“Safety at Home”: Experiences From Testing of Video Communication Between Patients and Home Health Care Personnel

SAGE Open ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 215824401774490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Rykkje ◽  
Gunhild H. B. Hjorth

The implementation of welfare technology in Norwegian municipals is a governmental priority, but there is little research on transfer of technological solutions into regular health care services. The aim of the project “Safety at home” was to test and evaluate the use of video communication between patients and health care personnel. There were two test periods, with the initial phase focusing on patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The second phase focused on patients who most likely would benefit from video communication. Nine patients tested the equipment, and they were interviewed afterward. In addition, nursing personnel evaluated the project through focus group interviews. The results identified that the equipment was user friendly and contributed to the patients’ feelings of safety. However, there were concerns about video calls replacing the “human touch” of home visits. The personnel also experienced that the technological solution had limitations, and new tasks added to their workload. The choice of focusing on COPD patients was considered a disadvantage, and we recommend that future projects should not be restricted by diagnosis and should target the most eligible candidates.

SAGE Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 215824401983445
Author(s):  
Linda Rykkje ◽  
Oscar Tranvåg

More than 80,000 Norwegians live with dementia. Most caregivers for people with dementia are spouses, and women outnumber men. Due to an aging population, and women’s higher risk of dementia as well as men’s increased life expectancy, the number of male caregivers will rise. There are some differences in the caregiving roles of men and women. Research suggest that males report lower burden and depression than female caregivers, but some men struggle to adjust to the caregiver role, and men are less likely to access health care services. The aim of this study is to explore the experiences of husbands engaged in caregiving for their home-dwelling spouse with dementia. This knowledge will add to the growing body of research about men in the context of dementia care and may raise gender awareness. The method is qualitative interviews with hermeneutical interpretation. The participants are five husbands recruited from two Hospital Memory Clinics in Norway. The results portray how the husbands managed their everyday challenges, and how they adapted to changes, experiences of loss and bereavement, and how they redefined personal freedom and expanded their responsibilities. Acknowledging the rewards of caregiving, the husbands found their life meaningful and they were thriving in their caregiving role. Health care personnel should recognize and respect the challenging life situation caregiving husbands may experience, calling for personnel to learn from, care for, and collaborate with them, enabling the couple to live a meaningful life together at home as long as possible.


Author(s):  
Astrid Fjell ◽  
Kristin Ådnøy Eriksen ◽  
Monica Hermann ◽  
Anne-Marie Boström ◽  
Seiger Berit Cronfalk

Abstract Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate how old persons perceived their life to be, how they viewed the ageing process and their need of health care and societal support. Background: The purpose of WHO’s Healthy Ageing strategy and development of age-friendly environments is to support physiological and psychosocial changes in old persons by facilitating basic needs. Interventions to operationalize these needs in older people living at home are often developed from a professional perspective and to a small extent involves the perceptions, experience and expectations of the older persons. Method: This qualitative study has an explorative design using focus group discussions to collect data. In all, 34 persons between 69 and 93 years of age participated in seven group discussions. The interviews were analyzed using inductive manifest content analysis. Findings: The main results suggest that most old persons enjoyed life and wished it to continue for as long as possible. Important was to sustain networks and to feel useful. Unexpected changes were described as threats and the need to use health care services was associated with illness and being dependent. The result is presented in three categories with sub-categories: ‘Embracing life’, ‘Dealing with challenges’ and ‘Considering the future’.


Author(s):  
Jamie M. Smith ◽  
Haiqun Lin ◽  
Charlotte Thomas-Hawkins ◽  
Jennifer Tsui ◽  
Olga F. Jarrín

Older adults with diabetes are at elevated risk of complications following hospitalization. Home health care services mitigate the risk of adverse events and facilitate a safe transition home. In the United States, when home health care services are prescribed, federal guidelines require they begin within two days of hospital discharge. This study examined the association between timing of home health care initiation and 30-day rehospitalization outcomes in a cohort of 786,734 Medicare beneficiaries following a diabetes-related index hospitalization admission during 2015. Of these patients, 26.6% were discharged to home health care. To evaluate the association between timing of home health care initiation and 30-day rehospitalizations, multivariate logistic regression models including patient demographics, clinical and geographic variables, and neighborhood socioeconomic variables were used. Inverse probability-weighted propensity scores were incorporated into the analysis to account for potential confounding between the timing of home health care initiation and the outcome in the cohort. Compared to the patients who received home health care within the recommended first two days, the patients who received delayed services (3–7 days after discharge) had higher odds of rehospitalization (OR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.25–1.32). Among the patients who received late services (8–14 days after discharge), the odds of rehospitalization were four times greater than among the patients receiving services within two days (OR, 4.12; 95% CI, 3.97–4.28). Timely initiation of home health care following diabetes-related hospitalizations is one strategy to improve outcomes.


1993 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela J. Salsberry ◽  
Jennie T. Nickel ◽  
Muriel O'Connell ◽  
Nancy R. Reynolds ◽  
Diana L. Brady ◽  
...  

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