Decision support tool for older people who pay for social care
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Development of a decision support tool for older people who pay for social care, and their families
IRAS ID
303286
Contact name
Kate Baxter
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of York
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
What is this research about?
We will create a ‘decision support tool’ that aims to help older people make decisions about paying for social care.
Decision support tools help people feel comfortable with decisions they make, to think about what is important to them and consider information about the risks and benefits of choosing different options. Decision support tools are often used in health care decisions.
Why are we doing this research?
Many everyday activities become more difficult as people get older. Help with these activities is called social care. Some people receive help to pay for this care from their local council, but many pay for it themselves. Thinking about what care is needed and how to pay for it is complicated. People who pay for their care often arrange this by themselves, with little advice from professionals. The decision tool that we create will help people learn more about options for paying for care, think through what is important to them and be better prepared to have good quality constructive conversations with professionals.
How will this research be done?
We will hold meetings with people who pay for care and professionals to discuss ideas and create a first version of the decision support tool.
We will improve this version by asking people to use it and tell us what was good and bad about it. We will then change the first version in line with their suggestions, and repeat this process until we have the best version possible.
Money guidance practitioners from the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) will use the decision support tool in conversations with people who contact them for help about paying for care. We will ask people who have used the tool for their views about it and to complete a short questionnaire.REC name
Social Care REC
REC reference
21/IEC08/0029
Date of REC Opinion
26 Oct 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion