scholarly journals The practice of care in long-term care facilities for the elderly: a challenge for the training of professionals

Author(s):  
Daniela Garcia Damaceno ◽  
Mara Quaglio Chirelli ◽  
Carlos Alberto Lazarini

Abstract Objective: to analyze how care is performed, understand the contributions of previous experience to professional practice in Long-Term Care Facilities for the Elderly (LTCFs), and recognize the challenges and propositions for professional training and the delivery of care in LTCFs. Method: an exploratory qualitative study was carried out in two stages with 33 professionals and managers of a long-term care facility in a municipality in the state of São Paulo. Analysis was performed using Collective Subject Discourse and Thematic Content Analysis (first and second stage, respectively). Results: It was found that, in the views of health professionals and managers, the quality of care is linked to basic needs and the training of professionals does not consider the specificities of gerontological care. They therefore reproduce a fragmented and mechanical work process. Conclusion: The results highlight the need to revisit courses in the area of health in order to understand their approach to training in elderly care.

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (11) ◽  
pp. 276-280
Author(s):  
Amber F Schultz ◽  
Jia Yu

Since the first COVID-19 case was discovered in December 2019, over 12.1 million cases have been reported in more than 188 countries and territories. In the USA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed almost 3.05 million COVID-19 cases, with more than 132 000 deaths. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a particularly dramatic impact on the elderly and those with chronic underlying medical disorders. Before the second outbreak in July, long-term care facilities were the most severely affected in terms of case numbers, especially nursing homes. This article provides information and insight into the potential changes in consumer preferences toward long-term care facility selection and the possible structural change of the long-term care industry in three aspects; structure, conduct and performance.


1999 ◽  
Vol 20 (05) ◽  
pp. 358-361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip W. Smith ◽  
Joyce M. Black ◽  
Steven B. Black

Abstract Pressure ulcers occur with some frequency in the elderly, debilitated population in long-term–care facilities. Pressure ulcers cause morbidity and mortality and, by virtue of breaking the integumentary barrier, predispose to skin and soft-tissue infections. The latter often are deep and require lengthy medical and surgical therapy. Prevention depends on avoidance of pressure, as well as providing adequate nutrition and meticulous skin care.


2015 ◽  
Vol 144 (7) ◽  
pp. 1455-1462 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.-C. LAI ◽  
Y.-C. HSIEH ◽  
Y.-P. YEH ◽  
R.-W. JOU ◽  
J.-T. WANG ◽  
...  

SUMMARYIn long-term care facilities (LTCFs), the elderly are apt to be infected because those with latent tuberculosis infections (LTBIs) are at an increased risk for reactivation and post-primary TB disease. We report an outbreak of TB in staff and residents in a LTCF. An outbreak investigation was conducted after two TB cases were reported from the LTCF. A tuberculin skin test (TST), bacteriological examination and chest radiograph were administered to all facility staff and residents. An outbreak is defined as at least two epidemiologically linked cases that have identicalMycobacterium tuberculosisgenotype isolates. This outbreak infected eight residents and one staff member, who were confirmed to have TB in a LTCF between September 2011 and October 2012. Based on the Becker method, the latent and infectious periods were estimated at 223·6 and 55·9 days. Two initial TST-negative resident contacts were diagnosed as TB cases through comprehensive TB screening. Observing elderly people who have a negative TST after TB screening appears to be necessary, given the long latent period for controlling a TB outbreak in a LTCF. It is important to consider providing LTBI treatment for elderly contacts.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S161-S161
Author(s):  
Rebecca L Mauldin ◽  
Kathy Lee ◽  
Antwan Williams

Abstract Older adults from racial and ethnic minority groups face health inequities in long-term care facilities such as nursing homes and assisted living facilities just as they do in the United States as a whole. In spite of federal policy to support minority health and ensure the well-being of long-term care facility residents, disparities persist in residents’ quality of care and quality of life. This poster presents current federal policy in the United States to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities and to support long-term care facility residents’ health and well-being. It includes legislation enacted by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA), regulations of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) for health care facilities receiving Medicare or Medicare funds, and policies of the Long-term Care Ombudsman Program. Recommendations to address threats to or gaps in these policies include monitoring congressional efforts to revise portions of the ACA, revising DHHS requirements for long-term care facilities staff training and oversight, and amending requirements for the Long-term Care Ombudsman Program to mandate collection, analysis, and reporting of resident complaint data by race and ethnicity.


