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Article
Publication date: 18 June 2019

Simon Chester Evans, Julie Barrett, Neil Mapes, June Hennell, Teresa Atkinson, Jennifer Bray, Claire Garabedian and Chris Russell

The benefits of “green dementia care”, whereby people living with dementia are supported to connect with nature, are increasingly being recognised. Evidence suggests that these…

Abstract

Purpose

The benefits of “green dementia care”, whereby people living with dementia are supported to connect with nature, are increasingly being recognised. Evidence suggests that these benefits span physical, emotional and social spheres and can make a significant contribution towards quality of life. However, care settings often present specific challenges to promoting such connections due to a range of factors including risk-averse cultures and environmental limitations. The purpose of this paper is to report on a project that aims to explore the opportunities, benefits, barriers and enablers to interaction with nature for people living with dementia in residential care and extra care housing schemes in the UK.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were gathered from 144 responses to an online survey by managers/staff of extra care housing schemes and care homes in the UK. In depth-case studies were carried out at three care homes and three extra care housing schemes, involving interviews with residents, staff and family carers.

Findings

A wide variety of nature-based activities were reported, both outdoor and indoor. Positive benefits reported included improved mood, higher levels of social interaction and increased motivation for residents, and greater job satisfaction for staff. The design and layout of indoor and outdoor spaces is key, in addition to staff who feel enabled to promote connections with nature.

Research limitations/implications

This paper is based on a relatively small research project in which the participants were self-selecting and therefore not necessarily representative.

Practical implications

The paper makes some key recommendations for good practice in green dementia care in extra care housing and care homes.

Social implications

Outdoor activities can promote social interaction for people living with dementia in care settings. The authors’ findings are relevant to the recent policy focus on social prescribing.

Originality/value

The paper makes some key recommendations for good practice in green dementia care in extra care housing and care homes.

Details

Working with Older People, vol. 23 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1366-3666

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 October 2019

Julie Barrett, Simon Evans and Neil Mapes

The purpose of this paper is to examine the recent evidence relating to green (nature-based) dementia care for people living with dementia in long-term accommodation and care…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the recent evidence relating to green (nature-based) dementia care for people living with dementia in long-term accommodation and care settings (housing for older people that provides both accommodation and care, such as residential care homes, nursing homes and extra care housing schemes). The review formed part of a pilot study exploring interaction with nature for people living with dementia in care homes and extra care housing schemes in the UK. Rather than a comprehensive systematic or critical literature review, the intention was to increase understanding of green dementia care to support the pilot study.

Design/methodology/approach

The review draws together the published and grey literature on the impacts of green (nature-based) dementia care, the barriers and enablers and good practice in provision. People living with dementia in accommodation and care settings are the focus of this review, due to the research study of which the review is part. Evidence relating to the impacts of engaging with nature on people in general, older people and residents in accommodation and care is also briefly examined as it has a bearing on people living with dementia.

Findings

Although interaction with the natural environment may not guarantee sustained wellbeing for all people living with dementia, there is some compelling evidence for a number of health and wellbeing benefits for many. However, there is a clear need for more large-scale rigorous research in this area, particularly with reference to health and wellbeing outcomes for people living with dementia in accommodation and care settings for which the evidence is limited. There is a stronger evidence base on barriers and enablers to accessing nature for people living with dementia in such settings.

Research limitations/implications

The literature review was conducted to support a pilot study exploring green (nature-based) dementia care in care homes and extra care housing schemes in the UK. Consequently, the focus of the review was on green dementia care in accommodation and care settings. The study, and thus the review, also focussed on direct contact with nature (whether that occurs outdoors or indoors) rather than indirect contact (e.g. viewing nature in a photograph, on a TV screen or through a window) or simulated nature (e.g. robot pets). Therefore, this paper is not a full review of all aspects of green dementia care.

Originality/value

This paper presents an up-to-date review of literature relating to green dementia care in accommodation and care settings. It was successful in increasing understanding to support a pilot study exploring opportunities, benefits, barriers and enablers to interaction with nature for people living with dementia in care homes and extra care housing schemes in the UK. It demonstrated the impacts, value and accessibility of nature engagement in these settings and identified gaps in the evidence base. This review and subsequent pilot study provide a strong platform from which to conduct future research exploring green dementia care in accommodation and care settings.

