scholarly journals Caregivers’ Perspectives on Privacy in Aged Care Monitoring Devices

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sami Alkhatib ◽  
Jenny Waycott ◽  
George Buchanan ◽  
Marthie Grobler ◽  
Shuo Wang
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Cognitive Impairments ◽  
Informal Caregivers ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Private Life ◽  
Sensitive Data ◽  
Privacy Concerns ◽  
Privacy Settings ◽  
Monitoring Devices

As people move into advanced old age, they may experience cognitive impairments and frailty, making it difficult for them to live without support from others. Caregivers might decide to use aged care monitoring devices (ACMDs) to support older adults under their care. However, these devices raise privacy concerns as they collect and share sensitive data from the older adult’s private life in order to provide monitoring capabilities. This study involved interviewing formal and informal caregivers who used/may use ACMDs to investigate their views on privacy. The study found that although caregivers consider protecting older adults’ privacy important, they may overlook privacy in order to gain benefits from ACMDs. We argue that ACMD developers should simplify privacy terms and conditions so that caregivers can make well-informed decisions when deciding to use the device. They also should consider providing users with flexible privacy settings so that users can decide what data to collect, whom to share it with and when.

Uitbraak COVID-19 in de verpleeghuiszorg

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Nursing Home ◽  
Nursing Homes ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Informal Caregivers ◽  
Rapid Review ◽  
Daily Routine ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Care Facilities

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.

Providing care for older adults with extreme obesity in aged residential care facilities: An environmental scan

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 24-36
Author(s):  
Caz Hales ◽  
◽  
Isaac Amankwaa ◽  
Lesley Gray ◽  
Helen Rook ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Residential Care ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Extreme Obesity ◽  
Financial Barriers ◽  
Residential Care Facilities ◽  
Environmental Scan ◽  
Staffing Ratios ◽  
Care Facilities

Little is known about the level of service demand and preparedness of Aotearoa New Zealand’s aged residential care facilities to care for older adults with extreme obesity. The aim of this study was to assess the current state of bariatric (extreme obesity) services within aged residential care. An environmental scan was conducted to identify bariatric resident needs and gaps in service provision to inform the development of policy and service provision. Observational and interview data from three facilities in Aotearoa New Zealand was collected along with a retrospective review of national resident admissions over a three-year period. Poor environmental design that included infrastructure deficiencies and financial barriers impacted on the ability to deliver safe and equitable care for this population. Specifically, equipment procurement and safe staffing ratios were of concern to the sector. There is an increasing need for bariatric level support within aged care, necessitating more equipment and staff, adaptation of physical care environments, and enhanced funding. Significant investment is required to address care concerns of older adults with extreme obesity at government and organisational levels.

scholarly journals Older workers imagining retirement: the collapse of agency, or freedom at last?

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Anne Skevik Grødem ◽  
Ragni Hege Kitterød
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Social Meaning ◽  
Active Engagement ◽  
Work Patterns ◽  
Ideal Types ◽  
Retirement Decisions ◽  
The Ideal

Abstract Images of what retirement is and ought to be are changing. Older workers are being encouraged to work for longer, at the same time, older adults increasingly voice expectations of a ‘third age’ of active engagement and new life prospects. In this article, we draw on the literature on older workers’ work patterns and retirement transitions (noting push/pull/stay/stuck/jump factors), and on scholarship on the changing social meaning of old age, most importantly the notions of a ‘third’ and ‘fourth’ age. The analysis is based on qualitative interviews with 28 employees in the private sector in Norway, aged between 55 and 66 years. Based on the interviews, we propose three ideal-typical approaches to the work–retirement transition: ‘the logic of deadline’, ‘the logic of negotiation’ and ‘the logic of averting retirement’. The ideal-types are defined by the degree to which informants assume agency in the workplace, their orientation towards work versus retirement and the degree to which they expect to exercise agency in retirement. We emphasise how retirement decisions are informed by notions of the meaning of ageing, while also embedded in relationships with employers and partners.

scholarly journals Self-compassion as predictor of daily physical symptoms and chronic illness across older adulthood

2021 ◽  
pp. 135910532110023
Author(s):  
Heather Herriot ◽  
Carsten Wrosch
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Chronic Illness ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Physical Symptoms ◽  
Older Adulthood ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
Early Old Age

This study examined whether self-compassion could benefit daily physical symptoms and chronic illness in early and advanced old age. The hypotheses were evaluated in a 4-year longitudinal study of 264 older adults. Results showed that self-compassion predicted lower levels of daily physical symptoms across the study period in advanced, but not early, old age ( T-ratio = −1.93, p = 0.05). In addition, self-compassion was associated with fewer increases in chronic illness in advanced, but not early, old age ( T-ratio = − 2.45, p < 0.02). The results of this study suggest that self-compassion may be particularly adaptive towards the end of life.

