scholarly journals Health and social care providers’ perspectives of older people’s drinking: a systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative studies

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 453-467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bethany Kate Bareham ◽  
Eileen Kaner ◽  
Liam Spencer ◽  
Barbara Hanratty
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Qualitative Studies ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Thematic Synthesis ◽  
Care Recipients ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background alcohol may increase risks to late-life health, due to its impact on conditions or medication. Older adults must weigh up the potential risks of drinking against perceived benefits associated with positive roles of alcohol in their social lives. Health and social care workers are in a key position to support older people’s decisions about their alcohol use. Objective to systematically review and synthesise qualitative studies exploring health and social care providers’ views and experiences of older people’s drinking and its management in care services. Method a pre-specified search strategy was applied to five electronic databases from inception to June 2018. Grey literature, relevant journals, references and citations of included articles were searched. Two independent reviewers sifted and quality-appraised articles. Included study findings were analysed through thematic synthesis. Results 18 unique studies were included. Four themes explained findings: uncertainty about drinking as a legitimate concern in care provision for older people; the impact of preconceptions on work with older adults; sensitivity surrounding alcohol use in later life; and negotiating responsibility for older adults’ alcohol use. Discipline- and country-specific patterns are highlighted. Conclusions reservations about addressing alcohol could mean that service providers do not intervene with older adults. Judgements of whether older care recipients’ drinking warrants intervention are complex. Providers will need support and training to recognise and provide appropriate intervention for drinking amongst older care recipients.

scholarly journals How to Implement Digital Services in a Way That They Integrate Into Routine Work: Qualitative Interview Study Among Health and Social Care Professionals

10.2196/31668 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (12) ◽  
pp. e31668
Author(s):  
Janna Nadav ◽  
Anu-Marja Kaihlanen ◽  
Sari Kujala ◽  
Elina Laukka ◽  
Pirjo Hilama ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Care ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Implementation Process ◽  
Digital Services ◽  
Routine Work ◽  
Qualitative Interview Study ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Work Tasks ◽  
The Impact

Background Although the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly boosted the implementation of digital services worldwide, it has become increasingly important to understand how these solutions are integrated into professionals’ routine work. Professionals who are using the services are key influencers in the success of implementations. To ensure successful implementations, it is important to understand the multiprofessional perspective, especially because implementations are likely to increase even more. Objective The aim of this study is to examine health and social care professionals’ experiences of digital service implementations and to identify factors that support successful implementations and should be considered in the future to ensure that the services are integrated into professionals’ routine work. Methods A qualitative approach was used, in which 8 focus group interviews were conducted with 30 health and social care professionals from 4 different health centers in Finland. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The resulting categories were organized under the components of normalization process theory. Results Our results suggested 14 practices that should be considered when implementing new digital services into routine work. To get professionals to understand and make sense of the new service, (1) the communication related to the implementation should be comprehensive and continuous and (2) the implementation process should be consistent. (3) A justification for the service being implemented should also be given. The best way to engage the professionals with the service is (4) to give them opportunities to influence and (5) to make sure that they have a positive attitude toward the service. To enact the new service into professionals’ routine work, it is important that (6) the organization take a supportive approach by providing support from several easy and efficient sources. The professionals should also have (7) enough time to become familiar with the service, and they should have (8) enough know-how about the service. The training should be (9) targeted individually according to skills and work tasks, and (10) it should be diverse. The impact of the implementation on the professionals’ work should be evaluated. The service (11) should be easy to use, and (12) usage monitoring should happen. An opportunity (13) to give feedback on the service should also be offered. Moreover, (14) the service should support professionals’ work tasks. Conclusions We introduce 14 practices for organizations and service providers on how to ensure sustainable implementation of new digital services and the smooth integration into routine work. It is important to pay more attention to comprehensive and continuing communication. Organizations should conduct a competence assessment before training in order to ensure proper alignment. Follow-ups to the implementation process should be performed to guarantee sustainability of the service. Our findings from a forerunner country of digitalization can be useful for countries that are beginning their service digitalization or further developing their digital services.

