Karen Croucher

• University of York

There has been a renewed call for a revaluing of informal caring in order to counter the way that caring is undervalued, taken for granted and invisible. Travel is one area where a detailed critique of this issue has emerged with the concept of ‘mobility of care’, however, this concept has only been applied in relation to younger age groups, and ou...

Drawing on a recently completed longitudinal research project with 96 participants aged 55+, the paper provides insight into the challenges of carrying out ethical practices when engaged in longer-term research relationships with older people. It builds on a body of work that purposely records in detail the ethical dilemmas researchers face, the op...

Mobility is a key aspect of active ageing enabling participation and autonomy into later life. Remaining active brings multiple physical but also social benefits leading to higher levels of well-being. With globally increasing levels of urbanisation alongside demographic shifts meaning in many parts of the world this urban population will be older...

In considering the role of place in supporting positive well-being choices for all, including older people, there has been an almost exclusive focus on issues of design in the public realm. Emerging findings from the Co-Motion project suggest that the experience of being out and about can be also facilitated or profoundly damaged by the attitudes a...

This paper describes the results of research exploring the impact of demographic change on housing, health and social care in the North of England from 2011 to 2036. These results show that the population of the North of England is set to grow, age and become more ethnically diverse. Although these changes will affect all areas in the North of Engl...

A growing number of housing schemes for older people combine independent living with relatively high levels of care. However, there are questions about what, if any, model works best for older people. The authors examine how different models of housing with care address the needs of older people. The longitudinal study compares seven different hous...

The recent turn towards evidence-based or evidence-informed policy making has generated interest in systematic literature review techniques. Systematic reviewing is increasingly being adopted to address questions in complex social policy areas, but the methodological development lags behind. Drawing on the experience of undertaking three systematic...

This paper reports the findings of a scoping study designed to describe the evidence base with regard to housing provision for elderly people with dementia with the aim of identifying gaps in existing knowledge. This report from the scoping study findings covers studies of housing and accommodation in relation to dementia that have been published i...

This paper discusses the findings of a scoping study that aimed to explore evidence relating to models of good practice with regard to accommodation and related services for people with mental health problems in the UK. The literature reveals that there has tended to be an assumption that patients will progress from high(er) to low(er) levels of su...

English This article uses the experience of reviewing the evidence on the financial support available for defaulting home owners to consider the opportunities and challenges systematic review methods present to social policy. It addresses concerns about examining the strength of given evidence, and perceptions of it being a purely technical method...

A review of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of respite care and short breaks for carers for people with dementia. The review builds on an earlier scoping study, also for SDO, mapping out the literature relating to support for carers for people with mental health problems (the three reports and briefing paper for this work can be downloaded...

This paper will explore the evidence relating to models of good practice regarding accommodation and related services for people with mental health problems in the UK. In the context of new "Supporting People" initiatives it is timely to consider the evidence base pertaining to different models of accommodation, ranging from those with relatively l...

Objective To compare public perceptions and patient perceptions about back pain and its management with current clinical guidelines.DesignA survey using a quota sampling technique.SettingOn-the-street in South Derbyshire in the UK.Subjects507 members of the general population aged between 20 and 60 years, including a representative subsample of 40%...

OBJECTIVE: To compare public perceptions and patient perceptions about back pain and its management with current clinical guidelines. DESIGN: A survey using a quota sampling technique. SETTING: On-the-street in South Derbyshire in the UK. SUBJECTS: 507 members of the general population aged between 20 and 60 years, including a representative subsam...

The points system provides a simple method of assessing the design aspects of health care facilities which have a significant influence on their eventual operating costs. It is intended to assist planning teams working in the early stages of designing a health care facility. The system offers a systematic form of analysis which should be used in th...

The report explores five key themes: the potential of retirement villages to enhancing older people's choices for independent living; the particular benefits of larger developments and the potential for economies of scale; how retirement villages can be made accessible and affordable for a range of older people; the potential impact of retirement v...