“Time's Up”: The Experience of Entering Residential Aged Care for Young People with Acquired Neurological Disorders and Their Families

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Barry ◽  
Lucy Knox ◽  
Jacinta M. Douglas
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Neurological Disorders ◽  
Healthcare Setting ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Residential Aged Care ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Complex Process ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Key Events

Background and aims: Previous research has highlighted that living in residential aged care (RAC) is associated with a range of negative outcomes for adults with acquired neurological disorders. This study sought to understand the lived experience of entering RAC for young people and their family members and characterise their needs during this process.Method: Data included 64 written and verbal submissions to the 2015 Senate Inquiry into the Adequacy of existing residential care arrangements available for young people with severe physical, mental or intellectual disabilities in Australia. In line with hermeneutic tradition, text was analysed using thematic analysis.Results: Entry to RAC was experienced as a complex process that coalesced around three key events: an unexpected health crisis, a directive that time's up and the individual is required to leave the healthcare setting, with a subsequent decision to move into RAC. This decision was made in the absence of time, knowledge of options or adequate support.Conclusions: Findings suggest that there are both immediate practice changes and longer term policy responses that can support the health and disability systems to uphold the rights of people with acquired disability to choose where and how they will live their lives.

scholarly journals Residential Aged Care Facilities: Places for Living and Dying

1970 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah Parker
Keyword(s):  
Social Institutions ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Residential Aged Care ◽  
Self Identity ◽  
Political Discourses ◽  
Care Facilities ◽  
Construction Of Self ◽  
Aged Care Facilities ◽  
Residential Aged Care Facilities ◽  
The Individual

This article explores residential aged care facilities (RACFs) as places of dying and death, and the role these spaces and places have in the construction of self identity for dying residents.  It argues that RACFs, rather than being static places where events such as dying and death occur, are places that shape these experiences. They are social institutions where the construction of self identity for dying residents arises out of the individual experience within the setting, most specifically the experience of social interaction. Drawing on ethnographic work in two Australian facilities the article explores how macro level influences such as economic, social and political discourses intersect with micro level experiences of dying for those approaching death as well as family members and health professionals who support the dying.

scholarly journals Young people in aged care: progress of the current national program

2011 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dianne F. Winkler ◽  
Louise J. Farnworth ◽  
Sue M. Sloan ◽  
Ted Brown
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Systemic Change ◽  
Care Program ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Residential Aged Care ◽  
National Program ◽  
Public Servants ◽  
Active Involvement

Objective. The aim of this paper is to examine the progress and effect of the current 5-year $244 million national Young People in Residential Aged Care program on the reduction of young people in aged care. Method. Semi-structured telephone interviews with 20 service providers, 10 advocacy organisations and 6 public servants across Australia actively involved in the implementation of the program. Results. The development of new accommodation options has been slow. The 5-year program aims to move 689 young people out of nursing homes; in the first 4 years of the initiative only 139 people had moved out. The lives of those who have been helped by the program have been enormously improved. Conclusions. This study highlights the challenges of achieving a long-term reduction in the number of young people in residential aged care, including the challenge of achieving systemic change to prevent new admissions. Implications. The accommodation options currently being developed for this target group will soon be at capacity. Without sustained investment in developing alternative accommodation options and resources to implement systemic change ~250 people under 50 are likely to continue to be admitted to aged care each year in Australia. What is known about the topic? Prior to the current 5-year, $244 million, national Young People in Residential Aged Care program there were more than 1000 Australians under 50 years of age who lived in aged care facilities. Aged care is not designed or resourced to facilitate the active involvement of young people with high clinical needs in everyday activities or support their continued participation in the life of their community. What does this paper add? In the first 4 years of the national program only 139 people moved out of aged care. The lives of those who have been helped by the program have been enormously improved. The program is unlikely to result in a long-term reduction in the number of young people in aged care. What are the implications for practitioners? Systemic change and sustained investment in accommodation options is required to resolve the issue of young people in aged care.

scholarly journals The Challenge of Medication-Induced Dry Mouth in Residential Aged Care

Pharmacy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 162
Author(s):  
William Murray Thomson ◽  
Moira B. Smith ◽  
Catherine Anna Ferguson ◽  
Geraldine Moses
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factor ◽  
Older People ◽  
Symptomatic Relief ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Dry Mouth ◽  
Residential Aged Care ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Randomised Control Trials ◽  
The Individual

