Evaluating the feasibility of installing Visual Adaptations in the Built Living Environment of older adults to prevent falls (VisABLE)

School/Institute Info: Liverpool John Moores University, across all five Faculties, has a wide portfolio of health and health-related research activities. This is supported by an Institute for Health Research https://www.ljmu.ac.uk/ihr. Two Full-time PhD (via MPhil) studentships are available funded by Liverpool John Moores University in collaboration with the Applied Research Collaboration North-West Coast (ARCNWC).

The purpose of the NIHR ARC is to support applied Health Care, Social Care and/or Public Health research relevant to the needs of the diverse communities served by the NIHR ARC and its local health and care system. Further information on the NWC ARC is available here https://arc-nwc.nihr.ac.uk. All research undertaken by the ARC must demonstrate the potential to reduce health inequalities. The Health Inequalities Assessment Toolkit (HIAT) can be used for this and further information can be found here https://forequity.uk/hiat.

Two of the 15 projects advertised will be funded based on the suitability of the applicants to undertake the proposed research. Further information and supervisor contact details are provided below:

Background:     

In England between 2019-2020, 150,000 falls resulted in hospital admission because of a slip/trip during walking on level surfaces, steps, and stairs. Most falls occurred in people >60 years. Falls in the home can be particularly severe for older people with lower socio-economic status, as they are more likely to have poorer housing conditions and unaddressed fall hazards. This costs NHS England an estimated £435m annually. Therefore, developing effective solutions for preventing falls is critical.

Raised surfaces/stairs in the home that are difficult to see can lead to serious falls, which occur because individuals do not adjust their foot position to avoid tripping/falling. We have developed a novel low-cost visual cue which improves the visibility of home hazards and prompts individuals to raise their foot higher when passing the raised surface edge, thereby reducing the risk of tripping and falls.

The aim of this PhD project is to evaluate the efficacy of visual cues to reduce falls in older people with poorer socio-economic status, as they are more likely to have poorer housing conditions. This mixed-methods feasibility PhD will inform the design and conduct of future trials to prevent falls, by using a combination of novel visual cues and improved lighting to enhance visibility of, and prompt safer stepping strategies over, dangerous home hazards.

Consultations and co-design activities with older adult forums (PPIE) and Liverpool Falls Service will determine how home hazards are identified, patient eligibility criteria, and logistics of implementing visual adaptations in the home. The PhD student will also complete a systematic literature review of existing visual modifications to the home environment and complete NHS ethics approval prior to the implementation of visual modifications.

To determine the feasibility of implementing visual modifications into homes of older adult fallers with poorer socio-economic status, visual adaptations will be implemented into the homes of patients identified by the Fall Service and monitored for their effectiveness. We will measure physical activity levels, conduct weekly phone-interviews, evaluate fear of falling surveys, and collect fall events prospectively using diaries. Interviews with clinicians and healthcare practitioners will determine the practicality of prescribing novel visual adaptations, and findings will be interpreted in consultation with older adult forums and Liverpool Fall Service.

This is an interdisciplinary project, supervised by multidisciplinary researchers, clinicians, and community partners within NIHR ARC NWC member organisations, and external collaborators at Newcastle University.

Skills required:

We are seeking a highly motivated student, who also has personal skills that are conducive to accessing and conducting research with patient groups and service providers (with the support of the supervisory team). Applicants must hold a first or upper-second class undergraduate, or a Master’s, degree in a relevant discipline.

The successful applicant should have a general understanding of quantitative and qualitative methods, and preferably experience of/interest in conducting research in health care. An excellent standard of verbal and written English is essential as the successful student will be expected to publish from their PhD studies, contribute to relevant publications from the supervisory team as a co-author, and work towards presenting their findings in relevant fora.

Supervision:

Dr Rich Foster (LJMU) - https://www.ljmu.ac.uk/about-us/staff-profiles/faculty-of-science/sport-and-exercise-sciences/richard-foster

Dr Clarissa Giebel (UoL) - https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/population-health/staff/clarissa-giebel/

Professor Costis Maganaris (LJMU) - https://www.ljmu.ac.uk/about-us/staff-profiles/faculty-of-science/sport-and-exercise-sciences/constantinos-maganaris

To find out more about studying for a PhD at LJMU then please visit https://www.ljmu.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-students/research-opportunities

Additional Details:

Studentship to commence before February 2023.

The student will initially formally register for the award within 3 months of enrolment and will be expected to transfer to PhD registration within 12 months (subject to satisfactory progress and approval of the transfer report).

For an informal discussion contact Dr Rich Foster, [Email Address Removed]

To apply:

Please submit by email your CV and a cover letter explaining your interests and skills relating to this opportunity to Dr Cathy Montgomery, Head of Institute for Health Research, LJMU. [Email Address Removed]  

The closing date for applications is Friday 18^th November 2022

We are expecting to hold interviews Friday 2^nd December 2022 (via MSTeam