Bathing Adaptations in the Homes of Older Adults
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Bathing Adaptations in the Homes of Older Adults: A feasibility Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) and qualitative interview study
IRAS ID
200842
Contact name
Phillip J Whitehead
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Nottingham
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 2 months, 31 days
Research summary
People who have problems using the bath or the shower at home may contact the social care department of their local council for help. This might mean providing a shower with a level floor – a “wet room”. This means that the person can often use the shower without needing help and may be less likely to have an accident. We also think that showers might make it easier for carers to manage. We want to find out whether showers affect the health and wellbeing of users and carers.
There are often long waiting times for showers to be installed. We think that people may lose some of their independence while they are waiting. This might mean that they end up using more services. Whilst providing a shower might seem expensive, it may cost less than having help from other services on a long-term basis. Although we believe this to be the case, there is no clear research that compares the costs of these showers in relation to the benefits for users and carers. We also want to find out whether waiting times have a negative effect on health and wellbeing and also lead to more costs.
The aim is to run this study with a council where the current waiting times for showers are approximately three months. Half the people who take part in the study will have their shower installed immediately, and half will have a three-month wait. This will allow us to compare any differences for users and carers at three months, when only one group has had the showers installed. We will also compare at six months when everyone has had their shower. We will compare measure of: health (physical and mental), independence, and use of services. Using this method is the best way to be sure that any differences are due to the shower installations rather than other factors. Our aim is to show that it is possible to carry out a study using this method. If we do this, we will apply for funding to conduct a larger study so that we can carry out the necessary statistical tests.
REC name
Social Care REC
REC reference
16/IEC08/0017
Date of REC Opinion
21 Apr 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion