Medicine

Contact Us School of Medicine
Level 1
Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute
Trinity College
152-160 Pearse Street
Dublin 2

View the contact page for more contact and location information

medadmin@tcd.ie
Ms. Jennifer O'Donoghue

Ms. Jennifer O'Donoghue

Research Assistant, Medical Gerontology


Biography

Jennifer graduated with her B.A.H in Psychology from the National College of Ireland in 2018 and received her Master's (MSc.) in Applied Psychology from Trinity College Dublin in 2020. She has completed various independent research projects as part of her degrees, as well as in a voluntary capacity for Dublin Simon Community. Jennifer joined TrinityHaus as a research assistant on an SFI funded project: Residential long-term care and COVID-19: the role of the built environment in balancing infection control and quality of life, and is currently involved in a project with the Meath Foundation and Tallaght University Hospital, examining the link between housing conditions and the health of older people, and how these impact on TUH healthcare delivery.

Publications and Further Research Outputs

  • Grey T, Xidous D, O'Donoghue J, Kennelly S, O'Neill D, Universal Design for Improving Quality of Life and Enhancing COVID-19 Infection Control in Existing Residential Care Settings for Older People: Research Report, Dublin, Centre for Excellence in Universal Design, 2022, p1 - 110Report, 2022, URL
  • Grey T, Xidous D, O'Donoghue J, Kennelly S, O'Neill D, Universal Design for Improving Quality of Life and Enhancing COVID-19 Infection Control in Existing Residential Care Settings for Older People: Universal Design Guidelines, Dublin, Centre for Excellence in Universal Design, 2022, p1 - 51Report, 2022
  • O'Neill D, Xidous D, O'Donoghue J, Puntambekar M, Grey T, Residential long-term care, Covid-19 and architecture and design of the built environment, European Geriatric Medicine, 18th Congress of the European Geriatric Medicine Society, London, 28-30 September 2022, 13, (Suppl 1), 2022, ppS355Meeting Abstract, 2022, DOI
  • O'Donoghue J, Xidous D, Grey T, O'Neill D, Residential Long-Term Care and the Built Environment: Balancing Quality of Life and Infection Control, Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 2023Journal Article, 2023, DOI , URL , TARA - Full Text

Research Expertise

Jennifer's research interest include: Qualitative research methods Individual differences Social psychology Health psychology Ageing

  • Title
    Universal Design for Improving Quality of Life and Enhancing COVID-19 Infection Control in existing Residential Care Settings for Older People
    Summary
    Recent research shows that residential long-term care (RLTC) settings have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. COVID-19, like many other airborne infectious diseases, has serioues implications for spatial practices and the design of the built environment (Megahed and Ghoneim, 2020; Oppel, 2020). In this regard and considering the toll that COVID-19 has taken on RLTC settings, it is important that the layout, design, and physical environment of these settings is carefully examined to determine the role and impact of the built environment on COVID-19 infections. The project was initiated and completed during the COVID-19 pandemic and focuses on existing residential long-term care settings (RLTC) for older people in Ireland. Specifically, this project examines how the built environment in these settings can be adapted and retroffit to: a) enhance the quality of life for residents, b) improve the visitor experience for friends and family members (without compromising the quality of life for residents); and, c) improve pandemic preparedness and resilience while still protecting the psychosocial health and well-being of residents.
    Funding Agency
    Centre for Excellence in Universal Design
    Date From
    2021
    Date To
    2022