With a reported prevalence between 20% and 30%, dry mouth is more common among older people than any other age group. The major risk factor for dry mouth is polypharmacy. Older people take more medications than any other age group, not only for symptomatic relief of various age-associated chronic diseases, but also to reduce the likelihood of the complications that may arise from those conditions. Most aged care residents take even more medications than older people who are living in their own homes. The greater the number of medications taken, the greater the associated anticholinergic burden, and the more likely it is that the individual will suffer from dry mouth. The condition not only affects the dentition and ability to wear dentures, but also the sufferers’ quality of life. Treating dry mouth is a considerable challenge for clinicians. As medication use is by far the most important risk factor, there is a need for pharmacists, doctors and dentists to work together to prevent this from occurring. Medication review and deprescribing is a key strategy, but there have not yet been any randomised control trials of its efficacy in reducing the occurrence of dry mouth.

Everyday Choice Making: Outcomes of Young People with Acquired Brain Injury After Moving from Residential Aged Care to Community-Based Supported Accommodation

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 221-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dianne Winkler ◽  
Libby Callaway ◽  
Sue Sloan ◽  
Nadine Holgate
Keyword(s):  
Brain Injury ◽  
Young People ◽  
Acquired Brain Injury ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Residential Aged Care ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Choice Making ◽  
Supported Accommodation

Objectives: (1) Examine the opportunities young people with acquired brain injury (ABI) have to make everyday choices after moving out of residential aged care (RAC) into community-based shared supported accommodation (SSA); (2) Compare everyday choice making of this group with a group of people with ABI living in RAC.Research design: Mixed methods comparing two independent groups.Method and procedures: Responses on eleven relevant items of the Resident Choice Scale (RCS) were compared between two groups; 45 people with ABI living in RAC and 20 people with ABI who had moved from RAC to live in SSA. In addition, the choice making experiences of the SSA group were investigated through semi-structured interviews with the individual and/or their family member. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed.Results: Greater opportunities for everyday choice making were demonstrated on 10 out of the 11 RCS items for people living in SSA, compared to RAC. These included improved choice regarding meals, bedtime and leisure activities. Qualitative data also illustrated new choice opportunities afforded to the SSA group. Five key themes relating to choice were identified: rules and routines, communication, things to do, food and home-like environment.Conclusions: Community-based, age-appropriate and small-scale supported accommodation provides people with ABI more opportunities for everyday choice making than RAC.

Outcomes of Introducing a Mobile Computing Application in a Healthcare Setting

2011 ◽  
pp. 235-252
Author(s):  
Liz Burley ◽  
Helana Scheepers ◽  
Barbara Haddon
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Computing ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Healthcare Setting ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Residential Aged Care ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Care Access ◽  
Aged Care Facilities ◽  
Residential Aged Care Facilities

Interest in mobile computing applications has been increasing over the past few years. The healthcare sector has begun recognizing the potential for providing at point-of-care access to applications through mobile devices. However, there are challenges for the successful implementation of mobile computing applications. This chapter explores the implementation of a mobile computing solution in two Australian residential aged care facilities. The chapter compares the results of the implementation with previous studies and outlines a hierarchy of three levels of impact within the two organisations. The chapter furthermore describes the challenges, impacts, and outcomes. Finally it lists some strategies for alleviating some of the difficulties with mobile computing solutions.

THE STUDY OF THE INFLUENCE OF PERSONALITY SELF-ACTUALIZATIONFEATURES ON THE FORMATION OF CHARACTER ACCENTUATION IN YOUNGPEOPLE

2021 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
G. B. Nietbaeva ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Personal Development ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Experimental Part ◽  
Psychoemotional Stress ◽  
Complex Process ◽  
Self Actualization ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Mature Person

This article discusses the influence of the features of the development of self-actualization of the individual in adolescence and its influence on the development of character accentuations. Adolescence is a difficult period, during which the psychological education necessary for a mature person is formed. Any crisis that a person goes through is associated with severe psychoemotional stress, which can potentially become one of the factors of personality maladaptation in adolescence. Self-actualization is a complex process that is one of the driving forces of personal development. The formation of traits characteristic of a self-actualized personality has a significant impact on the adaptability of young people and can have both positive and negative effects. In the experimental part of the study, correlations were found between certain traits of self-actualization of the individual and the manifestation of character accentuations

Council of Australian Governments' (COAG) Initiative for Young People With Disability in Residential Aged Care: What Are the Issues for Acquired Brain Injury?