Educational intervention to improve palliative care knowledge among informal caregivers of cognitively impaired older adults

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Hyunjin Noh ◽  
Lewis H. Lee ◽  
Chorong Won
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Educational Intervention ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
Informal Caregivers ◽  
Cognitively Impaired ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Seriously Ill

Abstract Objective Lack of palliative care knowledge among caregivers may pose an access barrier for cognitively impaired older adults, who may benefit from the specialized care. Therefore, this study aims to examine the effectiveness of an educational intervention in improving palliative care knowledge among informal caregivers of cognitively impaired older adults. Method Using a one-group, pre- and post-test intervention design, this study implemented an individual, face-to-face educational intervention with an informational brochure for 43 informal caregivers of chronically or seriously ill older adults (50+) with cognitive impairment, recruited from communities in West Alabama. Their level of knowledge about palliative care was assessed by the Palliative Care Knowledge Scale (PaCKS). The pre- and post-test scores were compared by the Wilcoxon signed-ranks test, and the racial subgroup (Whites vs. Blacks) comparison was made by the Mann–Whitney U test. Results There was a statistically significant difference between the pre- and post-test scores (z = 5.38, p < 0.001), indicating a statistically significant effect of the educational intervention in improving palliative care knowledge among participants. There was a significant difference (U = 143, p < 0.05) between Whites and Blacks in the pre-test, which, however, disappeared in the post-test (U = 173.50, p > 0.05), suggesting that the amount of increased PaCKS scores were significantly greater for Blacks (Mdn = 9.50) than for Whites (Mdn = 4.00, U = 130.50, p < 0.05). Significance of results This study demonstrated that a one-time educational intervention can improve the level of palliative care knowledge among informal caregivers of chronically or seriously ill older adults with cognitive impairment, particularly among Black caregivers. Therefore, further educational efforts can be made to promote palliative care knowledge and reduce racial disparities in palliative care knowledge and its use.

scholarly journals Role of social integration in the protection against depression in the Chilean elderly population

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
L de Albuquerque Araújo ◽  
N Bello Escamilla ◽  
V Sabando Franulic
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Integration ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Mental Illnesses ◽  
National Study ◽  
Close Relatives ◽  
Negative Gradient

Abstract Chile has improved survival however this process occurs under a framework of socioeconomic and gender inequalities, which results in an impact of mental health, especially in vulnerable groups. The objective was to determine the association between depression and social integration in Chilean older adults. Cross-sectional study from the National Study of Dependence in Old Person 2010. The risk of depression was amount with Geriatric Depression Scale (&gt;5). The social integration were quantity as frequency of meeting with close relatives (child, partner, daughter/ son-in-law, grandchildren); with other relatives (brother, brothers-in-law, nephews or other relatives) and with friends and neighbors in the last 12 months in 5 categories (never visit; less frequently; 1-2 times a month; 1-2 times a week; every day or almost). Logistic regression models considered the sampling design of the survey to identify association with odd ratio (OR) (never as reference category), adjustment for sex, age, ethnicity, household income, education, housing arrangement and chronic diseases (p ≤ 0,5). Total of 4179 older adults 25,3% reported risk of depression, the significative association with close relatives was in daily or almost frequency OR:0.42 (95%CI 0.27-0.67), 1-2 times a week OR: 0,57 (95%CI 0,33-0,99), 1-2 times/month OR: 0,56 (95%CI 0,99); other relatives were lower frequency OR: 0.54 (95%CI 0.38-0.78); 1-2 times/month OR; 0.50 (95%CI 0.31-0.81); 1-2 times/week OR:0.35 (95%CI 0.22-0.55); daily or almost OR:0.27 (95%CI 0.18-0.42). And meeting with friends and neighbors in the same frequency order were OR: 0.66 (95%CI 0.44-0.99); OR:0.43 (95%CI 0.26-0.73); OR:0.4 (95%CI 0.25-0.62); OR: 0.32 (95%CI 0.21-0.47). There is a negative gradient between depression and the frequency of meeting with friends, neighbors and family, independent of sociodemographic and health characteristics. Social integration must be promoted as a protective factor of mental health in elderly. Key messages Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses in old age and we found a negative gradient between the frequency of meeting friends, neighbors and family and the possibility of depression. It seems essential for public health to have strategies that address social life in old age to strengthen quality of live and mental health.

scholarly journals Prevalence of High Resilience in Old Age and Association with Perceived Threat of COVID-19—Results from a Representative Survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (13) ◽  
pp. 7173
Author(s):  
Elena Caroline Weitzel ◽  
Margrit Löbner ◽  
Susanne Röhr ◽  
Alexander Pabst ◽  
Ulrich Reininghaus ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Perceived Threat ◽  
Representative Survey ◽  
Resilience Scale ◽  
Perception Of Threat ◽  
Younger Age ◽  
Demographic Correlates ◽  
Education Levels

