scholarly journals Communication Technology Preferences of Hospitalized and Institutionalized Frail Older Adults During COVID-19 Confinement: Cross-Sectional Survey Study (Preprint)

Author(s):  
Guillaume Sacco ◽  
Sébastien Lléonart ◽  
Romain Simon ◽  
Frédéric Noublanche ◽  
Cédric Annweiler ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Technological communication methods such as telephone calls and video calls can help prevent social isolation and loneliness in frail older adults during confinement. OBJECTIVE Our objectives were to determine which virtual communication method (ie, telephone call or video call) was preferred by confined older hospital patients and nursing home residents and the variables influencing this preference. METHODS The TOVID (Telephony Or Videophony for Isolated elDerly) study was a cross-sectional study that was designed to examine the preference between telephone calls and video calls among frail older adults who were either hospitalized in a geriatric acute care unit or institutionalized in a long-term care and nursing home during the COVID-19 confinement period. RESULTS A total of 132 older people were surveyed between March 25 and May 11, 2020 (mean age 88.2 years, SD 6.2); 79 (59.8%) were women. Patients hospitalized in the geriatric acute care unit were more able to establish communication independently than residents institutionalized in the long-term care and nursing home (<i>P</i>=.03) and were more satisfied with their communication experiences (<i>P</i>=.02). Overall, older people tended to favor telephone calls (73/132, 55.3%) over video calls (59/132, 44.7%); however, their satisfaction degree was similar regardless of the chosen method (<i>P</i>=.1), with no effect of age (<i>P</i>=.97) or gender (<i>P</i>=.2). In the geriatric acute care unit, the satisfaction degrees were similar for telephone calls (40/41, 98%) and video calls (33/38, 87%) in older patients (<i>P</i>=.10). Conversely, in the long-term care and nursing home, residents were more satisfied with the use of video calls to communicate with their relatives (14/15, 93%) versus the use of telephone calls (6/12, 50%; <i>P</i>=.02). CONCLUSIONS Older people confined to health care settings were able to complete telephone calls more independently than video calls, and they tended to use telephone calls more often than video calls. The satisfaction degrees were similar with both modalities and even greater with video calls among long-term care and nursing home residents when they were given assistance to establish communication. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04333849: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04333849.

10.2196/21845 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. e21845 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guillaume Sacco ◽  
Sébastien Lléonart ◽  
Romain Simon ◽  
Frédéric Noublanche ◽  
Cédric Annweiler ◽  
...  

Background Technological communication methods such as telephone calls and video calls can help prevent social isolation and loneliness in frail older adults during confinement. Objective Our objectives were to determine which virtual communication method (ie, telephone call or video call) was preferred by confined older hospital patients and nursing home residents and the variables influencing this preference. Methods The TOVID (Telephony Or Videophony for Isolated elDerly) study was a cross-sectional study that was designed to examine the preference between telephone calls and video calls among frail older adults who were either hospitalized in a geriatric acute care unit or institutionalized in a long-term care and nursing home during the COVID-19 confinement period. Results A total of 132 older people were surveyed between March 25 and May 11, 2020 (mean age 88.2 years, SD 6.2); 79 (59.8%) were women. Patients hospitalized in the geriatric acute care unit were more able to establish communication independently than residents institutionalized in the long-term care and nursing home (P=.03) and were more satisfied with their communication experiences (P=.02). Overall, older people tended to favor telephone calls (73/132, 55.3%) over video calls (59/132, 44.7%); however, their satisfaction degree was similar regardless of the chosen method (P=.1), with no effect of age (P=.97) or gender (P=.2). In the geriatric acute care unit, the satisfaction degrees were similar for telephone calls (40/41, 98%) and video calls (33/38, 87%) in older patients (P=.10). Conversely, in the long-term care and nursing home, residents were more satisfied with the use of video calls to communicate with their relatives (14/15, 93%) versus the use of telephone calls (6/12, 50%; P=.02). Conclusions Older people confined to health care settings were able to complete telephone calls more independently than video calls, and they tended to use telephone calls more often than video calls. The satisfaction degrees were similar with both modalities and even greater with video calls among long-term care and nursing home residents when they were given assistance to establish communication. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04333849: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04333849.


2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (9) ◽  
pp. 1533-1542 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsay A. Gerolimatos ◽  
Jeffrey J. Gregg ◽  
Barry A. Edelstein

ABSTRACTBackground:Accurate assessment of anxiety in later life is critical, as anxiety among older adults is associated with social and functional impairment and poorer quality of life. The Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI) and the GAI–Short Form (GAI-SF) were designed to detect anxiety symptoms among community-dwelling older adults, but the usefulness of the GAI and GAI-SF in long-term care is unknown. The present study examined the psychometric properties of the GAI and GAI-SF among residents at a long-term care facility.Methods:Seventy-five nursing home residents completed the GAI and measures of depression, executive functioning, and adaptive functioning. The mean age of residents was 69.60 years (SD = 10.76). Psychiatric diagnoses included dementia, psychotic disorders, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, sleep disorders, and mental retardation.Results:Internal consistency of the GAI was good (α = 0.92) and the GAI-SF was adequate (α = 0.73). GAI and GAI-SF scores were moderately correlated with depression scores, and weakly correlated with adaptive functioning scores and executive functioning scores, suggesting discriminant validity. Logistic regression analyses were conducted with GAI and GAI-SF scores predicting an anxiety disorders diagnosis. Results provided support for the predictive validity of the GAI and GAI-SF. Sensitivity, specificity, and the percentage of individuals correctly classified at various cut-off scores were also calculated.Conclusions:Both the GAI and GAI-SF appear to be useful tools for assessing anxiety among nursing home residents with psychological disorders. The GAI-SF may be a viable replacement for the GAI as a screener for anxiety in long-term care.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-2
Author(s):  
R.A. Merchant

