Deborah Cairns

Academic qualifications

PhD (Glasgow Caledonian University)

Profile

Deborah worked as a research psychologist for three years before completing her PhD at Glasgow Caledonian University, investigating the experiences of prolonged caregiving on older parents caring for offspring with learning disabilities. Deborah’s interest in older people led her to the School of Health Sciences and Social Care at Brunel University in September 2008 where she became a Research Fellow on the two year project investigating financial abuse of older adults. She is currently the Research Fellow on Professor Victor’s, 30 month, Dunhill Medical Trust funded research project: Bridging the gap between policy and practice: dignity in care for older people.

Other responsibilities

British Society of Gerontology (BSG) – Deborah is on the Editorial team of Generations Review.

Emerging Researchers in Ageing (ERA) - Deborah is the Co-Chair of the British Society of Gerontology's ERA group.

Other responsibilities

Masters Supervisor on the Health Promotion and Public Health course

Research interests

Elder financial abuse, dignity in care, prolonged caregiving, qualitative and mixed-method research approaches.

Research projects and grants

 

Grants

2012 - ESRC Seminar Series. Ageing, Race and Ethnicity. PI: Professor Christina Victor. Co-applicants: Dr Akile Ahmet, Dr Deborah Cairns, Dr Vanessa Burholt, Dr Wendy Martin & Dr Karan Juttla (£17, 950)

 

Research Projects

Currently Research Fellow on a 30 month research project funded by the Dunhill Medical Trust: Bridging the gap between policy and practice: dignity in care for older people. This is a collaborative project between the Universities of Brunel, City, Southampton and Oxford Brookes; led by BIAS members Professor Christina Victor (Principal Investigator) alongside co-investigators Dr Wendy Martin and Dr Veronika Williams.

Previously Research Fellow on a two year New Dynamics of Ageing Funded project on: Decision making in detecting and preventing financial abuse of older adults: A study of managers and professionals in health, social care, and banking.

Membership and affiliation

• Membership and affiliation of professional bodies
• Member of the British Society of Gerontology
• Member of the Gerontological Society of America

Conferences

• Cairns, D., Victor, C., Williams, W., Martin, W., Oliver, D., le May, A. & Richards, S. (2012). 'Dignity in care for older people: Bridging the gap between policy and practice', The British Society of Gerontology Annual Conference, Keele, England.
• Cairns, D., Victor, C., Williams, W., Martin, W., Oliver, D., le May, A. & Richards, S. (2012). 'Dignity in care for older people: Bridging the gap between policy and practice - preliminary findings', 2nd Annual BIAS conference, London, England.
• Cairns, D., Gilhooly, M., Harries, P., & Notley, E., Davies, M. (2010) ‘Detecting and preventing financial abuse of older adults: examining decision making by health, social care and banking professionals. Phase I and Phase II Findings. The 39th British Society of Gerontology Annual Conference, Uxbridge, England.
• Cairns, D., Gilhooly, M., Harries, P., Davies, M., Notley, E. (2010) Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults – Detecting Abuse: Findings from Phase I of the Detecting & Preventing Financial Elder Abuse Project. Financial Crime Annual Prevention Seminar, Nottingham, England.
• Cairns, D., Gilhooly, M., Harries, P., & Notley, E., Davies, M. (2010 ‘Detecting and preventing financial abuse of older adults. The Elder Abuse Conference, Cardiff, Wales.
• Davies, M., Harries, P., Gilhooly, M., Cairns, D., & Notley, E. (2009) ‘Detecting and preventing financial abuse of older adults: examining decision making by health, social care and banking professionals. Phase I findings’. Brunel Graduate School Research Poster Conference, Uxbridge, England.
• Davies, M., Harries, P., Gilhooly, M., Cairns, D., & Notley, E. (2009) ‘Detecting and preventing financial abuse of older adults: examining decision making by health, social care and banking professionals. Phase I findings’. British Psychological Society Annual Conference, Brighton, England.
• Davies, M., Harries, P., Gilhooly, K., Gilhooly, M., Cairns, D., & Notley, E. (2010) Investigating social care professionals’ decision making in cases of financial elder abuse: qualitative findings from critical incident interviews. British Psychological Society Annual Conference, Stratford-upon, Avon, England.
• Gilhooly M., Harries, P., Davies, M., Notley, E., Cairns, D. (2009) Decision Making in Detecting Financial Elder Abuse: A Comparison of Professionals in Banking and Social Work, Gerontological Society of America 62nd Annual Scientific Meeting, Atlanta, Georgia.
• Gilhooly, M., Harries, P., Davies, M., Notley, E., Cairns, D. (2009) Detecting and Preventing Financial Abuse of Older Adults: An Examination of Decision Making by Managers and Professionals in Health, Social Care and Banking, Gerontological Society of America 62nd Annual Scientific Meeting, Atlanta, Georgia.

Other publications

Cairns, D., Tolson, D., Brown, J. & Darbyshire, C. (2012). The need for Future Alternatives: An investigation of the experiences and future of older parents caring for offspring with learning disabilities over a prolonged period of time. British Journal of Learning Disabilities. (Early view)

 

Gilhooly, M., Cairns, D., Davies, M., Harries, P., Gilhooly, K. (2012). Framing the detection of elder financial abuse as bystander intervention: An exploration of cues and pathways to detection in banking and health care. Journal of Adult Protection. [In Press] Manuscript ID: JAP-Jul-2012-0013 

 

Davies, M., Harries, P., Gilhooly, M., Gilhooly, K. & Cairns, D. (2012). Detection and prevention of financial crime against elders. Journal of Financial Crime. [In press]

 

Davies, M., Harries, P., Cairns, D., Gilhooly, M. & Gilhooly, K. (2011). Factors used in the detection of elder financial abuse: A judgement and decision-making study of social workers and their managers. International Social Work, 54(3): 404-420.