scholarly journals COVID-19 and care homes and nursing homes crisis in Spain: ageism and scarcity of resources

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blanca Deusdad
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Nursing Homes ◽  
Welfare State ◽  
Older People ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
European Welfare State ◽  
Welfare Systems ◽  
Scarcity Of Resources ◽  
Legislative Measures

The European Welfare State crisis since 2008 has shown the weakness of these European welfare systems to cope with a health crisis such as COVID-19, which in turn has not guaranteed the rights and wellbeing of older people. This article aims at shading light on the scarcity of resources in Spanish care homes and nursing homes system, while analyzing its integrated care failure and the urgent legislative measures implemented to overcome COVID-19 health crisis. At the same time, this paper advocates for a reflexion on ageist practices, so as to foster a debate on the ‘desisntitucionalization’ process of older adults in Spain. In this COVID-19 context, it has become utmost in implementing an older adults’ policy to guarantee older adults rights as vulnerable population; likewise, which has already been done in respect to laws protecting children rights.

Virtual Reality to Help Older People in Nursing Homes: A New Way to Reduce Psychological Symptoms?

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vaillant Ciszewicz AJ ◽  
◽  
Guerin O ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Nursing Homes ◽  
Older People ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Psychological Disorders ◽  
Innovative Approach ◽  
Older Population

Older people living in nursing homes often present with psychological symptoms such as depression, anxiety and apathy. Numerous studies focused on the effects of Virtual Reality (VR) in the older population. This innovative approach could lead to a significant reduction in psychological disorders in older adults and improve their quality of life.

scholarly journals Changes in the provision of instrumental support by older adults in nine European countries during 2004—2015: a panel data analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
S. K. Lestari ◽  
X. de Luna ◽  
M. Eriksson ◽  
G. Malmberg ◽  
N. Ng
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Welfare State ◽  
Older People ◽  
Panel Data Analysis ◽  
European Region ◽  
Instrumental Support ◽  
Support Provision ◽  
Northern European ◽  
State Regime

Abstract Background Providing support to others has been shown to be beneficial to older adults. As people age, their health and social relationships change. These changes may also relate to changes in social support provision. We examined the trajectory of instrumental support provision by older people in three European regions throughout 11 years of follow-up. We then examined the extent to which age at baseline, sex, and region (representing welfare state regime) influenced the variations in the trajectory. Methods Data collected from 8354 respondents who had completed at least waves 1 and 6 of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) was analysed. Instrumental support provision was determined from asking a single question regarding whether the respondent provided help personally for people outside their household. Region, sex, and age at baseline were the main predictors tested. We used growth modelling to address the aims of this study. Results The northern European region (Sweden and Denmark) had the highest odds ratio of instrumental support provision. The likelihood of being involved in providing instrumental support decreased by 8% annually (OR: 0.916, 95%CI: 0.893,0.940) over the 11 years of follow-up. Older respondents were less likely to provide instrumental support and their trajectories declined faster than those of the younger respondents. Sex difference in instrumental support provision was more apparent among younger-older people in the southern European region. Conclusions Older European adults are an important source of instrumental support, especially for their families. The probability of instrumental support provision by European older adults declines over time. Age, sex, and welfare state regime predict this trajectory.

Pain and symptoms of depression in older adults living in community and in nursing homes: the role of activity restriction as a potential mediator and moderator

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (10) ◽  
pp. 1679-1691 ◽  
Author(s):  
Almudena López-Lopez ◽  
José L. González ◽  
Miriam Alonso-Fernández ◽  
Noelia Cuidad ◽  
Borja Matías
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Nursing Homes ◽  
Older People ◽  
Pain Intensity ◽  
Nursing Home Residents ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Activity Restriction

ABSTRACTBackground:Chronic pain is likely to lead to depressive symptoms, but the nature of this relationship is not completely clear. The aim of the present study is to analyze the role of activity restriction in the pain-depression relationship in older people, and to test the hypothesis that this role is more relevant in community-dwelling older people than in nursing home residents.Method:Depressive symptoms, pain intensity, and activity restriction were measured in a sample of 208 older adults with osteoarthritis, 102 living in nursing homes (NH), and 106 in the community. Analyses were carried out using moderation and moderated mediation analyses approach, treating activity restriction as a confounder.Results:Results showed a significant confounding effect of activity restriction, interaction effect between pain intensity and activity restriction on depression, and modifying effect of pain intensity on depression by adding activity restriction into the model. These results suggest a potential mediating and moderating effects of activity restriction. Moreover, analyses suggest that, surprisingly, the strength of the mediation could be higher in nursing homes.Conclusions:Overall, it may be that what is really important to emotional well-being is not so much pain itself, but rather the way in which the pain alters older people's lives. The greater strength of the mediation in NH might be understood within the scope of self-determination theory. Generally speaking, the NH context has been considered as a coercive setting, promoting non-autonomous orientation. In this context, when events are objectively coercive, people may lack perceived autonomy and hence be at greater risk of depression.

