Extrait

Background and study aims People who have problems using the bath or the shower at home may contact the social care department of their local council for help. A care worker may then go into the person’s home to assist with using the bath, shower or strip-washing. Alternatively, the council may help with making the bath or shower easier and safer to use. This might mean providing a shower with a level floor – a “wet room”. This means that the person can often use the shower without needing help and may be less likely to have an accident. This may stop their health from getting worse. We also think that showers might make it easier for carers to manage. We want to find out whether showers affect the health and wellbeing of users and carers. There are often long waiting times for showers to be installed. We think that people may lose some of their independence while they are waiting. This might mean that they end up using more services. Whilst providing a shower might seem expensive, it may cost less than having help from other services on a long-term basis. Although we believe this to be the case, there is no clear research that compares the costs of these showers in relation to the benefits for users and carers. We also want to find out whether waiting times have a negative effect on health and wellbeing and also lead to more costs. The aim is to show that it is possible to carry out a study using this method. If we do this, we will apply for funding to conduct a larger study so that we can carry out the necessary statistical tests. This information is needed to inform practice. Who can participate? People aged 65 or over who have been referred to the Adaptations and Renewals Agency for provision of an accessible shower What does the study involve? Participants are randomly allocated to either have their shower installed immediately, or to have a three-month wait. The two groups are compared at three months, when only one group has had the showers installed. They are also compared at six months when everyone has had their shower. Health (physical and mental), independence, and use of services are compared. Using this method is the best way to be sure that any differences are due to the shower installations rather than other factors. Users and carers are also interviewed about their situation and whether they think the shower has helped them. The aim is to run this study with a council where the current waiting times for showers are longer than three months. In many local authorities, the waiting times for housing adaptations are longer than three months. We think that a larger study would involve a longer waiting time in the control group. However, for this study a three month waiting list control period should allow us to collect the information we need to inform the main study. Although people of any age may be provided with a shower we think that the benefits may be different for people at different ages. If we include all age groups this is likely to make it more difficult to see any benefits. We plan to include people aged 65 and over in this study. However, it is possible that this study could be applied to younger age groups in the future. What are the possible benefits and risks of participating? There may be no direct benefit to participants. The information we get from the study should help us to plan a bigger study. We do not anticipate that there are any risks involved in taking part. Where is the study run from? Nottingham City Council - Adaptations and Renewals Agency (UK) When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for? March 2016 to October 2017 Who is funding the study? National Institute for Health Research School for Social Care Research (UK) Who is the main contact? 1. Miriam Day ([email protected]) 2. Dr Phillip Whitehead ([email protected])

Critère d'inclusion

• Housing adaptations

Liens

• ictrp
• isrctn