Current research projects

Read about research projects currently underway at ICSG.

The Role of Migrant Health and Social Care Workers in Ageing Societies (Eamon O’Shea and Kieran Walsh)

This research is a cross-national study of the implications of the recruitment of migrant workers for the delivery of health and social care to older people, for the living and working conditions of the migrant carers, and for immigration and integration policies in Ireland, Britain, Canada and the US. A mixed-methods approach, using quantitative and qualitative techniques, is employed to gather the perspectives of migrant care workers, employers and older people. In addition to a national report on the topic, this international collaborative project will result in the first international comparative report on migrant care workers in the older adult health and social care sector for Ireland, Britain, the United States of America and Canada. The Irish national report was published and launched in September 2009. The international comparative report is due to be published February 2010. Read the project information sheet.

Three of the four national reports have been published with the final report due to be published shortly. To read more about this project and to view the UK national report click here or alternatlively you can view on the UK website. To view the Canadian national report click here and to view the Irish Report click here.

Economics, disability and ageing (Brenda Gannon)

Various papers are currently being prepared under the heading of disability using many databases and secondary data sources. Research on disability and age discrimination among older workers was presented at the Swiss Society of Economics and Statistics, April 2008 and at the International Health Economics Association, World Congress, Copenhagen, 2007. Two papers have been submitted to international journals and are under review. On the topic of retirement, collaborative research with the University of Sheffield has been presented at the TILDA conference on Active Ageing and Labour Market Trajectories in Dublin in June 2007 and at the Irish Economic Association Conference, April 2008. This resulted in media output on radio, in Irish Times and in Business & Finance. Brenda Gannon recently was one of the invited speakers at the EU Conference ‘ How to Prepare for an Ageing Europe’, Dublin, April 2008. Recent work includes wage discrimination among older people and workers with disabilities and has been accepted for publication in Social Science and Medicine.

Use of formal and informal home care in Ireland and France (Brenda Gannon and Berengere Davin)

This project uses data from SHARE (Survey of Health Ageing and Retirement in Europe) to assess the use of formal and informal care in Ireland and France. This research builds on earlier work completed by Dr. Davin, funded by FLARE (Future Leaders in Ageing Research) and has been presented in both Ireland and France. It also builds on a commissioned report by NESF (National Economic and Social Forum) Home Care Support Implementation team, by Dr. Gannon.

 

Cost of Chronic Pain (Brenda Gannon)

 

This project is in conjunction with members of the Centre of Pain Research, psychologists, neuroscientists and clinicians. Dr. Gannon supervised a HRB summer scholar in 2008 on the project, and they used the Client Service Receipt Inventory (CSRI) to collect information on economic costs and individual characteristics among a sample of chronic pain patients at University College Hospital, Galway. The results were presented at the Centre for Pain Research, annual research day. Work is ongoing and will focus specifically on younger and older patients.

 

Economic Cost of Disability (John Cullinan and Brenda Gannon)

This research explores the relationship between standard of living, disability and income in Ireland, for pensioners and non-pensioners. Addressing the economic costs of disability seems a logical step towards alleviating elements of social exclusion for people with disabilities. The research defines and estimates models of the private costs borne by families with individuals who have a disability in Ireland when compared to the wider population, both in general and by severity of illness.

Technology Research for Independent Living (TRIL) (Eamon O’Shea, Cathy Bailey, Cormac Sheehan, Jessamine Dana, Karen King and Aoife Callan)

 

TRIL is a virtual centre, established as a part of Intel’s European Health Research and Innovation Capacity and involves cross-collaboration among the National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG), University College Dublin and Trinity College. The research focuses on three key age-related issues: falls, cognitive performance and social connection. The objective of the ERU is to inform the work of the clinical and technology research teams of the TRIL Centre through research which identifies issues and needs of ageing populations within the Irish population broadly, and the TRIL Clinical Cohort specifically. Working with the technologists and designer within the TTP, and with the strands that they are allied to, the ERU ensure the voice and concerns of the older person are at the centre of TRIL Centre research. For more information on Technology Research for Independent Living please go to the TRIL Centre.

SHARE and TILDA (Eamon O’Shea and Brenda Gannon)

Professor O’Shea and Dr. Gannon are members of the steering group of TILDA – The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing and Brenda Gannon is involved with the economics component of TILDA research. Our collaboration with UCD on SHARE (Survey of Health Ageing and Retirement in Europe) is ongoing and Professor O’Shea and Dr. Gannon are now members of the SHARE country team. Brenda Gannon conducted analysis of data and completion of the report.  Results were presented at the first SHARE conference in Ireland in October 2008.

Neighbourhood Context, Disability and Old Age (Brenda Gannon and Kieran Walsh)

As a part of a broader interdisciplinary research programme on the social model of disability, Brenda Gannon and Kieran Walsh are exploring the impact of environmental characteristics and the role of social participation in the disability process - in particular on the onset of disability among older adults. The first paper, based upon research presented at the British Society of Gerontology Conference in 2007, has been submitted for peer-review. Subsequent analyses will focus on differences in disability onset across the urban-rural continuum and will draw on new data from SHARE (Survey of Health Ageing and Retirement in Europe).

Retirement, health and pensions (Brenda Gannon, Roman Raab, John Cullinan)

 

Funded from PRTLI, Irish Social Sciences Platform, this project seeks to address many unanswered questions in Irish society. The core questions include; what is the relationship between ill-health and retirement; is there a financial incentive to retire through pensions; does health impact on alternative working arrangements such as part-time work or self employment. The team will use data from SHARE (Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, to facilitate comparative research across European countries. The research will build on previous work with Professor Jennifer Roberts, University of Sheffield. The research will result in several peer-reviewed publications. The team has also initiated the Economics of Ageing bulletin series.

 

 

Social Entrepreneurship in an Ageing Society (Gemma Carney and Eamon O'Shea)

This research asks whether the Irish method of post-corporatist governance can foster social entrepreneurship amongst older people as a growing, distinct and structurally disadvantaged sector of the Irish population. Comparatively, Ireland has a favourable old age dependency ratio (CSO, 2007) and so the opportunity exists to respond proactively and positively to an ageing population. How will the popular and reportedly successful version of corporatism ‘social partnership’ respond to large new social and economic transformations such as an ageing population? One possible avenue to tackle future social need is to develop the social economy. Social entrepreneurs could prove valuable drivers in combating social exclusion in old age. Current work includes documenting the work of older social and political entrepreneurs and identifying where and how the social economy can produce innovative solutions to the challenges of an ageing society.

 

Power, Policy and the Social Construction of Ageing (Gemma Carney)

This research project uses a political framework of analysis to examine how policies for older people are designed. The argument is made that public policy for older people is a product of the perceptions and actions of political decision-makers. In turn, the social construction of older people as ‘dependent’ may contribute to their low level of influence on policy-making. This lack of political influence compounds the construction of older people as a dependent group in the minds of decision-makers. Ageing populations, globalisation and the liberalisation of economies and political cultures further complicates policy design in ageing societies. The Republic of Ireland is offered as an example of how the significance of senior power in policy development at the national level might be investigated.

 

 

Comparing Third Sector Lobbies in the Developmental Welfare State (Gemma Carney & Áine Ní Léime)

Dr. Carney recently won an Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences grant to investigate how children’s, disability and older people’s lobbies use the community and voluntary pillar of social partnership to advance cohort policy objectives across the lifecycle. Dr. Carney will be Principal Investigator in a multi-disciplinary team from ICSG, the Centre for Innovation and Structural Change, the Child and Family Research Centre and the Centre for Disability Law and Policy at NUI Galway. The project, commenced in December 2008 and will run for two years. The research uses an innovative methodology called participatory policy analysis to replicate the consultative and bargaining processes of social partnership. The research assesses the NESC lifecycle framework as a response to claims that social partnership needs to be opened up in order to incorporate marginalised groups into policy-making. The project is designed to allow for buy-in from key stakeholders. Results will be disseminated to participants and as peer-reviewed academic publications.

HRB –Funded Projects (Eamon O’Shea)

Secondary Prevention of Heart Disease in General Practice (SPHERE). This is a randomised controlled trial with qualitative, economic and social policy analyses of an intervention designed to produce improved and sustained outcomes for people with heart disease. SPHERE is funded by the HRB. The project is led by Professor Andrew Murphy of the Department of General Practice at NUI, Galway. Professor O’Shea’s role as Co-PI is to provide economic analysis and evaluation of the intervention and its outcomes, as well as supervising a PhD student working on economic evaluation and policy analysis. All the data has now been collected and analysis is near completion.

A Study examing the impact of a Pulmonary Rehabilitation Programme for people with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in Primary Care in Ireland. This study compares the outcomes of a pulmonary rehabilitation programme with the outcomes of ‘usual care’ for people with COPD within a primary care setting.  Professor O’Shea provides the economic evaluation component for this work which is led by the School of Nursing and Midwifery at NUI Galway.

Peer support in type 2 diabetes: a randomised controlled trial in primary care with parallel economic and qualitative analyses. This study aims to determine whether a peer support programme for patients with Type 2 diabetes improves biophysical and psychosocial outcomes and whether it is an acceptable, cost effective intervention in the primary care setting. It is collaboration with the Department of Public Health and Primary Care at Trinity College and the Department of General Practice at RCSI. Professor O’Shea is Co-PI on the project, which is funded by the HRB. Data collection is ongoing.

Implementing and evaluating a structured education programme for people with Type 1 Diabetes (DAFNE) in Ireland. This project is led by Dr Sean Dinneen of the Faculty of Medicine at NUI Galway. Professor O’Shea is Co-PI with responsibility for the economic evaluation of the intervention. The project is funded by the HRB and is at the early stage of data collection. Professor O’Shea is supervising a PhD student as part of this project.

Dementia Reminiscence-based Education Programme for Staff (DARES) This randomised-controlled trial commenced in December 2008. The aim of this RCT is to examine the impact of the DARES programme on the quality of life of people with dementia living in residential care and on staff attitudes to caring for people with dementia. The focus is on improving care for people with dementia living in long-stay care. Staff knowledge and skills in the area of dementia care will be developed. Funded by the HRB, Professor O’Shea is co-PI with Professor Kathy Murphy, School of Nursing and Midwifery, NUI Galway. The project pilot is nearing completion and the RCT will take place in the second half of 2010.