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Planning and Design for quality of life and resilience in long-term residential care settings for older people in Ireland

Research Pillar: Healthy and Inclusive Places

Project Name/Title/Acronym: Planning and design for quality of life and resilience in LTRC settings for older people in Ireland

Funding Body: Health Research Board

Project Partners: TrinityHaus and TCD Medical Gerontology

Project Timeframe: December 2022 - Summer 2025

Key Output(s): Universal Design Guidelines, International Standard (ISO)

Project Description:

In Ireland, the provision of Long Term Residential Care (LTRC) Settings for Older People is currently inadequate, putting pressure on the health systems and undermining the care of many older people. As the population increases and ages, the number of people requiring LTRC will increase.

In 2022, TrinityHaus was awarded a HRB grant (Investigator-led Project Health Services Research) to produce evidence-based Universal Design Guidelines for LTRC for older people in Ireland that support quality-of-life and resilience (including air-borne pandemic resilience and climate resilience). These guidelines will support resident-centred principles and standards in national policy, be applicable to new-build, retrofit, and refurbishment project, and relate to rural, suburban, and urban location.

 

This project involves project partners and co-applicants:

  • Age Action
  • Age Friendly Ireland
  • Centre for Excellence in Universal Design at the National Disability Authority
  • HSE Estates
  • Meath County Council

Additionally, the project also included numerous collaborators, including:

  • London School of Economics
  • Experts in LTRC Design
  • Health Services Executive
  • Maastricht University (NL)
  • University College Cork/Care Champions
  • O'Connell-Mahon Architects
  • Nursing Homes Ireland

Furthermore, this project utilised a robust PPI (Public and Patient Involvement) to place the lived experience of key stakeholders including LTRC residents, family members, and staff at the heart of the research.

PPI collaborators included:

  • Age Action
  • Age Friendly Ireland
  • Care Champions
  • Irish Association of Directors of Nursing and Midwifery

The key outputs/deliverables of this research project, include:

  • Key Findings and Research Report
  • Universal Design Guidelines for LTRC Settings
  • International Standard (ISO)
  • Co-Creation and Engagement Process

This project looked at internal air quality therefore addressing some issues ‘Healthy and Inclusive Places’ and also covered issues around heating and energy conservation and thus linked with ‘Climate Action and Sustainability’. Through the research and engagement process adopted, the project also supported the 4th TrinityHaus pillar - Co-creation, collaboration and stakeholder engagement

Nationally, this project supports the ‘National Dementia Strategy’, the ‘Housing Options for Our Aging Population Policy’ and the ‘Housing for all’ plan. Internationally, it supports various UN Sustainable Development Goals as indicated below:

UN Sustainable Development Goals

If you would like more information on this research project, please contact Research Fellow Tom Grey at tom.grey@tcd.ie.