2005 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 365-370 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret J McGregor ◽  
J Mark FitzGerald ◽  
Robert J Reid ◽  
Adrian R Levy ◽  
Michael Schulzer ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: Pneumonia is a common reason for hospital admission, and the cost of treatment is primarily determined by length of stay (LOS).OBJECTIVES: To explore the changes to and determinants of hospital LOS for patients admitted for the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia over a decade of acute hospital downsizing.METHODS: Data were extracted from the database of Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, on patients admitted with community-acquired pneumonia (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes 481.xx, 482.xx, 483.xx, 485.xx and 486.xx) from January 1, 1991 to March 31, 2001. The effects of sociodemographic factors, the specialty of the admitting physician (family practice versus specialist), admission from and/or discharge to a long-term care facility (nursing home) and year of admission, adjusted for comorbidity, illness severity measures and other potential confounders were examined. Longitudinal changes in these factors over the 10-year period were also investigated.RESULTS: The study population (n=2495) had a median age of 73 years, 53% were male and the median LOS was six days. Adjusted LOS was longer for women (10% increase, 95% CI 3 to 16), increasing age group (7% increase, 95% CI 4 to 10), admission under a family physician versus specialist (42% increase, 95% CI 32 to 52) and admission from home with subsequent discharge to a long-term care facility (75% increase, 95% CI 47 to 108). Adjusted hospital LOS decreased by an estimated 2% (95% CI 1 to 3) per annum. The mean age at admission and the proportion admitted from long-term care facilities both increased significantly over the decade (P<0.05).CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that the management of hospitalized patients with pneumonia changed substantially between 1991 and 2001. The interface of long-term care facilities with acute care would be an important future area to explore potential efficiencies in caring for patients with pneumonia.


Author(s):  
Simone Maximo Pelis ◽  
Nirvana Ferraz Santos Sampaio

This article presents the result of research developed with the language of elderly residents at the Long Term Care Facility for the Elderly - ILPI, in Vitória da Conquista, Bahia, Brazil. In response to the initial questions as to whether institutionalization affects the language of the elderly, whether the re-signification of verbal by non-verbal speech occurs, and whether silence, as language is part of an alternative system of possible meaning for the elderly, it was perceived that language in institutionalized long-lived individuals it reveals that in response to diversified processes of silencing, they have instituted silence as a possibility of reframing, and structuring of meaning. We collected data through the filming and recording of the elderly in enunciative-discursive situations, considering the uniqueness of each subject's history and their respective crossings as well as the condition of production of the narratives based on the concept of data-finding by Maria HadlerCoudry (1), aligned with notions relevant to Linguistics in the theoretical-methodological perspective of Discursive Neurolinguistics.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S442-S442
Author(s):  
Ethan A McMahan ◽  
Marion Godoy ◽  
Abiola Awosanya ◽  
Robert Winningham ◽  
Charles De Vilmorin ◽  
...  

Abstract Empirical research on long-term care facility resident engagement has consistently indicated that increased engagement is associated with more positive clinical outcomes and increased quality of life. The current study adds to this existing literature by documenting the positive effects of technologically-mediated recreational programing on quality of life and medication usage in aged residents living in long-term care facilities. Technologically-mediated recreational programming was defined as recreational programming that was developed, implemented, and /or monitored using software platforms dedicated specifically for these types of activities. This study utilized a longitudinal design and was part of a larger project examining quality of life in older adults. A sample of 272 residents from three long-term care facilities in Toronto, Ontario participated in this project. Resident quality of life was assessed at multiple time points across a span of approximately 12 months, and resident engagement in recreational programming was monitored continuously during this twelve-month period. Quality of life was measured using the Resident Assessment Instrument Minimum Data Set Version 2.0. Number of pharmacological medication prescriptions received during the twelve-month study period was also assessed. Descriptive analyses indicated that, in general, resident functioning tended to decrease over time. However, when controlling for age, gender, and baseline measures of resident functioning, engagement in technologically-mediated recreational programming was positively associated with several indicators of quality of life. The current findings thus indicate that engagement in technology-mediated recreational programming is associated with increased quality of life of residents in long-term care facilities.


1988 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 195-201
Author(s):  
Ruthanne R. Ramsey

Geriatric teams have emerged as an accepted method of health care delivery to the elderly patient in ambulatory and acute inpatient settings. As one model of specialized health care teams, geriatric teams vary in structure, membership, and type. The purposes may be diverse, ranging from providing primary care to multidimensional functional and diagnostic assessment. Geriatric teams have convincingly demonstrated benefit to the care of the elderly. Overcoming significant barriers to their formation, geriatric teams are beginning to develop in long-term care facilities as a result of economic and educational pressures. However, the unique environment and needs of the long-term care facility have resulted in differences in leadership, membership, and structure of long-term care teams. Pharmacist involvement in the long-term care geriatric team could benefit the facility, patient care, and the profession. The key to future involvement by pharmacists in teams appears to depend on their interest, ability to acquire necessary skills, and demonstration of unique professional contributions.


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