scholarly journals Defining Your “Life Territory”: The Meaning of Place and Home for Community Dwellers and Nursing Home Residents—A Qualitative Study in Four European Countries

Author(s):  
Fiona Ecarnot ◽  
Stéphane Sanchez ◽  
Gilles Berrut ◽  
Véronique Suissa ◽  
Serge Guérin ◽  
...  

The meaning of place and home for community dwellers and nursing home residents remains unclear. We explored the relationship between older people and their “life territory”, to propose a working definition of this concept, which could be used to orient policy decisions. Individual, semi-structured interviews were performed with older people, nursing home staff, and representatives of local institutions/elected officials in four European countries (France, Belgium, Germany, Italy). Interviews were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. In total, 54 interviews were performed. Five main themes emerged: (i) working definition of “your life territory” (a multidimensional concept covering individual and collective aspects); (ii) importance of the built environment (e.g., public transport, sidewalks, benches, access ramps); (iii) interactions between nursing homes and the outside community (specifically the need to maintain interactions with the local community); (iv) a sense of integration (dependent on social contacts, seniority in the area, perceived self-utility); and (v) the use of new technologies (to promote integration, social contacts and access to culture). This study found that the “life territory” of older people is a multidimensional concept, centred around five main domains, which together contribute to integrating older people into the fibre of their community.

2022 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-66
Author(s):  
Vesna Žegarac Leskovar ◽  
Vanja Skalicky Klemenčič

Currently, many older people live in institutions for various social and health reasons. In Slovenia, this proportion is almost 5% of the population aged 65 and over. In the COVID-19 pandemic, the elderly proved to be the most vulnerable social group, as they are exposed to a number of comorbidities that increase the risk of mortality. At that time, nursing homes represented one of the most critical types of housing, as seen from a disproportionate number of infections and deaths among nursing home residents worldwide, including Slovenia. During the emergency, a number of safety protocols had to be followed to prevent the spread of infection. Unfortunately, it turned out that while the safety measures protected the nursing home residents, they also had a negative effect on their mental health, mainly due to isolation and social distancing. It follows that especially in times of epidemics of infectious respiratory diseases, the quality of life in nursing homes requires special attention. In this context, it is also necessary to consider whether and how an appropriate architectural design can help mitigating the spread of infections, while at the same time enable older people to live in dignity and with a minimum of social exclusion. To this end, the present study examined 97 nursing homes in Slovenia, analysing the number of infections in nursing homes and their correlation with the degree of infection in the corresponding region in Slovenia. Additionally, 2 nursing homes were studied in more detail with the use of newly developed “Safe and Connected” evaluation tool, analysing the architectural features of each building. The advantages identified so far include living in smaller units, single rooms with balconies, the possibility of using green open spaces and the use of an adequate ventilation. Conclusions of this study are useful for further consideration of design of new nursing homes and the refurbishment of existing ones.


2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 35-44
Author(s):  
I. Martens ◽  
H. Verbeek ◽  
J. Aarts ◽  
W.P.H. Bosems ◽  
E. Felix ◽  
...  

Purpose Over 8 per cent of the Dutch nursing home population is bedfast, and this number is slowly increasing. The quality of life (QoL) of this population is lower than that of residents who are still mobile. Little research has been conducted on how to improve the QoL of this bedfast population, particularly through making technological adjustments to the bed and the direct surroundings. The purpose of this paper is to gain insight into the QoL of bedfast residents and how to improve this through technology. Design/methodology/approach A mixed-method multi-case study with thematic analysis was conducted in two nursing homes with seven participants based on semi-structured interviews and Short Form-12 questionnaire. Findings The major causes of the experienced low QoL were the limited opportunities for engaging in social contacts with others, and coping with the dependency on other people and having limited control. Participants suggested improvements of QoL through the application of modern communication technologies to engage in social contacts and to control the bed itself and environment around the bed. Practical implications The results may help improve the design of the bed and the direct environment in order to improve the QoL of bedfast nursing home residents. Originality/value The QoL of bedfast nursing home residents has not been studied before in relation to the bed itself and technological solutions that may help improve the QoL and level of control.


