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Kathryn Almack

Senior Research Fellow, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences

Contact

  • workRoom B58a South Block Link
    Queen's Medical Centre
    Nottingham
    NG7 2UH
    UK
  • work0115 82 31204
  • fax0115 84 93238

Biography

Kathryn is a Senior Research Fellow within the Sue Ryder Care Centre for the Study of Supportive, Palliative and End of Life Care. Her research is primarily informed by sociological and qualitative perspectives with particular interests in the dynamics and diversity of family and personal relationships. Kathryn previously worked as a community development officer and from that background maintains a commitment to research that can be drawn upon for policy and practice as well as an intellectual interest in sociological work.

Expertise Summary

  • Sociological perspectives on the dynamics and diversity of family and personal relationships
  • Qualitative and feminist methodologies
  • The impact of sexual and gender orientation on experiences of and needs for end of life care
  • The role of social care within end of life care
  • Care and care-giving
  • Young carers caring for a parent with palliative care needs

Recent Research Supervisees

2011 Tes Smith. 'Role of palliative Care social workers - future proofing the profession'. Second supervisor (with Jane Seymour). Part-time.

2009 Tikva Meron. 'Advanced directives' contribution to palliative care management for people with long term conditions in Israel'. Second supervisor (with Jane Seymour). Full-time.

2009 Yupawadee Kantabanlang. 'Living with Cervical Cancer: Views and experiences of women and their male partners in Thailand '. Second supervisor (with Karen Cox).Full-time.

2008 Ruqayya Zeilani. Experiencing intensive care: women's voices in Jordan. Successful completion 2008.

Teaching Summary

Kathryn co-convenes and teaches an under-graduate module "Social Justice and Health Policy" to second year nursing students.

She also contributes to the MSc in Health and Social Care (Palliative and End of Life Care) and to a module in Sociology and Social Policy for 3rd year under-graduates (Families and Social Divisions).

Current PhD supervision:

  • The contribution of advance directives to palliative care management for people with long term conditions in Israel
  • Living with Cervical Cancer: Views and experiences of women and their male partners in Thailand
  • The role of palliative social workers - future proofing the profession

Interests for supervision include:

  • Sociology of families and care-giving relationships
  • Palliative and end of life care - in particular:
  • Delivery and experiences of social care within palliative care
  • Issues relating to gender and/or sexual orientation
  • Bereavement

Research Summary

A key area of Kathryn's current research is to explore issues of diversity within end of life care. This includes a focus on the impact of sexual and gender orientation on experiences of and needs… read more

Selected Publications

Administrative Roles

  • Researcher Career Liaison Officer
  • Member of the School Research Governance Team and the SRCC Strategy Group.
  • School Research representative on Senate

Current Research

A key area of Kathryn's current research is to explore issues of diversity within end of life care. This includes a focus on the impact of sexual and gender orientation on experiences of and needs for end of life care.

Kathryn is working with National End of Life Care Programme and the National Council of Palliative Care to consult with a stakeholder group of LGBT older people and those who work with them, to identify priorities to develop practical guidance, training and further research to improve end of life care for this population.

Kathryn has recently been awarded a research grant from Marie Curie Cancer Care Research Programme to investigate the needs, experiences and concerns of older LGBT people relating to end of life care across the UK (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland). This will be a two year project beginning later in 2012 and will include a large scale survey and more in-depth interviews.

Kathryn and colleagues at Kingston University and the University of Oxford have recently been successful in obtaining an ESRC Seminar Series grant:: "Older LGBT People: Minding the knowledge gaps" The aim of the seminar series will to examine major gaps in current knowledge and research concerning older (fifty years or over) lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) people.

Broad research interests include: qualitative methodological issues and concerns; gender and sexuality; the sociology of family and personal relationships, motherhood.

