Improving the care provided to people with MND at home.
Principal Investigator: Dr Eleanor Wilson
Lead Institution: University of Nottingham
MND Association Funding: £195,117
Funding dates: July 2024 - December 2026
About the project
With advances in health technologies, more people with MND can now live at home supported by equipment such as ventilators and feeding tubes. Homecare workers play a crucial role in helping families deliver complex care at home. However, little is known about how homecare workers carry out their responsibilities, the skills required, and how they work together with family carers and other healthcare professionals. The study will use interviews, diaries, and analysis of data from previous studies to explore the roles and relationships of homecare workers who support people with MND with complex care needs at home. It is hoped that the study will shed more light on the work of homecare workers, including the practical tasks they perform, the emotional and social support they provide, and how they work together with family carers and other professionals. The researchers will also analyse existing data from two previous studies to understand more about how people living with MND and family carers experience homecare services.
What could this mean for MND research?
The study may help to increase current understanding of complex homecare and could lead to improvements in the training, recruitment and retention of homecare workers for people with MND. It could also provide insights into how communication and coordination of care among different healthcare professionals and services can be improved. Ultimately, better understanding of the roles and responsibilities of homecare workers could lead to higher quality care at home for people with MND, prevent unnecessary hospital admissions, and increase support for family carers.
Resources
Project code: 2307-794