05 | Advanced Care Research Centre (ACRC)

The Images of Care exhibition explores what care looks like in later life. It is comprised of 170 photographs taken by older adults of moments of care in their daily life. Co-produced with older adults, the exhibition aims to redefine visual narratives of aging and care. This exhibition is part of a project that conducted research on images from the news media on care and later life. We found that media narratives often approach both ageing and care as a problem and reproduce ageist stereotypes. The Images of Care project aims to reframe these topics through participatory photography to share moments of care in daily life that are often overlooked. 

The exhibition features participant-taken photographs alongside their own written experiences. Accompanied by quotes, stories, and interactive reflection, these images highlight the beauty in everyday acts of care and reflect the collaborative work of the exhibition. The Images of Care exhibition is intended to be a visual dialogue challenging our assumptions around care and ageing. By placing the camera in the hands of older adults it makes visible the often-invisible perspectives of older adults and encourages the viewer to draw parallels with care in their own life. 

Exhibitor: Janice Murray, Rob Mackie, Simba Doka, Lucy McCloughan, Gregor Hall, Jenn Yoo

We held our annual symposium in May, and are displaying two different outputs. Instead of a traditional record, we used artists to create a visual minute. Split into six different sections, covering the six different sessions, this engaging artwork accurately records the key messages from the various talks and panels. As part of the symposium, we held a poster prize, and are displaying the winner of the Best Student Poster (Data driven insight into the relationship between pain and frailty: Sam Andres), and Best PDRA poster (‘This is where I can be myself’: Places that enable flourishing in older age: Caroline Pearce).

Exhibitor: Janice Murray, Rob Mackie, Simba Doka, Lucy McCloughan, Gregor Hall, Jenn Yoo

As people age, especially those with dementia or cognitive impairment, their health and care needs often increase. However, when and how individuals respond to changes in their cognitive and physical abilities remains unclear. There is a lack of understanding of how lifecourse factors influence this response, which specific factors predict the need for increasing care at home, and what ultimately drives the decision to transition to an alternative home with 24-hour care.

This PhD project aims to understand how people decide when and how to access increased care, using health and care information across the lifecourse. The research objectives include: 

• identify lifecourse predictors of care needs for individuals with varying health conditions, including dementia and cognitive impairment, and those without such diagnosis;
• understand individuals’ decisions regarding when and how to access increased care;
• examine how lifecourse predictors relate to decisions to access care.

A mixed methods approach with quantitative and qualitative research methods will be used to explore the lifecourse predictors of increasing care needs in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 – a well-phenotyped cohort of older people, including those with dementia, mild cognitive impairment, and healthy cognitive ageing.

This research project integrates interdisciplinary perspectives from social science, psychology, epidemiology, and medicine to enhance our understanding of improving the quality and sustainability of later-life care. The findings will be significant for older people managing multiple health conditions while addressing the carer burden. Ultimately, it will inform the development of personalised, affordable care environments that align with individuals’ wishes, priorities, and needs in later life.

Exhibitor: Huang Szu Chia