GET READY - a unique intervention addressing activity reduction co-designed with Care Home residents and University students, following a service-learning methodology

Project Information

GET READY

Grant agreement ID: 747490

DOI

10.3030/747490

Project closed

EC signature date 13 November 2017

Start date 22 January 2018

End date 21 January 2020

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 195 454,80

EU contribution

€ 195 454,80

Coordinated by

THE GLASGOW CALEDONIAN UNIVERSITY
United Kingdom

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - GET READY (GET READY - a unique intervention addressing activity reduction co-designed with Care Home residents and University students, following a service-learning methodology)

Reporting period: 2018-01-22 to 2020-01-21

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The GET READY study was divided into two stages. The first stage (stage 1) focused on the integration of the service-learning methodology within a University degree, and the design of three workshops for the co-creation of an intervention to reduce sedentary behaviour and enhance physical activity in care home residents. The second stage (stage 2) focused on the feasibility of the intervention co-created in the previous stage, and a pilot study to consider preliminary effectiveness. The protocol of the GET READY study was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov with the identifier: NCT03505385, and then published in the Journal of Frailty, Sarcopenia and Falls (article 1).

In stage 1, the service-learning methodology was integrated within a current module in the 1st year of the Physical Therapy degree in Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU), and in the 3rd year of the Sport Sciences degree in Blanquerna, Ramon Llull University in Barcelona. Undergraduate students (with lecturers and the PI’s support) designed two workshops for care home residents and one workshop for staff members, relatives and policy makers and conducted a co-creation procedure (see article 1 for more details). The results of the co-creation process have been published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (article 2).

Stage 1 was approved by the Psychology, Social Work and Allied Health Sciences Ethics Committee of the School of Health and Life Sciences of Glasgow Caledonian University (Glasgow, 20180308-GCU), and the Faculty of Psychology, Education and Sport Sciences Blanquerna Ethics Committee (Barcelona, 026/2018).

Stage 2 had an initial delay of five months due to an unexpected delay to receive the Scotland A Research Ethics Committee approval. The committee debated over the inclusion of vulnerable older people with poor cognition. Ethics approval was granted on April 15th 2019 (REC reference: 19/SS/0017; IRAS project ID: 254247).

Stage 2 aimed to assess the feasibility, acceptability, safety and preliminary effects of the co-created intervention over 12 weeks in a group of 31 care home residents from 4 care homes (2 located in Glasgow and 2 located in Barcelona), within a pilot two-armed pragmatic randomized clinical trial (RCT), with baseline and post assessment time points.

To understand, in more depth, the thoughts on barriers, challenges, facilitators and key aspects of engaging in research studies we conducted five face-to-face interviews. Two staff members from two care homes in Glasgow (one physiotherapist and one manager), and three staff members from two care homes in Barcelona (one care assistant, one nurse and one manager) were interviewed to explore their thoughts on barriers and challenges of engaging in interventional research studies. The results of this study have been accepted for publication (article 3-submitted).

Finally, we conducted a pilot two-armed pragmatic randomized clinical (RCT) trial to assess the feasibility, acceptability, safety and preliminary effects of the intervention co-created in the previous stage. The results of this RCT have been submitted for publication (article 4-submitted).

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The Marie Curie fellowship had provided me with several research-based skills thanks to:

(a) the attendance at numerous GCU courses such as ‘How to be an Effective Doctoral Supervisor’;

(b) the involvement with the GCU Ageing Well Research Group and the attendance of a monthly meeting;

(c) the chance to network with other researchers who are considered experts in their field: Dr Philippa Dall (measurement of SB); Dr Janet Finlayson (research ethics with vulnerable participants unable to consent); Prof Jo Booth (continence in older adults); Prof Sebastien Chastin (compositional analysis and co-creation methodology);

(d) presentation of the GET READY project at four conferences;

(e) the attendance of several research meetings at the host institution GCU;

(f) short research and training stays with secondments;

(g) the chance to be involved in two grant applications with other GCU researchers;

(h) the co-supervision of a PhD student (Ms Jennifer Scott - Prevention of functional decline in older adults in inpatient and ‘Hospital at Home’ settings) from the host institution.

I was also able to be involved in organising the 4th Senior Sporting Games (care home sports event) which is co-hosted by GCU and Erskine Care Homes. I was awarded a GCU Points of Pride Award along with my supervisor, Prof Dawn Skelton and the Student Volunteer Co-ordinator, Chris Mulligan.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The GET READY project has been a great opportunity to: (a) understand and learn more about the practical approach that most university degrees need to have translating what is learned in the safe and controlled classroom to what occurs in the wider working world, (b) introduce service learning as a teaching and learning strategy that involves and integrates students in meaningful community service with academic instruction focusing on critical, reflective thinking to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities, (c) conducting a co-creation process to co-design strategies to reduce sedentary behaviour in a frail population such as care home residents, (d) involve care homes in a research study, and (e) assessing the preliminary effects, feasibility and acceptability of a co-created intervention to reduce sedentary behaviour in care home residents. Even though analysing the cultural differences between Glasgow and Barcelona wasn’t within the scope of the present study, it had been an added value conducting the study in both countries, and further research could analyse any differences more in depth. The process and findings of the GET READY study have provided us with novel knowledge for future intervention studies.

Scientific articles

Please note that we have acknowledged the funding received from the Marie Sklodowska-Curie programme in the articles, and all articles had been published according to the open access regulations. Article 3 is currently in press and article 4 had been submitted and will comply with this obligation.

Article 1
Giné-Garriga M, Sandlund M, Dall PM, Chastin SFM, Pérez S, Skelton DA. A co-created intervention with care home residents and University students following a service-learning methodology to reduce sedentary behaviour: The GET READY project protocol. Journal of Frailty, Sarcopenia and Falls 2018; 3(3): 132-137. doi: 10.22540/JFSF-03-132

Article 2
Giné-Garriga M, Sandlund M, Dall PM, Chastin SFM, Pérez S, Skelton DA. A novel approach to reduce sedentary behaviour in care home residents: The GET READY study utilising service-learning and co-creation. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2019; 16(3). pii: E418. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16030418

Article 3
Giné-Garriga M, Sandlund M, Jerez-Roig J, Booth J, Skelton DA. Mission (im)possible: Engaging Care Homes, staff and residents in research studies. Journal of Frailty, Sarcopenia and Falls 2020 [submitted].

Article 4
Giné-Garriga M, Sandlund M, Dall PM, Jerez-Roig J, Skelton DA. A pilot randomised clinical trial of a novel approach to reduce sedentary behaviour in care home residents: feasibility and preliminary effects of the GET READY study. [Submitted].

Senior Sporting Games and GCU Points of Pride Award