scholarly journals Exploring the impacts of the 2012 Health and Social Care Act reforms to commissioning on clinical activity in the English NHS: a mixed methods study of cervical screening

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. e024156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Hammond ◽  
Thomas Mason ◽  
Matt Sutton ◽  
Alex Hall ◽  
Nicholas Mays ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Local Authority ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Cervical Screening ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Clinical Activity ◽  
Local Authorities ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
The Impact

ObjectivesExplore the impact of changes to commissioning introduced in England by the Health and Social Care Act 2012 (HSCA) on cervical screening activity in areas identified empirically as particularly affected organisationally by the reforms.MethodsQualitative followed by quantitative methods. Qualitative: semi-structured interviews (with NHS commissioners, managers, clinicians, senior administrative staff from Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), local authorities, service providers), observations of commissioning meetings in two metropolitan areas of England. Quantitative: triple-difference analysis of national administrative data. Variability in the expected effects of HSCA on commissioning was measured by comparing CCGs working with one local authority with CCGs working with multiple local authorities. To control for unmeasured confounders, differential changes over time in cervical screening rates (among women, 25–64 years) between CCGs more and less likely to have been affected by HSCA commissioning organisational change were compared with another outcome—unassisted birth rates—largely unaffected by HSCA changes.ResultsInterviewees identified that cervical screening commissioning and provision was more complex and ‘fragmented’, with responsibilities less certain, following the HSCA. Interviewees predicted this would reduce cervical screening rates in some areas more than others. Quantitative findings supported these predictions. Areas where CCGs dealt with multiple local authorities experienced a larger decline in cervical screening rates (1.4%) than those dealing with one local authority (1.0%). Over the same period, unassisted deliveries decreased by 1.6% and 2.0%, respectively, in the two groups.ConclusionsArrangements for commissioning and delivering cervical screening were disrupted and made more complex by the HSCA. Areas most affected saw a greater decline in screening rates than others. The fact that this was identified qualitatively and then confirmed quantitatively strengthens this finding. The study suggests large-scale health system reforms may have unintended consequences, and that complex commissioning arrangements may be problematic.

scholarly journals Frailty and Home Confinement during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results of a Pre-Post Intervention, Single Arm, Prospective and Longitudinal Pilot Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-2
Author(s):  
C.P. Launay ◽  
L. Cooper-Brown ◽  
V. Ivensky ◽  
O. Beauchet
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Phone Call ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Care Plans ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

The COVID-19 pandemic had severe consequences for older adults. First, COVID-19 was associated with more severe medical complications and an increased mortality rate in older compared to younger adults (1). Second, home confinement, an intervention that reduces the spread of COVID-19, was associated with adverse consequences for the older community-dwelling population (2). It broke down social networks and the continuum of primary care, resulting in medication or food delivery issues, psychological fallout and increasing frailty risks (3). Frailty assessment provides insight into the degree of older community dwellers’ health status vulnerability, social isolation and adverse health event risks, and it should be assessed before interventions are proposed (3). We designed a short assessment tool known as “Evaluation SOcio-GERiatrique” (ESOGER) for Montreal’s homebound community-dwelling older adults (3). In a phone call, ESOGER briefly assessed frailty and social isolation and provided recommendations, facilitating contact with health or social care providers who initiate appropriate health and social care plans (3). This study aims to examine the longitudinal effects of ESOGER on frailty and social isolation in Montreal’s homebound community-dwelling older adults.

