Media coverage
1
Media coverage
Title In the spotlight; Researcher of the week, inspiring voices in nursing Degree of recognition Local Media name/outlet Your Weekly Newsletter Media type Web Country/Territory United Kingdom Date 16/05/25 Description This week, we hear from Florence Sharkey (X) @FloSharkey
“Florence is a Lecturer at the School of Nursing and Paramedic Science at Ulster University. She was awarded the Florence Nightingale Foundation Research Scholarship in late 2023, with a focus on ‘the implications of living with both diabetes and dementia for individuals and their informal carers’. The study consisted of a scoping review of the literature followed by qualitative research using focus groups to facilitate collaborative discussions to gain deeper insights from participants - incorporating Personal and Public Involvement [PPI].
Impact of this study
The scoping review revealed that individuals faced extraordinary challenges when managing both conditions to perform activities of self-care such as taking medications, monitoring glucose levels and healthy eating (Sharkey and Coates 2023). The literature has revealed that there are many issues and challenges in terms of feeling overwhelmed and helpless and of failure among carers with little
evidence of support, emotional or physical for those living with both dementia and diabetes mellitus or their informal carers (Sharkey and Coates 2023). However, there was very little evidence regarding the experiences of health care professionals supporting these individuals and their informal carers
(Sharkey and Coates 2023). Based on the literature findings, Florence was inspired to write a second paper ‘The challenges and successes of managing diabetes mellitus and dementia: a nursing overview’ (Sharkey and Coates 2024).
Ideally the study will provide sufficient preliminary data to inform a robust PhD proposal that has the potential to improve the experiences of those with diabetes and dementia and their informal carers.
Florence has presented at local, regional and at international conferences. In 2024, presented at the Royal College of Nursing [RCN] International Research Conference held at Northumbria University,Newcastle and was awarded the RCN Nurse of the Year – Research Category runner up.
References
Sharkey, F. & Coates, V. (2023), Managing diabetes and dementia, a challenging duo: a scoping review,
Practical Diabetes, Vol 40, Issue 4, July/August, pp 40-48. https://doi.org/10.1002/pdi.2469
Sharkey, F. & Coates, V. (2024), The challenges and successes of managing diabetes mellitus and dementia: a
nursing overview, Primary Healthcare Journal, Vol 34, Issue 5, pp 35-41. https://doi: 10.7748/phc.2024.e1819
Fun Fact - When Florence isn’t immersed in her academic pursuits, you can find in full parental mode
- chauffeuring her one little superstar to activities, cheering from the sidelines, or overseeing arts-and crafts chaos like a pro!
- Florence Sharkey (RNProducer/Author Caroline Crawford URL file:///C:/Users/e16010135/OneDrive%20-%20Ulster%20University/Desktop/Newsletter%20Week%20Issue%20Three%20(1).pdf Persons Florence Sharkey
Keywords
- research
- diabetes
- dementia
- carers