scholarly journals Inequality in access to hearing care for older adults in residential homes

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
J D White ◽  
C Johnson ◽  
C G Deplacido ◽  
B Matthews ◽  
E H Steenkamp
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Older People ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Disruptive Behaviour ◽  
Health Board ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Residential Homes ◽  
Care Plans ◽  
Hearing Assessment

Abstract Background The population of older people in residential homes is projected to rise. There are unrecognized hearing difficulties among residents and prevalence of hearing loss in this population is underreported. This can result in an overestimation of levels of cognitive impairment. Untreated hearing loss is associated with social isolation, depression, disruptive behaviour and cognitive decline. This study aimed to explore the provision of hearing care (hearing assessment, rehabilitation and staff training) in Scottish care homes for older people. Methods A survey comprising 18 questions was distributed to the managers (or designated staff members) of 659 care homes across Scotland. Results Responses were obtained from 154 care homes. The results support existing evidence that hearing is not assessed in the majority of homes, resulting in under detection of hearing loss. Staff lack training in supporting residents’ hearing needs. Access to hearing care in residential homes differs across health board areas. Conclusions There is an urgent requirement for hearing assessment of older adults on admission to residential care. Care providers require this information to construct effective care plans and mitigate the effects of hearing loss. Those responsible for providing hearing rehabilitation services require information about service users to address any unmet need.

scholarly journals COVID-19 and Ageism: Has the Pandemic Allowed Prevailing Ageist Attitudes to Go Viral?

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Rooprai ◽  
Neel Mistry
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older People ◽  
Older Persons ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Vaccine Administration ◽  
Human Worth

Current perceptions of older adults are often met with prejudice and misconceptions that constitute what has been characterized as ‘ageism’. Rarely are older persons considered indispensable members of the population who deserve our respect and support. While it is unclear if and when this pandemic will end, what is clear is how COVID-19 has unveiled the prevalent ageist attitudes against older people, underscoring an unsettling discourse about age and human worth that has allowed us to easily question the value of older adults. In this commentary, we highlight specific recommendations that can be made to combat ageism during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, with exploration of vaccine administration and inequities across long-term care homes.

scholarly journals Life and death in English nursing homes: sequestration or transition?

2001 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 319-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
KATHERINE FROGGATT
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Homes ◽  
Older People ◽  
Residential Care ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Potential Conflict ◽  
Life And Death ◽  
The Creation ◽  
The Relationship

Nursing homes as care institutions seek to offer a home where people can live until their death. A potential conflict, therefore, exists as nursing homes are both a place where life is lived and where death is regularly encountered. It has been proposed that within residential care homes for older people, dying individuals are separated from living people. Drawing on fieldwork undertaken in four English nursing homes the management of the dying process and the relationship between life and death is explored. There is much uncertainty inherent in the boundary between life and death for many residents in nursing homes. The relationship between life and death for these residents is less about the sequestration of dying people from living people, but rather the creation of transitional states between these two polarities.

scholarly journals Effect on secondary care of providing enhanced support to residential and nursing home residents: a subgroup analysis of a retrospective matched cohort study

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 534-546 ◽  
Author(s):  
Therese Lloyd ◽  
Stefano Conti ◽  
Filipe Santos ◽  
Adam Steventon
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Home ◽  
Nursing Homes ◽  
Older People ◽  
Residential Care ◽  
Rate Ratio ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Nursing Home Residents ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Emergency Admissions ◽  
Hospital Use

BackgroundThirteen residential care homes and 10 nursing homes specialising in older people in Rushcliffe, England, participated in an improvement programme. The enhanced support provided included regular visits from named general practitioners and additional training for care home staff. We assessed and compared the effect on hospital use for residents in residential and nursing homes, respectively.MethodsUsing linked care home and administrative hospital data, we examined people aged 65 years or over who moved to a participating care home between 2014 and 2016 (n=568). We selected matched control residents who had similar characteristics to the residents receiving enhanced support and moved to similar care homes not participating in the enhanced support (n=568). Differences in hospital use were assessed for residents of each type of care home using multivariable regression.ResultsResidents of participating residential care homes showed lower rates of potentially avoidable emergency admissions (rate ratio 0.50, 95% CI 0.30 to 0.82), emergency admissions (rate ratio 0.60, 95% CI 0.42 to 0.86) and Accident & Emergency attendances (0.57, 95% CI 0.40 to 0.81) than matched controls. Hospital bed days, outpatient attendances and the proportion of deaths that occurred out of hospital were not statistically different. For nursing home residents, there were no significant differences for any outcome.ConclusionsThe enhanced support was associated with lower emergency hospital use for older people living in residential care homes but not for people living in nursing homes. This might be because there was more potential to reduce emergency care for people in residential care homes. In nursing homes, improvement programmes may need to be more tailored to residents’ needs or the context of providing care in that setting.

