scholarly journals Depictions of nursing home residents in US newspapers: successful ageing versus frailty

2014 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
JULIA ROZANOVA ◽  
EDWARD ALAN MILLER ◽  
TERRIE WETLE

ABSTRACTThe media shape both what people consider significant and how people think about key issues. This paper explored the cultural beliefs and stereotypes that underlie media portrayals of nursing homes. The analysis of texts of 157 articles about nursing homes published from 1999 to 2008 on the front pages of four major-market American newspapers (The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post) was conducted using a qualitative approach inspired by comparative narrative and critical discourse analysis. Results suggest two major themes, each with several narrative components: (a) managing disposable lives (bodies outliving bank accounts; making frailty affordable; and the economics of triage); and (b) retaining purchasing power as successful ageing (consumption as a sign of market participation, spending money as an indicator of autonomy; and financial planning as preparation for future decline). Thus, the results indicate that nursing home residency in-and-of-itself is not a marker of unsuccessful ageing. This, instead, depends, in part, on the extent of choice available as a result of the level of financial solvency. This study shines light on the betwixt and between zone that distinguishes the Third and Fourth Ages; that is, independence versus dependence in old age. If individuals in a nursing home retain control over the management of their lives through the maintenance of financial independence, even if physically frail, association of nursing home residence with the Fourth Age may be ameliorated.

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 15-16
Author(s):  
Sean Fleming ◽  
Danya Qato ◽  
Alexandra Wallem ◽  
Paulina Kepczynska ◽  
Linda Wastila ◽  
...  

Abstract As of March 2021, over 128,000 nursing home (NH) residents have died due to COVID-19 complications, accounting for one-third of all U.S. COVID-19 deaths. Early studies highlighted factors which heightened residents’ risk—facility size and profit status, CMS Five-Star quality rating, race, and high Medicaid share. Despite improved nationwide social distancing and access to protective equipment, between October-December 2020 nursing home cases, hospitalizations, and deaths peaked to highest levels since the pandemic’s advent. The purpose of this study is to quantify previously unexamined associations between resident, facility, and geographic characteristics and COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and fatalities in nursing homes during this second surge. In this cross-sectional study, we constructed a novel dataset with linked facility- and county-level data from the CMS Nursing Home COVID-19 Public File, Nursing Home Compare, Long-Term Care Focus, and The New York Times. Multivariable logistic regression evaluated the odds of COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths in nursing homes. Among 13,156 nursing homes, 80.5% reported ≥1 COVID-19 cases; on average, nursing homes reported 4.5 hospitalizations and 3.0 deaths. Facilities with higher acuity patients, chain status, >150 beds, high percentage white residents, low Medicaid share, high surrounding county case rates, and occupancy rates >75% were significantly (p <.001) related to increased odds of all outcomes. N95 mask shortages continued to increase risk of cases and hospitalizations. Five-Star ratings, high influenza vaccination rates, and clinical staff shortages were not significant factors. Findings demonstrate that through 2020, nursing homes continued to face challenges protecting their residents from COVID-19-related morbidity and mortality.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 933-934
Author(s):  
Mijin Jeong ◽  
Sarah Jen ◽  
Hyun Kang ◽  
Michael Riquino

Abstract The media has consistently described older adults as the population most vulnerable to COVID-19. Anti-ageism critics have taken issue with the oft-repeated statement that “only” older adults are at risk, a construction that dismisses and devalues the nuances within this population. The purpose of this study was to analyze instances of ageism in national media sources during the first month of the COVID-19 pandemic. A systematic search returned 287 articles concerning older adults and COVID-19 published in four major newspapers in the United States—USA Today, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post—between March 11 and April 10, 2020. Combining the strengths of content analysis and critical discourse analysis, we deductively and inductively reviewed the articles for patterns related to implicit and explicit forms of ageism. While ageism was rarely discussed explicitly, ageist bias was evident in implicit reporting patterns, such as frequent use of the phrase the elderly, which was often paired with statements describing older adults as vulnerable. Infection and death rates among older adults, as well as institutionalized care practices, were among the most commonly reported topics, providing a limited portrait of aging during the pandemic. While some authors utilized a survivor narrative by portraying older adults as having survived hardships, this construction implicitly places blame on those unable to do so. Older adults, when quoted directly, produced more complex and nuanced narratives of aging during the COVID-19 pandemic. Such narratives can combat societal ageism and promote self-determination and -definition.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Guimel Sibingo

This study is a critical discourse analysis of United States (U.S.) newspaper coverage of the 2014 Ebola outbreak and its representation of West Africa in relation to the West. The study sought to determine whether the coverage reflected the theory of Orientalism, as defined by Palestinian-American philosopher Edward Said. Orientalism refers to the West's patronizing of Middle Eastern and Asian societies. Orientalism occurs when the West objectifies non-Western cultures turning them into an "other." In this study, the theory is applied to the West's patronizing of Africa. The study analyzed 240 articles from The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The Los Angeles Times and determined that Orientalism is indeed reflected in the coverage, contributing to negative media portrayals of the continent of Africa. It also shows that as an institution of power, U.S. newspaper media contributes to the creation of a subject-object view of Africa in regards to the continent's relationship with the West.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-121
Author(s):  
Aishwarya Sharma, DO ◽  
Sharon E. Mace, MD, FACEP, FAAP

