scholarly journals Social Connection is Essential in Long-Term Care Homes: Considerations During COVID-19 and Beyond

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-153
Author(s):  
Jennifer Bethell ◽  
Hannah M. O'Rourke ◽  
Heather Eagleson ◽  
Daniel Gaetano ◽  
Wayne Hykaway ◽  
...  

COVID-19 has had a profound impact on long-term care (LTC) homes in Canada. But the measures put in place to control infection within LTC homes have also had devastating impacts on the health and well-being of residents through the effects on social connection. Here, we offer guiding principles to enable social connection and promote health and quality of life for LTC residents during COVID-19 and beyond. These principles were generated by a working group of the CO­VID-19 and Dementia Task Force, convened by the Alzheimer Society of Canada to identify the urgent and emerging issues raised by COVID-19 for Canadians with dementia.

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S161-S161
Author(s):  
Rebecca L Mauldin ◽  
Kathy Lee ◽  
Antwan Williams

Abstract Older adults from racial and ethnic minority groups face health inequities in long-term care facilities such as nursing homes and assisted living facilities just as they do in the United States as a whole. In spite of federal policy to support minority health and ensure the well-being of long-term care facility residents, disparities persist in residents’ quality of care and quality of life. This poster presents current federal policy in the United States to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities and to support long-term care facility residents’ health and well-being. It includes legislation enacted by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA), regulations of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) for health care facilities receiving Medicare or Medicare funds, and policies of the Long-term Care Ombudsman Program. Recommendations to address threats to or gaps in these policies include monitoring congressional efforts to revise portions of the ACA, revising DHHS requirements for long-term care facilities staff training and oversight, and amending requirements for the Long-term Care Ombudsman Program to mandate collection, analysis, and reporting of resident complaint data by race and ethnicity.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S669-S669
Author(s):  
Kelly Shryock ◽  
Jacinta Dickens ◽  
Anisha Thomas ◽  
Suzanne Meeks

Abstract Research on end-of-life care in nursing homes comes largely from the viewpoint of staff or family members. We examined patient perspectives on end-of-life care, preferences for care, and quality of life in long-term care settings. We hypothesized that fulfillment of the Self Determination Theory (SDT) needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness would be related to better well-being and that the degree to which end-of-life care preferences are seen as possible in the setting would be related to SDT need fulfillment and well-being. Preliminary data, collected from older individuals at the end of life (over 55, presence of significant chronic disease, in long term care setting) (n= 72), demonstrated that autonomy, competence, and relatedness measures were moderately and significantly correlated with well-being as measured by life satisfaction, higher positive affect, lower negative affect, and overall quality of life measures The degree to which residents believed that their end-of-life care preferences could be honored in the setting was also significantly correlated with autonomy, competence, relatedness, positive affect, and psychological quality of life. These results are consistent with SDT and suggest that if long term care settings can promote autonomy, connection, and competence in making end of life decisions, possibly by discovering and fulfilling preferences for end of life care, individuals who end their lives on those settings have potential for greater satisfaction and happiness. These results suggest that SDT is a useful framework for ongoing research on how to improve the end of life experiences of older adults in long term care.


2019 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 233372141986119
Author(s):  
Eleanor S. McConnell ◽  
Julienne Meyer

The global prevalence of dementia is growing rapidly, driving an increased use of residential long-term care (LTC) services. Performance indicators for residential LTC should support targeting of limited resources to promote person-centered care, health, and well-being for both patients and caregivers (formal and informal), yet many performance indicators remain focused on structure, process, or outcome measures that are only assumed to support personally relevant outcomes for those with dementia, without direct evidence of meaningfulness for these individuals. In this article, two complementary approaches to assessing quality in residential LTC serve as a lens for examining a series of tensions related to assessment in this setting. These include measurement-focused approaches using generic psychometrically valid instruments, often used to monitor quality of services, and meaning-focused approaches using individual subjective assessment of personally relevant outcomes, often used to monitor care planning. Examples from the European and U.S. literature suggest an opportunity to strengthen an emphasis on personally meaning-focused outcomes in quality assessment.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S341-S341
Author(s):  
Shu-Chuan Chen ◽  
Wendy Moyle ◽  
Cindy Jones

Abstract Aim: This study aimed to explore the effect of a social robot Paro intervention on depression and well-being in older adults with depression living in long-term care facilities in Taiwan. Methods: This study was adopted a single group and quasi-experimental with repeated measures design. Each participant participated in two stages: observation and Paro intervention stages. Stage 1 was an 8-week observation stage in long-term care facilities where the purpose was to observe the normal mood, behaviour and activities of older adults with depression. In stage 2, each participant was given a Paro by the researcher to keep for 24 hours for 7 days in for 8 weeks. Outcome measurements were obtained 4 times: a week before the intervention (T1), immediately the end of 8-week observation (T2), mid-point of Paro intervention (T3), and immediately the end of 8-week Paro intervention (T4). Instruments included the Geriatric Depression Scale, the UCLA Loneliness Scale version 3, and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire-OLD. Results: There were 20 participants completed the study. The mean age of participants was 81.1years (SD = 8.2). After 8-week Paro intervention, statistically significant differences in changes were found on depression, loneliness, and quality of life from pre-intervention to post-intervention. Conclusion: This study was found that Paro intervention has beneficial effects on depression and mental well-being for older people with depression in long-term care facilities. Paro Intervention might be a suitable psychosocial intervention for older people with depression and should be considered as a useful tool in clinical practice.


