Why do elderly people prescribed with assistive daily living devices abandon them - Essay Example

As well, this study shall extend current limited knowledge of the processes for gaining informed consent of the elderly. Elderly participant recruitment shall take place within the city of [.] in the UK. Adult nursing home services shall provide elderly clients and their families with a brochure to let them know about the study, and there will also be a posting in the local newspaper for two weeks. Elderly clients who are eligible for this study will be outpatients who have been prescribed an AD within the last two years.

A non-probability sampling recruitment was chosen because of the specific characteristics of the target population (i.e., elderly, living at home, have been prescribed an AD, and receive visits from an adult nursing service), and so a random sample would not be feasible (Shank, 2002). Purposive sampling is a non-probabilistic sampling technique that has the will advantage this study because the sample size does not have to be determined before the research, and this study's sample will be constrained by time and available resources (Shank, 2002).

Purposive sampling allows selection criteria to be used to determine eligibility of the participant (Shank, 2002). The selection criteria will be that the participant: be over the age of 60 years; be receiving adult nursing home care; have been prescribed at least one AD within the last two years; not be using a hearing aid; be cognitively aware in order to provide informed consent and to take part in an interview. Informed consent is a critical ethical consideration for any research study (Penslar, 1995).

Informed consent allows participants to make a reasonable choice to participate in the research, and so it is implied that the goals of the research align with the aspirations of the participant (Penslar, 1995). Literature advising on how best to gain informed consent from the elderly is limited, and to date there are is no standard procedure for ascertaining the competency of an elderly person who agrees to take part in research (Stanley, Guido, Stanley & Shortell, 1984). The elderly are more likely to be experiencing impaired cognition, vision, hearing or speech, so for this study each potential participant shall be asked to discuss their understanding of the research process with the investigator before they sign the informed consent form (Stanley et al., 1984). Persons who demonstrate a lack of understanding, or confusion about what is expected of them during the research shall be thanked and excused from the study.

It is anticipated that the present study will contribute to current discourse within the medical community of gaining informed consent from the elderly. As well, thorough recording of procedures for gaining their consent are hoped to encourage other researchers to consider their responsibility and the power relationship with elderly participants in terms of participant well-being, as well as the legalities, ethics, and public accountability involved (Stanley et al., 1984).Informed consent will ensure respect for the dignity of the elderly (Penslar, 1995; Shank, 2002).

And coercion of participants will be avoided at all costs (Penslar, 1995). The consent form will be read