2007 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 312-322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele Foster ◽  
Jennifer Fleming ◽  
Cheryl Tilse
Keyword(s):  
Brain Injury ◽  
Young People ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Acquired Brain Injury ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Residential Aged Care ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Care Environment

AbstractPeople surviving severe acquired brain injury (ABI) may potentially benefit from the Council of Australian Governments' (COAG) 5-year initiative for young people with disability in residential aged-care facilities. Yet critical examination of this policy initiative for ABI population is warranted for 2 reasons. First, reliance on the disability sector to resolve the complexities of long-term care for people with ABI detracts attention from systemic failures at the health/disability sector interface, and notably, debate concerning the role of, and right to rehabilitation. Second, the COAG initiative is being pursued within an extraordinarily complex and variable contemporary care environment, involving multiple services and sectors, and historically, high unmet need. This raises questions as to the adequacy and sustainability of care provided under the responsibility of state-based disability services. In this article, it is argued that long-term care for young people with severe ABI is better served by incorporating a health and rehabilitation perspective alongside a disability support approach. Although the effectiveness of rehabilitation may be contested in some instances of very severe ABI, nevertheless the role of rehabilitation in seeking to reduce the number of young people at risk of entering residential aged care needs to be addressed in policy solutions. It is also suggested that provision of long time care in the contemporary care environment involves a number of challenges due to the complex and changing patterns of need, diverse funding arrangements and mix of government and nongovernment services, and the increasing demand for care.

scholarly journals Using Virtual Reality to Improve Apathy in Residential Aged Care: Mixed Methods Study (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimitrios Saredakis ◽  
Hannah AD Keage ◽  
Megan Corlis ◽  
Tobias Loetscher
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Side Effects ◽  
Neurological Disorders ◽  
Verbal Fluency ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
Residential Aged Care ◽  
Reminiscence Therapy

BACKGROUND Apathy is a common symptom in neurological disorders, including dementia, and is associated with a faster rate of cognitive decline, reduced quality of life, and high caregiver burden. There is a lack of effective pharmacological treatments for apathy, and nonpharmacological interventions are a preferred first-line approach to treatment. Virtual reality (VR) using head-mounted displays (HMDs) is being successfully used in exposure- and distraction-based therapies; however, there is limited research on using HMDs for symptoms of neurological disorders. OBJECTIVE This feasibility study aimed to assess whether VR using HMDs could be used to deliver tailored reminiscence therapy and examine the willingness to participate, response rates to measures, time taken to create tailored content, and technical problems. In addition, this study aimed to explore the immediate effects between verbal fluency and apathy after exposure to VR. METHODS A mixed methods study was conducted in a sample of older adults residing in aged care, and 17 participants were recruited. Apathy was measured using the Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES), and verbal fluency was used as a proxy measure of improvements in apathy and debriefing interviews to assess feedback from participants. Side effects that can occur from using HMDs were also measured. RESULTS We recruited participants from a high socioeconomic status setting with a high education level, and the participation rate was 85% (17/20); most responses to measures were positive. Access to a wide range of freely available content and the absence of technical difficulties made the delivery of a VR reminiscence intervention highly feasible. Participants had improved semantic scores (<i>t</i><sub>14</sub>=−3.27; <i>P</i>=.006) but not phonemic fluency scores (<i>t</i><sub>14</sub>=0.55; <i>P</i>=.59) immediately after the intervention. Those with higher levels of apathy demonstrated the greatest cognitive improvements after a VR reminiscence experience, which was indicated by a strong positive relationship between the AES and semantic verbal fluency change scores postminus pre-VR (<i>r</i>=0.719; 95% CI 0.327 to 0.900; <i>P</i>=.003). All participants enjoyed the experience despite 35% (6/17) of participants experiencing temporary side effects. CONCLUSIONS This study provides initial evidence that it is feasible to use VR with HMDs for therapy to treat symptoms of apathy in older adults in residential aged care. However, there is a need to closely monitor the side effects of HMD use in older adults. Further research is needed using an active control group to compare the use of VR with traditional forms of reminiscence therapy.

scholarly journals Young people in residential aged care: Is Australia on track to meet its targets?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Brown ◽  
Amelia Condi ◽  
Elise Davis ◽  
Isabella Goodwin ◽  
Di Winkler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Residential Aged Care
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