Older people’s priorities in health and social care research and practice: a public engagement workshop

Abstract

Plain English SummaryA one day public engagement workshop was held to focus on the priorities of older people about research and practice in health and social care. Seventy-five older people from the general public and a variety of backgrounds attended this event to share their views and discuss what should be prioritised. The main aim of this workshop was to identify and prioritise issues that are important to older people that would benefit from further research, as well as create an environment for older people to share ideas and problems related to these important issues. Key priorities brought up by participants included loneliness and isolation, support and training for professional and family carers, post-surgical care, negative perceptions of older people and inequalities related to public services and healthcare. Participants further suggested older people should be actively involved in all stages of the research process.AbstractAs the world’s population ages, there is an increasing need for research that addresses the priorities of older people. A public engagement workshop focusing on the priorities of older people for research and practice in health and social care was attended by seventy-five people aged 70 years and above in London, United Kingdom (UK). The workshop aimed to identify and prioritise issues important to older people that would benefit from further research and act as a platform to promote sharing of ideas and problems related to these important issues. Key priorities emerged including loneliness and isolation, support and training for professional and family carers, post-surgical care, negative perceptions of older people and inequalities related to public services and healthcare. Participants further suggested older people should be actively involved in all stages of the research process.

Supporting ageing well research: Findings from a research priority setting exercise

“…Within the broad themes of mind health and social well‐being, sub‐themes emerged—social isolation/loneliness, devaluing of older adults and stigma related to ageing. These findings are supported by those of Alsaeed and colleagues, who conducted a one‐day public engagement workshop to determine the priorities of older people for research and found loneliness, isolation and negative perceptions of older adults to be key research priorities . For participants in our roadshows, social isolation and loneliness were inextricably linked to issues around housing and the environment.…”

“…Research priority setting is a pivotal function of national health research systems, guiding investment in health care and health‐care research, and channelling resource allocation to areas of highest research priority . Ensuring broad stakeholder engagement was a key focus of this prioritisation exercise, as few research prioritisation exercises have a broad degree of involvement with key stakeholders …”

Setting the research agenda for living with and beyond cancer with comorbid illness: reflections on a research prioritisation exercise

“…1 The research prioritisation process views on key topics for research exploring the experience of living with and beyond cancer with comorbid illness. The workshop was modelled on the consultation approach in the first round of the Delphi process [28], and is a similar approach to that used previously [28,34]. Relevant quality markers developed as part of the Delphi and CHNRI methods informed the planning and implementation of the workshop, such as adequate planning and preparation, inclusiveness of relevant stakeholders and transparency in reporting [29,35].…”

Clinicoepidemiological Profile of Elderly PLHIV Attending a Tertiary Care Center in South India

“…One of the reasons could be the reluctance to visit a health care facility in India, another could be stigma attached to the disease. 18 A study conducted by Raffetti et al showed that 75% of elderly population were late presenter. 19 Much attention was not given towards elderly PLHIV in the past because their number was less.…”