Sarah Gibney, Mark Ward and Sinead Shannon
Housing quality across the life course is an important health determinant. The purpose of this paper is to profile the current housing conditions of older adults in Ireland, and…
Abstract
Purpose
Housing quality across the life course is an important health determinant. The purpose of this paper is to profile the current housing conditions of older adults in Ireland, and to investigate the association between housing conditions and heating problems and two types of non-communicable diseases: respiratory health problems and bone and joint conditions.
Design/methodology/approach
Data are from the Healthy and Positive Ageing Initiative Age-friendly Cities and Counties Survey, a random-sample, population representative survey of 10,540 adults aged 55 and older collected in 2015–2016. Mixed-effects logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association between poor housing (leaks, rot and damp) and poor heating (unable to keep the home adequately warm) and the likelihood of having a respiratory health problem or a bone or joint condition. Results are reported as odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals.
Findings
Overall, 10.2 per cent had poor housing and 10.4 per cent had poor heating. Poor housing and poor heating were strongly associated with respiratory health problems and there was a strong association between poor housing and bone and joint conditions. These associations were not explained by health behaviours or socio-demographic characteristics.
Originality/value
Despite a number of publicly funded schemes available to assist in upgrading and maintaining housing, a considerable number of adults aged 55 years and older continue to report problems which are associated with an increased likelihood of respiratory health problem and bone and joint conditions and present a considerable threat to healthy ageing in place.
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Sarah Gibney, Tara Moore and Sinead Shannon
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between the age-friendliness of local environments and self-reported loneliness for a representative sample of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between the age-friendliness of local environments and self-reported loneliness for a representative sample of community-dwelling adults aged 55+ in Ireland.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were from the Healthy and Positive Ageing Initiative Age friendly Cities and Counties Survey (n=10,540) (2016). Several age friendly indicators, as proposed by World Health Organisation, were included in this study: outdoor spaces and buildings; access to social services; social participation; respect and social inclusion; and transport. Loneliness was measured using five items from the UCLA Loneliness Scale. Informed by an ecological approach to ageing, multi-level negative binomial regression models were used to investigate the association between each age friendly indicator and social loneliness. Models were adjusted for known demographic, socio-economic and health correlates of loneliness.
Findings
Average loneliness scores were significantly higher for those in poorer health, who lived alone, were materially deprived and those never or formerly married. Lower ratings and poorer outcomes for several interrelated age friendly place-based factors were significantly associated with higher loneliness scores: difficulty with transport, difficulty accessing social services, barriers to community activities, lower social engagement, and experiences and perceptions of ageism in the community; however, the effect sizes were small.
Originality/value
This study identified several modifiable age friendly features of local environments that are associated with loneliness in this older population. The results of this study can inform coordinated local and national efforts to enhance the age-friendliness of local environments and reduce the risk and experience of loneliness among the ageing population in Ireland.
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Sarah Gibney and Sinead Shannon
The purpose of this paper is to describe a study undertaken in Ireland to develop a set of local age-friendly indicators which have been used to support the Age-Friendly Cities…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe a study undertaken in Ireland to develop a set of local age-friendly indicators which have been used to support the Age-Friendly Cities and Counties Programme.
Design/methodology/approach
A concept-validation approach was used to translate the principles and domains of age-friendly communities into a quantitative indicator set. This iterative process involved five steps: identifying potential indicators; consultation; survey testing; data collection and fieldwork; and finalising the indicator set. A participatory approach was also taken to involve local stakeholders in the development and subsequent use of the indicator set and associated data set. A multi-arm approach to communicating and translating these indicators was taken in order to build capacity within multi-stakeholder groups to engage with and appraise quantitative local evidence in this field.
Findings
A set of 120 local age-friendly indicators that can be reported nationally and disaggregated to the local authority level was developed. There were challenges faced in communicating the results and supporting the translation of these indicators into local actions. These challenges included indicator, user, and policy factors and involved instrumental, conceptual, and political issues.
Originality/value
The resulting indicator set is the first of its kind in Ireland and fills and important data gap in the local data landscape. Future work will focus on planning for sustaining collection of local data and building capacity among local stakeholders in the management and use of these indicators.
