Best Practice for Providing Social Care and Support to People Living with Concurrent Sight Loss and Dementia: Professional Perspectives

Purpose-Approximately 100,000 people in the UK aged 75 and over have concurrent dementia and sight loss, but current understanding of their experiences, needs and preferences is limited. The purpose of this paper is to report on a research project that explored the provision of social care and support for older people with both conditions. Design/methodology/approach-The project was a collaboration between the universities of York, Worcester, Bournemouth and Cambridge, supported by the Thomas Pocklington Trust and the Housing and Dementia Research Consortium. Data for this paper were drawn from focus groups held in 2013 involving 47 professionals across the dementia, sight loss and housing sectors. Findings-Thematic analysis identified five main barriers to providing high-quality, cost-effective social care and support: time constraints; financial limitations; insufficient professional knowledge; a lack of joint working; and inconsistency of services. The requirements of dementia and sight loss often conflict, which can limit the usefulness of equipment, aids and adaptations. Support and information needs to address individual needs and preferences. Research limitations/implications-Unless professionals consider dementia and sight loss together, they are unlikely to think about the impact of both conditions and the potential of their own services to provide effective support for individuals and their informal carers. Failing to consider both conditions together can also limit the availability and accessibility of social care and support services. This paper is based on input from a small sample of self-selecting professionals across three geographical regions of England. More research is needed in this area. Practical implications-There are growing numbers of people living with concurrent dementia and sight loss, many of whom wish to remain living in their own homes. There is limited awareness of the experiences and needs of this group and limited provision of appropriate services aids/adaptations. A range of measures should be implemented in order to support independence and well-being for people living with both conditions and their family carers. These include increased awareness, improved assessment, more training and greater joint working. Social implications-People living with dementia or sight loss are at high risk of social isolation, increasingly so for those with both conditions. Services that take an inclusive approach to both conditions can provide crucial opportunities for social interaction. Extra care housing has the potential to provide a supportive, community-based environment that can help residents to maintain social contact. Originality/value-This paper adds much-needed evidence to the limited existing literature, and reflects the views of diverse professionals across housing, health and social care

Effects of Social Media Platform Preference: a Country Comparison of Online University Reputations

Managing an online reputation is critical to higher education. Universities cannot afford to lose enrolment numbers by neglecting to monitor, control, promote and enhance their online presence. It is critical that universities measure their social media reputation scores and presence on the web, as well as those of their competitors. Universities need to continuously review their social engagement strategy and online reputation to ensure they maximize all opportunities to maintain, and improve student enrolment and retention. Universities have embraced social media to enhance their brand reputation. This study examines the use of social media and its effects from a global perspective. It analysed 90 universities in three geographical areas to assess the impact and level of online social media, especially as it relates to “university brand reputation.” Results of the study indicated there was a wide variation among the three geographical regions, and within countries in the three geographical regions. Use of social media communication tools such as Twitter and Google+ by active users also varied widely depending upon country and region.

Characteristics of Grass Pollen Seasons in Areas of Southern Spain and the United Kingdom

Spatial and temporal variations in daily grass pollen counts and weather variables are described for two regions with different bio-geographical and climatic regimes, southern Spain and the United Kingdom. Daily average grass pollen counts are considered from six pollen-monitoring sites, three in southern Spain (Ciudad Real, Córdoba and Priego) and three in the United Kingdom (Edinburgh, Worcester and Cambridge). Analysis shows that rainfall and maximum temperatures are important factors controlling the magnitude of the grass pollen season in both southern Spain and the United Kingdom, and that the strength and direction of the influence exerted by these variables varies with geographical location and time.

Variation of the Group 5 Grass Pollen Allergen Content of Airborne Pollen in Relation to Geographical Location and Time in Season

Allergies to grass pollen are the number one cause of outdoor hay fever. The human immune system reacts with symptoms to allergens from pollen. Objective: We investigated the natural variability in release of the major group 5 allergen from grass pollen across Europe. Methods: Airborne pollen and allergens were simultaneously collected daily with a volumetric spore trap and a high-volume cascade impactor at 10 sites across Europe for 3 consecutive years. Group 5 allergen was determined with a Phl p 5 specific ELISA in two fractions of ambient air: Particulate Matter (PM) >10μm and 10μm>PM>2.5μm. Mediator release by ambient air was determined in FcεR1-humanized basophils. Origin of pollen was modeled and condensed to pollen potency maps. Results: On average grass pollen released 2.3 pg Phl p 5/pollen. Allergen release per pollen (potency) varied substantially, ranging from 0 to 9 pg Phl p 5/pollen (5 to 95% percentile). The main variation was locally day-to-day. Average potency maps across Europe varied between years. Mediator release from basophilic granulocytes correlated better with allergen/m3 (r2=0.80, p<0.001) than with pollen/m3 (r2=0.61, p<0.001). In addition, pollen released different amounts of allergen in the nonpollen bearing fraction of ambient air depending on humidity. Conclusion: Across Europe, the same amount of pollen released substantially different amounts of group 5 grass pollen allergen. This variation in allergen release is on top of variations in pollen counts. Molecular aerobiology, i.e. determining allergen in ambient air, may be a valuable addition to pollen counting.