scholarly journals Care Aides Working Multiple Jobs: Considerations for Staffing Policies in Long-Term Care Homes During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 1390-1391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yinfei Duan ◽  
Ala Iaconi ◽  
Yuting Song ◽  
Peter G. Norton ◽  
Janet E. Squires ◽  
...  
2020 ◽  
Vol 75 (9) ◽  
pp. 2050-2061
Author(s):  
Stephanie A Chamberlain ◽  
Wendy Duggleby ◽  
Pamela B Teaster ◽  
Janet Fast ◽  
Carole A Estabrooks

Abstract Objectives This study examined challenges experienced by long-term care staff in caring for unbefriended residents who are incapacitated and alone. These residents often are estranged from or have no living family or live geographically distant from them and require a public guardian as their surrogate decision-maker. To date, research on unbefriended older adults has focused on those living in acute care and community settings. Little is known about those living in long-term care homes. Method We conducted semi-structured interviews with 39 long-term care staff (e.g., registered nurses, care aides, social workers) and 3 public guardians. Staff were sampled from seven long-term care homes in Alberta, Canada. We analyzed interview transcripts using content analysis and then using the theoretical framework of complex adaptive systems. Results Long-term care staff experience challenges unique to unbefriended residents. Guardians’ responsibilities did not fulfill unbefriended residents’ needs, such as shopping for personal items or accompanying residents to appointments. Consequently, the guardians rely on long-term care staff, particularly care aides, to provide increased levels of care and support. These additional responsibilities, and organizational messages dissuading staff from providing preferential care, diminish quality of work life for staff. Discussion Long-term care homes are complex adaptive systems. Within these systems, we found organizational barriers for long-term care staff providing care to unbefriended residents. These barriers may be modifiable and could improve the quality of care for unbefriended residents and quality of life of staff. Implications for practice include adjusting public guardian scope of work, improving team communication, and compensating staff for additional care.


2021 ◽  
pp. 095001702097731
Author(s):  
Heather A Cooke ◽  
Jennifer Baumbusch

Exposure to peer incivility and bullying potentially disrupts the respectful, collaborative workplace relationships essential to quality care provision in long-term care homes. This study critically examined the nature of peer incivility and bullying in residential care aides’ workplace relationships. Using critical ethnography, 100 hours of participant observation and 33 semi-structured interviews were conducted with residential care aides, licensed practical nurses, support staff and management in two, non-profit care homes in British Columbia, Canada. While residential care aides’ experiences of bullying were rare, peer incivility was pervasive, occurring on an almost daily basis. Two key themes, ‘gendered work environment’ and ‘seeking informal power and control’, reflect how residential care aides experienced and explained their uncivil encounters. Findings highlight the gendered, relationally aggressive nature of workplace mistreatment within this predominantly female workforce.


2021 ◽  
Vol Publish Ahead of Print ◽  
Author(s):  
Marilyn Macdonald ◽  
Ziwa Yu ◽  
Lori E. Weeks ◽  
Elaine Moody ◽  
Beth Wilson ◽  
...  

2012 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 140-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Riaz ul Haq ◽  
Chris Metcalfe ◽  
Hongxia Li ◽  
Wayne Parker

The presence of pharmaceutically active compounds in the aquatic environment has become well established, and their presence is of potential concern because they are designed to produce biological response in the target receptor, may bear intrinsic toxicity (e.g. cytostatic agents, antibiotics) and they possess the potential to foster and maintain drug resistance. For both risk assessment and risk management purposes, it is important to identify the major sources of pharmaceuticals in the environment. Healthcare facilities may be major sources of the discharges of these compounds into municipal sewers. In this study, we investigated the contributions to the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) influents from two hospitals and two long-term care homes of nine compounds. Twenty-four hour composite samples were collected over 5 consecutive days from the effluents of these facilities. The WWTPs receiving sewage from these facilities were also sampled on the same days to facilitate mass balance calculations. The results showed that the healthcare facilities contributed a greater proportion of the antibiotic compounds to the WWTPs than the other target compounds; with maximum contributions of ciprofloxacin by hospitals and long-term care homes of 26.7 and 37%, respectively.


2018 ◽  
Vol 53 (6) ◽  
pp. 4863-4885
Author(s):  
Caitlin McArthur ◽  
John Hirdes ◽  
Ashok Chaurasia ◽  
Katherine Berg ◽  
Lora Giangregorio

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Brassolotto ◽  
Carly-Ann Haney ◽  
Sienna Caspar ◽  
Shannon Spenceley

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Fiona Höbler ◽  
Katherine S. McGilton ◽  
Walter Wittich ◽  
Kate Dupuis ◽  
Marilyn Reed ◽  
...  

Background: Hearing loss is highly prevalent in older adults, particularly among those living with dementia and residing in long-term care homes (LTCHs). Sensory declines can have deleterious effects on functioning and contribute to frailty, but the hearing needs of residents are often unrecognized or unaddressed. Objective: To identify valid and reliable screening measures that are effective for the identification of hearing loss and are suitable for use by nursing staff providing care to residents with dementia in LTCHs. Methods: Electronic databases (Embase, Medline, PsycINFO, CENTRAL, and CINAHL) were searched using comprehensive search strategies, and a stepwise approach based on Arksey & O’Malley’s scoping review and appraisal process was followed. Results: There were 193 scientific papers included in the review. Pure-tone audiometry was the most frequently reported measure to test hearing in older adults living with dementia. However, measures including self- or other-reports and questionnaires, review of medical records, otoscopy, and the whisper test were found to be most suitable for use by nurses working with older adults living with dementia in LTCHs. Conclusion: Although frequently used, the suitability of pure-tone audiometry for use by nursing staff in LTCHs is limited, as standardized audiometry presents challenges for many residents, and specific training is needed to successfully adapt test administration procedures and interpret results. The whisper test was considered to be more suitable for use by staff in LTCH; however, it yields a limited characterization of hearing loss. There remains an urgent need to develop new approaches to screen hearing in LTCHs.


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