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Planning and Design for quality of life and resilience in long-term residential care settings for older people in Ireland

Planning and Design for quality of life and resilience in long-term residential care settings for older people in Ireland

URL: https://goltc.org/projects/goltc-1746700120

Attitudes and Expectations about Long-Term CareCare HomesClimate Change and LTCCo-production in LTCCOVID-19 and other infectious diseases and LTCDementia care and supportEthics and careHousing and careInfection preventionLTC PolicyNew models of carePerson-centered careProvider sectorQuality of careResearch gaps and priorities in LTCResidential LTC servicesRights and people’s voices in LTC systemsSocial connectionUniversal design and LTC Ireland Public (including government) Case studiesCo-production methodsCreative research methodsDocument analysisExpert consultationsFocus groupsGuidelines developmentInterviewsKnowledge-exchangeLiterature reviews and synthesisMixed methodsParticipatory research methodsPolicy analysisPractice-based approachesQualitative studiesQuantitative data analysisQuestionnaireResearch ethicsSurveysSystematic ReviewThematic analysisVignettes and narratives

Project website
https://residentiallongtermcaredesign.ie/
Project status
Ongoing
Contact
Dimitra Xidous
PI Name
Desmond O'Neill
Host institution
Trinity College Dublin
Institution web page
https://www.tcd.ie/trinityhaus/
Team members
Desmond O'Neill Tom Grey Dimitra Xidous
Funded by
In 2022, TrinityHaus research centre was awarded a Health Research Board grant (Investigator-led Project Health Services Research) to produce evidence-based Universal Design Guidelines for LTRC for older people in Ireland that support quality-of-life and resilience (including air-borne pandemic resilience and climate resilience). These guidelines will support resident-centred principles and standards in national policy, be applicable to new-build, retrofit, and refurbishment project, and relate to rural, suburban, and urban location.

KEYWORDS / CATEGORIES

Countries
Ireland
Topics
Attitudes and Expectations about Long-Term Care | Care Homes | Climate Change and LTC | Co-production in LTC | COVID-19 and other infectious diseases and LTC | Dementia care and support | Ethics and care | Housing and care | Infection prevention | LTC Policy | New models of care | Person-centered care | Provider sector | Quality of care | Research gaps and priorities in LTC | Residential LTC services | Rights and people’s voices in LTC systems | Social connection | Universal design and LTC
Funding Type
Public (including government)
Methods
Case studies | Co-production methods | Creative research methods | Document analysis | Expert consultations | Focus groups | Guidelines development | Interviews | Knowledge-exchange | Literature reviews and synthesis | Mixed methods | Participatory research methods | Policy analysis | Practice-based approaches | Qualitative studies | Quantitative data analysis | Questionnaire | Research ethics | Surveys | Systematic Review | Thematic analysis | Vignettes and narratives
Project Summary

In Ireland, the provision of Long-Term Residential Care Settings (LTRC) for Older People is currently inadequate. As the population increases and ages, the number of people requiring LTRC will increase. This is recognised by the Irish government in health strategies and capital investment programmes. The success of these facilities is greatly influenced by design and the quality of the built-environment, and how this impacts resident quality-of-life. COVID-19 exposes how many settings are ill-designed for infection-control and protection of residents. It illustrates the importance of space and spatial practices such as social distancing, and isolation/quarantine, all of which have immediate and long-term implications for LTRC planning and design. Yet, there is scant research or evidence-based guidance regarding best-practice planning and design of Irish LTRC – this project will address this deficit.

We will work with residents and families, staff, and other stakeholders to understand key issues. We will conduct literature and policy reviews, and study Irish and international case studies to identify how design can support quality-of-life and resilience and use this to produce national-level design guidelines, underpinned by Universal Design.   This project will promote best-practice design and enable evidence-based decision-making for planning and designing LTRC to support quality-of-life and resilience.

Project Aims

To co-produce research into the role of the built environment in supporting the quality of life and resilience of older people in residential care settings (RCS). This research will be used to co-create evidence-based Universal Design guidelines to inform the planning and design of new-build RCS settings and the retro-fit or adaptation of existing settings.

Project Methods

The project adopts a mixed-methods approach based on PPI contribution and stakeholder engagement (focus groups, interviews, questionnaires). The methodology incorporates literature and policy reviews, and Irish and international case studies.

Project Findings / expected Findings

Key Outputs include:

A) – Key-findings research report

B)  A set of Universal Design Guidelines on Long-Term Residential Care in Ireland

C) Co-Creation and Engagement Framework – specific to engaging older persons in LTRC.

Outputs

This project will improve the quality-of-life for residential care setting (RCS) residents and staff by promoting greater community integration and accessibility in terms of planning, and by improving design and the physical environment in RCS. It will promote innovative and diverse RCS models, help inform broader planning and design policy, and support Irish health and social care policy.

Key publications to date include:

Grey T, O’Donoghue J, Xidous D, O’Neill D, Long-Term Residential Care and the Built Environment: Improving Quality of Life and Resilience Through a Universal Design Approach, Stud Health Technol Inform, 320, 2024, p207-214Journal Article, 2024 URL DOI

O’Donoghue J, Xidous D, Grey T, O’Neill D, Residential Long-Term Care and the Built Environment: Balancing Quality of Life and Infection Control, Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 2023Journal Article, 2023 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2023.04.022

O’DONOGHUE, J., XIDOUS, D., GREY, T. & O’NEILL, D. 2023b.  Nursing home care in Ireland and the built environment: key emerging issues and insights. Age and Ageing, 52, https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afad156.134