Past Research

Completed projects:

  • An evaluation of the National End of Life Care Programme (Phase II)
  • A Peer Education Programme for End of Life Education Among Older People and Their Carers [including the development of a training resource: Thinking and Planning Ahead - a volunteer training programme about Advance Care Planning. http://www.endoflifecareforadults.nhs.uk/education-and-training/acp-for-volunteers]
  • Choice and Decision-Making in Palliative Care (The Network Project)

Past research:

Past research includes doctoral research on lesbian parent families. Key themes were decisions/experiences around conception, experiences of motherhood/parenting (for both 'birth' and 'social' mothers) and of wider kin relationships. Kathryn has published widely from her thesis.

Following on from her PhD, Kathryn has researched the lives of children living in deprived areas (University of Sheffield), been involved in overseeing evaluations of Sure Start projects (Birkbeck University) and carried out a project researching the transitions into adult services for young people with learning disabilities (University of Nottingham with Jennifer Clegg, Elizabeth Murphy and Alison Pilnick) before moving to the Sue Ryder Care Centre for the Study of Supportive, Palliative and End of Life Care.

Future Research

Future research plans include:

  • Further investigations and international collaborations relating the future care needs of ageing lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people.
  • The dynamics of family and personal relationships around death and dying
  • Young carers caring for a parent with palliative care needs

This work will extend Kathryn's work which includes sociological research into aspects of everyday family lives in a range of diverse and challenging settings combined with qualitative methodological issues and concerns. it will draw upon Kathryn's expertise and research interests, which include the experiences of vulnerable and hidden groups, the perspectives of young people and the dynamics of caring relationships within families.

