scholarly journals Developing inter-agency collaboration for older patients needing rehabilitation

2006 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey Bloor
Keyword(s):  
Elderly People ◽  
Older Patients ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Care Service ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Rehabilitation Program ◽  
Public Hospitals ◽  
Careful Attention ◽  
Successful Rehabilitation

Inter-agency collaboration is becoming increasingly important in delivering services to elderly people. Collaboration is not easy and careful attention needs to be paid to developing and sustaining the necessary working relations. This paper presents an analysis of what worked in a successful rehabilitation program involving collaboration among a number of acute public hospitals and aged care service providers.

scholarly journals Comfort Among Older Lesbian and Gay People in Disclosing Their Sexual Orientation to Health and Aged Care Services

2020 ◽  
pp. 073346482092533 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Lyons ◽  
Beatrice Alba ◽  
Andrea Waling ◽  
Victor Minichiello ◽  
Mark Hughes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Care Service ◽  
Internalized Homophobia ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Community Connectedness ◽  
Lesbian And Gay ◽  
Care Services

Being comfortable in disclosing one’s sexual orientation to health and aged care providers is important for older lesbian and gay adults, given that nondisclosure is associated with poorer health and well-being outcomes. In a sample of 752 lesbian and gay adults aged 60 years and older living in Australia, we found only 51% of lesbian women and 64% of gay men felt fully comfortable to disclose their sexual orientation to health and aged care service providers. For both the women and the men, those who felt fully comfortable to disclose reported significantly less internalized homophobia; had fewer experiences of discrimination in the past year; and reported greater lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) community connectedness. Feeling fully comfortable was also predicted by fewer experiences of lifetime discrimination among the men. These findings may help those seeking to assist older lesbian and gay people in feeling comfortable and being open with health and aged care service providers.

Quality of life measurement in community-based aged care – understanding variation between clients and between care service providers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joyce Siette ◽  
Mikaela L. Jorgensen ◽  
Andrew Georgiou ◽  
Laura Dodds ◽  
Tom McClean ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Social Participation ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Care Service ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Care Quality ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Care Services

Abstract Background Measuring person-centred outcomes and using this information to improve service delivery is a challenge for many care providers. We aimed to identify predictors of QoL among older adults receiving community-based aged care services and examine variation across different community care service outlets.Methods A retrospective sample of 1141 Australians aged ≥ 60 years receiving community-based care services from a large service provider within 19 service outlets. Clients’ QoL was captured using the ICEpop CAPability Index. QoL scores and predictors of QoL (i.e.sociodemographic, social participation and service use) were extracted from clients’ electronic records and examined using multivariable regression.Funnel plots were used to examine variation in risk-adjusted QoL scores across service outlets.Results Mean age was 81.5 years (SD = 8) and 75.5% were women. Clients had a mean QoL score of 0.81 (range 0–1, SD = 0.15). After accounting for other factors, being older (p < 0.01), having lower-level care needs (p < 0.01), receiving services which met needs for assistance with activities of daily living (p < 0.01), and having higher levels of social participation (p < 0.001) were associated with higher QoL scores. Of the 19 service outlets, 21% (n = 4) had lower mean risk-adjusted QoL scores than expected (< 95% control limits) and 16% (n = 3) had higher mean scores than expected.Conclusion Using QoL as an indicator to compare care quality may be feasible, with appropriate risk adjustment. Implementing QoL tools allows providers to measure and monitor their performance and service outcomes, as well as identify clients with poor quality of life who may need extra support.Trial registration: Australian and New Zealand clinical trial registry number: ACTRN12617001212347. Registered 18/08/2017

Smarter Safer Homes Solution to Support Older People Living in Their Own Homes through Enhanced Care Models: Methodologies for a Stratified Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qing Zhang ◽  
Marlien Varnfield ◽  
Liesel Higgins ◽  
Vanessa Smallbon ◽  
Julia Bomke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Care Service ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Ageing Population ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Limited Opportunity