Older adults at home, intermediate and long-term care (ILTC) setting including nursing home and hospice care are vulnerable to COVID-19 infection with increased morbidity and mortality. Singapore is one of the fastest aging countries in Asia where 14.4% of population is above 65 years old and this will double by 2030 (1). About 16000 older adults live in long-term care facilities and many more attend different types of day care facilities (2). Many of the residents are frail, with underlying dementia and / or multimorbidity and often present atypically causing a delay in diagnosis. In many countries, COVID-19 has spread amongst nursing home residents with mortality ranging from 24% in Hungary to 82% in Canada (3). It is known that 56% of residents may test positive while in pre-symptomatic stage, and many countries have put in initiatives to decrease the risk of spread in care homes (4). COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of communication and collaboration amongst ILTC providers which in many countries are run by non-governmental organization’s, healthcare providers, regional and national healthcare leaders.


Long-term care for older adults is highly affect by the COVID-19 outbreak. The objective of this rapid review is to understand what we can learn from previous crises or disasters worldwide to optimize the care for older adults in long term care facilities during the outbreak of COVID-19. We searched five electronic databases to identify potentially relevant articles. In total, 23 articles were included in this study. Based on the articles, it appeared that nursing homes benefit from preparing for the situation as best as they can. For instance, by having proper protocols and clear division of tasks and collaboration within the organization. In addition, it is helpful for nursing homes to collaborate closely with other healthcare organizations, general practitioners, informal caregivers and local authorities. It is recommended that nursing homes pay attention to capacity and employability of staff and that they support or relieve staff where possible. With regard to care for the older adults, it is important that staff tries to find a new daily routine in the care for residents as soon as possible. Some practical tips were found on how to communicate with people who have dementia. Furthermore, behavior of people with dementia may change during a crisis. We found tips for staff how to respond and act upon behavior change. After the COVID-19 outbreak, aftercare for staff, residents, and informal caregivers is essential to timely detect psychosocial problems. The consideration between, on the one hand, acute safety and risk reduction (e.g. by closing residential care facilities and isolating residents), and on the other hand, the psychosocial consequences for residents and staff, were discussed in case of other disasters. Furthermore, the search of how to provide good (palliative) care and to maintain quality of life for older adults who suffer from COVID-19 is also of concern to nursing home organizations. In the included articles, the perspective of older adults, informal caregivers and staff is often lacking. Especially the experiences of older adults, informal caregivers, and nursing home staff with the care for older adults in the current situation, are important in formulating lessons about how to act before, during and after the coronacrisis. This may further enhance person-centered care, even in times of crisis. Therefore, we recommend to study these experiences in future research.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 629-629
Author(s):  
Silke Metzelthin ◽  
Sandra Zwakhalen ◽  
Barbara Resnick

Abstract Functional decline in older adults often lead towards acute or long-term care. In practice, caregivers often focus on completion of care tasks and of prevention of injuries from falls. This task based, safety approach inadvertently results in fewer opportunities for older adults to be actively involved in activities. Further deconditioning and functional decline are common consequences of this inactivity. To prevent or postpone these consequences Function Focused Care (FFC) was developed meaning that caregivers adapt their level of assistance to the capabilities of older adults and stimulate them to do as much as possible by themselves. FFC was first implemented in institutionalized long-term care in the US, but has spread rapidly to other settings (e.g. acute care), target groups (e.g. people with dementia) and countries (e.g. the Netherlands). During this symposium, four presenters from the US and the Netherlands talk about the impact of FFC. The first presentation is about the results of a stepped wedge cluster trial showing a tendency to improve activities of daily living and mobility. The second presentation is about a FFC training program. FFC was feasible to implement in home care and professionals experienced positive changes in knowledge, attitude, skills and support. The next presenter reports about significant improvements regarding time spent in physical activity and a decrease in resistiveness to care in a cluster randomized controlled trial among nursing home residents with dementia. The fourth speaker presents the content and first results of a training program to implement FFC in nursing homes. Nursing Care of Older Adults Interest Group Sponsored Symposium


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Soldevila ◽  
Núria Prat ◽  
Miquel À. Mas ◽  
Mireia Massot ◽  
Ramon Miralles ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Covid-19 pandemic has particularly affected older people living in Long-term Care settings. Methods: We carried out a cross-sectional analysis of a cohort of Long-term care nursing home residents between March first and June thirty, 2020, who were ≥ 65 years old and on whom at last one PCR test was performed. Socio-demographic, comorbidities, and clinical data were recorded. Facility size and community incidence of SARS-CoV-2 were also considered.Results: A total of 8021 participants were included from 168 facilities. Mean age was 86.4 years (SD = 7.4). Women represented 74.1%. SARS-CoV-2 infection was detected in 27.7% of participants, and the overall case fatality rate was 11.3% (24.9% among those with a positive PCR test). Epidemiological factors related to risk of infection were larger facility size (pooled aOR 1.73; P < .001), higher community incidence (pooled aOR 1.67, P = .04), leading to a higher risk than the clinical factor of low level of functional dependence (aOR 1.22, P = 0.03). Epidemiological risk factors associated with mortality were male gender (aOR 1.75; P < .001), age (pooled aOR 1.16; P < .001), and higher community incidence (pooled aOR 1.19, P = < .001). There was evidence of clustering for facility and health area when considering the risk of infection and mortality (P < .001). Conclusions: Our results suggest a complex interplay between structural and individual factors regarding Covid-19 infection and its impact on mortality in nursing-home residents.


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