Protocol for the Process Evaluation of the SENSE-Cog Sensory Support Intervention Field Trial to Improve Quality of Life for Older People Receiving Home Care in Australia

Helen Gurteen¹, Melinda Toomey¹, Bronwyn Franco¹, Rebecca Bennett², Dayna R Cenin³, Najwan El-Saifi¹, Melanie Ferguson⁴, Yuanyuan Gu⁵, Chyrisse Heine⁶, Lisa Keay⁷, Sheela Kumaran⁷, Sabrina Lenzen⁸, Iracema Leroi⁹, Judy A Lowthian¹⁰, Carly J Meyer¹⁰, Leander K Mitchell¹¹, John Newall¹², Nancy A Pachana¹¹, Marianne Piano^{13

14

15}, Smriti Raichand⁵, Emma Scanlan¹⁶, Hamid R Sohrabi¹⁷, Piers Dawes¹

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Hearing Research, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
² National Acoustic Laboratories, Sydney, Australia.
³ School of Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
⁴ School of Allied Health, Curtin University, Perth, Australia.
⁵ Macquarie University Centre for the Health Economy, Macquarie Business School & Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.
⁶ Institute of Health and Wellbeing, Federation University Australia, Ballarat, Australia.
⁷ School of Optometry and Vision Science, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
⁸ Centre for the Business and Economics of Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
⁹ Global Brain Health Institute, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
¹⁰ Bolton Clarke Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia.
¹¹ School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
¹² Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, The Australian Hearing Hub, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.
¹³ Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, Melbourne School of Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
¹⁴ National Vision Research Institute, Australian College of Optometry, Melbourne, Australia.
¹⁵ National Centre for Healthy Ageing, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
¹⁶ Hearing Australia, Sydney, Australia.
¹⁷ Centre for Healthy Ageing, Health Futures Institute, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia.

PMID: 40415281
PMCID: PMC12104192
DOI: 10.1111/hex.70305

Protocol for the Process Evaluation of the SENSE-Cog Sensory Support Intervention Field Trial to Improve Quality of Life for Older People Receiving Home Care in Australia

Helen Gurteen et al. Health Expect. 2025 Jun.

. 2025 Jun;28(3):e70305.

doi: 10.1111/hex.70305.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Hearing Research, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
² National Acoustic Laboratories, Sydney, Australia.
³ School of Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
⁴ School of Allied Health, Curtin University, Perth, Australia.
⁵ Macquarie University Centre for the Health Economy, Macquarie Business School & Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.
⁶ Institute of Health and Wellbeing, Federation University Australia, Ballarat, Australia.
⁷ School of Optometry and Vision Science, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
⁸ Centre for the Business and Economics of Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
⁹ Global Brain Health Institute, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
¹⁰ Bolton Clarke Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia.
¹¹ School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
¹² Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, The Australian Hearing Hub, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.
¹³ Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, Melbourne School of Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
¹⁴ National Vision Research Institute, Australian College of Optometry, Melbourne, Australia.
¹⁵ National Centre for Healthy Ageing, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
¹⁶ Hearing Australia, Sydney, Australia.
¹⁷ Centre for Healthy Ageing, Health Futures Institute, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia.

PMID: 40415281
PMCID: PMC12104192
DOI: 10.1111/hex.70305

Abstract

Background: A field trial of a home-delivered hearing and vision support intervention will assess its impact on the quality of life and well-being of home care recipients with hearing and/or vision impairment and their care partners.

Aims: This paper outlines the protocol for a process evaluation of the field trial. The process evaluation aims to identify discrepancies between expected and actual outcomes, understand contextual influences, assess implementation fidelity and evaluate the feasibility, appropriateness and acceptability of the intervention.

Methods: Data will be collected from 87 home care recipients with hearing/vision impairment, their care partner and the sensory therapist who will deliver the intervention at multiple points during the 3-month intervention. Likert-scale ratings for feasibility, appropriateness and acceptability will be gathered. Proxy measures of fidelity, such as intervention session completion rates, will be obtained to ascertain whether the intervention was delivered as designed. Post-intervention, 20% of participants will complete semi-structured interviews to explore contextual and causal factors. Data analysis will include descriptive statistics, regression analysis and thematic qualitative analysis.

Discussion: The process evaluation will elicit the perspectives of home care recipients and their care partners regarding the intervention experience.

Patient or public contribution: Older adults with lived experience with dementia and hearing and/or vision will contribute to the proposed research by shaping the interview topic guide to ensure its appropriateness and relevance for the target population. Their insights will result in a more rigorous study and improve the likelihood of the final intervention meeting real-world needs.

Keywords: dementia; hearing; home care; older adults; process evaluation; vision.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. H.R.S. reports being a Director of SMarT Minds WA, Australia. H.R.S. has had or is receiving personal reimbursements or research support from the Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical companies including Alector, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, CWEK Pty Ltd and Biogen pharmaceuticals.

Figures

**Figure 1**
Flow chart of process evaluation data collection points related to field trial implementation. Process evaluation data are shown in circle or oval shapes, with the field trial structure shown as rectangles.

**Figure 2**
Logic model for Sensory Support Intervention showing how the domains of the ‘COM‐B Behaviour Change Wheel’ and the components of the intervention link together and the expected behaviour changes, short‐term outcomes and long‐term outcomes.

See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

1. Pagone G. and Briggs L., Royal Commission Into Aged Care Quality and Safety—Final Report: Care, Dignity, and Respect (Commonwealth of Australia, 2021).
1. Campbell V. A., Crews J. E., Moriarty D. G., Zack M. M., and Blackman D. K., “Surveillance for Sensory Impairment, Activity Limitation, and Health Related Quality of Life Among Older Adults—United States, 1993–1997,” MMWR. CDC Surveillance Summaries: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. CDC Surveillance Summaries 48 (1999): 131–156. - PubMed
1. Taylor H. R., Livingston P. M., Stanislavsky Y. L., and Mccarty C. A., “Visual Impairment in Australia: Distance Visual Acuity, Near Vision, and Visual Field Findings of the Melbourne Visual Impairment Project,” American Journal of Ophthalmology 123, no. 3 (1997): 328–337. - PubMed
1. Wilson D. H., Walsh P. G., Sanchez L., et al., “The Epidemiology of Hearing Impairment in an Australian Adult Population,” International Journal of Epidemiology 28, no. 2 (1999): 247–252. - PubMed
1. Manly J. J., Jones R. N., Langa K. M., et al., “Estimating the Prevalence of Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment in the US: The 2016 Health and Retirement Study Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol Project,” JAMA Neurology 79, no. 12 (2022): 1242–1249. - PMC - PubMed

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Grants and funding

The authors would like to acknowledge the NHMRC 2022 MRFF Dementia Ageing and Aged Care Mission Grant for funding this study. The funder had no role in the design or reporting of this protocol.

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Protocol for the Process Evaluation of the SENSE-Cog Sensory Support Intervention Field Trial to Improve Quality of Life for Older People Receiving Home Care in Australia

Affiliations

Protocol for the Process Evaluation of the SENSE-Cog Sensory Support Intervention Field Trial to Improve Quality of Life for Older People Receiving Home Care in Australia

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Figures

References

MeSH terms

Grants and funding

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Medical