Health Empowerment in Older Adult Informal Caregivers✰

Abstract The purpose of this research was to investigate how informal caregivers of older adults cope with and negotiate driving safety when their loved one is no longer safe to drive. Fifteen informal caregivers of an older adult living at home took part in the present study. Participants cared for individuals with a range of health conditions that significantly impaired driving safety, including dementia, Parkinson’s disease, macular degeneration, and stroke. A thematic analysis of participants’ accounts identified the complex interpersonal, social, and organisational context they encountered when their loved one did not recognise or acknowledge limitations in their ability to drive. This analysis highlights the ethical dilemma at the heart of caregivers’ experiences and identifies stake and blame as key considerations in the development of sensitive and effective policies and practices.

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The Experience of Working With a Faith Community Nurse Liaison of Care in a Primary Care Practice Among Older Adult Clients and Their Informal Caregiver

Journal of Holistic Nursing ◽

10.1177/0898010120977327 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 089801012097732

Author(s):

Loralee Sessanna ◽

Sherry H. Pomeroy ◽

Yvonne Askew ◽

Kathleen McDonald-Shanahan ◽

Maureen Couche

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Health Care ◽

Older Adult ◽

Primary Care Practice ◽

Informal Caregiver ◽

Informal Caregivers ◽

Essential Element ◽

Faith Community ◽

Care Practice ◽

Community Nurse

Informal caregivers of older adults aging in place are at risk for adverse health and financial consequences. This descriptive qualitative study explored the experience of working with a faith community nurse (FCN) liaison of care in a Catholic health care system affiliated primary care practice among older adult clients and their informal caregiver. Semistructured face-to-face interviews were conducted with nine older adult client–informal caregiver dyads, three clients, and one caregiver ( n = 22). Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis method. The analysis generated one overarching theme, I’m Sorry the Study and FCN Visits Are Coming to an End, and two key themes, The FCN Was Always There to Help Us (older adult clients) and The FCN Took the Pressure Off of Caregiving for Awhile (informal caregivers). Participants viewed the FCN as an instrumental member of their health care team and considered prayer and spiritual support offered by the FCN an essential element of care.

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The capacity of informal caregivers in the rehabilitation of older people after a stroke

Investigación y Educación en Enfermería ◽

10.17533/udea.iee.v39n2e03 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 39 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Mariane Lurdes Predebon ◽

Fernanda Laís Fengler Dal Pizzol ◽

Naiana Oliveira Dos Santos ◽

Carla Cristiane Becker Kottwitz Bierhals ◽

Idiane Rosset ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Older People ◽

Older Adult ◽

Informal Caregivers ◽

Descriptive Study ◽

Southern Brazil ◽

Older Person ◽

Stroke Patients ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Sociodemographic Data

Objective. To characterize informal caregivers of dependent older people after a stroke related to aspects of care, and to describe the activities performed and the difficulties faced by these caregivers. Methods. Cross-sectional, descriptive study, held in southern Brazil with 190 informal caregivers of older adults after stroke. The sociodemographic data instrument and the Capacity Scale for Informal Caregivers of Elderly Stroke Patients (ECCIID-AVC), adapted and validated for use in Brazil by Dal Pizzol et al., were used. Results. Most caregivers were women (82.6%) or children (56.3%), had average schooling of 9.6 years, and the majority (68.3%) provided care for people with moderate to severe disability. The main activities carried out included: providing materials and/or support for eating (99%), dressing (98.4%), and administering medications (96.2%). Caregivers had the most difficulty with transferring and positioning activities. Conclusion. Most caregivers have adequate capacity to provide essential care to the dependent older adult after a stroke. However, a significant portion had difficulty in the activities of transferring and positioning the older person due to the lack of guidance regarding the posture to carry out these activities. The assessment of nurses regarding the activities performed and the difficulties faced by caregivers is an important strategy to identify problems and effectively attend to the needs of these individuals at all levels of health care.

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Informal caregivers and the health of older adult care-recipients

10.17077/etd.k66ucjsw ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Andrew Joseph Potter

Keyword(s):

Older Adult ◽

Informal Caregivers ◽

Adult Care ◽

Care Recipients

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Muscled by the System: Informal Caregivers’ Experiences of Transitioning an Older Adult into Long-term Care

Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement ◽

10.1017/s0714980818000429 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 37 (4) ◽

pp. 464-473 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Christy Konietzny ◽

