Person-centred Practice Research Centre Provision of Care to Older People. Dr Assumpta Ryan (Strand Lead) School of Nursing and Institute of Nursing and Health Research University of Ulster

Strand Focus  provision of care to older people, family caregiving, long-term care, community care and rehabilitation.  work collaboratively with other centres in the Institute of Nursing and Health Research to advance research and development in person- centred care for older people.

On-going projects  Improving quality of life in nursing and residential homes by implementing an evidence-based programme of best practice in person-centred care.  Promoting future planning for ageing family carers of older people with learning disabilities: a ‘training the trainers’ approach  Effective family support models during the transition of adults with intellectual disabilities into old age.

Completed projects  Planning for the future: an exploration of the needs of older family caregivers of older people with learning disabilities at home.  What aspects of primary care work in the prevention, recognition and management of mental health issues across the lifespan, for whom does it work, in what circumstances and why?  The Impact of the community care in enabling older people with complex needs to remain in their own home.  An exploratory study of the impact of nurses in pre-hospital emergency care: Benefits for older people.

Completed projects cont.  A review of service provision for older people with mental health problems.  An evaluation of the effectiveness of theoretical and experiential interventions on students nurses contribution to the care of older people.  Assessing telecare for carers of older people.  Rural family carers’ experiences of the nursing home placement of an older relative.

PhD Projects The roles, responsibilities and services provided by home helps/home care assistants. Kevin Moore. Mood and anxiety disorders across the life-span: incorporating age within the World Mental Health survey. Ronald McDowell Dignity in residential care settings through the lens of Appreciative Inquiry. Jill Murphy The development and evaluation of a narrative based approach to practice development in an older adult residential care setting, utilizing residents’ stories to inform practice change. Catherine Buckley.

International Collaborations  Caudiana College of Health Professions, Bozen, Italy. Work on-going with Dr Maria Mischo-Kelling and colleagues on a study: Person-centred care: what are the understandings, experiences and expectations of chronically ill patients in the region of South Tyrol?  Alexander Technological Educational Institution of Thessalonica, Greece. Work on-going with Dimitrios Theofanidis on an Erasmus programme focusing on a range of issues pertaining to the care of older people across Europe.  Albany University, New York. Work on-going with Professor Phillip McCallion on the development of effective family support models during the transition of adults with intellectual disabilities into old age.

Publications  Over 36 publications by strand members since  Over 35 conference presentations by strand members at a range of national and international conferences since 2008.

“Never lose sight of the fact that old age needs so little,......but needs that little so much!” Margaret Willour