scholarly journals How to Implement Digital Services in a Way That They Integrate Into Routine Work: Qualitative Interview Study Among Health and Social Care Professionals (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janna Nadav ◽  
Anu-Marja Kaihlanen ◽  
Sari Kujala ◽  
Elina Laukka ◽  
Pirjo Hilama ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Care ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Implementation Process ◽  
Digital Services ◽  
Routine Work ◽  
Qualitative Interview Study ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Work Tasks ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND Although the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly boosted the implementation of digital services worldwide, it has become increasingly important to understand how these solutions are integrated into professionals’ routine work. Professionals who are using the services are key influencers in the success of implementations. To ensure successful implementations, it is important to understand the multiprofessional perspective, especially because implementations are likely to increase even more. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to examine health and social care professionals’ experiences of digital service implementations and to identify factors that support successful implementations and should be considered in the future to ensure that the services are integrated into professionals’ routine work. METHODS A qualitative approach was used, in which 8 focus group interviews were conducted with 30 health and social care professionals from 4 different health centers in Finland. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The resulting categories were organized under the components of normalization process theory. RESULTS Our results suggested 14 practices that should be considered when implementing new digital services into routine work. To get professionals to understand and make sense of the new service, (1) the communication related to the implementation should be comprehensive and continuous and (2) the implementation process should be consistent. (3) A justification for the service being implemented should also be given. The best way to engage the professionals with the service is (4) to give them opportunities to influence and (5) to make sure that they have a positive attitude toward the service. To enact the new service into professionals’ routine work, it is important that (6) the organization take a supportive approach by providing support from several easy and efficient sources. The professionals should also have (7) enough time to become familiar with the service, and they should have (8) enough know-how about the service. The training should be (9) targeted individually according to skills and work tasks, and (10) it should be diverse. The impact of the implementation on the professionals’ work should be evaluated. The service (11) should be easy to use, and (12) usage monitoring should happen. An opportunity (13) to give feedback on the service should also be offered. Moreover, (14) the service should support professionals’ work tasks. CONCLUSIONS We introduce 14 practices for organizations and service providers on how to ensure sustainable implementation of new digital services and the smooth integration into routine work. It is important to pay more attention to comprehensive and continuing communication. Organizations should conduct a competence assessment before training in order to ensure proper alignment. Follow-ups to the implementation process should be performed to guarantee sustainability of the service. Our findings from a forerunner country of digitalization can be useful for countries that are beginning their service digitalization or further developing their digital services.

Co-creation of a family-focused service model living with younger onset dementia

Dementia ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 1029-1050 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Hutchinson ◽  
Chris Roberts ◽  
Pamela Roach ◽  
Susan Kurrle
Keyword(s):  
Social Care ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Social Model ◽  
Service Development ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Family Approach ◽  
The Social ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
The Family ◽  
Illness Model

Families living with younger onset dementia face unique social challenges, which services do not currently address. There is a gap in understanding the experiences of families affected by younger onset dementia, including the interactions and relationships within the family units, and with existing services and supports. In this qualitative research study, semi-structured interviews were conducted across Australia with seven health and social care providers, five persons living with younger onset dementia, six spouse/carers, and 17 children. A thematic analysis was conducted using a theoretical lens drawn from the combined perspectives of the social model of disability and family systems-illness model. Two central themes emerged in the data: (1) Understanding the social demands on the family – lifecycle challenges living with younger onset dementia from a social and family context; and (2) Interactions of health and social care providers with families living with younger onset dementia – opportunities and challenges in providing support and services geared to a whole family approach. In order to provide families for those living with younger onset dementia with optimal assistance and support, co-creation of a family-focused services model is proposed. Its purpose is to support effective therapeutic interactions and service development among service users, service providers, and stakeholders.

scholarly journals How formal navigators interpret their roles supporting families

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-19
Author(s):  
Laura Funk ◽  
Wanda Hounslow
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Dominant Strategy ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Service Access ◽  
Structural Barriers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Formal Service ◽  
Health And Social Care

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine how formal navigators interpret their roles supporting families of older adults.Design/methodology/approachThis study was an interpretive inquiry informed by critical gerontology and discourse analytic methods. Interview data were collected and analyzed from 22 formal service providers who helped older adults and their families navigate health and social care resources in one Western Canadian city.FindingsAlthough acknowledging structural barriers to service access, participants emphasized individual empowerment as their dominant strategy, interpreting their roles as providing information and education about services. In part, these interpretations may reflect the limited nature of their ability to help broker access or advocate; in part, they may also reflect the broader political and economic discourses surrounding care in Canada.Research limitations/implicationsWhen providers position navigation and access to care as individual problems, this can obscure structural burden as well as potential inequities among older adults. Future research should examine whether navigational role interpretations are similar or different to those of navigators in other regions. Navigators in other health and social care contexts may enact differing meanings in their work.Practical implicationsAlthough formal public navigators can play an important role, approaches that go beyond providing information may better meet families’ needs for support.Originality/valueThis is one of the first studies focused specifically on providers’ interpretations of the meaning of navigational work in health and social care for older adults, and to extend a critical gerontological gaze toward the issue of system navigation.

