scholarly journals Depression and empathy in health professionals who work in the long-term care institutions for older adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 381-386
Author(s):  
Marina Miranda Borges ◽  
Ana Julia de Lima Bomfim ◽  
Marcos Hortes Nisihara Chagas

ABSTRACT Empathy is an important factor to guarantee the quality of care provided in the long-term care institutions (LTCIs) for older adults, and depression is a factor that affects the health of the professional and, consequently, the care. Thus, it is important that studies are conducted on the relationship of these variables in this context. Objective: The aim of this study is to verify the relationship between empathy and depressive symptoms among health professionals working in the LTCIs. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out at LTCIs in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The final sample was constituted by 101 health professionals (i.e., caregivers and nursing technicians) with direct participation in the care of institutionalized older adults. The instruments were used as follows: the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) to assess empathy and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for the diagnosis of depression. For the analyses, the patients were divided into groups with and without depression, according to the score of the PHQ-9. Results: The prevalence of depression among health professionals was 19.8%. Significant statistical differences were found between the groups for the total score of the IRI (p=0.029), for the emotional domain (p=0.023), and for the personal distress (p=0.009). Conclusions: The findings indicate that the presence of depression among health professionals at LTCIs is related to the higher levels of empathy, especially in the emotional domain. Thus, future studies that contribute to understanding how care must be provided with empathy, but without harming the health of the professional, should be carried out.

2021 ◽  
Vol Volume 15 ◽  
pp. 1981-1990
Author(s):  
Yu Wu ◽  
Yuxiu Liu ◽  
Zhe Su ◽  
Songwei Sun ◽  
Cuiping Liu ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dukyoo Jung ◽  
Jennie C. De Gagne ◽  
Hyesoon Lee ◽  
Minkyung Lee

Abstract Background The purpose of this study was to investigate factors influencing eating performance in older adults with dementia (OAWDs) in long-term care (LTC) facilities. Methods This cross-sectional study examined risk factors for compromised eating performance by comparing both independent and dependent older adults with dementia. The study participants were 117 OAWDs in LTC facilities in South Korea. Measurements included (a) general characteristics, (b) activities of daily living (ADL) including eating performance, (c) cognitive function, (d) physical capability, (e) grip strength, (f) Behavioral Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD), and (g) depression. Data were analyzed by the percentage, mean and standard deviation, Chi-square test, t-test, and logistic regression. Results The eating independent group had more comorbidities than the dependent group (t = 2.793, p < .006); had significantly higher cognition (t = 4.108, p < .001) and physical capability (t = 5.258, p < .001); and had stronger grip strength (t = 2.887, p = .005). Comorbidities and physical capability were determinants for independent eating performance (Odds Ratio [OR] = 1.969, p = .014; OR = 1.324, p < .001). Conclusions It is suggested that maintaining physical capability should be encouraged to support independent eating performance by OAWDs in LTC facilities. The results of this study could serve as a basis for developing function-focused care to maintain the residual eating performance of OAWDs in Korean LTC facilities. This is a subject area that has not been fully explored.


2007 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 195-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa C. Bourbonniere ◽  
Laura M. Fawcett ◽  
William C. Miller ◽  
Jennifer Garden ◽  
William B. Mortenson

ABSTRACTA descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted to (a) determine the prevalence of need for wheel-chair seating intervention in two long-term care facilities in Vancouver, BC, (b) determine the extent of the residents' independent mobility within these facilities, and (c) explore the relationship between proper wheel-chair seating and positioning and independent mobility. The study population comprised 99 wheel-chair-using older adults. Four trained raters assessed need for seating intervention, using the Seating Identification Tool, and quantified extent and frequency of wheel-chair mobility, using the Nursing Home Life-Space Diameter. Results indicated that (a) there was a low need (overall 22%) for wheel-chair seating intervention in the two facilities, (b) half of the residents were independently mobile in their own rooms and on their units, but independent mobility decreased when greater distances needed to be travelled, and (c) the need for wheel-chair seating intervention was the only significant predictor of extent of independent mobility. These findings suggest that, where there are dedicated staff and equipment resources, the need for wheel-chair seating intervention can be minimized and independent mobility for long-term care residents maximized.


2021 ◽  
pp. medethics-2020-107171
Author(s):  
Vanessa Schouten ◽  
Mark Henrickson ◽  
Catherine M Cook ◽  
Sandra McDonald ◽  
Nilo Atefi

BackgroundTo investigate attitudes of staff, residents and family members in long-term care towards sex and intimacy among older adults, specifically the extent to which they conceptualise sex and intimacy as a need, a right, a privilege or as a component of overall well-being.MethodsThe present study was a part of a two-arm mixed-methods cross-sectional study using a concurrent triangulation design. A validated survey tool was developed; 433 staff surveys were collected from 35 facilities across the country. Interviews were conducted with 75 staff, residents and family members.ResultsIt was common for staff, residents and family members to talk about intimacy and sexuality in terms of rights and needs. As well as using the language of needs and rights, it was common for participants to use terms related to well-being, such as fun, happiness or being miserable. One participant in particular (a staff member) described receiving intimate touch as a ‘kind of care’—a particularly useful way of framing the conversation.ConclusionWhile staff, residents and family frequently used the familiar language of needs and rights to discuss access to intimate touch, they also used the language of well-being and care. Reframing the conversation in this way serves a useful purpose: it shifts the focus from simply meeting minimum obligations to a salutogenic approach—one that focuses on caring for the whole person in order to improve overall well-being and quality of life.


2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (9) ◽  
pp. 552-557 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiona Kelly ◽  
Mary Reidy ◽  
Suzanne Denieffe ◽  
Catherine Madden

Background: person-centred care should be responsive to the needs of older adults in long-term care. It is central to collaborative and high-quality healthcare delivery. Aim: to explore the perceptions of older Irish adults aged 65 years of age or more regarding the person-centred climate of the long-term care setting in which they live. Method: a cross-sectional study design using the Person-centered Climate Questionnaire–Patient (PCQ-P) was used to survey 56 older adults in a long-term care setting. Results: overall, residents considered the setting to be hospitable, welcoming, clean and safe; the mean (SD) scale score was 5.39 (0.520). Psychosocial concerns about adapting to living in long-term care environments need to be addressed, particularly among the younger male residents when compared with older male residents (53.8% v 86.7%, P=0.018). Conclusion: older people in long-term care may prioritise different facets of person-centredness to staff. Further research of approaches used in Irish older adult long-term person-centred care delivery is warranted.


Author(s):  
Yu-Chia Chang ◽  
Te-Feng Yeh ◽  
I-Ju Lai ◽  
Cheng-Chia Yang

This study investigated the influences of nursing assistants’ job competency on their intrinsic and extrinsic satisfaction and intention to stay in the profession of long-term care institutions. Understanding the relationship between job competency and job satisfaction, both intrinsic and extrinsic, would enable institutions to strengthen service workers’ intention to stay and to retain essential personnel. This study was a cross-sectional study in which nursing assistants from 26 nursing homes and 15 elderly welfare institutions in Taiwan. The relationship between job competency and intention to stay was discovered to be significantly mediated by intrinsic and extrinsic job satisfaction. Given the staff shortages and difficulty retaining staff in long-term care environments, organizations must be able to strengthen employees’ intention to stay; one suggestion is to improve the employees’ competency, because higher competency results in higher quality of care and greater extrinsic job satisfaction. Furthermore, greater job competency is more likely to result in affirmation and accomplishment, both of which increase intrinsic job satisfaction and thus positively influence intention to stay.


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