scholarly journals Challenges in caring for people with dementia during COVID-19: Findings from long-term care facilities across Japan

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 720-720
Author(s):  
Tomoko Ikeuchi ◽  
Mizue Suzuki ◽  
Kazunori Kikuchi ◽  
Akiko Kan ◽  
Chiho Shimada
Keyword(s):  
Long Term Care ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Phone Calls ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
Care Facilities ◽  
Second Wave

Abstract Long-term care facilities for older adults have been profoundly affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Japan. This study investigated the challenges that care staff members faced by the height of the first wave (i.e., April 2020) and the height of the second wave (i.e., October 2020) of the pandemic at long-term care facilities in Japan. We mailed questionnaires in October 2020 to 5,895 care facilities throughout Japan. A total of 22.7% of the questionnaires were returned. Of those, 87.4% had at least one resident with dementia. Based on the results, 65.2% reported having restricted all visitors during the first wave. Although 42.8% reported continuing to restrict all visitors during the second wave, more than 54% allowed visitors while limiting the number of visitors or the time of each visit. Nearly 76% reported that restrictions on visitations may have exacerbated the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) among residents. In place of visitations, over 50% used video calls or phone calls to communicate with the family members, and 45.7% reported that the virtual visits were efficacious in alleviating the BPSD. However, more than 70% reported not having adequate Internet services and computer equipment at their facilities, and nearly 90% reported insufficient staffing. Our findings suggest that the pandemic may have pressed for a change of direction for dementia care with the introduction of virtual visitations and other initiatives. Nevertheless, facilities may face difficulties with implementing such changes due to inadequacies in the availability of resources.

Multiple perspectives on quality of life for residents with dementia in long term care facilities: protocol for a comprehensive Australian study

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (10) ◽  
pp. 1739-1747 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Beattie ◽  
Maria O’Reilly ◽  
Wendy Moyle ◽  
Lynn Chenoweth ◽  
Deirdre Fetherstonhaugh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
National Study ◽  
Term Care ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
Care Facilities

ABSTRACTBackground:Dementia is a chronic illness without cure or effective treatment, which results in declining mental and physical function and assistance from others to manage activities of daily living. Many people with dementia live in long term care facilities, yet research into their quality of life (QoL) was rare until the last decade. Previous studies failed to incorporate important variables related to the facility and care provision or to look closely at the daily lives of residents. This paper presents a protocol for a comprehensive, multi-perspective assessment of QoL of residents with dementia living in long term care in Australia. A secondary aim is investigating the effectiveness of self-report instruments for measuring QoL.Methods:The study utilizes a descriptive, mixed methods design to examine how facility, care staff, and resident factors impact QoL. Over 500 residents with dementia from a stratified, random sample of 53 facilities are being recruited. A sub-sample of 12 residents is also taking part in qualitative interviews and observations.Conclusions:This national study will provide a broad understanding of factors underlying QoL for residents with dementia in long term care. The present study uses a similar methodology to the US-based Collaborative Studies of Long Term Care (CS-LTC) Dementia Care Study, applying it to the Australian setting.

Communication Disordered: Program Implementation in Long-Term Care

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (15) ◽  
pp. 64-67
Author(s):  
George Barnes ◽  
Joseph Salemi
Keyword(s):  
Program Implementation ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Family Satisfaction ◽  
Regulatory Compliance ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Change Policy

The organizational structure of long-term care (LTC) facilities often removes the rehab department from the interdisciplinary work culture, inhibiting the speech-language pathologist's (SLP's) communication with the facility administration and limiting the SLP's influence when implementing clinical programs. The SLP then is unable to change policy or monitor the actions of the care staff. When the SLP asks staff members to follow protocols not yet accepted by facility policy, staff may be unable to respond due to confusing or conflicting protocol. The SLP needs to involve members of the facility administration in the policy-making process in order to create successful clinical programs. The SLP must overcome communication barriers by understanding the needs of the administration to explain how staff compliance with clinical goals improves quality of care, regulatory compliance, and patient-family satisfaction, and has the potential to enhance revenue for the facility. By taking this approach, the SLP has a greater opportunity to increase safety, independence, and quality of life for patients who otherwise may not receive access to the appropriate services.

scholarly journals Implementation of Assistive Technologies and Robotics in Long-Term Care Facilities: A Three-Stage Assessment Based on Acceptance, Ethics, and Emotions

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annette Franke ◽  
Elmar Nass ◽  
Anna-Kathleen Piereth ◽  
Annabel Zettl ◽  
Christian Heidl
Keyword(s):  
Transformational Leadership ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Implementation Process ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Emotion Management ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Care Facilities

Assistive technologies including assistive robots (AT/AR) appear to be a promising response to the increasing prevalence of older adults in need of care. An increasing number of long-term care facilities (LTCFs) try to implement AT/AR in order to create a stimulating environment for aging well and to reduce workload for professional care staff. The implementation of new technologies in an organization may lead to noticeable cultural changes in terms of social interactions and care practices associated with positive or negative emotions for the employees. This applies especially for LTCFs with high rates of vulnerable residents affected by increasing care needs and specific ethics in nursing and cultural rules within the setting. Thus, systematic consideration in leadership management of emotions and ethical aspects is essential for stakeholders involved in the implementation process. In this article, we explicitly focus on the emotions of the employees and leaders within LTCFs. We relate to direct consequences for the organizational well-being and culture, which is of course (indirectly) affecting patients and residents. While aspects of technology acceptance such as safety and usefulness are frequently discussed in academic literature, the topic of emotion-management and ethical questions during the organizational implementation process in LTCFs received little attention. Emotional culture entails affective values, ethical norms and perceptions of employees and further investigation is needed to address the importance of transformational leadership during implementation process. For this purpose, we developed a three-staged assessment tool for implementation of AT/AR in long-term care institutions. Acceptance (A), ethical acceptability (A) and emotional consequences (E) are considered as comprehensive assessment, in which emotional consequences comprise management aspects of transformational leadership (T), emotion-management (E) and organizational culture (O). Based on AAE and TEO, this paper presents an integrated framework illustrated with a illustrative example and aims to combine established approaches with ethical insights in order to unfold potentials of AT/AR in LTCSs.

The vulnerability of nursing home residents to the Covid-19 pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 57-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward H Wagner
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Home ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Nursing Home Residents ◽  
Nursing Assistants ◽  
Nursing Home Care ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Care Facilities

Residents in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities comprise a large percentage of the deaths from Covid 19. Is this inevitable or are there problems with NHs and their care that increase the susceptibility of their residents. The first U.S. cluster of cases involved the residents, staff, and visitors of a Seattle-area nursing home. Study of this cluster suggested that infected staff members were transmitting the disease to residents. The quality of nursing home care has long been a concern and attributed to chronic underfunding and resulting understaffing. Most NH care is delivered by minimally trained nursing assistants whose low pay and limited benefits compel them to work in multiple long-term care settings, increasing their risk of infection, and work while ill. More comparative studies of highly infected long-term care facilities with those organizations that were able to better protect their residents are urgently needed. Early evidence suggests that understaffing of registered nurses may increase the risk of larger outbreaks.

scholarly journals A systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence and associations of stress and burnout among staff in long-term care facilities for people with dementia

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (08) ◽  
pp. 1203-1216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harry Costello ◽  
Sebastian Walsh ◽  
Claudia Cooper ◽  
Gill Livingston
Keyword(s):  
Long Term Care ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Maslach Burnout Inventory ◽  
Personal Accomplishment ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
High Turnover ◽  
Term Care ◽  
People With Dementia

ABSTRACTBackground:Care home staff stress and burnout may be related to high turnover and associated with poorer quality care. We systematically reviewed and meta-analyzed studies reporting stress and burnout and associated factors in staff for people living with dementia in long-term care.Methods:We searched MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Web of Science databases, and CINAHL database from January 2009 to August 2017. Two raters independently rated study validity using standardized criteria. We meta-analyzed burnout scores across comparable studies using a random effects model.Results:17/2854 identified studies met inclusion criteria. Eight of the nine studies reporting mean Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) scores found low or moderate burnout levels. Meta-analysis of four studies using the 22-item MBI (n = 598) found moderate emotional exhaustion levels (mean 18.34, 95% Confidence Intervals 14.59–22.10), low depersonalization (6.29, 2.39–10.19), and moderate personal accomplishment (33.29, 20.13–46.46). All three studies examining mental health-related quality of life reported lower levels in carer age and sex matched populations. Staff factors associated with higher burnout and stress included: lower job satisfaction, lower perceived adequacy of staffing levels, poor care home environment, feeling unsupported, rating home leadership as poor and caring for residents exhibiting agitated behavior. There was preliminary evidence that speaking English as a first language and working shifts were associated with lower burnout levels.Conclusions:Most care staff for long-term care residents with dementia experience low or moderate burnout levels. Prospective studies of care staff burnout and stress are required to clarify its relationship to staff turnover and potentially modifiable risk factors.

Is an unhealthy work environment in nursing home care for people with dementia associated with the prescription of psychotropic drugs and physical restraints?

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 983-994 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernadette M. Willemse ◽  
Jan de Jonge ◽  
Dieneke Smit ◽  
Wouter Dasselaar ◽  
Marja F. I. A. Depla ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Work Environment ◽  
Psychotropic Drugs ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Nursing Home Care ◽  
Physical Restraints ◽  
Term Care ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
Care Facilities

ABSTRACTBackground:Research showed that long-term care facilities differ widely in the use of psychotropic drugs and physical restraints. The aim of this study is to investigate whether characteristics of an unhealthy work environment in facilities for people with dementia are associated with more prescription of psychotropic drugs and physical restraints.Methods:Data were derived from the first wave (2008–2009) of a national monitoring study in the Netherlands. This paper used data on prescription of psychotropic drugs and physical restraints from 111 long-term care facilities, residing 4,796 residents. Survey data of a sample of 996 staff and 1,138 residents were considered. The number of residents with prescribed benzodiazepines and anti-psychotic drugs, and physical restraints were registered. Work environment was assessed using the Leiden Quality of Work Questionnaire (LQWQ).Results:Logistic regression analyses showed that more supervisor support was associated with less prescription of benzodiazepines. Coworker support was found to be related to less prescription of deep chairs. Job demands and decision authority were not found to be predictors of psychotropic drugs and physical restraints.Conclusions:Staff's job characteristics were scarcely related to the prescription of psychotropic drugs and physical restraints. This finding indicates that in facilities with an unhealthy work environment for nursing staff, one is not more likely to prescribe drugs or restraints. Further longitudinal research is needed with special attention for multidisciplinary decision making – especially role of physician, staff's knowledge, philosophy of care and institutional policy to gain further insight into factors influencing the use of psychotropic drugs and restraints.

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