scholarly journals Staff Experience of a Canadian Long-Term Care Home During a COVID-19 Outbreak: A Qualitative Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lillian Hung ◽  
Sophie C. Yang ◽  
Ellen Guo ◽  
Mariko Sakamoto ◽  
Jim Mann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Support ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Staff Experiences

Abstract Background: COVID-19 has significant impact on long-term care (LTC) residents and staff. The purpose of this paper is to report the data gathered during a COVID-19 outbreak in a Canadian LTC home regarding staff experiences, challenges, and needs, to offer lessons learned and implications. Methods: A total of 30 staff from multiple disciplines participated in the study, including nurses, care workers, recreational staff, and a unit clerk. Focus groups (n=20) and one-on-one interviews (n=10) were conducted as part of a larger participatory action research (PAR) in a Canadian LTC home. All data collection was conducted virtually via Zoom, and thematic analysis was performed to identify themes.Results: Four main themes were identified: We are Proud, We Felt Anxious, We Grew Closer to Residents and Staff Members, and The Vaccines Help.Conclusions: This research details the resilience that characterizes staff in LTC, while highlighting the emotional toll of the pandemic, particularly during an outbreak. LTC staff in this study found innovative ways to connect and support residents and this resulted in stronger connections and relationships. Leadership and organizational support are pivotal for supporting team resilience to manage crisis and adapt positively in times of COVID-19 pandemic, especially during the period of outbreak.

Evaluating and Motivating Activation in Long Term Care: Lessons From a Pilot Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-46
Author(s):  
J. Jbilou ◽  
A. El Bouazaoui ◽  
B. Zhang ◽  
J.L. Henry ◽  
L McDonald ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Long Term Care ◽  
Driving Simulator ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Care Facilities ◽  
Technological Intervention ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Research Recommendations

Older adults living in long-term care facilities typically receive insufficient exercise and have long periods of the day when they are not doing anything other than sitting or lying down, watching television, or ruminating (Wilkinson et al., 2017). We developed an intervention called the Experiential Centivizer, which provides residents with opportunities to use a driving simulator, watch world travel videos, and engage in exercise. We assessed the impact of the intervention on residents of a long-term care home in Fredericton, NB, Canada. In this paper, we report on the results observed and highlight the lessons learned from implementing a technological intervention within a long-term care setting. Practical and research recommendations are also discussed to facilitate future intervention implementation in long-term care.

Me & My Wishes: Lessons Learned From Prototyping Resident Centered Videos About Care Preferences

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (8) ◽  
pp. 1037-1049 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gail L. Towsley ◽  
Susan L. Beck ◽  
Lee Ellington ◽  
Bob Wong
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Video Production ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Staff Time ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Key Issues

Me & My Wishes are facilitated, resident-centered video-recorded conversations to communicate current and end-of-life care preferences. We describe the video production process of two prototypes in the long-term care (LTC) setting and discuss lessons learned around developing this type of intervention. Partnering with an LTC community allowed us to create videos on-site, document staff time, handle any barriers with video production, and evaluate the process. In this article, we will describe the process of two residents creating Me & My Wishes videos. Both residents responded positively to viewing their edited video (about 20 min), saying the videos would be “good for family or staff to hear feelings about preferences.” Staff members also responded positively to the videos. We discuss two key issues to consider: the possibility that resident preferences may change and the resources to produce and view videos.

Using Normalization Process Theory to Evaluate the Implementation of Montessori-based Volunteer Visits Within a Canadian Long-term Care Home

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulette V Hunter ◽  
Lilian Thorpe ◽  
Celine Hounjet ◽  
Thomas Hadjistavropoulos
Keyword(s):  
Long Term Care ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Dementia Care ◽  
Normalization Process Theory ◽  
Process Theory ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Normalization Process

Abstract Background and Objectives Montessori-based interventions (MBIs) have potential to improve the life quality of long-term care residents with dementia. In this study, we aimed to understand the processes by which staff integrated a volunteer-led MBI into practice within a special dementia care unit, and to explore staff members ’ perceptions of associated strengths and limitations. Research Design and Methods This study relied on a qualitative descriptive design. Following a 3-month period of volunteer involvement, we conducted 21 interviews with staff members to document perceptions of the new program and subjected interview transcripts to qualitative content analysis, guided by normalization process theory. Results During the implementation of the volunteer-led MBI, staff members developed a shared understanding of the intervention, a sense of commitment, practical ways to support the intervention, and opinions about the value of the residents. Overall, we found that the volunteer-led MBI was quickly and successfully integrated into practice and was perceived to support both residents and staff members in meaningful ways. Nevertheless, some limitations were also identified. Discussion and Implications Volunteer-delivered MBIs are a useful adjunct to practice within a special dementia care unit. This article raises attention to some strengths and limitations associated with this approach.

