Exeter Impact Awards: Public Engagement

During a glittering ceremony last night in the Great Hall, the winners of the University of Exeter Impact Awards 2013 were revealed.

The impact awards celebrate the outstanding contributions researchers at the University have made to wider society one.

Research which was outstanding at bringing in those from outside the academic field were honoured with the Outstanding impact on  Public engagement award.

Each award was separated into categories to showcase the particular area that they benefit.The award was wonby the emotive study the Past Caring Project: a study of bereaved carers, by carers, for carers, with carers

A carer-led team supported by Folk.us researchers studied how carers experience bereavement after a long-term caring role. There is little research into this area and no research that has directly involved carers on the project.

The project was started following requests from carers, with the team being supported by Folk.us who provided research expertise, resources and training in research and digital story telling.

The Past Caring Project collected stories of people who have spent time caring for a person who has  died or is lost to dementia. The project was about what comes next, how we feel and what we experience.

The project took a group of 8 bereaved carers and through two sets of intensive four-day courses  each made a short film on their experiences.

The carers  did an extended interview about our experience of caring and of losing the cared for person.

They spent a year working together to gather these interviews, analyse and examine what they found and training and support was provided.

Counselling support  was available for everyone who wanted it. So the design was participatory and emancipatory–the project was originated and managed by carers, with carer involvement at every stage.

‘Carers’ provide unpaid care by looking after an ill, frail or disabled family member,  friend or partner. There are about 6 million people in the UK that are simply ‘getting on with it’ and taking a huge strain, some for many years of their lives.  Bereaved carers are those who have had a ‘cared for’ person who has died.