2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 753-765 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda J. Garcia ◽  
Michèle Hébert ◽  
Jean Kozak ◽  
Isabelle Sénécal ◽  
Susan E. Slaughter ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTBackground: Disruptive behaviors are frequent and often the first predictor of institutionalization. The goal of this multi-center study was to explore the perceptions of family and staff members on the potential contribution of environmental factors that influence disruptive behaviors and quality of life of residents with dementia living in long-term care homes.Methods: Data were collected using 15 nominal focus groups with 45 family and 59 staff members from eight care units. Groups discussed and created lists of factors that could either reduce disruptive behaviors and facilitate quality of life or encourage disruptive behaviors and impede the quality of life of residents. Then each participant individually selected the nine most important facilitators and obstacles. Themes were identified from the lists of data and operational categories and definitions were developed for independent coding by four researchers.Results: Participants from both family and staff nominal focus groups highlighted facility, staffing, and resident factors to consider when creating optimal environments. Human environments were perceived to be more important than physical environments and flexibility was judged to be essential. Noise was identified as one of the most important factors influencing behavior and quality of life of residents.Conclusion: Specialized physical design features can be useful for maintaining quality of life and reducing disruptive behaviors, but they are not sufficient. Although they can ease some of the anxieties and set the stage for social interactions, individuals who make up the human environment are just as important in promoting well-being among residents.


1996 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 254-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ron D. Hays ◽  
Albert L. Siu ◽  
Emmett Keeler ◽  
Grant N. Marshall ◽  
Robert M. Kaplan ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S502-S502
Author(s):  
Peter S Reed ◽  
Zebbedia Gibb

Abstract Interdisciplinary geriatric assessment has long been considered best practice to identify the full range of elder care needs. In 2015, the Sanford Center for Aging launched an interdisciplinary comprehensive geriatric assessment clinic. This team-based assessment includes a geriatrician, social worker and pharmacist meeting together with each client to review all aspects of their health and well-being, resulting in a comprehensive care plan to coordinate care with the client’s primary care provider. To assess this approach, a survey was conducted with 415 randomly-selected clients prior to the clinical visit, with a 6-month follow-up survey completed for 170 clients (41%), gathering data on hospitalizations, long-term care utilization and quality of life. Combining these data with clinical assessment data provides a picture of clinical complexities of elder clients and offers a mandate for comprehensive interdisciplinary care. Baseline data showed 44% hospitalized in the prior year; an average of 4 chronic conditions and 10 medications; 44% with dementia or MCI and 29% with frailty. At 6-months post-assessment, 29% reported being hospitalized, 3.5% reported moving into long-term care, and there was a slight, non-significant decrease in quality of life. These data demonstrate the profound complexities that can be identified and addressed through comprehensive assessment and care, as well as the potential to reduce hospitalizations, enable people to age-in-place and maintain quality of life. Despite the well-documented value of these approaches, Medicare and other payers have not fully embraced the opportunity to achieve these positive outcomes and remain hesitant to adequately fund comprehensive approaches to care.


2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (8) ◽  
pp. 981-991 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shu-Chuan Chen ◽  
Wendy Moyle ◽  
Cindy Jones ◽  
Helen Petsky

ABSTRACTObjectives:To investigate the effect of a social robot intervention on depression, loneliness, and quality of life of older adults in long-term care (LTC) and to explore participants’ experiences and perceptions after the intervention.Design:A mixed-methods approach consisting of a single group, before and after quasi-experimental design, and individual interview.Participants:Twenty older adults with depression from four LTC facilities in Taiwan were recruited.Intervention:Each participant participated in 8 weeks of observation and 8 weeks of intervention. In the observation stage, participants received usual care or activities without any research intervention. In the intervention stage, each participant was given a Paro (Personal Assistive RobOt) to keep for 24 hours, 7 days a week.Measurements:The Geriatric Depression Scale, the UCLA Loneliness Scale Version 3, and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire for older adults were administered at four time points. Individual qualitative interviews with thematic analysis followed.Results:A repeated multivariate analysis of variance and Friedmanʼs test showed no significant changes during the observation stage between T1 and T2 for depression and quality of life (p >.5). For the intervention stage, statistically significant changes in decreasing depression and loneliness and improving quality of life over time were identified. Three themes emerged from the interviews: (i) humanizing Paro through referring to personal experiences and engagement; (ii) increased social interaction with other people; and (iii) companionship resulting in improved mental well-being.Conclusions:There were significant improvements in mental well-being in using Paro. Further research may help us to understand the advantages of using a Paro intervention as depression therapy.


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