  • SEYMOUR, J, ALMACK, K and KENNEDY, S. AND FROGGATT, K, 2011. Peer education for advance care planning: volunteers’ perspectives on a training programme and community engagement activities Health Expectations. (In Press.)
  • MURPHY E.A and CLEGG, J. AND ALMACK, K., 2011. Constructing adulthood in negotiations about the futures of young people with moderate-profound intellectual disabilities Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities. 24(1), 61-73
  • COX K, MOGHADDAM N, ALMACK K, POLLOCK K and SEYMOUR J, 2011. Is It Recorded In The Notes? Documentation Of End-Of-Life Care And Preferred Place To Die Discussions In The Final Weeks Of Life. Bmc Palliative Care. 10(1), 18
  • PILNICK, A, CLEGG, J, MURPHY, E and ALMACK, K., 2010. Questioning the answer: Questioning style, choice and self determination in interactions with young people with intellectual disabilities Sociology of Health and Illness. 32(3), 415-436
  • SEYMOUR, J, ALMACK, K. and KENNEDY, S., 2010. Implementing advance care planning: a qualitative study of community nurses' views and experiences. BMC Palliative Care. 9, 4 doi:10.1186/1472-684X-9-4
  • ALMACK, K., 2010. Review: Conceptualising social exclusion and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people: the implications for promoting equity in nursing policy and practice Journal of Research in Nursing: Forthcoming. OnlineFirst copy available. (In Press.)
  • ALMACK K, SEYMOUR J, KENNEDY S., 2009. The views, experiences and needs of older lesbians, gay men and bisexual people in relation to end of life care. In: Poster presentation. European Association of Palliative Care Annual Conference. Vienna, May 2009..
  • ALMACK, K., CLEGG, J. and MURPHY, E., 2009. Parental negotiations of the moral terrain of risk in relation to young people with intellectual disabilities Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology. 19(4), 286-299
  • KENNEDY S, SEYMOUR J, ALMACK K., 2009. The views, experiences and needs of older people in relation to end of life care. In: Poster presentation. European Association of Palliative Care Annual Conference. Vienna, May 2009..
  • KENNEDY, S, SEYMOUR, J and ALMACK, K. AND COX, K, 2009. Key stakeholders' experiences and views of the NHS End of Life Care Programme: Findings from a national evaluation Palliative Medicine. 23(4), 283-294 (In Press.)
  • ALMACK, K., MOGHADDAM, N., COX, K., SEYMOUR, J., POROCK, D. and POLLOCK, K., 2008. Choice and decision making in palliative care: a study of patients', carers' and health professionals' experiences Palliative Medicine: Abstracts of the 7th Palliative Care Congress, Glasgow. 22(4), 567-603 (In Press.)
  • CLEGG, J, MURPHY, E, ALMACK, K AND HARVEY, A, 2008. Tensions around inclusion: Reframing the moral horizon Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities. 21(1), 81-94
  • WILSON, E., ELKAN, R., SEYMOUR, J, and ALMACK, K., 2008. A UK literature review of progressive long-term neurological conditions British Journal of Community Nursing. 13(5), 206-212
  • ALMACK, K., 2008. Out and about: women parenting together and their families of origin negotiating recognition of kin relationships: women parenting together and their families of origin negotiating recognition of kin relationships In: Conference paper. BSA Family Studies Seminar, University of Hull, Jan 2008. (In Press.)
  • ALMACK, K and CHURCHILL, H., 2007. Power at work in the PhD journey and implications for the production of knowledge. In: GILLIES, V and LUCEY, H., eds., Power, Knowledge and the Academy: The Institutional is Political Basingstoke: Palgrave. 35-49 (In Press.)
  • ALMACK, K, 2007. Palliative care and end of life care for the non-heterosexual community End of Life Care for Nurses (The Journal of St Christopher’s Hospice). 1(2), 27-32
  • ALMACK, K., 2007. Palliative care and end of life issues for the non-heterosexual community: a critical review of the literature In: Poster presentation. Help the Hospices Annual Conference, Harrogate, Oct 2007. (In Press.)
  • ALMACK, K., 2007. Out and about: women parenting together and their families of origin negotiating recognition of kin relationships In: Conference paper. Centre for Research on Families and Relationships International Conference, Edinburgh, June 2007. (In Press.)
  • ALMACK, K., 2007. Out and about: negotiating the layers of being out in the process of disclosure of lesbian parenthood. Sociological Research Online. 12(1), http://www.socresonline.org.uk/12/1/almack.html (In Press.)
  • SEYMOUR, J., COX, K., KENNEDY, S., ALMACK, K., MOGHADDAM, N. and ARTHUR, A., 2007. The NHS End of Life Programme: an evaluation of processes, outcomes and impact. Final report University of Nottingham.
  • ALMACK, K., 2006. Seeking Sperm: Accounts of Lesbian Couples' Reproductive Decision-Making and Understandings of the Needs of the Child International Journal of Law, Policy and the Family. VOL 20(NUMBER 1), 1-22
  • ALMACK, K., CLEGG, J. and MURPHY, E., 2006. Negotiating the moral terrain of risk in relation to young people with intellectual disabilities In: Conference paper. 2nd International Congress of IASSID (International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual Disabilities).
  • CLEGG, J., MURPHY, E. and ALMACK K., 2006. Transition - Revaluing People: Negotiating access to support as people with severe intellectual disabilities make the transition to adult services. Final report. University of Nottingham. Final dissemination report. (In Press.)
  • ALMACK, K., 2005. Accounts of lesbian couples' reproductive decision making In: Conference paper. British Sociological Association Annual Conference.
  • ALMACK, K., 2004. Seeking sperm: access and motivations relating to lesbian couples use of donor insemination In: Invited speaker. 7th Congress of the European Federation of Sexology.
  • ALMACK, K., 2003. Blurring the boundaries of motherhood: negotiating the gendered and heterosexual norms of motherhood In: Conference paper. British Sociological Association Annual Conference.
  • ALMACK, K., 2001. Seeking out hidden populations: sampling routes and strategies In: Workshop paper. Researching Under the Rainbow Dayschool, University of Lancaster..
  • ALMACK, K., 2001. Making sense of motherhood: doing things differently In: Conference paper. British Sociological Association Annual Conference.
  • ALMACK, K., 2001. Examining the significance of the choice of surnames given to the children, born within lesbian parent families In: Conference paper. University of Nottingham School of Sociology and Social Policy Post-Graduate Conference.

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