Beyond the Care Role: My Journey as a Research Co-Applicant on REFRESH by Aidan Foy

Overview

My name is Aidan Foy, and I am a carer for my 26-year-old disabled son. Five years ago, I picked up a link on my computer that came from Bournemouth University (BU) via my local council’s carer support team. The University were looking for carers to be involved in a research project looking at the impact the cost of living crisis was having on carers.

This was my first contact with both BU and involvement in research. After this initial involvement, I joined the BU PIER (Public Involvement in Education and Research) Partnership and have been involved in other research projects, and contributed to student and researcher education. It is so rewarding to be engaged with all these different activities.

I still look back in amazement that just through offering my time and lived experiences back in 2023, in less than two years, I would be a Co-Applicant on such a major research study.

REFRESH Study

I was invited to be the public contributor Co-Applicant for the REFRESH Research Study at the very start of designing the project. Initially, I contributed my perspective and my experiences of supporting frail elderly relatives in care homes. I was also able to involve my relatives in reviewing some of the outcome measures that might be used.

Excitingly, the study was funded and, as it developed, I extended my role. I am part of the Study Management Team and attend these meetings monthly, making sure the lived experience perspective is always considered. There are sometimes more than 20 people in these meetings, with members joining from different parts of the country and from many different specialities.

Another of my early roles on the project has been to support the Public Involvement Lead and Primary Investigators to shortlist and select a diverse group of public contributors to join us. Once the group was selected and we got to know each other a bit, we established an agreed ‘way of working’ on the project.

I have also helped with publicising the project, contributing my perspective for articles and press releases. For example, this contribution to the Care Home Environment magazine:

“The REFRESH study is about more than data—it’s about people. Aidan Foy, a public contributor to the study, shared his experience caring for his father-in-law in a care home: ‘He wasn’t a big eater, and the idea was that the supplements would help boost his energy. But we never really knew if they worked. Being part of this research means we can help other families make informed choices in the future.’”

The Future

I find that, as well as supporting the university, being a public contributor is rewarding, and I feel I am helping shape the future. There is also the strength of meeting other members of the public and forming friendships. I find that involvement in research has been extremely valuable to me, making me more aware of my own wellbeing.

I am looking forward to seeing how my role on the REFRESH study develops as we start to recruit care homes and participants and trial the different nutritional support options.