General practitioners’ views on the influence of long-term care reforms on integrated elderly care in the Netherlands: a qualitative interview study

Abstract Background In the Netherlands, in 2002, euthanasia became a legitimate medical act, only allowed when the due care criteria and procedural requirements are met. Legally, an Advanced Euthanasia Directive (AED) can replace direct communication if a patient can no longer express his own wishes. In the past decade, an exponential number of persons with dementia (PWDs) share a euthanasia request with their physician. The impact this on physicians, and the consequent support needs, remained unknown. Our objective was to gain more insight into the experiences and needs of Dutch general practitioners and elderly care physicians when handling a euthanasia request from a person with dementia (PWD). Methods We performed a qualitative interview study. Participants were recruited via purposive sampling. The interviews were transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using the conventional thematic content analysis. Results Eleven general practitioners (GPs) and elderly care physicians with a variety of experience and different attitudes towards euthanasia for PWD were included. Euthanasia requests appeared to have a major impact on physicians. Difficulties they experienced were related to timing, workload, pressure from and expectations of relatives, society’s negative view of dementia in combination with the ‘right to die’ view, the interpretation of the law and AEDs, ethical considerations, and communication with PWD and relatives. To deal with these difficulties, participants need support from colleagues and other professionals. Although elderly care physicians appreciated moral deliberation and support by chaplains, this was hardly mentioned by GPs. Conclusions Euthanasia requests in dementia seem to place an ethically and emotionally heavy burden on Dutch GPs and elderly care physicians. The awareness of, and access to, existing and new support mechanisms needs further exploration.

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“It’s Somebody else’s responsibility”- perceptions of general practitioners, heart failure nurses, care home staff, and residents towards heart failure diagnosis and management for older people in long-term care: a qualitative interview study

BMC Geriatrics ◽

10.1186/1471-2318-13-69 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Helen Close ◽

Helen Hancock ◽

James M Mason ◽

Jerry J Murphy ◽

Ahmet Fuat ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heart Failure ◽

Long Term Care ◽

Care Home ◽

Qualitative Interview ◽

Failure Diagnosis ◽

Term Care ◽

Care Home Staff ◽

Qualitative Interview Study ◽

Heart Failure Diagnosis

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High prevalence of undetected highly resistant microorganisms among residents of long-term care facilities in Amsterdam, the Netherlands

10.26226/morressier.56d5ba2cd462b80296c9692a ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Aletta Tholen

Keyword(s):

The Netherlands ◽

Long Term Care ◽

Term Care ◽

High Prevalence ◽

Care Facilities

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COVID-19: first long-term care facility outbreak in the Netherlands following cross-border introduction from Germany, March 2020

BMC Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1186/s12879-021-06093-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Mitch van Hensbergen ◽

Casper D. J. den Heijer ◽

Petra Wolffs ◽

Volker Hackert ◽

Henriëtte L. G. ter Waarbeek ◽

...

Keyword(s):

The Netherlands ◽

Long Term Care ◽

Care Facility ◽

Control Measures ◽

Border Region ◽

Term Care ◽

Term Care Facility ◽

Long Term Care Facility ◽

Cross Border

Abstract Background The Dutch province of Limburg borders the German district of Heinsberg, which had a large cluster of COVID-19 cases linked to local carnival activities before any cases were reported in the Netherlands. However, Heinsberg was not included as an area reporting local or community transmission per the national case definition at the time. In early March, two residents from a long-term care facility (LTCF) in Sittard, a Dutch town located in close vicinity to the district of Heinsberg, tested positive for COVID-19. In this study we aimed to determine whether cross-border introduction of the virus took place by analysing the LTCF outbreak in Sittard, both epidemiologically and microbiologically. Methods Surveys and semi-structured oral interviews were conducted with all present LTCF residents by health care workers during regular points of care for information on new or unusual signs and symptoms of disease. Both throat and nasopharyngeal swabs were taken from residents suspect of COVID-19, based on regional criteria, for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 by Real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction. Additionally, whole genome sequencing was performed using a SARS-CoV-2 specific amplicon-based Nanopore sequencing approach. Moreover, twelve random residents were sampled for possible asymptomatic infections. Results Out of 99 residents, 46 got tested for COVID-19. Out of the 46 tested residents, nineteen (41%) tested positive for COVID-19, including 3 asymptomatic residents. CT-values for asymptomatic residents seemed higher compared to symptomatic residents. Eleven samples were sequenced, along with three random samples from COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the regional hospital at the time of the LTCF outbreak. All samples were linked to COVID-19 cases from the cross-border region of Heinsberg, Germany. Conclusions Sequencing combined with epidemiological data was able to virtually prove cross-border transmission at the start of the Dutch COVID-19 epidemic. Our results highlight the need for cross-border collaboration and adjustment of national policy to emerging region-specific needs along borders in order to establish coordinated implementation of infection control measures to limit the spread of COVID-19.

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The Impact of Function Focused Care From Acute Care to Home Care and Nursing Homes

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.2148 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 629-629

Author(s):

Silke Metzelthin ◽

Sandra Zwakhalen ◽

Barbara Resnick

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

The Netherlands ◽

Home Care ◽

Acute Care ◽

Long Term Care ◽

Functional Decline ◽

Term Care ◽

The Us ◽

The Impact

Abstract Functional decline in older adults often lead towards acute or long-term care. In practice, caregivers often focus on completion of care tasks and of prevention of injuries from falls. This task based, safety approach inadvertently results in fewer opportunities for older adults to be actively involved in activities. Further deconditioning and functional decline are common consequences of this inactivity. To prevent or postpone these consequences Function Focused Care (FFC) was developed meaning that caregivers adapt their level of assistance to the capabilities of older adults and stimulate them to do as much as possible by themselves. FFC was first implemented in institutionalized long-term care in the US, but has spread rapidly to other settings (e.g. acute care), target groups (e.g. people with dementia) and countries (e.g. the Netherlands). During this symposium, four presenters from the US and the Netherlands talk about the impact of FFC. The first presentation is about the results of a stepped wedge cluster trial showing a tendency to improve activities of daily living and mobility. The second presentation is about a FFC training program. FFC was feasible to implement in home care and professionals experienced positive changes in knowledge, attitude, skills and support. The next presenter reports about significant improvements regarding time spent in physical activity and a decrease in resistiveness to care in a cluster randomized controlled trial among nursing home residents with dementia. The fourth speaker presents the content and first results of a training program to implement FFC in nursing homes. Nursing Care of Older Adults Interest Group Sponsored Symposium

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