Individualising care. The transformation of personal support in old age

2012 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 421-436 ◽  
Author(s):  
MICHAEL D. FINE
Keyword(s):  
Long Term Care ◽  
Stable State ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Personal Support ◽  
The Social ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Care Practices ◽  
Individualised Care ◽  
The Individual

ABSTRACTThis paper considers developments in long-term care that are increasingly focused around the individual. Recent decades have seen massive changes in the way that care is understood and provided. Yet in Australia, as in Europe, North America and Asia, we are still a long way from a stable state of agreed services and provisions. Emphasising the social theory behind the shift, it is argued that understanding the individualisation of care cannot be reduced to a simple dichotomy of good or bad. Individualised care promises much, but the concept is applied to a wide range of phenomena, often in ways that conceal rather than reveal the character of the transactions involved. For individualisation to become meaningful it must be developed as a condition of recognition that is equally applicable to those who provide and those who depend on care. It is also important to distinguish individualised care finance arrangements from real attainments in the practice of providing care. These distinctions are necessary if we are to distinguish its use as an ideological justification for welfare cutbacks and the restructuring of care provisions as markets from the liberating potential that the approach can present when care practices are more truly based around the recognition of the individuals concerned: those who receive and depend on assistance as well as those who provide it.

Habituation Theory and Environment-Aging Research: Ennui to Joie De Vivre?

1989 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 241-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolyn Norris-Baker ◽  
Rick J. Scheidt
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Psychological Control ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Aging Research ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
Situational Characteristics ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact

Robert Kastenbaum posits that functional aging results in the overadaptation to our own routines and expectations, producing “hyperhabituation,” mental stagnation, and novaphobic response orientations. This article examines the promise and implications of this notion for two areas of environment-aging research: psychological control and environmental comprehension. Possible causal and mediating links between control and habituation are considered, as well as the impact of habituation on environmental perception, cognition, and appraisal. Personal and situational characteristics of older people likely to be at risk for habituated responses are suggested. The article also speculates about individually- and environmentally-targeted interventions which might prevent and/or ameliorate tendencies toward hyperhabituated responses among older people who reside in highly ritualized and constant environments such as long-term care institutions. Interventions subject to future evaluations include modifications for the social, physical, and policy milieux and desensitization of novaphobic responses.

scholarly journals Reliance on long-term care as a “new” social risk in national and EU law

2020 ◽  
Vol 123 ◽  
pp. 87-101
Author(s):  
Grega Strban ◽  
Sara Bagari
Keyword(s):  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Social Risk ◽  
Eu Law ◽  
Term Care ◽  
The Social ◽  
Different Parts ◽  
The Eu

There have always been people who cannot take care of their daily needs and are reliant on care. However, due to higher life expectancy and low birth rates, changes in lifestyle and increased mobility, reliance on long-term care is becoming a general risk in life. Therefore, it must be provided with social protection. In this respect, the criteria for shaping the (new) social risk of reliance on long-term care are also fulfilled. Although different benefits are already provided within different parts of the social security system, the paper discusses that the best option is to define reliance on long-term care as an independent social risk. Furthermore, we must ensure that providing long-term care will not turn out to be a double social risk. The issue has to be addressed at the national and at the EU level.

scholarly journals A cross-sectional survey assessing the preparedness of the long-term care sector to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, Canada

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henry Yu-Hin Siu ◽  
Lorand Kristof ◽  
Dawn Elston ◽  
Abe Hafid ◽  
Fred Mather
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Significant Public Health ◽  
Public Health Officials ◽  
The Government

Abstract Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is a significant public health emergency that impacts all sectors of healthcare. The negative health outcomes for the COVID-19 infection have been most severe in the frail elderly dwelling in Canadian long-term care (LTC) homes.Methods: An online cross-sectional survey of Ontario LTC Clinicians working in LTC homes in Ontario Canada was conducted to provide the LTC clinician perspective on the preparedness and engagement of the LTC sector during the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey questionnaire was developed in collaboration with the Ontario Long-Term Care Clinicians organization (OLTCC) and was distributed between March 30, 2020 to May 25, 2020. All registered members of the OLTCC and Nurse-led LTC Outreach Teams were invited to participate. The primary outcomes were: 1) the descriptive report of the screening measures implemented, communication and information received, and the preparation of the respondent’s LTC home to a potential COVID-19 outbreak; and 2) the level of agreement, as reported using a five-point Likert scale), to COVID-19 preparedness statements for the respondent’s LTC home was also assessed.Results: The overall response rate was 54% (160/294). LTC homes implemented a wide range of important interventions (e.g. instituting established respiratory isolation protocols, active screening of new LTC admissions, increasing education on infection control processes, encouraging sick staff to take time off, etc). Ample communications pertinent to the pandemic were received from provincial LTC organizations, the government and public health officials. However, the feasibility of implementing public health recommendations, as well as the engagement of the LTC sector in pandemic planning were identified as areas of concern. Medical director status was associated with an increased knowledge of local implementation of interventions to mitigate COVID-19, as well as endorsing increased access to reliable COVID-19 information and resources to manage a potential COVID-19 outbreak in their LTC home.Conclusions: This study highlights the communication to and implementation of recommendations in the Ontario LTC sector, despite some concerns regarding feasibility. Importantly, LTC clinician respondents clearly indicated that better engagement with LTC leaders is needed to plan a coordinated pandemic response.

Aging in Place

2018 ◽  
pp. 259-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Yuk Fai Fong ◽  
Vincent T. Law
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Aging Process ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Aging In Place ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Residential Homes ◽  
The Social

Aging is a function of time and is a natural and integral part of the life cycle. Aging process differs among individuals and brings all kinds of changes, affecting not just the physical body and its functions, but also to the social, psychological and financial situations to individuals. Aging in place (AIP) is a common preference among older people for remaining in their local community and maintaining their social networks throughout the aging process. Issues about appropriateness of aging in place, long-term care, and residential homes are discussed. Some models and recommendations are discussed, completed with thoughts on future studies.

scholarly journals Recommended Common Data Elements for International Research in Long-Term Care Homes: Exploring the Workforce and Staffing Concepts of Staff Retention and Turnover

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 233372141984434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franziska Zúñiga ◽  
Charlene H. Chu ◽  
Veronique Boscart ◽  
Anette Fagertun ◽  
Montserrat Gea-Sánchez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Long Term Care ◽  
Intention To Leave ◽  
Rapid Review ◽  
Staff Retention ◽  
Common Data Element ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Common Data Elements ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Staff Level

The aim of this review is to develop a common data element for the concept of staff retention and turnover within the domain of workforce and staffing. This domain is one of four core domains identified by the WE-THRIVE ( Worldwide Elements to Harmonize Research in Long-Term Care Li ving Environments) group in an effort to establish an international, person-centered long-term care research infrastructure. A rapid review identified different measurement methods to assess either turnover or retention at facility level or intention to leave or stay at the individual staff level. The selection of a recommended measurement was guided by the WE-THRIVE group’s focus on capacity rather than deficits, the expected availability of internationally comparable data, and the goal to provide a short, ecologically viable measurement. We therefore recommend to measure staff’s intention to stay with a single item, at the individual staff level. This element, we argue, is an indicator of staff stability, which is important for reduced organizational cost and improved productivity, positive work environment, and better resident–staff relationships and quality of care.

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