scholarly journals Music Connects Us: Development of a Music-Based Group Activity Intervention to Engage People Living with Dementia and Address Loneliness

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 570
Author(s):  
Hannah M. O’Rourke ◽  
Tammy Hopper ◽  
Lee Bartel ◽  
Mandy Archibald ◽  
Matthias Hoben ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Intervention Mapping ◽  
Group Activity ◽  
Relationship Building ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Engaged Scholarship ◽  
Severe Dementia

There is a need for intervention research to understand how music-based group activities foster engagement in social interactions and relationship-building among care home residents living with moderate to severe dementia. The purpose of this conceptual paper is to describe the design of ‘Music Connects Us’, a music-based group activity intervention. Music Connects Us primarily aims to promote social connectedness and quality of life among care home residents living with moderate to severe dementia through engagement in music-making, supporting positive social interactions to develop intimate connections with others. To develop Music Connects Us, we adapted the ‘Music for Life’ program offered by Wigmore Hall in the United Kingdom, applying an intervention mapping framework and principles of engaged scholarship. This paper describes in detail the Music Connects Us program, our adaptation approach, and key adaptations made, which included: framing the project to focus on the engagement of the person living with dementia to ameliorate loneliness; inclusion of student and other community-based musicians; reduced requirements for care staff participation; and the development of a detailed musician training approach to prepare musicians to deliver the program in Canada. Description of the development, features, and rationale for Music Connects Us will support its replication in future research aimed to tests its effects and its use in clinical practice.

Group activity with Paro in nursing homes: systematic investigation of behaviors in participants

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (8) ◽  
pp. 1345-1354 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Jøranson ◽  
Ingeborg Pedersen ◽  
Anne Marie Mork Rokstad ◽  
Geir Aamodt ◽  
Christine Olsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Systematic Investigation ◽  
Group Activity ◽  
Severe Dementia ◽  
Group Activities ◽  
Video Recordings ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
Moderate Dementia ◽  
Total Session Time ◽  
Severity Of Dementia

ABSTRACTBackground:A variety of group activities is promoted for nursing home (NH) residents with dementia with the aim to reduce apathy and to increase engagement and social interaction. Investigating behaviors related to these outcomes could produce insights into how the activities work. The aim of this study was to systematically investigate behaviors seen in people with dementia during group activity with the seal robot Paro, differences in behaviors related to severity of dementia, and to explore changes in behaviors.Methods:Thirty participants from five NHs formed groups of five to six participants at each NH. Group sessions with Paro lasted for 30 minutes twice a week during 12 weeks of intervention. Video recordings were conducted in the second and tenth week. An ethogram, containing 18 accurately defined and described behaviors, mapped the participants’ behaviors. Duration of behaviors, such as “Observing Paro,” “Conversation with Paro on the lap,” “Smile/laughter toward other participants,” were converted to percentage of total session time and analyzed statistically.Results:“Observing Paro” was observed more often in participants with mild to moderate dementia (p = 0.019), while the variable “Observing other things” occurred more in the group of severe dementia (p = 0.042). “Smile/laughter toward other participants” showed an increase (p = 0.011), and “Conversations with Paro on the lap” showed a decrease (p = 0.014) during the intervention period.Conclusions:Participants with severe dementia seemed to have difficulty in maintaining attention toward Paro during the group session. In the group as a whole, Paro seemed to be a mediator for increased social interactions and created engagement.

AwareCare: a pilot randomized controlled trial of an awareness-based staff training intervention to improve quality of life for residents with severe dementia in long-term care settings

2012 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 128-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Clare ◽  
Rhiannon Whitaker ◽  
Robert T Woods ◽  
Catherine Quinn ◽  
Hannah Jelley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Severe Dementia ◽  
Term Care

ABSTRACTBackground: The extent to which care home residents with severe dementia show awareness is influenced by the extent to which the environment provides opportunities for engagement and by the way in which care staff interact with them. We aimed to establish whether training care staff to observe and identify signs of awareness in residents with severe dementia resulted in improved quality of life for residents.Methods: In this pilot cluster randomized trial, care staff in four homes (n = 32) received training and supervision and carried out structured observations of residents using the AwareCare measure (n = 32) over an eight-week period, while staff in four control homes (n = 33) had no training with regard to their residents (n = 33) and no contact with the research team. The primary outcome was resident quality of life. Secondary outcomes were resident well-being, behavior and cognition, staff attitudes and well-being, and care practices in the home.Results: Following intervention, residents in the intervention group had significantly better quality of life as rated by family members than those in the control group, but care staff ratings of quality of life did not differ. There were no other significant between-group differences. Staff participating in the intervention identified benefits in terms of their understanding of residents’ needs.Conclusions: Staff were able to use the observational measure effectively and relatives of residents in the intervention homes perceived an improvement in their quality of life.

