Do you suffer with Back and Neck problems?

Are you over the age of 70 and would be willing to take part in some research?

The Brain & Spine Foundation are looking for people who would be kind enough to share their experiences and needs in relation to Back & Neck problems and provide them with information and suggestions.

If you are interested please kindly contact:
NAME: Hannah Pimble
EMAIL: hannah.pimble@brainandspine.org.uk

Expenses and allowances will be paid

To understand why the research is being done and what it would involve, please see below.

 Background

Most ways of promoting health and wellbeing don’t look at the whole person and their life, and just focus on one or two things. And older people don’t usually get a say in how advice or help for improving health happens, so it doesn’t always match their needs.

The project gets its name from what evidence shows are five key things that contribute to health and wellbeing – good hydration (Drink), healthy diet (Eat), exercise (movEment), rest (Sleep), and social interaction (Talk) – DEarEST.

What is the purpose of the study?

This study aims to work with older people in Hull to find out what it means to maintain health and wellbeing in older age. We want to find out how to best support older people in Hull to stay healthy and well. We are going to create a project group involving older people to help with this.

What will happen if I decide to take part?

If you decide to take part we will first make sure that we can include you in the study and answer any questions you have. We will invite you to come to project team meetings at AgeUK in Hull. There are four meetings, but it’s okay if you have to miss one. They will be:

Meeting 1 Tuesday 15^th August at 1:30pm

Meeting 2 Tuesday 29^th August at 1:30pm

Meeting 3 Tuesday 19^th September at 1:30pm

Meeting 4 Tuesday 24^th October at 1:30pm

At the first meeting you come to, you will be asked to sign a form to say you consent to taking part, and a short form telling us about yourself.

At the meetings we will discuss what life is like for older people in Hull, and if there are things you would want to change or improve. These meetings will be recorded on a dictaphone, but will not be shared with anyone to keep the group confidential.

After meeting 4, we will ask people if they would like to be interviewed about their experience being part of the project team. This will not be paid and you can still take part in the project team if you don’t want to have an interview at the end.

What are the possible disadvantages and risks of taking part?

We don’t think there will be many risks to taking part but being involved in the project will take your time. You will be taking part in discussions in a group and some people can find that daunting although we will do everything we can to make this a comfortable experience for people.

What are the possible benefits of taking part?

You will get a say in how research about older people in Hull is done, and in what are the most important things the research should focus on. You may also meet people in a similar situation to you. We hope the research will improve the way older people are supported and how much they are involved in research. You will be paid £20 for each meeting you attend (up to 4 meetings), and up to £8 in travel costs per meeting.

What will happen if I decide I no longer wish to take part?

If after reading this information sheet you decide not to take part, you do not need to do anything.  We will contact you to check whether or not you want to take part but if you don’t want to, just tell us and we won’t contact you again.

If you decide you no longer want to take part after attending a meeting, you simply need to tell us and you can just stop attending the group and, if you want us to, we will destroy any information we hold about you from the ‘about you’ form you will fill in when you first attend.  This will only be possible up to the point when we start analysing the findings of the group, and it will not be possible to delete individual contributions from the recordings of group discussions.

What if there is a problem?

If you have a concern about any aspect of this study, you should speak to the researchers who will do their best to answer your questions. If you remain unhappy and wish to complain formally, you can do this through the Associate Dean for Research in the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Hull, Mark Hayter, on 01482 463179 or M.Hayter@hull.ac.uk

Will my taking part in this study be kept confidential?

All data will be handled according to ethical and legal practice. All information that is collected about you during the course of the research will be made anonymous.

The meetings will be recorded and the audio file will be kept on a password-protected memory stick. Any quotes we use from the meetings will be anonymised.

If you take part in an interview we will record the interview but we will destroy the recording as soon as we have typed up the interview. We will make sure that the typed up interviews are anonymous.

All the coded data we collect during the study will be stored securely on University Departmental premises for ten years after completion of the study.

What will happen to the results of the study?

As part of the project team meetings we will discuss and decide how to tell other people about the results of the research. The results will also be written up and submitted for publication in a scientific journal, and a report regarding the findings of the study will be made to the funders of the research. Direct quotes from the meetings may be used in the publication of the results of the study but we will make sure that any quotes we use would not identify you so no-one would know they came from you. We can also send you the overall results of the study if you would like.

Who is organising and funding the research?

This research is being undertaken by the University of Hull with help from AgeUK. We are working with, and funded by, the NHS Hull Clinical Commissioning Group.

Who has reviewed the study?

All research is looked at by an independent group of people, called an ethics committee, to protect your safety, rights, wellbeing and dignity. This study has been reviewed by the University of Hull School of Health and Social Work’s ethics committee.

Further information and contact details

If you have any further questions or queries, please contact a member of the research team:

Debbie Kinsey: telephone: 07856 811873 Email: Debbie.Kinsey@hull.ac.uk

Lesley Glover: telephone: (01482) 464117 Email: L.F.Glover@hull.ac.uk

Sources of support

• You can contact your GP for advice or access to NHS services such as health referrals and counselling.
• AgeUK provide help and support on a variety of topics including activities, crime prevention, utilities, housing, health and social issues, personal and care problems.

Telephone: 01482 324644

Wesbite: http://www.ageuk.org.uk/hull/

• Butterflies Memory Loss Support Group support people with memory loss and dementia and their families and carers

Telephone: 07821519212

Email: info@butterflies.org.uk

Website: http://www.butterflies.org.uk/

• The Hull Falls Service accepts people who have fallen twice or more in the last six months, and have a Hull GP.

Telephone: 01482 336553

• Let’s Talk is a psychological wellbeing service with services in venues across Hull that can help with stress, worry, low mood, anxiety, and panic. You can ask for an assessment appointment on 01482 335627 / 335629

Website: www.letstalkhull.org.uk

• If you have any specific issues that taking part in the study has raised you can contact the research team:

Debbie Kinsey Telephone: 07856 811873

Lesley Glover Telephone: (01482) 464117