2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. iii17-iii65
Author(s):  
Aoife McFeely ◽  
Cliona Small ◽  
Susie Hyland ◽  
Jonathan O'Keeffe ◽  
Graham Hughes ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Older people living in Nursing Homes (NHs) represent a frail and vulnerable group. With multiple co-morbidities they are at increased risk of acute health deterioration prompting urgent hospital transfer. Our aim was to examine the outcomes for nursing home residents following unscheduled hospital attendances. Methods A prospective database was collected between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2017. This recorded all emergency admissions of older people from NHs. The data was retrospectively analysed. Outcomes assessed included: length of stay (LOS), 30-day readmission rates, number of readmissions within one year and mortality. We compared these results to similar data collected in 2012-13. Results Over a two-year period, there were 1435 hospital admissions; a 7% increase from 1015 in 2012. 60% were female and 40% male with a mean age of 84.7 years. The average LOS was 9.58 days (vs 11.2 days in 2012-13). The 30-day readmission rate was 9.8% (vs 14% in 2012-13). 30.45% of all patients went on to have 2 or more readmissions within one year, an increase from 21.1% in 2012-13. The total in-hospital mortality was 14%. Conclusion An increase in the number of NH residents presenting to an acute hospital over the past 5 years was observed. Despite this, we have seen reductions in average LOS and 30 day readmission rates. There is, however, an increasing number of recurrent admissions (≥ 2) to the hospital within one year. These results highlight the importance of an integrated approach to patient care; from the primary care team, hospital team, palliative and community care services. We believe the continued development of Nursing Home Outreach Programmes and community liaison services, combined with the evolving role of the in-hospital Geriatric ANP and liaison palliative care team, will help reduce inappropriate ED referrals and encourage advanced care planning.


2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 239
Author(s):  
Cecilia A. Yeboah

As part of the findings of a study on culturally and linguistically diverse older people relocating to a nursing home, this paper contributes to our understanding of how older people draw on their cultural history to explain their decisions to relocate. Family reciprocity was identified by most participants as central to their decisions, regardless of their specific cultural origins. Using the grounded theory methodology, data were collected through progressive, semi-structured, repeated, in-person, individual interviews with 20 residents of four nursing homes in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) older people, regardless of specific cultural origin, make relocation decisions based on the importance and meaning of reciprocity within families. Understanding their decisions as reflecting a culturally valued reciprocity offered a sense of cultural continuity to the relocation and was comforting to the older adults involved in the study. This study also suggests that culturally and linguistically diverse older people are much more active participants in the decision to relocate to a nursing home than is commonly recognised. The four nursing homes in the northern suburbs of Melbourne and the 20 participants studied constitute only a small proportion of all culturally and linguistically diverse older nursing home residents in Australia. Therefore, the findings may not be pertinent to other culturally and linguistically diverse elderly. Nonetheless, this study makes an important contribution to future discussions regarding cultural diversity in the nursing home relocation of culturally and linguistically diverse older Australians. The study findings provide some insight into the conditions and contexts that impact nursing home relocation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (5) ◽  
pp. 800-806 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexia Charles ◽  
Johann Detilleux ◽  
Fanny Buckinx ◽  
Jean-Yves Reginster ◽  
Bastien Gruslin ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Previous studies have shown that older people can experience a considerable change in their physical performance (PP) over time. Objectives To identify PP trajectories and their association with mortality among nursing home residents who were followed up for 3 years. Design Three-year longitudinal observational study. Setting Subjects of the SENIOR cohort. Subjects Six hundred and four nursing home residents with a mean age of 82.9 ± 9.1 years. Methods Baseline characteristics and the date of death were collected from the medical records. PP was assessed annually by the short physical performance battery (SPPB) test. Multiple imputations were performed to manage the missing data. PP trajectory groups were estimated using latent growth curve analysis. Cox proportional hazard regression models were applied to examine the risk of mortality according to the PP trajectory groups. Results Three PP trajectory groups were identified: slow decline (N = 96), moderate decline (N = 234) and fast decline (N = 274). After adjustments for potential confounding variables and the baseline SPPB scores, the residents in the fast decline and moderate decline trajectory groups had an increased risk of mortality compared to those in the slow decline trajectory group, with hazard ratio values of 1.78 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.34–2.26) and 1.37 (95% CI = 1.10–1.66), respectively. Conclusions PP trajectories provide value-added information to baseline geriatric assessments and could be used for predicting 3-year mortality among nursing home residents. It may be important to regularly monitor the SPPB score and signal an alert when a fast decline in PP is detected in older people.


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.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ming Yang ◽  
Zhaojing Huang ◽  
Jing Chen ◽  
Jiaojiao Jiang ◽  
Yun Zuo ◽  
...  

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