BACKGROUND An ageing population, accompanied by the prevalence of age-related diseases, present significant burden to health systems. This is exacerbated by an increasing shortage of aged care staff due to existing workforce entering their retirement and fewer young people being attracted to work in aged care. In line with consumer preferences and potential cost-efficiencies, government and aged care providers are increasingly seeking options to move care and support to the community or home, as opposed to residential care facilities. However, compared to residential care, home environments may provide limited opportunity for monitoring patients progression/decline in functioning and therefore limited opportunity to provide timely intervention. To address this, the Smarter Safer Homes (SSH) platform was designed to enable self-monitoring and/or management, and to provide aged care providers with support to deliver their services. The platform uses open Internet of Things (IoT) communication protocols to easily incorporate commercially available sensors into the system. OBJECTIVE Our research aims to detail the benefits of utilising the SSH platform as a service in its own right as well as a complimentary service to more traditional/historical service offerings in aged care. It is anticipated to validate the capacity and benefits of the SSH platform to enable older people to self-manage, and aged care service providers to support their clients to live functionally and independently in their own home, for as long as possible. METHODS A single-blinded, stratified, 12-month randomized controlled trial with participants recruited from three aged care providers, in Queensland, Australia. The study aimed to recruit 200 people, including 145 people from metropolitan- and 55 from regional areas. Participants were randomised to the intervention group (having SSH platform installed to assist age care service providers to monitor and provide timely supports) and the control group (receiving their usual aged care services from providers). Data on community care, health and social related quality of life, health service utilization, care giver burden and user experience of both groups were collected at the start, the middle (6 month) and the end of the trial (12 month). RESULTS The trial recruited its first participant in April 2019, and finished data collection of the last participant in November 2020. The study also received participants’ health service data from government data resources in June 2021. CONCLUSIONS A crisis is looming to support the ageing population. Digital solutions, such as the SSH platform, has the potential to address this crisis and support aged care in the home and community. The outcomes of this study could improve and support the delivery of aged care services and provide better quality of life to older Australians in various geographical locations. CLINICALTRIAL Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) - ACTRN12618000829213

Stakeholders’ perspectives on adapting the World Health Organization iSupport for Dementia in Australia

Dementia ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 147130122095467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lily D Xiao ◽  
Sue McKechnie ◽  
Lesley Jeffers ◽  
Anita De Bellis ◽  
Elizabeth Beattie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
World Health Organization ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Care Service ◽  
Informal Caregivers ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
World Health ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization

Background In Australia, informal caregivers (family, friends and neighbours) play a crucial role in supporting people with dementia to remain at home. Within the community aged care policy, informal caregivers are acknowledged as assisting with managing care. However, they usually receive very limited dementia care education and training to support them in their role. The World Health Organization (WHO) developed iSupport for Dementia, a comprehensive online dementia education and skill training programme, to address the gap in supporting informal caregivers. Aim The aim of the study was to identify stakeholders’ perspectives regarding adapting the WHO iSupport for use by informal caregivers of people with dementia in Australia. Methods An interpretive description study design was used. Data were collected in focus groups with informal caregivers and care staff of dementia and aged care service providers conducted in May–July 2018. A thematic analysis was utilised to analyse data and identify findings. Results In total, 16 informal caregivers and 20 care staff participated in the study. Five themes were identified. First, informal caregivers perceived iSupport as an opportunity to provide an online one-stop shop to meet their education needs and their needs to manage care services. Second, both informal caregivers and care staff believed that an integrated caregiver network moderated by a health professional was much needed to enable informal caregivers to share learning experiences and enhance social support. Third, both informal caregivers and care staff strongly suggested that dementia and aged care service providers had a role to play in promoting the iSupport. Fourth, informal caregivers were concerned about the time commitment to participate in the iSupport programme. Finally, informal caregivers expected the iSupport to be user-friendly. Conclusion Stakeholders perceived the adaptation of the WHO iSupport in Australia would strengthen informal caregiver education and optimise support for informal caregivers.

scholarly journals Health Seeking Behavior Among Adults and Elderly With Chronic Health Condition(s) in Albania

