Older people with sight loss in care homes

Sight loss is prevalent in older people (RNIB 2014), yet the impacts of sight loss on physical and psychosocial wellbeing and older people’s quality of life are not well acknowledged in policy or practice settings. Understanding older people’s lived experiences and perspectives will be crucial to building the evidence base needed to improve the standards of care that older people with sight loss living in care homes receive.

In collaboration with sight loss charity Thomas Pocklington Trust, our researchers conducted a 15-month research project focusing on an audit of the views of older people with sight loss who live in care homes. The older people were invited to give evidence and share their views on good practice within residential care. Researchers recruited an Experts by Experience Panel of older people with acquired sight loss to work with them on designing detailed methods and analysis and interpretation of the research data. Principal Investigator, Dr Lizzie Ward, has used this innovative approach to co-production successfully in other projects.

This is an in-depth qualitative study carried out in six residential care homes and one nursing home by Dr Lizzie Ward and Laura Banks from the University of Brighton, where staff, residents and their relatives were interviewed.

Project timeframe

The 15-month research project ended in June 2016, with findings released in February 2017.

Project objectives

The primary aim of this project was to contribute to improved standards of care and practice in residential care for older people living with sight loss.

The objectives of the project were to:

generate understanding of living in care homes from the lived experiences of older people with sight loss
gather the views of older people with sight loss, family members, friends and care home staff on good practice with residential care
produce understanding about good standards of care and practice for older people with sight loss living in care homes and to make recommendations for an agenda for action.

Project findings and impact

The research found that residents’ quality of life was positively affected by visual awareness training and training about the signs of sight loss, along with more information and support about aids and technology and access to volunteer services, such as befriending. All of these services helped to reduce the impacts of sight loss and social isolation visually impaired residents’ experienced, and could be provided by the sight loss sector in partnership with care homes

The research was co-produced with people with sight loss, through a Experts by Experience Panel of older people with sight loss and a Project Advisory Group which included people with visual impairment, as well as key stakeholders from the sight loss and care sectors and TPT staff. EEP members had insightful discussions of the data and reinforced the need to recognise a person’s whole life experiences and to see beyond their visual impairment.

As a result of the research, three key outputs were published, which you can read in full using the links to the right:

Older people's experiences of sight loss in care homes - Final report
Older people's experiences of sight loss in care homes - Research findings by Thomas Pocklington Trust
A Review of the literature on older people’s experiences of living in a care home with sight loss

This research will benefit older people with sight loss through increased understanding and awareness of living with sight loss in residential care. As it reflects the perspectives of older people with sight loss it will provide an example of valuing the expertise of people with sight loss in contributing to solutions to the issues posed. The naming of shared experiences of sight loss collectively can help to break down the isolation experienced by people with sight loss individually. The project has endeavoured to find accessible ways of translating those experiences to create a dialogue between sighted and non-sighted people and build the awareness necessary to create supportive environments and improve practice and services for people living in residential care settings.

Read the final report on Older people's experiences of sight loss in care homes

Read the research findings published by Thomas Pocklington Trust

Read A review of the literature on older people's experiences of living in a care home with sight loss

Research team

Dr Lizzie Ward

Dr Michael Cahill

Laura Banks

Output

Ward, L and Banks, L (2017) Older people's experiences of sight loss in care homes – Final report

Ward, L and Banks, L (2017) A review of the literature on older people's experiences of living in a care home with sight loss

Older people's experiences of sight loss in care homes, Research Findings 56, Thomas Pocklington Trust, February 2017.

Ward, L and Banks, L (2016) Understanding older people’s experiences of living with sight loss in care homes. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the British Society of Gerontology, University of Stirling, July.

Partners

Project Advisory Group (PAG)

A project Advisory Group was established to develop and support the research. Membership was confirmed with Thomas Pocklington Trust and included those working in the sight loss sector, residential care settings and other relevant stakeholders, service users and carers. The PAG:

offered specialist guidance on the sight loss sector
ensured that a range of different perspectives were captured in the research process
maximised the potential impact of the research to produce action for change and improve practice; and contributed to the developing Vision agenda.

The PAG met with the research team during the project.