scholarly journals Early Impact of Ontario’s COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout on Long-Term Care Home Residents and Health Care Workers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin A. Brown ◽  
Nathan M. Stall ◽  
Thuva Vanniyasingam ◽  
Sarah A. Buchan ◽  
Nick Daneman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Care Workers

Lessons learned from a prolonged norovirus GII.P16-GII.4 Sydney 2012 variant outbreak in a long-term care facility in Portugal, 2017

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (10) ◽  
pp. 1164-1169
Author(s):  
Emma Sáez-López ◽  
Rodrigo Marques ◽  
Nuno Rodrigues ◽  
Mónica Oleastro ◽  
Helena Andrade ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Long Term Care ◽  
Care Facility ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Environmental Cleaning ◽  
Term Care Facility ◽  
Long Term Care Facility ◽  
Staff Members

AbstractObjective:To investigate an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis caused by norovirus (NoV) in a long-term care facility (LTCF) in Portugal to describe and estimate its extent, and we implemented control measures.Design:Outbreak investigation.Methods:Probable cases were residents or staff members in the LTCF with at least 1 of the following symptoms: (1) diarrhea, (2) vomiting, (3) nausea, and/or (4) abdominal pain between October 31 and December 8, 2017. Confirmed cases were probable cases with positive NoV infection detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and the same genotype in stool specimens.Results:The outbreak was caused by NoV GII.P16-GII.4 Sydney 2012 variant and affected 146 people. The highest illness rates were observed in residents (97 of 335, 29%) and nurses (16 of 83, 19%). All 11 resident wards were affected. Data on cases and their working or living areas suggest that movement between wards facilitated the transmission of NoV, likely from person to person.Conclusions:The delay in the identification of the causative agent, a lack of restrictions of resident and staff movement between wards, and ineffective initial deep-cleaning procedures resulted an outbreak that continued for >1 month. The outbreak ended only after implementation of strict control measures. Recommendations for controlling future NoV outbreaks in LTCFs include emphasizing the need to control resident’s movements and to restrict visitors, timely and effective environmental cleaning and disinfection, leave of absence for ill staff, and encouraging effective hand hygiene.

Communication Disordered: Program Implementation in Long-Term Care

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (15) ◽  
pp. 64-67
Author(s):  
George Barnes ◽  
Joseph Salemi
Keyword(s):  
Program Implementation ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Family Satisfaction ◽  
Regulatory Compliance ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Change Policy

The organizational structure of long-term care (LTC) facilities often removes the rehab department from the interdisciplinary work culture, inhibiting the speech-language pathologist's (SLP's) communication with the facility administration and limiting the SLP's influence when implementing clinical programs. The SLP then is unable to change policy or monitor the actions of the care staff. When the SLP asks staff members to follow protocols not yet accepted by facility policy, staff may be unable to respond due to confusing or conflicting protocol. The SLP needs to involve members of the facility administration in the policy-making process in order to create successful clinical programs. The SLP must overcome communication barriers by understanding the needs of the administration to explain how staff compliance with clinical goals improves quality of care, regulatory compliance, and patient-family satisfaction, and has the potential to enhance revenue for the facility. By taking this approach, the SLP has a greater opportunity to increase safety, independence, and quality of life for patients who otherwise may not receive access to the appropriate services.

Gaining access to the field in medical ethnography: Reflections on ethical, methodological, and structural challenges in the study of long-term care facilities

2021 ◽  
pp. 136345932098887
Author(s):  
Neta Roitenberg
Keyword(s):  
Long Term Care ◽  
Ethnographic Research ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Medical Institutions ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Care Facilities ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Access To The Field ◽  
Medical Ethnography

The article extends the discussion on the challenges in gaining access to the field in medical ethnographic research, focusing on long-term care (LTC) facilities. Medical institutions have been documented to be difficult sites to access. The reference, however, is to the recruitment of patients as informants. The challenges of recruiting practitioners as informants have not been investigated at all. The article presents the key issues that emerged in the process of gaining social access at the sites of two LTC facilities as part of a study on care workers’ identities. The main obstacles encountered during the fieldwork were organizational constraints and negotiating control over the process of recruiting the lower occupational tier of care workers with gatekeepers. The article presents the coping strategies implemented to overcome the ethical and methodological obstacles: continually reassessing the consent and cooperation of participants and developing a rapport with nurse’s aides during interviews.

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