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Beth Storey, Sinead O'Leary and Noëlle O'Connor
Dark tourism has grown as an area of study since the 1990s with a great deal of research carried out into visitor motivations in recent years. Visitor centres within the dark…
Abstract
Dark tourism has grown as an area of study since the 1990s with a great deal of research carried out into visitor motivations in recent years. Visitor centres within the dark tourism sector have a balancing act between the education and entertainment elements of tourism and sensitivity to the difficult stories they tell as part of their remit. This study examines the importance of tourism to the survival of Ireland's remaining workhouse buildings and the role the workhouse museums play in the local community. Research found that the visitor demographics and responses correlated with other studies, with a similar spread of male and female respondents to the survey, similar reasons for visiting and many of the same emotional responses.
The workhouses are very large buildings spread over several acres of land and therefore can be difficult and expensive to maintain. Community is very important to the management at Donaghmore and Portumna, and both management teams are open to the use of the buildings for events and education. They are also aware of their place in the local communities, supporting other businesses such as accommodation and restaurants.
This chapter shows that not only are Ireland's workhouses an important part of the history of the country, but they also have a role in modern society as places to preserve and teach that history. Tourism plays an important role in the preservation of the remaining workhouses and in educating the public about a difficult time in Ireland's history.
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This chapter examines the value of an academic community as a space in which competing imperatives of collaboration and solo research may not only coexist but also interplay…
Abstract
This chapter examines the value of an academic community as a space in which competing imperatives of collaboration and solo research may not only coexist but also interplay productively. It will critically analyse how developing collaborative practices within an unaffiliated research collective (Beyond Gender) has provided vital tools for building an interdisciplinary academic community within Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE). While the merits of cross-disciplinary collaboration and networking continue to be invoked in institutional strategic plans, academic reward systems continue to favour individual outputs and sole authorship. With researchers increasingly struggling with heavy workloads, it can be challenging to argue that the time and energy required to create and sustain meaningful professional networks is worthwhile. In this chapter, I demonstrate, however, that academic research is rarely the product of an individual. I advocate for collaborative working as a means of diversifying research knowledge and generating adaptable ways of working. I illustrate this by demonstrating how involvement in Beyond Gender has generated research activity at SRHE. It is increasingly acknowledged that mattering and belonging are helpful to our understanding of higher education and to creating effective learning spaces (Gravett, 2023; Carruthers Thomas, 2019). This chapter aligns with this growing area of scholarship, showing that mattering and belonging fostered through academic community building supports creativity and innovation in research.
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Patricia McHugh, Cushla Dromgool-Regan, Christine T. Domegan and Noirin Burke
This paper aims to describe a case between practitioners and social marketing academics to grow and scale a programme that engages with primary schools, teachers, children and the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to describe a case between practitioners and social marketing academics to grow and scale a programme that engages with primary schools, teachers, children and the education network, inspiring students to become marine leaders and ocean champions.
Design/methodology/approach
Over a six-year period, the authors first applied collective intelligence to work with stakeholders across society to better understand the barriers and solutions to teaching children (6–12 year olds) about the ocean in schools. Following this, a Collective Impact Assessment of the Explorers Education Programme took place to grow the impact of the programme.
Findings
The Explorers Education Programme has grown its numbers higher than pre-pandemic levels. In 2022, the Explorers Education Programme had the largest number of participating children, reaching 15,237, with a growth of 21% compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019 and 79% compared to 2021. In 2023, the programme won the “Best Education Outreach Award” category of the Education Awards in Ireland.
Research limitations/implications
This research stresses the importance of measuring impact. The long-term impact of the Explorers Education Programme at societal, environmental and economical levels takes a much longer time frame to measure than the six years of these research collaborations.
Practical implications
The collaborative approach between academics and practitioners meant that this research had practical implications, whereby necessary and effective changes and learnings could be directly applied to the Explorers Education Programme in real time, as the practitioners involved were directly responsible for the management and coordination of the programme.
Originality/value
The value of collaborations and engagement between academia and practice cannot be underestimated. The ability to collectively reflect and assess impact moves beyond “an” intervention, allowing for more meaningful behavioural, social and system changes for the collective good, inspiring the next generation of marine leaders and ocean champions.