The Herth Hope Index—A Psychometric Study Among Cognitively Intact Nursing Home Patients

Background and Purpose: Hope is seen as the act by which the temptation of despair is actively overcome and has thus been interpreted as an inner strength and an available resource for living in the present. An understanding of hope and its meaning in the lives of institutionalized older adults may aid in developing interventions to enhance hope and well-being in the nursing home setting. This study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of the Norwegian version of the Herth Hope Index among cognitively intact nursing home patients. Methods: Cross-sectional data was obtained in 2008 and 2009 from 202 of 250 patients who met the inclusion criteria in 44 different nursing homes. Results: Exploratory factor analysis revealed 3 internal consistent dimensions of hope, explaining 51.2% of the variance. The 1-factor, 2-factor, and the originally 3-factor solutions of the Herth Hope Index were tested by means of confirmatory factor analysis. A 2-factor construct comprising 11 items came out with the best model fit. Conclusions: The Herth Hope Index was found to be a reliable and valid instrument for assessing hope in nursing home patients. The 2-factor structure was psychometrically superior the original 3-factor construct of hope in this particular sample. The Herth Hope Index might be used to assess hope and changes in the hope process during long-term nursing home care. An enhanced understanding of hope in this population might contribute to increased quality of nursing home care.

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Effect of Patients’ Life Stories in Bringing Meaning to Nursing Home Care

PRiMER ◽

10.22454/primer.2019.181832 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

Author(s):

Jane Qu ◽

Laura N. Goldman ◽

Joanne E. Wilkinson

Keyword(s):

Nursing Home ◽

Family Medicine ◽

Home Care ◽

Health Care Providers ◽

Life Stories ◽

Nursing Home Care ◽

Semistructured Interview ◽

Care Providers ◽

Nursing Home Patients ◽

Family Medicine Residents

Introduction: Although there is an increasing need for geriatricians, fewer physicians are entering the field. Family medicine residents find geriatrics, especially nursing home care, unsatisfying. Life stories of older adult patients may help providers cope with the challenges of nursing home care and increase provider satisfaction by offering a way to connect with patients. Methods: We conducted a qualitative study on life stories’ effects on attitudes towards nursing home care. Fourteen patient stories were created. Seven Boston University family medicine residents and one nurse practitioner participated in a semistructured interview both before and at least 2 months after learning about their patients’ stories. Data were analyzed using qualitative techniques from grounded theory. Results: Participants found nursing home care challenging, particularly for patients who were nonverbal due to advanced dementia, because they had difficulties forming meaningful relationships or discussing medical decisions with their patients. Life stories increased empathy, deepened relationships with patients, and led participants to feel more satisfied in their role as providers. The stories were considered useful for end-of-life discussions. Conclusion: Life stories incorporated into physician practice may help health care providers feel more connected to their patients and ultimately more satisfied in the care of nursing home patients.

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Small is beautiful? Explaining resident satisfaction in Swedish nursing home care

BMC Health Services Research ◽

10.1186/s12913-019-4694-9 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Douglas Spangler ◽

Paula Blomqvist ◽

Ylva Lindberg ◽

Ulrika Winblad

Keyword(s):

Nursing Home ◽

Home Care ◽

Nursing Home Care ◽

Resident Satisfaction ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Staffing Ratios ◽

Individualized Care ◽

Structural Variables ◽

Nationally Representative ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Resident satisfaction is an important aspect of nursing home quality. Despite this, few studies have systematically investigated what aspects of nursing home care are most strongly associated with satisfaction. In Sweden, a large number of processual and structural measures are collected to describe the quality of nursing home care, though the impact of these measures on outcomes including resident satisfaction is poorly understood. Methods A cross-sectional analysis of data collected in two nationally representative surveys of Swedish eldercare quality using multi-level models to account for geographic differences. Results Of the factors examined, nursing home size was found to be the most important predictor of resident satisfaction, followed by the amount of exercise and activities offered by the nursing home. Measures of individualized care processes, ownership status, staffing ratios, and staff education levels were also weakly associated with resident satisfaction. Contrary to previous research, we found no clear differences between processual and structural variables in terms of their association with resident satisfaction. Conclusions The results suggest that of the investigated aspects of nursing home care, the size of the nursing home and the amount activities offered to residents were the strongest predictors of satisfaction. Investigation of the mechanisms behind the higher levels of satisfaction found at smaller nursing homes may be a fruitful avenue for further research.

