ASSIST project 1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A preventative approach for Access to a Sustainable, whole System pathway for older people with vISion impairmenT (ASSIST)
IRAS ID
320884
Contact name
Jennifer Acton
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cardiff University
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
The project addresses the need for more sustainable care and support for older people with vision impairment (VI) to help them live happier and more fulfilling lives.
Nearly 2M people in the UK have a VI; of these, 1.5 million are over 65 years. VI is among the commonest disabling conditions in older people and affects their everyday lives, including their relationships and social connections. When people need big lifestyle changes because of their VI, the voluntary sector, social and health services can help them maintain their independence.
The problem for many people can be accessing and finding the right type of support for their individual needs. Currently, we don’t know the extent of the problem, but as voluntary sector and social services are evolving, it can be difficult for people and their care teams to keep up-to-date with the changes. A clear pathway for people to navigate and access the available support is needed.
The project aims to find out what the current provision of care and support for older people with VI is, to uncover gaps in access and identify areas of best practice. We will recommend how improvements can be made to support better, joined up working and more efficient ways of using existing resources.
Following a literature review on existing support, we will survey older people with VI and their carers, then interview a range of people involved in the whole system about their experiences, starting with service users, followed by professionals and other staff who provide relevant support. This will help us to find out about the current support and whether the needs of these people are being met. We will find out what works well and what doesn’t and what the possible solutions and improvements should be, as well as the economic impact of such improvements.
REC name
Wales REC 7
REC reference
23/WA/0081
Date of REC Opinion
28 Mar 2023
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion