First Voices in Long Term Care Research: Critical Reflections on Meaningful Engagement, Voice, and Representation.

Workshop - Background: Drawing on the governance structure of SALTY, a cross-sectoral research project aimed at improving quality of life in long term care (LTC), this workshop explores how meaningfully engaging first voices (residents, family members, people with dementia, volunteers, or care aides) can influence the focus and outcomes of LTC research. Workshop - Aims and Objectives • To have long term care first voices (residents, family, volunteers, staff and persons with dementia) from the SALTY project reflect on how their voices were meaningfully incorporated and valued in the team structure. • To demonstrate the critical impact of engaging first voices throughout the entire research process - from developing research questions to implementing research outcomes. • To discuss practicalities - including challenges and opportunities - of engaging first voices through small group activities. Workshop - Target audience: • Researchers interested or currently engaged in integrated care research that engages end users/patients/citizen/first voices (such as patients, residents, direct staff, family members) in research governance and processes. • Other integrated care stakeholders (such as first voices, policy makers, managers, clinicians), who may be invited to engage in such research. Workshop - Format: 10m - Facilitator: Overview to SALTY project 10m - Lived experience (FF) Advisory Group; Discussion of involvement; identifying challenges and promising practices 5m - audience reflect on "best practices" 5m -Pre-recorded videos of Care Aide/family, re: engagement 10m-LTC Director (SS) - added value of first voice 10m - Researcher (MJH) ethics and impact of involving first voices in research 30m - Group Work ...15: Experiences of working with first voices? Lessons learned ...15: What do researchers/first voices need to know? promising practices; resources needed; 10 m - Table leads - key messages Facilitator: Synthesis and conclusion. Workshop - Key Learnings/Take away: • To connect with other researchers interested in engaging end users/first voice in integrated care research • Learn and develop practical and conceptual tools, based on the lessons learned from a recent cross sectoral long-term care research project, to better support first voice engagement in future integrated care research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]