scholarly journals Ambient Assisted Living: Identifying New Challenges and Needs for Digital Technologies and Service Innovation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vivian Vimarlund ◽  
Elizabeth M. Borycki ◽  
Andre W. Kushniruk ◽  
Kerstin Avenberg
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Assisted Living ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Social Process ◽  
Ambient Assisted Living ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Health And Social Care

Background: The ambient assisted living (AAL) market is rapidly becoming fundamental to the delivery of health and social care services for the elderly. Worldwide many different steps have been taken to increase the engagement of older adults with these technologies. Much of this work has focused on the development of novel digital services that increase wellbeing or tackle social challenges. Aim: The aim of the study was to identify and describe the demands for AAL-services from the perspective of older adults. We also examine the challenges and needs of the ambient assisted living market using a needs based approach. Method: An exploratory case study was conducted with an aim to capture information about older adults’ demands for AAL services. A survey was used to collect the data. The survey study respondents validated the results. Results: The results of the study indicate that the area of AAL needs be studied from a multiple-sided market perspective. Our research suggests there is a need to describe and understand the factors that facilitate or constrain the implementation of services with focus on health and social care. There is also a need to describe and analyze the relationship between policy and practice and its effects on the AAL market. It is necessary to capture expressed demand, to identify market challenges at the macro level and to be able to understand how services should operate and serve older adults in practice. Such research is critical to the development of guidance for policy makers, suppliers and service providers. Discussion: Older adults are asking for intelligent, assistive living solutions that help them to continue to live independent lives and remain socially included in their networks, associations, and communities. The elderly need services that stimulate and maintain their physical and intellectual capital. The development of innovative AAL environments is, however, a complex social process that involves the use and delivery of innovative ICT–based services. The implementation and use of AAL to support older adults involve service providers and elderly consumers. Conclusions: The results of the study may be of interest to policy makers, entrepreneurs, technology suppliers, service providers and health and social care organizations, who are willing to innovate and influence the development of the AAL market through their choices and decisions.

“Something to get out of bed for”: creative arts for a happily ageing population

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 190-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Cann
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Creative Arts ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Arts ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to relate the growing body of evidence about the impact of creative arts on the health and well-being of older people to the debate about active ageing, prevention and demographic change. Design/methodology/approach It draws on a range of researched examples in order to illustrate the impact of three different art forms – singing, dance and visual arts – on health and well-being. Findings The evidence exists in increasing volume and diversity that creative arts not only improve personal feelings of well-being but also key physiological measures. The arts are increasingly recognised as playing a major potential role in the delivery of health and social care interventions. Greater recognition and action are needed from policy makers, commissioners and care providers in health and social care that the arts are not a marginal and elitist avenue but a mainstream tool supporting older people to remain active, healthy and independent. Importantly, they represent a powerful source of motivation, agency and confidence. Social implications It argues that creative arts should become an integral and more prominent part of ageing policy. The evidence exists in increasing volume and diversity that creative arts not only improve personal feelings of well-being but also key physiological measures. The arts are increasingly recognised as playing a major potential role in the delivery of health and social care interventions. Greater recognition and action are needed from policy makers, commissioners and care providers in health and social care that the arts are not a marginal and elitist avenue but a mainstream tool supporting older people to remain active, healthy and independent. Importantly, they represent a powerful source of motivation, agency and confidence. Originality/value An important research challenge remains, namely to plot cause (arts intervention) and effect (reduced demand on health and care services), if the creative arts are to occupy a central place in commissioning investment at a time of acute financial stringency in the public sector.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document