A large and growing segment of the United States population resides in nursing homes. Many nursing home residents have multiple comorbidities, are unable to perform activities of daily living, and need assistance for their daily functioning. They are some of the most fragile and vulnerable members of the population. Disasters are increasing in frequency and severity. This makes it likely that disasters will strike nursing homes and affect their residents. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of disasters in the United States that resulted in nursing home evacuations. There were 51 reported nursing home evacuations due to a disaster over 22.5 years between 1995 and 2017. Natural disasters were responsible for the majority of evacuations (58.8 percent) followed by man-made unintentional disasters (37.3 percent) and man-made intentional (arson) (3.9 percent). The single most common reason for evacuation was hurricanes (23.5 percent, N = 12) and internal fires (23.5 percent, N = 12). Water-related disasters accounted for nearly three-fourths of the natural disasters (hurricanes 40 percent, N = 12; floods, 33.3 percent, N = 10; total 73.3 percent, N = 22), then snow/ice storms (13.3 percent, N = 4). Of man-made disasters, over two-thirds (66.7 percent) were due to internal fires (internal fires, n = 12, 57.1 percent and arson n = 2, 9.5 percent; total N = 14, 66.7 percent). The highest number of evacuations occurred in Texas, Louisiana, Missouri, New York, and Pennsylvania. This knowledge should enable nursing home administrators, disaster planners, public health officials, and others to improve preparedness for disasters that lead to nursing home evacuations.


Cultura ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-73
Author(s):  
Saman REZAEI ◽  
Kamyar KOBARI ◽  
Ali SALAMI

With the realization of the promised global village, media, particularly online newspapers, play a significant role in delivering news to the world. However, such means of news circulation can propagate different ideologies in line with the dominant power. This, coupled with the emergence of so-called Islamic terrorist groups, has turned the focus largely on Islam and Muslims. This study attempts to shed light on the image of Islam being portrayed in Western societies through a Critical Discourse Analysis approach. To this end, a number of headlines about Islam or Muslims have been randomly culled from three leading newspapers in Western print media namely The Guardian, The Independent and The New York Times (2015). This study utilizes “ideological square” notion of Van Dijk characterized by “positive presentation” of selves and “negative presentation” of others alongside his socio-cognitive approach. Moreover, this study will take the linguistic discourses introduced by Van Leeuwen regarding “representing social actors and social practices” into consideration. The findings can be employed to unravel the mystery behind the concept of “Islamophobia” in Western societies. Besides, it can reveal how specific lexical items, as well as grammatical structures are being employed by Western media to distort the notion of impartiality.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Julie L. O’Sullivan ◽  
Sonia Lech ◽  
Paul Gellert ◽  
Ulrike Grittner ◽  
Jan-Niklas Voigt-Antons ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives: To investigate global and momentary effects of a tablet-based non-pharmacological intervention for nursing home residents living with dementia. Design: Cluster-randomized controlled trial. Setting: Ten nursing homes in Germany were randomly allocated to the tablet-based intervention (TBI, 5 units) or conventional activity sessions (CAS, 5 units). Participants: N = 162 residents with dementia. Intervention: Participants received regular TBI (n = 80) with stimulating activities developed to engage people with dementia or CAS (n = 82) for 8 weeks. Measurements: Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES-I, primary outcome), Quality of Life in Alzheimer’s Disease scale, QUALIDEM scale, Neuropsychiatric Inventory, Geriatric Depression Scale, and psychotropic medication (secondary outcomes). Momentary quality of life was assessed before and after each activity session. Participants and staff were blinded until the collection of baseline data was completed. Data were analyzed with linear mixed-effects models. Results: Levels of apathy decreased slightly in both groups (mean decrease in AES-I of .61 points, 95% CI −3.54, 2.33 for TBI and .36 points, 95% CI −3.27, 2.55 for CAS). Group difference in change of apathy was not statistically significant (β = .25; 95% CI 3.89, 4.38, p = .91). This corresponds to a standardized effect size (Cohen’s d) of .02. A reduction of psychotropic medication was found for TBI compared to CAS. Further analyses revealed a post-intervention improvement in QUALIDEM scores across both groups and short-term improvements of momentary quality of life in the CAS group. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that interventions involving tailored activities have a beneficial impact on global and momentary quality of life in nursing home residents with dementia. Although we found no clear advantage of TBI compared to CAS, tablet computers can support delivery of non-pharmacological interventions in nursing homes and facilitate regular assessments of fluctuating momentary states.


