia. David Stanley, Northumbria University. 4. The Use of Narrative in Developing Relationships in Care Homes. Christine Brown-Wilson, Glenda Cook and Denise Forte, University of Sheffield, Northumbria University and Kingston University. 5. Older People with Learning Disabilities: A Quality Initiative in Caring. Robert Jenkins. 6.The Living Edge: Connection to Nature for People with Dementia in Residential Care. Garuth Chalfont, University of Sheffield. 7. Establishing `Friends of Care Home' Groups. Sheila Furness and Bren Torry, University of Bradford. 8. The Importance of Staff Support in the Provision of Emotionally Sensitive Care. Cheryl Holman and Keith Crowhurst, City University, Tower Hamlets Primary Care Trust. 9. Changing Cultures: Partnership Working through a Care Home Learning Network Tina Fear, University of West England. 10. Collaborating with Primary Care: Promoting Shared Working between District Nurses and Care Home Staff. Claire Goodman, Sue Davies, Stephen Leyshon, Mandy Fader, Chris Norton, Heather Gage and Jackie Morris, University of London. 11. Making It Work: A Model for Research and Development in Care Homes. Jan Dewing. 12. Reflections on the Way Forward. Sue Davies, Katherine Froggatt and Julienne Meyer. References. Index.