Efficacy of Psychosocial Treatments for Noisemaking in Severe Dementia

1997 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 405-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colleen Doyle ◽  
Tania Zapparoni ◽  
Daniel O'Connor ◽  
Susannah Runci
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Psychosocial Interventions ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Severe Dementia ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Standard Management ◽  
Environmental Stimulation

Noisemaking is one of the most disturbing behavior disorders associated with dementia. Standard management practices, including pharmacological interventions, are not very successful in treating the behavior. Very little research has been carried out to evaluate innovative treatments or to determine the etiology of noisemaking. In this article, we report on a series of 12 case studies in which we tested the efficacy of some psychosocial interventions in reducing the frequency of noisemaking in long-term-care residents with severe dementia. Interventions were contingent reinforcement of quiet behavior and environmental stimulation tailored to individual preferences. Of the 12 patients recruited into the study, 2 died during the course of observations, 3 were not observed to be as noisy as reported by staff, and 3 showed a clear reduction in noise during the intervention period. Four patients did not show any overall reduction in noisemaking during psychosocial interventions. Future research could differentiate between types of interventions in successful cases and attempt to control further for the consistent application of interventions by long-term-care staff.

Self-Compassion and Quality of Life in Adults Who Stutter

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 2097-2108
Author(s):  
Robyn L. Croft ◽  
Courtney T. Byrd
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
The Self ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
Adults Who Stutter ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this study was to identify levels of self-compassion in adults who do and do not stutter and to determine whether self-compassion predicts the impact of stuttering on quality of life in adults who stutter. Method Participants included 140 adults who do and do not stutter matched for age and gender. All participants completed the Self-Compassion Scale. Adults who stutter also completed the Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering. Data were analyzed for self-compassion differences between and within adults who do and do not stutter and to predict self-compassion on quality of life in adults who stutter. Results Adults who do and do not stutter exhibited no significant differences in total self-compassion, regardless of participant gender. A simple linear regression of the total self-compassion score and total Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering score showed a significant, negative linear relationship of self-compassion predicting the impact of stuttering on quality of life. Conclusions Data suggest that higher levels of self-kindness, mindfulness, and social connectedness (i.e., self-compassion) are related to reduced negative reactions to stuttering, an increased participation in daily communication situations, and an improved overall quality of life. Future research should replicate current findings and identify moderators of the self-compassion–quality of life relationship.

scholarly journals Is area deprivation associated with greater impacts of COVID-19 in care homes across England? A preliminary analysis of COVID-19 outbreaks and deaths

2021 ◽  
pp. jech-2020-215039 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anders Malthe Bach-Mortensen ◽  
Michelle Degli Esposti
Keyword(s):  
Negative Binomial ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Negative Binomial Regression ◽  
Population Characteristics ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Area Deprivation ◽  
Binomial Regression ◽  
Index Of Multiple Deprivation

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted care homes and vulnerable populations, exacerbating existing health inequalities. However, the role of area deprivation in shaping the impacts of COVID-19 in care homes is poorly understood. We examine whether area deprivation is linked to higher rates of COVID-19 outbreaks and deaths among care home residents across upper tier local authorities in England (n=149).MethodsWe constructed a novel dataset from publicly available data. Using negative binomial regression models, we analysed the associations between area deprivation (Income Deprivation Affecting Older People Index (IDAOPI) and Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) extent) as the exposure and COVID-19 outbreaks, COVID-19-related deaths and all-cause deaths among care home residents as three separate outcomes—adjusting for population characteristics (size, age composition, ethnicity).ResultsCOVID-19 outbreaks in care homes did not vary by area deprivation. However, COVID-19-related deaths were more common in the most deprived quartiles of IDAOPI (incidence rate ratio (IRR): 1.23, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.47) and IMD extent (IRR: 1.16, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.34), compared with the least deprived quartiles.DiscussionThese findings suggest that area deprivation is a key risk factor in COVID-19 deaths among care home residents. Future research should look to replicate these results when more complete data become available.

scholarly journals Organizational Support Experiences of Care Home and Home Care Staff in Sweden, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 767
Author(s):  
Connie Lethin ◽  
Andrea Kenkmann ◽  
Carlos Chiatti ◽  
Jonas Christensen ◽  
Tamara Backhouse ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Organizational Support ◽  
Care Home ◽  
External Support ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Care Organization ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Staff Experiences

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected care workers all over the globe, as older and more vulnerable people face a high risk of developing severe symptoms and dying from the virus infection. The aim of this study was to compare staff experiences of stress and anxiety as well as internal and external organizational support in Sweden, Italy, Germany, and the United Kingdom (UK) in order to determine how care staff were affected by the pandemic. A 29-item online questionnaire was used to collect data from care staff respondents: management (n = 136), nurses (n = 132), nursing assistants (n = 195), and other healthcare staff working in these organizations (n = 132). Stress and anxiety levels were highest in the UK and Germany, with Swedish staff showing the least stress. Internal and external support only partially explain the outcomes. Striking discrepancies between different staff groups’ assessment of organizational support as well as a lack of staff voice in the UK and Germany could be key factors in understanding staff’s stress levels during the pandemic. Structural, political, cultural, and economic factors play a significant role, not only factors within the care organization or in the immediate context.