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonila Gabrani ◽  
Christian Schindler ◽  
Kaspar Wyss
Keyword(s):  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽  
Communicable Disease ◽  
Care Service ◽  
Health Care Service ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Public Healthcare ◽  
Care Seeking

Aim: Assess the use of different health care service providers by adults (aged 18–59) and elderly (aged &gt; =60) who suffer from non-communicable disease (NCD) and explore relationships between sociodemographic variables and care-seeking behaviors.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in the districts of Diber and Fier in December 2018, using random cluster sampling. Descriptive statistics were used to compare the care-seeking behaviors of adults and elderly people. We employed binary and multinomial logistic regression to assess factors associated with the type of health service provider used. Analyses were adjusted for clustering within districts of residence.Results: Out of 3,799 respondents, 1,116 (29.4%) suffered from an NCD. Of these, 95% sought to obtain care for their chronic condition through public healthcare providers. The elderly were more likely to use primary healthcare services (PHC) to initiate care when facing health problems (56%), compared to those aged 18–59 years (49%, p &lt; 0,001). Over the last 8 weeks, 82% (914/1,116) of participants sought care. Binary and multinomial logistic regression analyses, adjusted for socio-demographic variables, showed that the elderly were more likely to choose PHC services (OR 1.56; 95% CI: 1.04; 2.35). Moreover, individuals who suffered from hypertension used PHC services more frequently than hospitals (OR 1.94; 95% CI: 1.32; 2.85). A positive association was found between living in an urban area and seeking care for NCDs at polyclinics (OR 10.1; 95% CI: 2.1; 50.1). There was no significant gender difference observed with regard to the type of provider consulted.Conclusion: Public facilities were reported as the main providers for initiating care and the main providers used in the 8 weeks prior to the interview. While a majority of elderly people visited a PHC to initiate treatment (and follow up) on their chronic conditions, a substantial proportion of adults (aged 18–59) initiated and sought regular NCD care at a hospital. Educating patients and caregivers on active participation in NCD prevention, management, and control through the PHC level should be a long-term effort, along with the establishment of well-structured referral mechanisms and integrated care systems.

scholarly journals Quality of life measurement in community-based aged care – understanding variation between clients and between care service providers

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joyce Siette ◽  
Mikaela L. Jorgensen ◽  
Andrew Georgiou ◽  
Laura Dodds ◽  
Tom McClean ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Social Participation ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Care Service ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Trial Registration ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Care Services

Abstract Background Measuring person-centred outcomes and using this information to improve service delivery is a challenge for many care providers. We aimed to identify predictors of QoL among older adults receiving community-based aged care services and examine variation across different community care service outlets. Methods A retrospective sample of 1141 Australians aged ≥60 years receiving community-based care services from a large service provider within 19 service outlets. Clients’ QoL was captured using the ICEpop CAPability Index. QoL scores and predictors of QoL (i.e. sociodemographic, social participation and service use) were extracted from clients’ electronic records and examined using multivariable regression. Funnel plots were used to examine variation in risk-adjusted QoL scores across service outlets. Results Mean age was 81.5 years (SD = 8) and 75.5% were women. Clients had a mean QoL score of 0.81 (range 0–1, SD = 0.15). After accounting for other factors, being older (p < 0.01), having lower-level care needs (p < 0.01), receiving services which met needs for assistance with activities of daily living (p < 0.01), and having higher levels of social participation (p < 0.001) were associated with higher QoL scores. Of the 19 service outlets, 21% (n = 4) had lower mean risk-adjusted QoL scores than expected (< 95% control limits) and 16% (n = 3) had higher mean scores than expected. Conclusion Using QoL as an indicator to compare care quality may be feasible, with appropriate risk adjustment. Implementing QoL tools allows providers to measure and monitor their performance and service outcomes, as well as identify clients with poor quality of life who may need extra support. Trial registration Australian and New Zealand clinical trial registry number: ACTRN12617001212347. Registered 18/08/2017.

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