Development of a decision support tool for older people who pay for social care, and their families

SPRU research team

• Kate Baxter
  
• Yvonne Birks
• Lyndsay Lindley
• Mark Wilberforce

External collaborators

• Dr Louise Overton, Department of Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology, University of Birmingham
• Prof Dawn Dowding, Division of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, School of Health Science, University of Manchester
• Dr Maxine Watkins, School of Social Policy, University of Birmingham

Project summary

Background to the research

Making decisions about social care in later life can be complex and emotional. For many people who pay for their care themselves (known as self-funders), there is so much information available that it can be hard to find the right information or know who to talk to.

People making similarly complex health care decisions are encouraged to engage in shared decision-making processes, often assisted by a decision aid. Decision aids (also known as decision support tools) are resources designed to support people’s decisions by providing information on the options and any risks and benefits, and helping people to think through their personal values and preferences.

The purpose of the research

In this study we will create a decision support tool that aims to help older people make decisions about paying for social care.

What we will do

The study will be conducted in four stages:

1.  To help shape the decision tool and decide what to include, we will do a literature review, secondary analysis of interviews from earlier studies and carry out consultations with professionals from local council, voluntary organisations and legal and financial services. 
2. We will hold workshops with people who pay for care and professionals to create a first version of the decision tool.
3. We will make this first version better by asking people who pay for care, their relatives and professionals to use it and tell us what was good and bad about it. 
4. The improved version of the tool will be tested out by the Money and Pensions Service (MAPS) and the people who contact them for advice about paying for care. We will ask the people who use the decision tool to complete questionnaires and also take part in a short interview.

Public involvement

We will ask a group of people who have interest in or experience of paying for social care to help guide this project.

Additional information