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Physical Health and Cognitive Ability Among Married Long-Term-Care Patients and Among Their Spouses—A Comparison Between Home Care and Nursing Home Care

International Psychogeriatrics ◽

10.1017/s1041610293001498 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 157-168 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Ann-Christine Löfgren ◽

Gösta Bucht ◽

Sture Eriksson ◽

Tage Lundström

Keyword(s):

Nursing Home ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Nursing Homes ◽

Home Care ◽

Physical Health ◽

Long Term Care ◽

Nursing Home Care ◽

Term Care ◽

Nursing Home Patients

The purpose of this study was to establish whether physical health and cognitive function in married long-term patients or in their spouses determines why some patients are cared for in home care while others reside in nursing homes. Out of 38 married couples with a sick spouse cared for in a nursing home, 23 couples were studied; out of 34 couples with a sick spouse cared for in home care, 22 patients and 25 spouses were studied. The results showed no significant differences in physical health score either between the two groups of patients, or between the two groups of spouses. Both home-care patients and nursing home patients had low cognitive function scores, but nursing home patients had significantly lower scores. A multivariate analysis showed that physical health and cognitive function explained only 20% of patients' residence. Between the two groups of spouses there was no difference in cognitive function score. The conclusion is that physical health status and cognitive function explain only to a small extent why married long-term care patients are cared for in nursing homes or in home care.

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Nursing home care for people with dementia and residents' quality of life, quality of care and staff well-being: Design of the Living Arrangements for people with Dementia (LAD) - study

BMC Geriatrics ◽

10.1186/1471-2318-11-11 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Bernadette M Willemse ◽

Dieneke Smit ◽

Jacomine de Lange ◽

Anne Margriet Pot

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Nursing Home ◽

Quality Of Care ◽

Home Care ◽

Living Arrangements ◽

Life Quality ◽

Well Being ◽

Nursing Home Care ◽

People With Dementia

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Re-orienting nursing home care for optimal health and well-being-of people aged 80-100+ through positive psychology

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e537902012-312 ◽

2011 ◽

Author(s):

G. Adey

Keyword(s):

Nursing Home ◽

Positive Psychology ◽

Home Care ◽

Well Being ◽

Nursing Home Care ◽

Optimal Health ◽

Health And Well Being

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Prevalence of Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia in Nursing Homes in Berlin

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/s0924-9338(09)70723-0 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 24 (S1) ◽

pp. 1-1

Author(s):

T. Majic ◽

J.-P. Pluta ◽

T. Mell ◽

A. Decker ◽

A. Heinz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nursing Home ◽

Nursing Homes ◽

Home Care ◽

Caregiver Burden ◽

Psychological Symptoms ◽

Drug Prescription ◽

Nursing Home Residents ◽

Nursing Home Care ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Psychiatric Hospitalizations

Background:Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD) include agitation, apathy, hallucinations, and depression. These symptoms are a challenge to professional nursing care, resulting in frequent psychiatric hospitalization, which incur high costs to the national healthcare systems.Objective:To estimate the prevalence of BPSD in nursing home residents in 16 representative nursing homes in Berlin, Germany.Methods:In a cross-sectional clustered cohort study, BPSD were assessed using the Dementia Mood Assessment Scale (DMAS), the Neuropsychiatric Inventary (NPI) and the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI). Dementia stage severity was measured by Functional Assessment Staging (FAST) and the Mini-Mnetals State Examination (MMSE). Furthermore, the patients" history recording psychotropics and number of psychiatric hospitalizations were registered. The prevalence and incidence rates of BPSD as well the duration of hospitalization and the quantity of drug prescription were estimated.Results:BPSD are common above all in nursing home residents with dementia, exhibiting prevalence rates of above 60% of all nursing home residents suffering from dementia. The severity of BPSD was related to number of psychiatric hospitalizations, the amount of psychotropics prescribed, and caregiver burden (p < .05).Conclusion:The high prevalence rate of BPSD reflects a significant problem in nursing home care, and is related to negative health outcomes and caregiver burden. Thus, nursing home care could be improved by minimizing the severity of BPSD, as well as the amount of drugs prescribed and the frequency of demented patients" hospitalization.

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Residency training in the nursing home setting

Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association ◽

10.7547/87507315-80-5-236 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 80 (5) ◽

pp. 236-237

Author(s):

CA Lund

Keyword(s):

Nursing Home ◽

Home Care ◽

Residency Training ◽

Residency Program ◽

Nursing Home Care ◽

Home Setting ◽

Nursing Home Setting

The author discusses the establishment of the Nursing Home Care Unit at the Tampa Veterans Hospital. The role of the podiatric resident and the residency program in the care of the patients in the facility is presented.

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