scholarly journals Loneliness in the context of quality of life of nursing home residents

Open Medicine ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 354-361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorota Trybusińska ◽  
Agnieszka Saracen

AbstractBackgroundNumbers of the elderly have been on a steady increase both in Poland and other countries of the world. As they age, their health declines and they need help with their housekeeping. This, coupled with the transformation of intergenerational into single-generation or nuclear family structures, causes a markedly rising demand for institutional care. Holistic care of an elderly nursing home resident requires a comprehensive approach and consideration for their feelings. Loneliness and solitude are increasingly common among these feelings, undoubtedly affecting quality of life.Method250 elderly residents of seven nursing home situated in Mazovia, Poland, have been examined using: De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale, WHOQOL-BREF Questionnaire, Basic Hope Scale (BHI-12), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS).ResultsLoneliness affects nearly 40% residents of the homes surveyed. Quality of their residents’ lives is reduced. Relations with their families and levels of motor efficiency imply a sense of loneliness. Degrees of illness acceptance, ability to adjust to change, and life satisfaction influence the level of loneliness felt.Conclusion40% of nursing home residents exhibit a sense of loneliness, while the greater loneliness and solitude, the lower the quality of life.

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamid Reza Hedayati ◽  
Negin Hadi ◽  
Ladan Mostafavi ◽  
Armin Akbarzadeh ◽  
Ali Montazeri

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 220-227
Author(s):  
Dorota Trybusińska ◽  
Agnieszka Saracen

AbstractIntroduction. Ageing of societies is a process apparent in nearly all countries worldwide. Many families will not be able to provide care services for the elderly, the burden of care will fall mainly on public and private institutions. This puts employees of nursing homes in front of numerous challenges in order to provide seniors with improvement of their life satisfaction.Aim. The purpose of the study was to assess the life satisfaction of elderly nursing home residents in the Mazovian region and to demonstrate variables that affect it.Material and methods.. The research was carried out in 2018 among the 250 elderly nursing home residents from Mazovia. During the test, a diagnostic survey method and a questionnaire technique were used. The research tool was the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), Katz’s Activities of Daily Living Scale, Hodgkinson’s Abbreviated Mental Test Score, Basic Hope Inventory (BHI-12), Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS), and the authors’ survey questionnaire.Results. Among the respondents, the dominant group included people with low life satisfaction (42.8%). A statistically significant relationship was found between life satisfaction and the age of the respondents and selected psychometric scales. There was no such correlation for the level of mobility, duration of stay at the nursing home and the size of the inhabited facility.Conclusions. Elderly people living in nursing homes from Mazovia enjoy life satisfaction at a low and average level. The results distinguish three groups of residents exhibiting a lower satisfaction with life, namely, new arrivals, the oldest, and suffering from a minimum of one illness. Nursing home personnel who deal with patients on an everyday basis should aim to improve their life satisfaction.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Julie L. O’Sullivan ◽  
Sonia Lech ◽  
Paul Gellert ◽  
Ulrike Grittner ◽  
Jan-Niklas Voigt-Antons ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives: To investigate global and momentary effects of a tablet-based non-pharmacological intervention for nursing home residents living with dementia. Design: Cluster-randomized controlled trial. Setting: Ten nursing homes in Germany were randomly allocated to the tablet-based intervention (TBI, 5 units) or conventional activity sessions (CAS, 5 units). Participants: N = 162 residents with dementia. Intervention: Participants received regular TBI (n = 80) with stimulating activities developed to engage people with dementia or CAS (n = 82) for 8 weeks. Measurements: Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES-I, primary outcome), Quality of Life in Alzheimer’s Disease scale, QUALIDEM scale, Neuropsychiatric Inventory, Geriatric Depression Scale, and psychotropic medication (secondary outcomes). Momentary quality of life was assessed before and after each activity session. Participants and staff were blinded until the collection of baseline data was completed. Data were analyzed with linear mixed-effects models. Results: Levels of apathy decreased slightly in both groups (mean decrease in AES-I of .61 points, 95% CI −3.54, 2.33 for TBI and .36 points, 95% CI −3.27, 2.55 for CAS). Group difference in change of apathy was not statistically significant (β = .25; 95% CI 3.89, 4.38, p = .91). This corresponds to a standardized effect size (Cohen’s d) of .02. A reduction of psychotropic medication was found for TBI compared to CAS. Further analyses revealed a post-intervention improvement in QUALIDEM scores across both groups and short-term improvements of momentary quality of life in the CAS group. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that interventions involving tailored activities have a beneficial impact on global and momentary quality of life in nursing home residents with dementia. Although we found no clear advantage of TBI compared to CAS, tablet computers can support delivery of non-pharmacological interventions in nursing homes and facilitate regular assessments of fluctuating momentary states.


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 302-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maren H. Aas ◽  
Vilde M. Austad ◽  
Marte Ø. Lindstad ◽  
Tore Bonsaksen

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Howard B. Degenholtz ◽  
Abby L. Resnick ◽  
Natalie Bulger ◽  
Lichun Chia

The quality of life (QOL) of the approximately 1.5 million nursing facility (NF) residents in the US is undoubtedly lower than desired by residents, families, providers, and policy makers. Although there have been important advances in defining and measuring QOL for this population, there is a need for interventions that are tied to standardized measurement and quality improvement programs. This paper describes the development and testing of a structured, tailored assessment and care planning process for improving the QOL of nursing home residents. The Quality of Life Structured Resident Interview and Care Plan (QOL.SRI/CP) builds on a decade of research on measuring QOL and is designed to be easily implemented in any US nursing home. The approach was developed through extensive and iterative pilot testing and then tested in a randomized controlled trial in three nursing homes. Residents were randomly assigned to receive the assessment alone or both the assessment and an individualized QOL care plan task. The results show that residents assigned to the intervention group experienced improved QOL at 90- and 180-day follow-up, while QOL of residents in the control group was unchanged.


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