Little is known about resilience in old age and its manifestation during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of high resilience in the German old age population. We further examine the socio-demographic correlates and whether high resilience reflects on older adults’ perception of the threat posed by COVID-19. The data were derived from a representative telephone survey of n = 1005 older adults (≥65 years) during the first COVID-19 lockdown. Assessments included socio-demographic variables, the perceived threat of COVID-19, and high resilience (Brief Resilience Scale; cutoff: ≥4.31). The association between high resilience and threat from COVID-19 was analyzed using ordinal logistic regression. The study sample had a mean age (SD) of 75.5 (7.1) years, and n = 566 (56.3%) were female. The estimated prevalence of high resilience was 18.7% (95% CI = [16.3; 21.2]). High resilience was more prevalent in the younger age group and participants with higher education levels. High resilience was significantly associated with a lower perception of threat from COVID-19. The results of the representative survey in the German old age population showed that one out of five adults aged 65 years and older had high resilience. Older adults with high resilience tended to feel less threatened by COVID-19. Further research on resilience in old age is needed to support vulnerable groups in the context of care.

scholarly journals Evaluating the provision of Further Enabling Care at Home (FECH+) for informal caregivers of older adults discharged home from hospital: protocol for a multicentre randomised controlled trial

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. e046600
Author(s):  
Anne-Marie Hill ◽  
Rachael Moorin ◽  
Susan Slatyer ◽  
Christina Bryant ◽  
Keith Hill ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Randomised Controlled Trial ◽  
Usual Care ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Informal Caregivers ◽  
Care Recipient ◽  
Care At Home ◽  
Randomised Controlled

IntroductionThere are personal and societal benefits from caregiving; however, caregiving can jeopardise caregivers’ health. The Further Enabling Care at Home (FECH+) programme provides structured nurse support, through telephone outreach, to informal caregivers of older adults following discharge from acute hospital care to home. The trial aims to evaluate the efficacy of the FECH+ programme on caregivers’ health-related quality of life (HRQOL) after care recipients’ hospital discharge.Methods and analysisA multisite, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial with blinded baseline and outcome assessment and intention-to-treat analysis, adhering to Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials guidelines will be conducted. Participants (N=925 dyads) comprising informal home caregiver (18 years or older) and care recipient (70 years or older) will be recruited when the care recipient is discharged from hospital. Caregivers of patients discharged from wards in three hospitals in Australia (one in Western Australia and two in Queensland) are eligible for inclusion. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of the two groups. The intervention group receive the FECH+ programme, which provides structured support and problem-solving for the caregiver after the care recipient’s discharge, in addition to usual care. The control group receives usual care. The programme is delivered by a registered nurse and comprises six 30–45 min telephone support sessions over 6 months. The primary outcome is caregivers’ HRQOL measured using the Assessment of Quality of Life—eight dimensions. Secondary outcomes include caregiver preparedness, strain and distress and use of healthcare services. Changes in HRQOL between groups will be compared using a mixed regression model that accounts for the correlation between repeated measurements.Ethics and disseminationParticipants will provide written informed consent. Ethics approvals have been obtained from Sir Charles Gairdner and Osborne Park Health Care Group, Curtin University, Griffith University, Gold Coast Health Service and government health data linkage services. Findings will be disseminated through presentations, peer-reviewed journals and conferences.Trial registration numberACTRN12620000060943.

scholarly journals Virtual reality intervention to improve apathy in residential aged care: protocol for a multisite non-randomised controlled trial

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. e046030
Author(s):  
Dimitrios Saredakis ◽  
Hannah A D Keage ◽  
Megan Corlis ◽  
Tobias Loetscher
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Passive Control ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Residential Aged Care ◽  
Laptop Computer ◽  
Reminiscence Therapy ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Secondary Outcomes

IntroductionApathy is a prevalent neuropsychiatric symptom for older adults residing in aged care. Left untreated, apathy has been associated with accelerated cognitive decline and increased risk of mortality. Reminiscence therapy is commonly used in aged care and has demonstrated to reduce apathy. Traditional methods of reminiscence use physical objects and more recently technology including tablets and laptop computers have demonstrated potential. Virtual reality (VR) has successfully been used to treat psychological disorders; however, there is little evidence on using VR for behavioural symptoms such as apathy in older adults. Using VR to deliver reminiscence therapy provides an immersive experience, and readily available applications provide access to a large range of content allowing easier delivery of therapy over traditional forms of therapy. This study aims to identify changes in apathy after a reminiscence therapy intervention using head-mounted displays (HMDs).Methods and analysisParticipants will be allocated to one of three groups; reminiscence therapy using VR; an active control using a laptop computer or physical items and a passive control. A total of 45 participants will be recruited from residential aged care (15 in each group). The three groups will be compared at baseline and follow-up. The primary outcome is apathy, and secondary outcomes include cognition and depression. Side effects from using HMDs will also be examined in the VR group. Primary and secondary outcomes at baseline and follow-up will be analysed using linear mixed modelling.Ethics and disseminationEthics approval was obtained from the University of South Australia Human Research Ethics Committee. The results from this study will be disseminated through manuscript publications and national/international conferences.Trial registration numberACTRN12619001510134.

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