2021 ◽  
pp. 174804852098744
Author(s):  
Ke Li ◽  
Qiang Zhang

Media representations have significant power to shape opinions and influence public response to communities or groups around the world. This study investigates media representations of Islam and Muslims in the American media, drawing upon an analysis of reports in the New York Times over a 17-year period (from Jan.1, 2000 to Dec. 31, 2016) within the framework of Critical Discourse Analysis. It examines how Islam and Muslims are represented in media coverage and how discursive power is penetrated step by step through such media representations. Most important, it investigates whether Islam and Muslims have been stigmatized through stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination. The findings reveal that the New York Times’ representations of Islam and Muslims are negative and stereotypical: Islam is stereotyped as the unacclimatized outsider and the turmoil maker and Muslims as the negative receiver. The stereotypes contribute to people’s prejudice, such as Islamophobia from the “us” group and fear of the “them” group but do not support a strong conclusion of discrimination.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s66-s67
Author(s):  
Gabrielle M. Gussin ◽  
Ken Kleinman ◽  
Raveena D. Singh ◽  
Raheeb Saavedra ◽  
Lauren Heim ◽  
...  

Background: Addressing the high burden of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) in nursing homes is a public health priority. High interfacility transmission may be attributed to inadequate infection prevention practices, shared living spaces, and frequent care needs. We assessed the contribution of roommates to the likelihood of MDRO carriage in nursing homes. Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of the SHIELD OC (Shared Healthcare Intervention to Eliminate Life-threatening Dissemination of MDROs in Orange County, CA) Project, a CDC-funded regional decolonization intervention to reduce MDROs among 38 regional facilities (18 nursing homes, 3 long-term acute-care hospitals, and 17 hospitals). Decolonization in participating nursing homes involved routine chlorhexidine bathing plus nasal iodophor (Monday through Friday, twice daily every other week) from April 2017 through July 2019. MDRO point-prevalence assessments involving all residents at 16 nursing homes conducted at the end of the intervention period were used to determine whether having a roommate was associated with MDRO carriage. Nares, bilateral axilla/groin, and perirectal swabs were processed for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE), extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)–producing Enterobacteriaceae, and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE). Generalized linear mixed models assessed the impact of maximum room occupancy on MDRO prevalence when clustering by room and hallway, and adjusting for the following factors: nursing home facility, age, gender, length-of-stay at time of swabbing, bedbound status, known MDRO history, and presence of urinary or gastrointestinal devices. CRE models were not run due to low counts. Results: During the intervention phase, 1,451 residents were sampled across 16 nursing homes. Overall MDRO prevalence was 49%. In multivariable models, we detected a significant increasing association of maximum room occupants and MDRO carriage for MRSA but not other MDROs. For MRSA, the adjusted odds ratios for quadruple-, triple-, and double-occupancy rooms were 3.5, 3.6, and 2.8, respectively, compared to residents in single rooms (P = .013). For VRE, these adjusted odds ratios were 0.3, 0.3, and 0.4, respectively, compared to residents in single rooms (P = NS). For ESBL, the adjusted odds ratios were 0.9, 1.1, and 1.5, respectively, compared to residents in single rooms (P = nonsignificant). Conclusions: Nursing home residents in shared rooms were more likely to harbor MRSA, suggesting MRSA transmission between roommates. Although decolonization was previously shown to reduce MDRO prevalence by 22% in SHIELD nursing homes, this strategy did not appear to prevent all MRSA transmission between roommates. Additional efforts involving high adherence hand hygiene, environmental cleaning, and judicious use of contact precautions are likely needed to reduce transmission between roommates in nursing homes.Funding: NoneDisclosures: Gabrielle M. Gussin, Stryker (Sage Products): Conducting studies in which contributed antiseptic product is provided to participating hospitals and nursing homes. Clorox: Conducting studies in which contributed antiseptic product is provided to participating hospitals and nursing homes. Medline: Conducting studies in which contributed antiseptic product is provided to participating hospitals and nursing homes. Xttrium: Conducting studies in which contributed antiseptic product is provided to participating hospitals and nursing homes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 85-85
Author(s):  
Denise Tyler ◽  
Cleanthe Kordomenos ◽  
Melvin Ingber

Abstract Organizations in seven states have been participating in the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) initiative aimed at reducing potentially avoidable hospitalizations among long-stay nursing home (NH) residents. The purpose of this study was to identify market and policy factors that may have affected the initiative in those states. Forty-seven interviews were conducted with key stakeholders in the seven states (e.g., representatives from state departments of health, state Medicaid offices, and nursing, hospital and nursing home associations) and qualitatively analyzed to identify themes across states. Few policies or programs were found that may have affected the initiative; only New York (NY) was found to have state policies or programs specifically aimed at reducing hospitalizations. Market pressures reported in most states were similar. For example, stakeholders reported that the increased availability of home and community-based services and the growing presence of managed care are contributing to higher acuity among both long and short stay residents and that reimbursement rates and staffing have not kept up. Stakeholders suggested greater presence of physicians and nurse practitioners in NHs, better training around behavioral health issues for frontline staff, and more advance care planning and education of families about end of life may help further reduce NH hospitalizations. We also found that all states, except NY, had regional coalitions of health care related organizations focused on improving some aspect of care, such as reducing hospital readmissions. These coalitions may suggest ways that organizations can work together to reduce hospitalizations among NH residents.


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