scholarly journals Changes in Provision of Social Support among the Older Population in Nine European Countries during 2004—2015: A panel data analysis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Septi Kurnia Lestari ◽  
Xavier de Luna ◽  
Malin Eriksson ◽  
Gunnar Malmberg ◽  
Nawi Ng
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Welfare State ◽  
Older People ◽  
Panel Data Analysis ◽  
European Region ◽  
Support Provision ◽  
Study Results ◽  
State Regime

Abstract Background : Providing support to others may be beneficial for older adults. As people age, their health and social relationships change. These changes may relate to change in social support provision as well. We examined the trajectory of social support provision by older people in three European regions throughout eleven years of follow-up. We then examined the extent to which age, gender, and region (represents welfare state regime) influenced the variations in the trajectory. Methods :Data collected from 8,354 respondents who had completed at least waves 1 and 6 of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) was analysed. Social support provision was determined from asking a single question regarding whether the respondent provided help personally for people outside their household. Region, sex, and age were the main predictors tested. We used growth model to address the aims of this study. Results :The northern European region (Sweden and Denmark) had the highest odds ratio of providing social support. The likelihood of social support provision decreases by 10% yearly (OR: 0.901, 95%CI: 0.878,0.925) over 11 years of follow-up. Older respondents were less likely to provide support and their trajectories declined faster the younger respondents. Gender difference in social support provision was more apparent among younger older people in the southern European region. Conclusions : European older adults are important source of support, especially for their family. The probability of social support provision by European older adults declines over time. Age, gender and welfare state regime predict this trajectory.

scholarly journals Older people facing the crisis of COVID-19: between fragility and resilience

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
H. Amieva ◽  
J.-A. Avila-Funes ◽  
S. Caillot-Ranjeva ◽  
J.-F. Dartigues ◽  
M. Koleck ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older People ◽  
Telephone Survey ◽  
Coping Skills ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Social Experiences ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Great Heterogeneity ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Health And Mortality

The health crisis we are facing is challenging seniors’ resources and capacities for adaptation and resilience. The PACOVID survey, set up a few days after containment, investigates their psychological and social experiences with regard to the COVID-19 crisis and to what extent these characteristics, representations and attitudes have an impact on health and mortality. A telephone survey is being carried out on 935 people already followed up in the framework of ongoing epidemiological studies. As we are writing this article, the interviews conducted during the containment have just ended. Even though we will have to wait for the analysis of the results to draw conclusions, words collected by the psychologists during the interviews already illustrate a great heterogeneity in the way older adults lived this experience: social isolation, anxiety, the importance of family and the difficulty of being deprived of it, but also remarkable coping skills and resilience capacities.

scholarly journals Political Priorities of Public Administration, Welfare-state and Constitutional Democracy after the 2020-2021 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (3(16)) ◽  
pp. 135-164
Author(s):  
Andraž Teršek
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Welfare State ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Constitutional Rights ◽  
Human Right ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
European Welfare State ◽  
Fear And Anxiety

At the time of the official Coronavirus, 2020-2021 Pandemic emergency measures and general restrictions on the freedom of movement and the other fundamental human and constitutional rights and freedoms were and still are in place. The question of what kind of world will we enter after the official end of the Pandemic was quickly raised. The problem of fear intensified. This is not only a social problem but also a legal one: people have a fundamental human right to protection against fear. The absolute short-term priorities of public administration in all EU and Council of Europe Member States will have to be focused on ensuring that fear and anxiety do not become a new epidemic. Concern for the efficiency and quality of the public health system should be strengthened and improved. Including mental health care and suicide prevention, care for the well-being of the elderly and terminally ill, people with disabilities (in general and disabled workers), care for children, especially children with special needs, and care for large, diversified, and quality palliative care. Also, a need exists for a changed and improved legal policy regarding the system of education, scientific research, and employment. Last but not least, care must be taken not to take fundamental human rights and freedoms for granted. The health crisis will result in a new economic crisis. It should not be accepted as the end of the Welfare (Social) State. It is a new opportunity to defend social and economic human rights and to create the common European Welfare State. Right now, new ideas are needed –even crazy ideas. We need a kind of utopia. And faith and hope in it, which will be the driving force of active action. The experience of the Pandemic must not prevent or take this away from us.

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