scholarly journals Feasibility Study of a Digital Screen-Based Calming Device for Managing BPSD During Care

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 755-755
Author(s):  
Gloria Gutman ◽  
Avantika Vashisht ◽  
Taranjot Kaur ◽  
Ryan Churchill ◽  
Amir Moztarzadeh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Usual Care ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Routine Care ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Item Checklist ◽  
And Control

Abstract MindfulGarden (MG) is a digital device resembling a flat screen TV, with touchless sensors that react to voice and motion. In this study 13 long-term care home residents aged 74-100 exhibiting Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD) were randomized to treatment and control groups. On days 1-3 the treatment group received usual care plus exposure to MG during morning and evening care - events well documented to be problematic for residents and care staff; controls received usual care only. On day 4 both groups were exposed to MG with verbal cueing. A 26-item checklist was used to record frequency and types of disruptive BPSD exhibited; care duration was recorded in minutes. There was a trend toward reduction of BPSD and duration of care during morning care. Findings suggest that verbal cueing may be important for successful implementation of MG in calming residents with dementia during routine care.

scholarly journals Future research avenues to facilitate social connectedness and safe collective behavior at organized crowd events

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 216-222
Author(s):  
Anne Templeton
Keyword(s):  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Extreme Case ◽  
Group Processes ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Collective Behaviors ◽  
Accurate Perception ◽  
Working Together ◽  
Future Research Directions ◽  
Crowd Psychology ◽  
Perception Of Health

During the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers of crowd events must facilitate physical distancing in environments where attendees previously enjoyed being close with ingroup members, encourage accurate perception of health risks and close adherence to safety guidance, and stop expected normative behaviors that may now be unsafe. Research from crowd psychology demonstrates how group processes are integral to each of these issues. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, has created an extreme case environment in which to evaluate the collective findings from previous research and identify future research directions. This paper outlines how organizers of crowd events and researchers can work together to further develop our understanding of social connectedness in crowds, reasons for risk-taking behavior, and level of engagement in new collective behaviors. By working together to address these issues, practitioners and researchers can develop our understanding of crowd processes and improve safety at future crowd events.

scholarly journals Social Cohesion and Community Resilience During COVID-19 and Pandemics: A Rapid Scoping Review to Inform the United Nations Research Roadmap for COVID-19 Recovery

2021 ◽  
pp. 002073142199709
Author(s):  
Rae L. Jewett ◽  
Sarah M. Mah ◽  
Nicholas Howell ◽  
Mandi M. Larsen
Keyword(s):  
United Nations ◽  
Social Cohesion ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Social Inequalities ◽  
Community Resilience ◽  
Relationship Building ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Regional Government ◽  
Recovery Planning ◽  
The United Nations

Shock events uncover deficits in social cohesion and exacerbate existing social inequalities at the household, community, local, regional, and national levels. National and regional government recovery planning requires careful stakeholder engagement that centers on marginalized people, particularly women and marginalized community leaders. The aim of this rapid scoping review was to inform the United Nations Research Roadmap for the COVID-19 Recovery, based on Pillar 5 of the United Nations Framework for the Immediate Socioeconomic Response to COVID-19: Social Cohesion and Community Resilience. We present a summary of key concepts across the literature that helped situate this review. The results include a description of the state of the science and a review of themes identified as being crucial to sustainable and equitable recovery planning by the United Nations. The role of social cohesion during a disaster, particularly its importance for upstream planning and relationship building before a disaster occurs, is not well understood and is a promising area of future research. Understanding the applicability of social cohesion measurement methodologies and outcomes across different communities and geographies, as well as the development of new and relevant instruments and techniques, is urgently needed in the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Shared Gaze Visualizations in Collaborative Interactions: Past, Present and Future

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah D’Angelo ◽  
Bertrand Schneider
Keyword(s):  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Small Groups ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Remote Collaboration ◽  
The Past ◽  
Collaborative Interactions ◽  
Significant Step ◽  
Shared Gaze ◽  
Tracking Technology

Abstract The past decade has witnessed a growing interest for using dual eye tracking to understand and support remote collaboration, especially with studies that have established the benefits of displaying gaze information for small groups. While this line of work is promising, we lack a consistent framework that researchers can use to organize and categorize studies on the effect of shared gaze on social interactions. There exists a wide variety of terminology and methods for describing attentional alignment; researchers have used diverse techniques for designing gaze visualizations. The settings studied range from real-time peer collaboration to asynchronous viewing of eye-tracking video of an expert providing explanations. There has not been a conscious effort to synthesize and understand how these different approaches, techniques and applications impact the effectiveness of shared gaze visualizations (SGVs). In this paper, we summarize the related literature and the benefits of SGVs for collaboration, describe important terminology as well as appropriate measures for the dual eye-tracking space and discuss promising directions for future research. As eye-tracking technology becomes more ubiquitous, there is pressing need to develop a consistent approach to evaluation and design of SGVs. The present paper makes a first and significant step in this direction.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document