I am a Social Policy and Social Work PhD student completing an NIHR-funded project surrounding the co-design of an intervention for homecare workers supporting people with dementia who struggle to engage with social care. I hold a first-class BA (hons) in Education, Culture and Childhood and MSc (Conversion) in Psychology and Education. I am particularly interested in utilising co-design methodologies to improve the knowledge, skills and support of social care and educational professionals to improve the quality and accessibility of services.
‘HOPES for Homecare:’ Developing Reflective Learning for Homecare Workers Supporting People with Dementia.
Despite most people with dementia desiring to remain living at home, they may struggle to accept or engage with care and support from homecare services. These engagement difficulties can lead to poor outcomes, such as overuse of medication, increased hospitalisation and risk of family caregiver depression. Homecare workers have reported feeling undertrained and unsupported regarding dementia care, potentially leading to reduced quality of care. Therefore, this project aims to co-create a train-the-trainer learning resource for homecare workers supporting people with dementia. This resource will be an adaptation of HOPES, which is a free learning resource developed by Mark Wilberforce and colleagues for support workers supporting older people with dementia. Data will be collected through interviews and workshops with people with dementia, family carers, home care workers, managers and trainers, and training developers. It will also have a specific focus on implementation to increase the longevity of the resource.
University of York
Advisors: Mark Wilberforce, Yvonne Birks
Contact: martha.ward@york.ac.uk
