DREAM Outputs
DREAM has been presented at the following conferences and the main papers are currently being written up for publication:
DREAM press release
A team of leading researchers have been awarded £148,000 to develop remote assessments and care for older people living with frailty for use in non-hospital settings.
The research comes at a time when the population is getting older and for some this can mean having several health problems and difficulty doing everyday things. COVID-19 has led to fewer face-to-face appointments, meaning that people may not be accessing the best care.
The research wants to see if we can develop a process of remote assessment and care called enhanced Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (eCGA). Working with older people, their families, health and social care staff, the team will devise a plan of what would be part of eCGA and how this could work in practice. This would look at how best to meet the needs of older people and their families, whilst considering inequalities such as digital inclusion.
Professor Vicki Goodwin from the University of Exeter co-leads the study entitled “Digital and remote enhancements for the assessment and management of older people living with frailty (DREAM)”. She said “this study will give us the opportunity to develop different ways of supporting older people in the community. It will be developed in collaboration with older people and families as well as health and care staff to ensure it is fit for purpose and meets their needs. Despite all of the challenges brought about by the pandemic, it has brought about the opportunity to look at how we deliver health and care now and in the future in ways we hadn’t previously considered”.
Dr Julie Whitney, the study co-lead from Kings College London said “This is an exciting project, seeking to improve the ways in which health and social care professionals support older people in their own homes. We will be looking at a range of technologies with the aim of enhancing the quality of information gathered during an assessment as well as improving the experience for older people and their families.”
The project was developed through the NIHR Clinical Research Network for Ageing. Professor Miles Witham, the National Speciality Lead for Ageing said “This study is timely, given the need to find innovative ways to meet the huge demand for assessment and care for older people that the COVID pandemic has driven. DREAM is an excellent example of research that meets the priorities of older people and of the clinical community, and the Ageing Clinical Research Network looks forward to supporting the research team to deliver this work”