Mary Larkin looks at research on carer mental health and asks us to consider the wider implications for social care policy and carer support.
[read the full story...]Do high levels of caring mean poorer carer mental health?
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Cognitive impairment in dementia need not prevent shared decision making
In her first blog for the Social Care Elf, Caroline Struthers looks at research on cognitive impairment and shared decision making for people with dementia and offers useful tips on understanding research reviews. She also shares some of her own personal experience of the research topic and reminds us about reliable evidence having real-life applications.
[read the full story...]Extra care housing vs nursing homes for disabled older people
In her exploration of a Canadian study into extra care housing for older disabled people, Jo Moriatry gives a critical view of the research and offers some insights into what it means for the UK policy and practice context.
[read the full story...]Avascular necrosis of the jaws (BRONJ): risk and incidence low in the UK
This 2 year long prospective study of new cases of BRONJ presenting at oral surgery, oral medicine, oral and maxillofacial surgery units, and dental hospitals provides a rough estimate of 508–793 new cases/year across the UK.
[read the full story...]Relationship training for children and family practitioners: does it work?
Martin Webber looks at a rare social work randomised controlled trial (RCT) on relationship training for practitioners working with children and families and finds that even findings from a study using ‘gold standard’ research methodology have to be carefully examined for reliability.
[read the full story...]Preventing and responding to violence against disabled people – what works?
Professor Jill Manthorpe begins 2015 with a blog considering a systematic review on interventions to prevent and respond to violence against disabled people. She reflects on how social workers use systematic review papers as part of evidence based practice and gives some useful pointers for reading and getting the most from such studies.
[read the full story...]'Strategies for Relatives': improving mental health for family carers of people with dementia
In her latest blog, Clarissa Giebel examines research into the effectiveness of the ‘Strategies for Relatives’ psychological and educational training programme for family carers of people with dementia and explores what the findings might mean for wider programme implementation.
[read the full story...]Settle down by the fire while Professor Martin Knapp tells the Social Care Elf Nativity Story
Are you sitting comfortably by the fire, with a glass of sherry (or preferred beverage) and a mince pie? Good! Because Professor Martin Knapp is about to tell the story of the Social Care Elf Nativity.
[read the full story...]Adult social care personal budgets: the complexity of control
In our second blog exploring research on personal budgets, Mike Clark dissects the biggest national survey of social care personal budget users and finds that a seemingly simple policy idea is complex in its operation and discovers some ideas about organising this complexity to meet individual needs and improve outcomes.
[read the full story...]Community treatment orders and the limits of freedom
Erstwhile Mental Elf blogger, Ian Cummins, Senior Lecturer in Social Work at Salford University, joins the Social Care Elf to examine a study on the perspectives of service users, psychiatrists and carers on community treatment orders.
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