Details

Housing, Care and Support, vol. 22 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1460-8790

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 October 2013

The following article is a special, new “Q&A interview” conducted by Industrial Robot Journal as a unique way to pass along information from a prominent, robotic industry…

Abstract

Purpose

The following article is a special, new “Q&A interview” conducted by Industrial Robot Journal as a unique way to pass along information from a prominent, robotic industry engineer-turned entrepreneur regarding the evolution, commercialization, and challenges of bringing a technological invention to market. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

This first interview was with Dr William Townsend, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Barrett Technology. Before founding Barrett, he created the world's first haptic manipulator, dubbed Whole-Arm Manipulator (WAM™) and designed to be user-centric, during his PhD 1988 completed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. He completed his PhD minor at Harvard Business School and Sloan School of Management on Managing Technical Innovation. He has won more than a dozen awards, including the Joseph F. Engelberger Award, for his technical leadership in robotics and has authored many papers and patents on the foundational technologies of robotics.

Findings

Initially perceived in 1985 as controversial, PhD candidate William Townsend convinces the MIT thesis committee that his groundbreaking concept of a safer robot with backdrivable cables would lead to new markets of human/robot interaction. Three patents resulted from this PhD effort, as well as the start-up company, Barrett Technology, to develop and sell the company's flagship robot product, the WAM. One of the first uses of this cable-driven arm technology was effectively deployed in surgical robots. Other innovations were developed over several decades and to date Barrett Technology has cumulative sales of about $40 million with an accelerating pace and net profitability.

Originality/value

In a unique situation at the time, a robot PhD inventor turns his originations into a profitable business that catapults new applications and markets in the robotic industry. The details, challenges, and successes of his 25-year experiences are highlighted as a valuable contribution for other engineers contemplating a robot start-up.

Details

Industrial Robot: An International Journal, vol. 40 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-991X

Keywords

Content available
Article
Publication date: 9 March 2015

Rachel Perkins and Julie Repper

207

Abstract

Details

Mental Health and Social Inclusion, vol. 19 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-8308

Article
Publication date: 1 November 2005

Alison Ballantyne, Julianne Cheek, David Gillham and James Quan

Having an ageing population is an issue facing many countries, particularly western nations. With governments and service providers focusing on healthy ageing and ageing in place…

Abstract

Having an ageing population is an issue facing many countries, particularly western nations. With governments and service providers focusing on healthy ageing and ageing in place, notions of choice and active participation for older people in selecting services appropriate to remaining in the community are also emphasised. Central to this is the issue of information navigation: knowing what services are available and how to get that information, for older people and those who support them. Based on a series of qualitative studies of service provision and using perspectives from older people, their families and those who provide services for them, this paper argues that greater attention needs to be paid to the process of information navigation as opposed to providing ever more information content.

Details

Quality in Ageing and Older Adults, vol. 6 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1471-7794

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 October 2020

Da Yang, John Dumay and Dale Tweedie

In 2015, one university student in KC – a small town in regional Australia – unknowingly launched a resistance movement and national debate on modern wage theft. We apply labour…

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Abstract

Purpose

In 2015, one university student in KC – a small town in regional Australia – unknowingly launched a resistance movement and national debate on modern wage theft. We apply labour process theory to analyse accounting's role in this case.

Design/methodology/approach

We study multiple instances of wage theft in one Australian town. This case site reveals how wage theft can emerge in a developed economy with well-established legal and institutional constraints. We use Thompson's “core” labour process theory to analyse accounting's role via two interrelated dialectics: (1) structure and agency and, (2) control and resistance.

Findings

Accounting was “weaponised” by both sides of the controversy: as a tool of employer control and as a vehicle for student resistance. Digital technologies enabled employee resistance to form unconsciously and organically. Proponents mobilised informally, with information and accounting the ammunition.

Social implications

Wage theft affects industrialised as well as developing economies, especially “precarious” workers. We show how accounting can conceal exploitation, but also how – with the right support – accounting can help vulnerable workers enforce their rights and entitlements.

Originality/value

The paper uncovers novel dynamics of exploitation and resistance at work under contemporary economic and technological conditions. Labour process theory can provide a more dialectical perspective on accounting's role in these dynamics, including the emancipatory potential of informal and opportunistic counter-accounts.

Details

Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, vol. 34 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-3574

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 29 January 2024

David Hampton-Musseau

This study aims to contribute novel insights into understanding and mitigating the harmful consequences of abusive supervision (AS) by examining the association between AS…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to contribute novel insights into understanding and mitigating the harmful consequences of abusive supervision (AS) by examining the association between AS experiences, revenge, forgiveness, and the moderating role of emotional intelligence (EI). The key argument is that employees' EI can influence the AS experience through affective processes, countering supervisors' abusive behaviors.

Methodology

A between-person scenario-based experiment was conducted with 366 participants divided into AS and control groups. The study explored the association between AS experience and revenge/forgiveness, mediated by core affect (valence and activation). EI abilities were measured as a moderator. Data analysis examined the relationships and interactions among AS, revenge/forgiveness, EI, and affective experiences.

