Cataloguing Kays: Body Image in the Catalogues of Kay & Co Ltd of Worcester, 1920 - 2000. JISC Final Report

Cataloguing Kays is a university-run project intended to create a community web-archive to celebrate the history and public memory of Kay & Co Ltd of Worcester, a noted mailorder catalogue company which was, until 2006, the largest employer in Worcester. The Kays Archive, housed at UoW, is one of the most comprehensive archive collections of 20th century mail-order catalogues in the UK and has a strong local elevance. The catalogues provide a window into over 100 years of body image, social history, consumable goods, fashion and design. The Project Team created www.WorldofKays.org, an online, fully-searchable archive containing 1500 digitised images from the catalogues, 1920-2000. The website is intended to form a seed bed for international research, focussing in particular on the representation of body image and the way the catalogues represent the developing tropes of consumer lifestyle and aspiration. The images are enhanced by blog postings from or film and audio interviews with local residents and former Kays staff members, who recall how the goods were selected and presented; as well as the impact the mail-order industry had on shaping 20th century lifestyle and consumption. These interviews and blogs have been sourced through the Cataloguing Kays team’s outreach activity in the local, academic and online communities. From the outset, we, the Cataloguing Kays team, engaged with online communities through social media sites, Facebook and Twitter, and through specialist blogs and online forums, inviting comment and contributions. Through events for the general public and a programme of targeted community outreach work with Kays Heritage Group and support groups for Worcestershire’s young and adult carers, we have also collected filmed and audio reminiscence material as well as community art and poetry content for the website. Our academic conference, the Catalogue of Dreams, showcased both the website and the physical archive to the wider academic, cultural and heritage sectors, provoking lively debateand much interest from international scholars.

Exploring and Improving Access to Direct Payments by People with Dementia Living in Rural Communities

Direct payments are cash payments made to individuals eligible for social care services which allow them to manage and pay for their own social care rather than receiving it directly from their Local Authority. Research suggests that direct payments can enable people with dementia to stay in their own home for longer, and experience greater choice, flexibility and an improved social life. However, uptake of direct payments is currently low. People living in rural communities may particularly benefit from the additional flexibility offered by direct payments; however they may face difficulties accessing appropriate services. The aim of Phase 1 of the research is to explore the reasons why people with dementia who live in rural communities do or do not gain access to direct payments. This will be achieved through analysis of direct payment uptake data, focus groups with social workers, examination of online discussions about direct payments, and interviews with people with dementia, carers and social workers. Findings will inform Phase 2 of the research: the building and pilot testing of an intervention which can be utilised in rural communities to maximise access to direct payments by people with dementia.

Exploring Access to Direct Payments by People with Dementia Living in Rural Communities

Direct payments are cash payments made to individuals eligible for social care services which allow them to manage their own social care. Research suggests that direct payments can enable people with dementia to stay in their own home for longer and experience greater choice, flexibility and an improved social life. However uptake of direct payments is currently low. There is a lack of research to date in this area which addresses the factors of dementia, ageing and rurality in unison. Therefore the objective of this research was to explore the experiences of people with dementia living in rural communities, in relation to their access to direct payments. 26 semi-structured interviews were conducted with people with dementia in receipt of social care services in the community, and their carers and social workers. Focus groups were carried out with two community social work teams, and existing online discussions regarding direct payments were examined. It was found that direct payments tended to be seen as a fall back option, for example as the only alternative to residential care, or as a potential solution to problems experienced by existing social care service users. Direct payments appeared to afford particular benefits to people with dementia and to those living in rural communities in terms of flexibility, continuity of care and access to local facilities. It is therefore important that this group are enabled to access direct payments; ensuring direct payments are viewed as a positive option by all stakeholders is key to this.

Exploring Access to Direct Payments by People with Dementia Living in Rural Communities

Direct payments are cash payments made to individuals eligible for social care services which allow them to manage their own social care. Research suggests that direct payments can enable people with dementia to stay in their own home for longer and experience greater choice, flexibility and an improved social life. However uptake of direct payments is currently low. There is a lack of research to date in this area which addresses the factors of dementia, ageing and rurality in unison. Therefore the objective of this research was to explore the experiences of people with dementia living in rural communities, in relation to their access to direct payments. 26 semi-structured interviews were conducted with people with dementia in receipt of social care services in the community, and their carers and social workers. Focus groups were carried out with two community social work teams, and existing online discussions regarding direct payments were examined. It was found that direct payments tended to be seen as a fall back option, for example as the only alternative to residential care, or as a potential solution to problems experienced by existing social care service users. Direct payments appeared to afford particular benefits to people with dementia and to those living in rural communities in terms of flexibility, continuity of care and access to local facilities. It is therefore important that this group are enabled to access direct payments; ensuring direct payments are viewed as a positive option by all stakeholders is key to this.

Exploring Access to Direct Payments by People with Dementia Living in Rural Communities

Direct payments are cash payments made to individuals eligible for social care services which allow them to manage and pay for their own social care rather than receiving it directly from their Local Authority. Research suggests that direct payments can enable people with dementia to stay in their own home for longer and experience greater choice, flexibility and an improved social life. However uptake of direct payments is currently low, particularly amongst people with dementia. Those living in rural communities may experience additional barriers to direct payments, such as transport issues and difficulty recruiting carers. There is a lack of research to date in this area which addresses the factors of dementia, ageing and rurality in unison. Therefore the objective of this research was to explore the experiences of people with dementia living in rural communities, in relation to their access to and use of direct payments. 26 semi-structured interviews were conducted with people with dementia in receipt of social care services in the community, and their carers and social workers. Focus groups were carried out with two community social work teams, and existing online discussions about direct payments contributed to by social care staff, people with dementia and their carers were examined. It was found that direct payments tended to be seen as a fall back option, for example as the only alternative to residential care, or as a potential solution to problems experienced by existing social care service users. Direct payments appeared to afford particular benefits to people with dementia and to those living in rural communities in terms of flexibility, continuity of care and access to local facilities. It is therefore important that this group are enabled to access direct payments; ensuring direct payments are viewed as a positive option by all stakeholders is key to this.