scholarly journals COVID-19, Policy, and Nursing Homes: A Health and Aging Policy Fellows Symposium

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 58-58
Author(s):  
Nancy Kusmaul ◽  
Toni Miles ◽  
Lori Frank

Abstract COVID-19 significantly impacted older adults, particularly those in long term care. This symposium focuses on policy, and how policies drove many of the outcomes older adults in care experienced during 2020. We begin with a case study of one nursing home describing their operations, how those were impacted by policies at the local, state and federal levels, and operational factors that proved uncontrollable. From there we look more broadly at a national effort as implemented in one state which leveraged clinical and regulatory experts to partner with nursing homes and disseminate emerging and evidence based practice cohorts to address the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic over an extended period. Then we move from the federal to two state level projects. One looks at the experience of embedding advanced practice nurses (APRNs) into long term care facilities in one state over a five year period including during COVID-19. The final presentation describes hands on support provided by one state government to nursing homes and assisted livings during COVID-19, including the coordination of staff testing and the implementation of the use of the antigen testing machines issued through federal policy. We conclude with a discussion of the interplay of federal, state, and local policy on nursing home experiences in COVID-19 and recommendations for more effective policy interventions.

Long-term care for older adults is highly affect by the COVID-19 outbreak. The objective of this rapid review is to understand what we can learn from previous crises or disasters worldwide to optimize the care for older adults in long term care facilities during the outbreak of COVID-19. We searched five electronic databases to identify potentially relevant articles. In total, 23 articles were included in this study. Based on the articles, it appeared that nursing homes benefit from preparing for the situation as best as they can. For instance, by having proper protocols and clear division of tasks and collaboration within the organization. In addition, it is helpful for nursing homes to collaborate closely with other healthcare organizations, general practitioners, informal caregivers and local authorities. It is recommended that nursing homes pay attention to capacity and employability of staff and that they support or relieve staff where possible. With regard to care for the older adults, it is important that staff tries to find a new daily routine in the care for residents as soon as possible. Some practical tips were found on how to communicate with people who have dementia. Furthermore, behavior of people with dementia may change during a crisis. We found tips for staff how to respond and act upon behavior change. After the COVID-19 outbreak, aftercare for staff, residents, and informal caregivers is essential to timely detect psychosocial problems. The consideration between, on the one hand, acute safety and risk reduction (e.g. by closing residential care facilities and isolating residents), and on the other hand, the psychosocial consequences for residents and staff, were discussed in case of other disasters. Furthermore, the search of how to provide good (palliative) care and to maintain quality of life for older adults who suffer from COVID-19 is also of concern to nursing home organizations. In the included articles, the perspective of older adults, informal caregivers and staff is often lacking. Especially the experiences of older adults, informal caregivers, and nursing home staff with the care for older adults in the current situation, are important in formulating lessons about how to act before, during and after the coronacrisis. This may further enhance person-centered care, even in times of crisis. Therefore, we recommend to study these experiences in future research.


1997 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas G. Castle

Long-term care institutions have emerged as dominant sites of death for the elderly. However, studies of this trend have primarily examined nursing homes. The purpose of this research is to determine demographic, functional, disease, and facility predictors and/or correlates of death for the elderly residing in board and care facilities. Twelve factors are found to be significant: proportion of residents older than sixty-five years of age, proportion of residents who are chair- or bed-fast, proportion of residents with HIV, bed size, ownership, chain membership, affiliation with a nursing home, number of health services provided other than by the facility, the number of social services provided other than by the facility, the number of social services provided by the facility, and visits by Ombudsmen. These are discussed and comparisons with similar studies in nursing homes are made.


1996 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 224-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
June M. Whitler

Twenty-five long-term care nurses in eight nursing homes in central Kentucky were inter viewed concerning ways in which they might assist elderly residents to preserve and enhance their personal autonomy. Data from the interviews were analysed using grounded theory methodology. Seven specific categories of assisting were discovered and described: personalizing, informing, persuading, shaping instrumental circumstances, considering, mentioning opportunities, and assessing causes of an impaired capacity for decision-making. The ethical implications of these categories of assisting for clinical prac tice are examined. Although nurses recognized the importance of resident autonomy, the majority of them failed consistently to employ the categories of assistance to foster resi dent self-determination and most of them held an inadequate understanding of the con cepts of consent and decisional capacity. To assure confidentiality, pseudonyms are used in the following cases and discussions for all names of nurses, residents and facilities.


2006 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joji Onishi ◽  
Yusuke Suzuki ◽  
Hiroyuki Umegaki ◽  
Hidetoshi Endo ◽  
Takashi Kawamura ◽  
...  

Background: Despite the recent dissemination of group homes in Japan for older adults with dementia, the behavioral and psychological features of the residents remain unknown. To clarify the association of such features with the levels of difficulty encountered by caregivers in coping with these symptoms, we have conducted a survey to compare the frequencies of the symptoms among group homes, nursing homes and a long-term care hospital.Methods: Five hundred and eighty-six older adults aged 65 years or more were sampled. Data were consecutively collected from questionnaires given to the caregivers. The questionnaire included basic activities of daily living, the Mini-mental State Examination, frequencies of behavioral, psychological and physical symptoms, and the levels of difficulty in coping with the symptoms.Results: In group homes, requests to go home, urinary incontinence and frequent complaining were the most commonly observed symptoms. The symptoms associated with disorientation, anxiety and depression were frequently observed in all three care settings. Most of the symptoms were more frequently observed in group homes than in the other two care settings. However, the levels of difficulty in coping with most of the symptoms were the highest in the long-term care hospital, followed in order by the group homes and nursing homes. In group homes, inappropriate sexual behavior was the symptom creating the most stress for the caregivers, followed by verbal and nonverbal abuse and changeable mood.Conclusions: The symptomatic traits of residents in group homes were clarified in the present study. These findings could be helpful in considering desirable placement or the improvement of eligible service provision for older adults with dementia in care facilities.


