Jitka Vseteckova

• PhD; D.Prof; SFHEA
• Senior Lecturer at The Open University

This article explores how learning contributes to healthy ageing, and it reinforces learning as an important aspect of the sustainable ageing process. It begins with an analysis of the framework established by the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing, pinpointing the notable absence of learning as a crucial element of well-being in the later stages of life....

Background There are increasing numbers of ageing family carers of older (40+) adults with intellectual disabilities who convey behaviours that challenge others in the UK. It is important to understand the needs and experiences of these carers as they support their older family member to transition to different care contexts. Method A rapid scopin...

Introduction Current protocols for delivering percussive therapy (PT) using massage guns are heterogeneous creating a need to establish the impact of study design on physiological measures. This cross-over design study aimed to determine the most effective protocol, among the eight protocols examined, on lower body flexibility, and to support the p...

Background: Globally, unpaid carers face economic and societal pressures. Unpaid carers’ support is valued at £132 billion a year in the United Kingdom (UK) alone. However, this care comes at a high cost for the carers themselves. Carers providing round the clock care are more than twice as likely to be in bad health than non-carers. These carers a...

Current protocols for delivering percussive therapy (PT) using massage guns are heterogenetic creating a need to establish the impact of study design on physiological measures and the standardisation of future research. This study aimed to determine the most effective protocol on lower body strength, net impulse, and flexibility, and to support the...

While in the last decade gender research has shown great interest in problems around work–life balance for women and the implications for their career mobility, the links between these and women's health and wellbeing have not been fully examined. This article reviews international research undertaken between 1980 and 2020 on the early career perio...

Unpaid carers often experience poor mental and physical health linked to their caring role. Engagement in physical activity has been shown to alleviate these negative health outcomes, but it is harder for carers to find the time, energy and space to exercise. This qualitative study, based in the UK, explored the feasibility of an online, dance-base...

The ageing of populations is increasing pressure on health and social care systems. Potentially, assistive technologies are a way to support the independence of older adults in their daily activities. Among existing assistive technologies, ambient sensing technologies have received less attention than wearable systems. Moreover, there has been litt...

The academic language of evidence-based research on ageing well can feel distant from the lived experiences of older people contending with cost-of-living challenges or caring responsibilities. An ‘Ivory Tower’ gap acts as a barrier to educating older people about lifestyle changes that promote healthier ageing. Since 2019, the Ageing Well Public T...

Increased extreme heat events draw attention to the potential of urban nature as a heat adaptation strategy for cities. This is reflected in multiple scientific perspective pieces, policy documents and science media publications advocating for urban greening as a cooling approach. Although attention to the dangers of heat and the benefits of urban...

Aims To (i) assess the adherence of long‐term care (LTC) facilities to the COVID‐19 prevention and control recommendations, (ii) identify predictors of this adherence and (iii) examine the association between the adherence level and the impact of the pandemic on selected unfavourable conditions. Design Cross‐sectional survey. Methods Managers (n...

# Background There is a lack of specific research on the effect of percussive therapy (PT) delivered by massage guns on physiological adaptations. This systematic literature review investigates research conducted on the effects of PT interventions on performance in strength and conditioning settings, and on experiences of musculoskeletal pain. #...

Physical activity is beneficial for overall health; however, informal carers may have lower levels of physical activity than non-carers. The primary aim of this systematic review was to identify barriers and facilitators to physical activity from the perspective of carers internationally, excluding the UK. The study found that barriers to physical...

Background: People with intellectual disabilities and behaviours that challenge others are living longer. This review aimed to explore what is known about the health and social care needs, experiences, service interventions and resources of and for this population as they transition to different care contexts in the UK. Method: A rapid scoping r...

Objectives: To review current quantitative and qualitative evidence on the physical and mental health outcomes and participant experiences following mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) for couples over the age of 65. Methods: The search strategy used PubMed; Web of Science; PsycInfo; The Dementia Evidence Toolkit; NIH RePORTER; NIH Clinical T...

Background Previous research has found physical activity levels among carers are low, and that carers are at greater risk of physical inactivity than their non-carer counterparts. Alternatively, research also suggests providing care may be associated with higher levels of physical activity than the general population, due to physically active care...

Background There are over 1 million adults with a learning disability in the UK, of whom approximately 20% displaying behaviours that challenge others. Two thirds of people with learning disabilities live in the family home. As they and their family carers age, both are likely to face particular difficulties and stresses, but there is little unders...

This paper reports on the findings from a systematic review of parenting interventions used by social workers to support vulnerable children in the United Kingdom. The study focused on children from birth to 11 years and 11 months based on Munro's rationale for early intervention. From the 423 papers initially identified, twelve met the inclusion c...

This systematic review investigated the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for managing grief experienced by bereaved spouses or partners of adults who had received palliative care. Systematic searches were undertaken on seven bibliographic databases and grey literature was also searched. The review was informed by the use of...

Background: It is estimated that 17% of the UK adult population are informal carers, usually for a family member, with a majority reporting that they are not able to engage in physical activity as much as they would like. The aim of this review is to provide a greater understanding of the prevalence of, and barriers and facilitators to, physical a...

