Adapting the ASCOT-ER for older social care users
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Adapting the Easy Read Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit (ASCOT-ER) for older social care users who need additional support to self-report: a content validity study
IRAS ID
316222
Contact name
Ann-Marie Towers
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Kent
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 5 months, 30 days
Research summary
The Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit (ASCOT) is used in many countries worldwide to measure how social care affects people’s lives. In the past, we worked with adults with learning disabilities and added pictures and simplified the words to help them understand. We called this the ASCOT-Easy Read (ASCOT-ER). Some older people using social care (age 65+) find it difficult to complete the ASCOT because of memory problems or very old age. This means their voices are not being heard. Lots of people want to use the ASCOT- Easy Read with older people but first, older people need to help us make some changes.
This study aims to produce a new ‘easy to read’ version of the ASCOT for older people using social care. The aim is to make it easier for them to complete the questionnaire themselves so that they can tell care providers, policymakers and researchers how they feel.
We will work with a group of older people and their carers to adapt the ASCOT-Easy Read for this age group. Then we will test this new version with people who find questionnaires difficult to complete. We expect to have to repeat this process around 3 times to get it right, with up to 10 older people each time. Altogether, we will meet with the working group 5-6 times, and we will test the new version with up to 30 older people over different sets of interviews.
Our working group will be made up of older people with lived experience. Working group members will be involved in all decisions and invited to participate in presentations, blogs and a training video. The video will teach care providers and others how best to help older people complete the new measure.Lay summary of study results: This study aimed to produce a new ‘easy to read’ version of the ASCOT for older people. We formed a ‘working group’ of 8 older people and their supporters and worked with them to develop a version of the ASCOT that was easier for older people to complete. Changes made by the working group were tested in interviews with 25 older social care users.
Key findings: Working with people with dementia and their supporters was critical to success of the project. We improved the tool by making changes to the design, layout and wording and testing. An unexpected finding was that illustrations were disliked by the majority of people, and, in particular, those living with dementia.Outputs, impact and dissemination: The ASCOT-ER-Older People is available to use for free on the ASCOT website: https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fclick.pstmrk.it%2F3ts%2Fwww.pssru.ac.uk%252Fascot%252Fascot-er-op%252F.%2FNBTI%2FCoq6AQ%2FAQ%2Fc12b3fd7-8ab6-45b4-8777-5d60ea59136d%2F2%2FLSXsoLu7NP&data=05%7C02%7Ccoventryandwarwick.rec%40hra.nhs.uk%7Cd2322caab7794b991cd108dd2f090649%7C8e1f0acad87d4f20939e36243d574267%7C0%7C0%7C638718437980970886%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=MYG8j7%2FzcCucSpdwsoA9vyVBtoppv5M%2BEW55jDHODi8%3D&reserved=0 We have also produced one page summaries, videos and submitted research reports to academic journals and the funder.
Involvement and Engagement: Older people and their supporters were involved in every aspect of this project. Working group members helped write one page summaries and produce video resources, including one about their experiences of being co-researchers on this project. We hope this will encourage others to get involved in research.
Conclusions: The ASCOT-Easy Read for Older People has been produced with older people, for older people. The questionnaire is now easier to understand and complete.
REC name
West Midlands - Coventry & Warwickshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/WM/0234
Date of REC Opinion
15 Dec 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion