Visit restrictions highlight crucial role of family members in long-term care: The British Columbia experience

2021 ◽  
pp. 084047042110441
Author(s):  
Isobel Mackenzie
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Current Practice ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Public Support ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Public Exposure ◽  
The Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic has created much-needed attention on long-term care in Canada. Public exposure of life in long-term care has generated tremendous public support for improvements that to a large extent focus on staffing and ageing infrastructure. However, the impact of visit restrictions on long-term care residents during the pandemic highlights the need for changes to how long-term care has traditionally viewed the role and value of family members. The Office of the Seniors Advocate of British Columbia published a report Staying Apart to Stay Safe that highlighted the impact of visit restrictions from the perspective of over 13,000 residents and family members directly affected. The results provide compelling evidence of the need for health leaders to re-evaluate current practice and embrace a more holistic role for family members of residents in long-term care.

scholarly journals The Role of Volunteers in Enhancing Resident Quality of Life in Long-Term Care: Analyzing Policies that May Enable or Limit this Role

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Mary Jean Hande ◽  
Deanne Taylor ◽  
Janice Keefe
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
British Columbia ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Regulatory Policy ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Objective Hermeneutics

Abstract Research has shown that long-term care (LTC) volunteers play important roles in enhancing the quality of life (QoL) of older LTC residents, often through providing unique forms of relational care. Guided by Kane’s QoL domains, we used a modified objective hermeneutics method to analyze how unique volunteer roles are represented and supported in provincial policies in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, and Nova Scotia. We found that policies define volunteer roles narrowly, which may limit residents’ QoL. This happens through (1) omitting volunteers from most regulatory policy, (2) likening volunteers to supplementary staff rather than to caregivers with unique roles, and (3) overemphasizing residents’ safety, security, and order. We offer insights into promising provincial policy directions for LTC volunteers, yet we argue that further regulating volunteers may be an inadequate or ill-suited approach to addressing the cultural, social, and structural changes required for volunteers to enhance LTC residents’ QoL effectively.

scholarly journals Resident and family perceptions of the nurse practitioner role in long term care settings: a qualitative descriptive study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny Ploeg ◽  
Sharon Kaasalainen ◽  
Carrie McAiney ◽  
Ruth Martin-Misener ◽  
Faith Donald ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Nurse Practitioners ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Qualitative Descriptive

Background Research evidence supports the positive impact on resident outcomes of nurse practitioners (NPs) working in long term care (LTC) homes. There are few studies that report the perceptions of residents and family members about the role of the NP in these settings. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of residents and family members regarding the role of the NP in LTC homes. Methods The study applied a qualitative descriptive approach. In-depth individual and focus group interviews were conducted with 35 residents and family members from four LTC settings that employed a NP. Conventional content analysis was used to identify themes and sub-themes. Results Two major themes were identified: NPs were seen as providing resident and family-centred care and as providing enhanced quality of care. NPs established caring relationships with residents and families, providing both informational and emotional support, as well as facilitating their participation in decision making. Residents and families perceived the NP as improving availability and timeliness of care and helping to prevent unnecessary hospitalization. Conclusions The perceptions of residents and family members of the NP role in LTC are consistent with the concepts of person-centred and relationship-centred care. The relationships NPs develop with residents and families are a central means through which enhanced quality of care occurs. Given the limited use of NPs in LTC settings, there is an opportunity for health care policy and decision makers to address service inadequacies through strategic deployment of NPs in LTC settings. NPs can use their expert knowledge and skill to assist residents and families to make informed choices regarding their health care and maintain a positive care experience

The Impact of Long-Term Care Policy on the Percentage of Older Adults With Disabilities Cared for by Family Members in China: A System Dynamics Simulation

2020 ◽  
pp. 016402752092356
Author(s):  
Rong Peng ◽  
Bei Wu
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
System Dynamics ◽  
Delivery System ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Dynamics Simulation ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Adults With Disabilities ◽  
The Impact

This study examined the impact of current and future long-term care (LTC) policies on the family caregiving burden in China. System dynamics (SD) methodology was used to construct an LTC delivery system model that simulates the demand of LTC, living options, and LTC service use for disabled older adults. The model was based on three policy variables including the proportion of payment from LTC insurance, the growth rate of beds in LTC institutions, and the time to adjusting the capacity of community-based care. Results showed that the percentage of older adults with disabilities cared for by family members was projected to increase from 92.6% in 2015 to 97.8% in 2035, assuming no policy changes; under the mixed policy scenario, this percentage would reduce significantly to 63.8% in 2035. These findings illustrate that changes in LTC policy and delivery system have a significant impact on family care.

scholarly journals Perceptions of home in long-term care settings: before and after institutional relocation

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 1267-1290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mineko Wada ◽  
Sarah L. Canham ◽  
Lupin Battersby ◽  
Judith Sixsmith ◽  
Ryan Woolrych ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Physical Environment ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Sense Of Home

AbstractAlthough moving from institutional to home-like long-term care (LTC) settings can promote and sustain the health and wellbeing of older adults, there has been little research examining how home is perceived by older adults when moving between care settings. A qualitative study was conducted over a two-year period during the relocation of residents and staff from an institutional LTC home to a purpose-built LTC home in Western Canada. The study explored perceptions of home amongst residents, family members and staff. Accordingly, 210 semi-structured interviews were conducted at five time-points with 35 residents, 23 family members and 81 staff. Thematic analyses generated four superordinate themes that are suggestive of how to create and enhance a sense of home in LTC settings: (a) physical environment features; (b) privacy and personalisation; (c) autonomy, choice and flexibility; and (d) connectedness and togetherness. The findings reveal that the physical environment features are foundational for the emergence of social and personal meanings associated with a sense of home, and highlight the impact of care practices on the sense of home when the workplace becomes a home. In addition, tension that arises between providing care and creating a home-like environment in LTC settings is discussed.

scholarly journals Long-Term Care Facility Workers’ Perceptions of the Impact of Subcontracting on their Conditions of Work and the Quality of Care: A Qualitative Study in British Columbia

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Albert Banerjee ◽  
Margaret McGregor ◽  
Sage Ponder ◽  
Andrew Longhurst
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Care Facility ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Long Term Care Facility ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Subcontracting long-term care (LTC), whereby facilities contracted with third party agencies to provide care to residents, became widespread in British Columbia after 2002. This qualitative study aimed to understand the impact of subcontracting from the perspective of care workers. We interviewed 11 care workers employed in subcontracted facilities to explore their perceptions of caring and working under these conditions. Our overarching finding was one of loss. Care workers lost wages, benefits, security, and voice. Their working conditions worsened, with workload and turnover increasing, resulting in a loss of experienced staff and a loss of time to provide care. These findings call into question the promises of quality and flexibility that legitimated policies permitting subcontracting, while adding to the mounting evidence that subcontracting LTC harms both workers and residents.

scholarly journals A Review of Advance Care Planning Programs in Long-Term Care Homes: Are They Dementia Friendly?

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abigail Wickson-Griffiths ◽  
Sharon Kaasalainen ◽  
Jenny Ploeg ◽  
Carrie McAiney
Keyword(s):  
Advance Care Planning ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Care Planning ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Advance Care ◽  
The Impact

Background. Persons living with dementia in the long-term care home (LTCH) setting have a number of unique needs, including those related to planning for their futures. It is therefore important to understand the advance care planning (ACP) programs that have been developed and their impact in order for LTCH settings to select a program that best suits residents’ needs.Methods. Four electronic databases were searched from 1990 to 2013, for studies that evaluated the impact of advance care planning programs implemented in the LTCH setting. Studies were critically reviewed according to rigour, impact, and the consideration of the values of residents with dementia and their family members according to the Dementia Policy Lens Toolkit.Results and Conclusion. Six ACP programs were included in the review, five of which could be considered more “dementia friendly.” The programs indicated a variety of positive impacts in the planning and provision of end-of-life care for residents and their family members, most notably, increased ACP discussion and documentation. In moving forward, it will be important to evaluate the incorporation of residents with dementia’s values when designing or implementing ACP interventions in the LTCH settings.

scholarly journals Resident and family perceptions of the nurse practitioner role in long term care settings: a qualitative descriptive study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny Ploeg ◽  
Sharon Kaasalainen ◽  
Carrie McAiney ◽  
Ruth Martin-Misener ◽  
Faith Donald ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Nurse Practitioners ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Qualitative Descriptive

Background Research evidence supports the positive impact on resident outcomes of nurse practitioners (NPs) working in long term care (LTC) homes. There are few studies that report the perceptions of residents and family members about the role of the NP in these settings. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of residents and family members regarding the role of the NP in LTC homes. Methods The study applied a qualitative descriptive approach. In-depth individual and focus group interviews were conducted with 35 residents and family members from four LTC settings that employed a NP. Conventional content analysis was used to identify themes and sub-themes. Results Two major themes were identified: NPs were seen as providing resident and family-centred care and as providing enhanced quality of care. NPs established caring relationships with residents and families, providing both informational and emotional support, as well as facilitating their participation in decision making. Residents and families perceived the NP as improving availability and timeliness of care and helping to prevent unnecessary hospitalization. Conclusions The perceptions of residents and family members of the NP role in LTC are consistent with the concepts of person-centred and relationship-centred care. The relationships NPs develop with residents and families are a central means through which enhanced quality of care occurs. Given the limited use of NPs in LTC settings, there is an opportunity for health care policy and decision makers to address service inadequacies through strategic deployment of NPs in LTC settings. NPs can use their expert knowledge and skill to assist residents and families to make informed choices regarding their health care and maintain a positive care experience

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