This paper reports on the findings from a systematic review of parenting interventions used by social workers to support vulnerable children in the United Kingdom.

Background & aims: Evidence suggests that targeted exercise is important for people living with dementia. The aim of this review was to collect and synthesize evidence on the known barriers and facilitators to adherence to walking group exercise of older people living with dementia in the community. Methods: We have searched appropriate electron...

This article is a reflective narrative by the author following the successful completion of a doctoral thesis involving the analysis of primary care data. The aim of the study was to identify patterns in signs and symptoms preceding a clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Here, we discuss the challenges of conducting research using patien...

Fidelia Bature describes her experiences as a self-funded PhD student trying to access patient records and interview GPs for her studies. Fidelia's reflections provide insights at the end of her PhD as to how this process could have been made easier by others but also her own approach to her studies.

Purpose Individuals with intellectual disability(ies) are living longer contributing to an overall increase in the average age of caregivers. The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on the physical, social and psychological needs of ageing carers of individuals with intellectual disability(ies) in the UK. Design/methodology/approach...

Synthesizing evidence from randomized controlled trials of digital health education poses some challenges. These include a lack of clear categorization of digital health education in the literature; constantly evolving concepts, pedagogies, or theories; and a multitude of methods, features, technologies, or delivery settings. The Digital Health Edu...

Purpose This systematic review was undertaken to determine the effectiveness of motivational interviewing (MI), by social workers, on service user outcomes. Methods A literature search was undertaken between 2007 and 2018. All eligible studies were analyzed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool. As heterogeneity was high, a narrative...

Objectives: Research suggests targeted exercise is important for people living with dementia, especially those living in residential care. The aim of this review was to collect and synthesize evidence on the known barriers and facilitators to adherence to group exercise of institutionalized older people living with dementia. Methods: We searched...

BACKGROUND Virtual Reality (VR) is a technology that allows the user to explore and manipulate computer-generated real or artificial three-dimensional (3D) multimedia sensory environments in real time to gain practical knowledge that can be used in clinical practice. OBJECTIVE The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the effectiveness of...

Background: Virtual reality (VR) is a technology that allows the user to explore and manipulate computer-generated real or artificial three-dimensional multimedia sensory environments in real time to gain practical knowledge that can be used in clinical practice. Objective: The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the effectiveness of V...

This article provides an analysis of the skills that health professionals and patients employ in reaching diagnosis and decision-making in telemedicine consultations. As governmental priorities continue to emphasize patient involvement in the management of their disease, there is an increasing need to accurately capture the provider–patient interac...

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the effects of virtual reality environment (VRE)-based educational interventions for health professionals on knowledge, skills, and participants' attitude towards and satisfaction with the interventions. Additionally, this review will assess the interv...

Background Mental health service users in acute inpatient wards, whether informal or detained, should be involved in planning and reviewing their care. Care planning processes should be personalised and focused on recovery, with goals that are specific to the individual and designed to maximise their achievements and social integration. Objective(...

Jitka Jančová Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, Czech Republic: Department of Sport Medicine and Adapted Physical Education Received January 1, 2008 Accepted September 1, 2008 Past studies of postural control during standing have employed wide range of procedures including the outcome measures use to quantify p...

Background and objectives: CVD is an important global healthcare issue; it is the leading cause of global mortality, with an increasing incidence identified in both developed and developing countries. It is also an extremely costly disease for healthcare systems unless managed effectively. In this review we aimed to: - Assess the effect of compute...

Background In the UK, concerns about safety and fragmented community mental health care led to the development of the care programme approach in England and care and treatment planning in Wales. These systems require service users to have a care coordinator, written care plan and regular reviews of their care. Processes are required to be collabora...

This is the protocol for a review and there is no abstract. The objectives are as follows: To assess the effects of virtual reality environment (VRE)-based educational interventions for health professionals on knowledge, skills, and participants’ attitude towards and satisfaction with the interventions. Additionally, this review will assess the in...

Background Concerns about fragmented community mental health care have led to the development of the care programme approach in England and care and treatment planning in Wales. These systems require those people receiving mental health services to have a care co-ordinator, a written care plan and regular reviews of their care. Care planning and co...

The collaborative care planning study (COCAPP) is a cross-national comparative study of care planning and coordination in community mental healthcare settings. The context and delivery of mental health care is diverging between the countries of England and Wales whilst retaining points of common interest, hence providing a rich geographical compari...

Introduction: The most common heart arrhythmia is atrial fibrillation (AF) where individuals can suffer symptoms that adversely affect health related quality of life (HRQoL). The main reason for rhythm control of AF is to reduce symptoms and improve patients HRQoL. Patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) were developed to measure patient's HRQoL...

Background: The aim was to examine the association of objective measures of physical functioning (PF) with education and material circumstances and the decline in PF with age by socioeconomic position (SEP). Methods: In 3,205 subjects (60-75 years) from the Czech Republic, we assessed relationship between PF, SEP, and age. Linear regression was...

This cross sectional study focused on how Postural Stability (PS) indicators: body sway deviation (BSD) and body sway velocity (BSV), change with age and their association with levels of social and physical activity. Observational study: 80 older adults (aged: 60-96) were purposefully recruited from two sources: the University of the Third Age (TAU...