University of South Wales KESS Mres Studentship Reference: USW MINI 20828

University of South Wales KESS MRes Studentship Reference: USW MINI 20828 An Exploration of Stories or Narratives of Older Persons and their Carers Living with Dementia Here is an exciting opportunity to study using an innovative methodology of storytelling, which could lead to entirely new approaches in the understanding of the lived experiences of older persons and their carers living with dementia. This is a funded MRes, including a generous stipend and tuition fees, with well-resourced circumstances for a successful scholarship. The selected candidate will apply their interpersonal skills and ambition to conduct applied research in dementia care. This studentship will allow the student to develop transferable knowledge and skills in this most exciting and active field of dementia research. This Knowledge Economy Skills Scholarship (KESS) project will be held in the Faculty Life Sciences and Education at the University of South Wales. KESS is a programme funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) awarded by the Welsh European Funding Office (WEFO) in the Welsh Government. The MRes will be associated with Hafod Care Association, our partner. The project will focus on collecting stories or narratives from older people and their carers on their experiences of living with dementia since this will impact on the care that these people receive from Hafod Care Association. It will support Hafod’s plan to deliver holistic, individual care that is mapped and designed around the client’s wishes and needs. The impact of this study will be that it will enable Hafod Care to further develop measures to evaluate and assess whether clients’ desired outcomes have been achieved. Hafod Care association is a charitable not for profit organisation, which offers personalised care and support services to over 1000 people in nursing, residential, homecare and supported housing across the South East and West Wales. As an organisation, their aims and objectives are focused on putting the individual at the heart of our service delivery, and providing a high standard of tailored and personalised care in line with the requirements of the recent Social Services and Well-being Act (Wales) 2014. They are continuously striving to improve the well-being and quality of life of those who use our services. Hafod are committed to investing in their Dementia services, and by working with the University of South Wales KESS MRes Studentship on this project it will complement their current Dementia projects and enable them to provide a higher level of person centred care and develop their training programme, to ensure their staff are suitably skilled to carry out the required care. Programme of research: The aim of the MRes study is to, in collaboration with Hafod Care Association, explore the experiences of older persons and their carers who are living with dementia in West Wales and the Valleys. This will allow a greater understanding of the lived experiences of persons and their carers living with dementia. Working in partnership with Hafod care we anticipate that we will collect stories from about 6 older persons living with dementia and 6 carers. The sample will be recruited purposively from across Hafod’s different care settings i.e. the person’s own home, intermediate care facilities and residential care homes. The stories are likely to be in form of narratives, using photos/pictures etc. to capture their unique life stories. If permission is given film footage will also be taken – to co-produce with the older person, carer and/or staff a documentary or life story book. This work builds on previous research into dementia including a completed storyworks project of one couple’s experiences of their father’s dementia. This project will have an impact on research at USW. The University of South Wales Research strategy emphasises the importance of supporting and caring for and looking after the health and wellbeing of the local population, contributing to the local economy and the developing partnerships with the community, primary care, third sector and industry. This proposed MRes study supports the university 2014-20 strategic aim of developing ‘applied research which provides solutions to problems that affect society’. The successful candidate with be supported through supervision from our sponsor Hafod Care and a team of research staff at USW. Both organisations have thriving research cultures. The successful student will have an interest in older persons and/or dementia. They will have the ability to engage with older people and will have some knowledge of/or experience of working in dementia care. The student will have a relevant first degree in nursing, health and/or social care and/or psychology. Studentship: The studentship will cover the fees for a 1-year full-time MRes programme and pay a stipend of circa £11 k p.a. There is also around £3k project support costs available for consumables, travel/conference attendance, minor equipment, training (including the KESS Grad School) and conference attendance. The position is available from 1 October 2017 Eligibility of Student: To be eligible to hold a KESS studentship, you must: have a home address in the Convergence area (details below)* at the time of registration. have the right to take up paid work in the Convergence area* on completion of the scholarship. be classified by the University as ‘home’ or ‘EU’ for tuition fees purposes according to the University’s guidelines. satisfy University of South Wales’s admissions criteria: see below, qualifications and experience and application process *The Convergence area covers West Wales and the Valleys, and is made up of the following 15 local authorities: Isle of Anglesey, Gwynedd, Conwy, Denbighshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Bridgend, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Merthyr Tydfil, Caerphilly, Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen. Qualifications and experience: Eligible applicants will: Have a degree (2i or higher) in an appropriate nursing, health, social care and/or psychology discipline. Possess a reasonable understanding of dementia. Be highly self-motivated, with capacity to learn and develop innovative research techniques i.e. in collecting stories or narratives from older persons and their carers living with dementia. Have well-developed and positively collaborative interpersonal skills Have an ability to deliver technical reports and communicate findings Be willing to travel and work in a person’s own home, or care settings such as a care home. Application Process: To download an application package, please visit: Participant Application Package For any queries on eligibility, please contact: KESS Team at Research and Innovation Services, University of South Wales: [email protected] Tel: 01443 482578 For informal enquiries or further programme information, please contact: Dr Anne Fothergill, Director of Studies ([email protected]). Tel: 01443 483017 Further information at: Website: www.hafodcare.org.uk Facebook: @hafodcares Twitter: @HafodCare Closing date for applications: Midnight Sunday 18th June (Interviews will be held: Wednesday 21st June) Knowledge Economy Skills Scholarships (KESS) is a pan-Wales higher level skills initiative led by Bangor University on behalf of the HE sector in Wales. It is part funded by the Welsh Government’s European Social Fund (ESF) convergence programme for West Wales and the Valleys. Ysgoloriaeth Sgiliau Economi Gwybodaeth (KESS) yn Gymru gyfan sgiliau lefel uwch yn fenter a arweinir gan Brifysgol Bangor ar ran y sector AU yng Nghymru. Fe’i cyllidir yn rhannol gan Gronfeydd Cymdeithasol Ewropeaidd (ESF) cydgyfeirio ar gyfer Gorllewin Cymru a’r Cymoedd. .

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