Sharon Kaasalainen ◽

Vanina Dal-Bello Haas ◽

Cristina Merla ◽

Alyssa Te ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adult ◽

Long Term Care ◽

Informal Caregivers ◽

Personne Âgée ◽

Term Care ◽

Système De Santé ◽

Longue Duree ◽

Longue Durée ◽

Professionnels De La Santé

RÉSUMÉCette étude a exploré les expériences des aidants devant s’occuper de la transition d’une personne âgée vers une institution de soins de longue durée (SLD). Une approche de description qualitative a été utilisée pour l’analyse d’entretiens semi-structurés effectués auprès de 13 aidants de personnes âgées hébergées en centres de soins de longue durée dans le sud de l’Ontario. Nos résultats illustrent que les aidants ressentent des soucis et un lourd fardeau de manière chronique lorsqu’il s’agit de prendre une décision sur l’hébergement ou de faire une demande pour un centre de soins de longue durée. Le sentiment de ne pas avoir le contrôle était un thème récurrent dans les entretiens, particulièrement dans les cas où les aidants requéraient une place en SLD. Les participants se sont sentis bousculés, sous pression et punis à travers le système de santé, mais soulagés et privilégiés après l’acceptation de l’offre de la place en CHSLD. Cette expérience tumultueuse a encouragé les aidants à anticiper les prochaines transitions. Il est recommandé que les aidants aient accès à une préparation et à un soutien ciblé pour mieux gérer les transitions. Une amélioration de la communication entre les professionnels de la santé est essentielle. Les amendes imposées lors du refus d’une place en SLD devraient être réexaminées, considérant l’impact négatif de celles-ci sur les aidants.

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Talk or Walk? Gait Speed over Self-Report in Association with Cognitive Speed in Healthy Older Adults

GeroPsych ◽

10.1024/1662-9647/a000202 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 32 (1) ◽

pp. 41-52

Author(s):

Matthew C. Costello ◽

Shane J. Sizemore ◽

Kimberly E. O’Brien ◽

Lydia K. Manning

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Older Adult ◽

Gait Speed ◽

Well Being ◽

Self Report ◽

Subjective Report ◽

Healthy Older Adults ◽

Relative Value ◽

Cognitive Speed ◽

Age Range

Abstract. This study explores the relative value of both subjectively reported cognitive speed and gait speed in association with objectively derived cognitive speed. It also explores how these factors are affected by psychological and physical well-being. A group of 90 cognitively healthy older adults ( M = 73.38, SD = 8.06 years, range = 60–89 years) were tested in a three-task cognitive battery to determine objective cognitive speed as well as measures of gait speed, well-being, and subjective cognitive speed. Analyses indicated that gait speed was associated with objective cognitive speed to a greater degree than was subjective report, the latter being more closely related to well-being than to objective cognitive speed. These results were largely invariant across the 30-year age range of our older adult sample.

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Associations Between Informal Caregivers’ Burden and Educational Level

GeroPsych ◽

10.1024/1662-9647/a000199 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 32 (1) ◽

pp. 19-29 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Monika Oedekoven ◽

Katja Amin-Kotb ◽

Paul Gellert ◽

Klaus Balke ◽

Adelheid Kuhlmey ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Support Services ◽

Educational Level ◽

Autonomy Support ◽

Population Survey ◽

Multivariate Analyses ◽

Informal Caregivers ◽

Loss Of Self ◽

Perceived Burden ◽

Result Show ◽

Care Situation

Abstract. We investigated the association between the education of informal caregivers’ (IC) and their physical and mental burden. We hypothesized that better-educated IC would have more resources available to manage the care situation and as a result show lower perceived burden. We conducted a population survey of 6,087 German residents aged 18+ years, 966 of whom reported to be IC. Results show that IC felt more often mentally than physically burdened. In the multivariate analyses, higher-educated IC did not have lower odds of feeling physically burdened than lower-educated IC, though they did have increased odds of feeling mentally burdened. The higher perceived mental burden of higher-educated IC may be related to fear of loss of self-fulfilment and autonomy. Support services should consider the mental burden of higher-educated IC and tailor their interventions accordingly.

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Cognitive Aging in a Precision Sport Context

European Psychologist ◽

10.1027/1016-9040.1.3.166 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 1 (3) ◽

pp. 166-179 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Bo Molander ◽

Lars Bäckman

Keyword(s):

Older Adult ◽

Cognitive Abilities ◽

Cognitive Aging ◽

Motor Performance ◽

Intervention Programs ◽

Laboratory Studies ◽

High Arousal ◽

Memory And Attention ◽

Age Related ◽

Principal Finding

Highly skilled miniature golf players were examined in a series of field and laboratory studies. The principal finding from these studies is that young and young adult players (range = 15-38 years) score equally well or better in competition than in training whereas older adult players (range = 46-73 years) perform worse in competitive events than under training conditions. It was also found that the impairment in motor performance on the part of the older players is associated with age-related deficits in basic cognitive abilities, such as memory and attention. These results support the hypothesis that older players may be able to compensate for age-related deficits under relaxed conditions, but not under conditions of high arousal. The possibility of improving the performance of the older players in stressful situations by means of various intervention programs is discussed.

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