Findings

The study reveals significant findings indicating that AS experiences were positively associated with revenge and negatively associated with forgiveness. The mediation analysis confirmed the role of core affect in these relationships. EI emerged as a moderator, shaping the association between AS experiences and revenge/forgiveness. Importantly, participants with higher EI exhibited lower revenge intentions, demonstrating the potential of EI to mitigate the adverse effects of AS. Unexpectedly, individuals with high EI also expressed fewer forgiveness intentions.

Originality/Value

This study provides a comprehensive understanding of how employees can effectively counterbalance the impact of AS through higher levels of strategic EI. Examining core affect as a mediator offers novel insights into coping mechanisms in response to AS experiences and their consequences.

Limitations

The study acknowledges several limitations, as the scenarios may only partially capture the complexities of real-life AS situations. The focus on a specific context and the sample characteristics limit the generalizability of the findings. Future research should explore diverse organizational contexts and employ longitudinal designs.

Implications

The findings have practical implications for organizations as enhancing employees' EI skills through training programs interventions and integrating EI into organizational culture and leadership conduct.

Details

Emotion in Organizations
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83797-251-7

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 14 December 2023

Isobelle Barrett Meyering

This chapter offers a critical examination of children and young people’s participation in Australia’s official celebrations of the International Year of the Child (IYC) in 1979…

Abstract

This chapter offers a critical examination of children and young people’s participation in Australia’s official celebrations of the International Year of the Child (IYC) in 1979. While the global objectives of IYC strongly reflected ‘protectionist’ or ‘welfarist’ approaches to children’s rights, the chapter shows that, at a local level, the year was also shaped by alternative notions of children’s liberation that had emerged in the preceding decade and a new emphasis on children’s voices by policymakers, advocates and researchers. The chapter explores how these ideas were incorporated at a national level before closely examining three initiatives in New South Wales (NSW), the Australian state where the emphasis on children’s voices was taken furthest. The initiatives examined are: (1) the establishment of a Kids Council to provide input into the state’s response to IYC; (2) the organisation of a Youth Forum for high school students; and (3) the provision of funding for the ‘Speakout’ camp for children in out-of-home ‘care’. None of these initiatives approached the radical forms of democratic participation envisioned by liberationists. Nonetheless, they attest to the wider credence given to ideas of children’s self-determination in this period, well before the formalisation of children’s ‘participation’ rights in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC, 1989). The selected case studies also provide context to more recent debates over the inclusion of children and young people’s voices in decision-making processes, demonstrating how concerns around tokenism, exclusivity and adult-centricism manifested and were navigated at a time when the concepts of participation and voice remained relatively novel.

Details

Childhood, Youth and Activism: Demands for Rights and Justice from Young People and their Advocates
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80117-469-5

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 March 2018

Gillian Peiser, John Ambrose, Beverley Burke and Jackie Davenport

Against a British policy backdrop, which places an ever- increasing emphasis on workplace learning in pre-service professional programmes, the purpose of this paper is to…

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Abstract

Purpose

Against a British policy backdrop, which places an ever- increasing emphasis on workplace learning in pre-service professional programmes, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the contribution of the mentor to professional knowledge development in nursing, paramedicine, social work and teaching.

Design/methodology/approach

Taking the form of a literature review, it explores the influence of policy, professional and theoretical conceptualisations of the mentor role, and structural factors influencing the mentor’s contribution to professional knowledge.

Findings

Where there are clearly delineated policy obligations for the mentor to “teach”, mentors are more likely to make connections between theoretical and practical knowledge. When this responsibility is absent or informal, they are inclined to attend to the development of contextual knowledge with a consequent disconnect between theory and practice. In all four professions, mentors face significant challenges, especially with regard to the conflict between supporting and assessor roles, and the need to attend to heavy contractual workloads, performance targets and mentoring roles in tandem.

Practical implications

The authors argue first for the need for more attention to the pedagogy of mentoring, and second for structural changes to workload allocations, career progression and mentoring education. In order to develop more coherent and interconnected professional knowledge between different domains, and the reconciliation of different perspectives, it would be useful to underpin mentoring pedagogy with Bhabba’s notion of “third space”.

Originality/value

The paper makes a contribution to the field since it considers new obligations incumbent on mentors to assist mentees in reconciling theoretical and practical knowledge by the consequence of policy and also takes a multi-professional perspective.

Details

International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, vol. 7 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-6854

Keywords

Content available
Book part
Publication date: 14 December 2023

Abstract

Details

Childhood, Youth and Activism: Demands for Rights and Justice from Young People and their Advocates
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80117-469-5

1 – 10 of 79