Author(s):  
Guillaume Sacco ◽  
Sébastien Lléonart ◽  
Romain Simon ◽  
Frédéric Noublanche ◽  
Cédric Annweiler ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Technological communication methods such as telephone calls and video calls can help prevent social isolation and loneliness in frail older adults during confinement. OBJECTIVE Our objectives were to determine which virtual communication method (ie, telephone call or video call) was preferred by confined older hospital patients and nursing home residents and the variables influencing this preference. METHODS The TOVID (Telephony Or Videophony for Isolated elDerly) study was a cross-sectional study that was designed to examine the preference between telephone calls and video calls among frail older adults who were either hospitalized in a geriatric acute care unit or institutionalized in a long-term care and nursing home during the COVID-19 confinement period. RESULTS A total of 132 older people were surveyed between March 25 and May 11, 2020 (mean age 88.2 years, SD 6.2); 79 (59.8%) were women. Patients hospitalized in the geriatric acute care unit were more able to establish communication independently than residents institutionalized in the long-term care and nursing home (<i>P</i>=.03) and were more satisfied with their communication experiences (<i>P</i>=.02). Overall, older people tended to favor telephone calls (73/132, 55.3%) over video calls (59/132, 44.7%); however, their satisfaction degree was similar regardless of the chosen method (<i>P</i>=.1), with no effect of age (<i>P</i>=.97) or gender (<i>P</i>=.2). In the geriatric acute care unit, the satisfaction degrees were similar for telephone calls (40/41, 98%) and video calls (33/38, 87%) in older patients (<i>P</i>=.10). Conversely, in the long-term care and nursing home, residents were more satisfied with the use of video calls to communicate with their relatives (14/15, 93%) versus the use of telephone calls (6/12, 50%; <i>P</i>=.02). CONCLUSIONS Older people confined to health care settings were able to complete telephone calls more independently than video calls, and they tended to use telephone calls more often than video calls. The satisfaction degrees were similar with both modalities and even greater with video calls among long-term care and nursing home residents when they were given assistance to establish communication. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04333849: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04333849.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S359-S359
Author(s):  
Nancy Kusmaul ◽  
Mercedes Bern-Klug

Abstract Nursing homes house some of the most vulnerable older adults. They often have complex medical conditions and/or cognitive impairments that put them at risk for negative outcomes and poor quality of life. These outcomes can be altered through incorporating evidence-based practices aimed to improve care and residents’ life experiences. In this symposium we will explore factors that are shown to influence outcomes and quality of life for people that live in and are discharged from, long term care settings. Amy Roberts and colleagues will explore the influences of nursing home social service staff qualifications on residents’ discharge outcomes. Colleen Galambos and colleagues will present findings on advance directives and their impact on reducing potentially avoidable hospitalizations. Kelsey Simons and colleagues will discuss the potential for unmet needs for mental health services as part of nursing home care transitions, and will discuss a model of quality improvement that addresses this gap in care. Vivian Miller will present findings on the impact transportation access has on the ability of community-dwelling family members to visit and provide social support to their family member residents in long-term care. Finally, Nancy Kusmaul and Gretchen Tucker report the findings of their study comparing perceptions of nursing home residents, direct care staff, management, and families on the care practices that influence resident health and quality of life while they live in a long term care setting.


1993 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann-Christine Löfgren ◽  
Gösta Bucht ◽  
Sture Eriksson ◽  
Tage Lundström

The purpose of this study was to establish whether physical health and cognitive function in married long-term patients or in their spouses determines why some patients are cared for in home care while others reside in nursing homes. Out of 38 married couples with a sick spouse cared for in a nursing home, 23 couples were studied; out of 34 couples with a sick spouse cared for in home care, 22 patients and 25 spouses were studied. The results showed no significant differences in physical health score either between the two groups of patients, or between the two groups of spouses. Both home-care patients and nursing home patients had low cognitive function scores, but nursing home patients had significantly lower scores. A multivariate analysis showed that physical health and cognitive function explained only 20% of patients' residence. Between the two groups of spouses there was no difference in cognitive function score. The conclusion is that physical health status and cognitive function explain only to a small extent why married long-term care patients are cared for in nursing homes or in home care.


Author(s):  
Tiffany A. Radcliff ◽  
Jennifer A. Horney ◽  
Aram Dobalian ◽  
Blanca O. Macareno ◽  
Umar Y. Kabir ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective: Rural Long-term Care (LTC) providers face unique challenges when planning, preparing for, and responding to disasters. We sought to better understand challenges and identify best practices for LTC in rural areas. Methods: Case studies including key informant interviews and site visits were conducted with LTC staff and emergency planning, preparedness, and response partners in three rural communities. Themes were identified across sites using inductive coding. Results: Communication across disaster phases continues to be a challenge for LTC providers in rural communities for all disaster types. Communication challenges limit LTC providers’ ability to address patient needs during emergencies and limit the resilience of providers and patients to future disasters. Limited coordination among local leadership and LTC providers prevents dissemination of information, resources, and services, and slows response and recovery time. Including LTC providers as stakeholders in planning and exercises may improve communication and coordination. Conclusion: More than two decades into efforts to increase preparedness of health care systems to all hazards, rural LTC facilities still face challenges related to communication and coordination. Agencies at the federal, state, and local level should include input from rural LTC stakeholders to address gaps in communication and coordination and increase their disaster resilience.


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