The abuse of older people is a largely unrecognised and under acknowledged social problem in Australia. My major objective in undertaking the work, which is represented by the original published articles that comprise the thesis, was to make a scholarly and practical contribution toward the minimisation of 'elder abuse. This objective was achieved with the development and implementation of a series of studies that articulated and ameliorated elder abuse in Australia.The thesis provides an erudite synthesis of these studies, which fall into four themes that illustrate the nature and scope of my theoretical and professional work in elder abuse. Much of the work was guided by a conceptual framework of ways of knowing in nursing, and was underpinned by the principles and practice of community development and participatory community-based action processes.The outcomes of these studies include work with three stakeholder groups: professionals who deal with elder abuse, older people who are victims or potential victims of abuse, and those who perpetrate abuse on an older person. The work, illustrated in the four themes, includesthe articulation of elder abuse issues with West Australian aged care workersthe development of elder abuse protocols, policy guidelines and ethical principles, to guide professional practice in abuse prevention and interventionthe design and implementation of participative community programs to empower older people, and their carers, to resist being abused or abusing and to assist perpetrators stop their abusethe amelioration of abuse of nursing home residents by staff.The thesis situates my conceptual and clinical effort within the wider corpus of Australian knowledge and practice on elder abuse and contributes to addressing the social problem of elder abuse within the context of Australian aged care.

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Yes / This article aims to explore family perspectives on their involvement in the timely detection of changes in their relatives' health in UK nursing homes. Increasingly, policy attention is being paid to the need to reduce hospitalisations for conditions that, if detected and treated in time, could be managed in the community. We know that family continue to be involved in the care of their family members once they have moved into a nursing home. Little is known, however, about family involvement in the timely detection of changes in health in nursing home residents. This was a qualitative exploratory study with thematic analysis. A purposive sampling strategy was applied. 14 semi-structured one-to-one telephone interviews with family members of people living in 13 different UK nursing homes. Data were collected from November 2015 to March 2016. Families were involved in the timely detection of changes in health in three key ways: noticing signs of changes in health, informing care staff about what they noticed, and educating care staff about their family members' changes in health. Families suggested they could be supported to detect timely changes in health by developing effective working practices with care staff. Families can provide a special contribution to the process of timely detection in nursing homes. Their involvement needs to be negotiated, better supported, as well as given more legitimacy and structure within the nursing home. Families could provide much needed support to nursing home nurses, care assistants, and managers in timely detection of changes in health. This may be achieved through communication about their preferred involvement on a case-by-case basis as well as providing appropriate support or services. / NIH Research Programme Grant for Applied Research (RP-PG-0612-20010)

<p>Hip fractures are the most serious consequence of osteoporosis, and are one important cause of morbidity and mortality among the elderly. Prophylactic treatment for hip fractures are now available. Early detection of individuals with increased risk for hip fractures is therefor of great interest. A subset of non-institutionalised patients with a first hip fracture (cases;n=l18) and controls (n=263), aged 65-85 years, underwent dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) of the femoral neck, quantitative ultrasound (QUS) of the heel and phalanges and radiographic absorptiometry (RA) of the phalanges. The entire cohort was followed for approximately four years or to death. In women, DXA of the proximal femur and QUS of the heel showed a high predictive value for an incident first hip fracture, adjusted odds ratio (OR) 3.6 (95% confidence interval (CI) 2.4-5.5) and 3.4 (95%CI 2.2-5.0) respectively. The association was even stronger in men, but only for DXA of the proximal femu,r with an adjusted OR of4.8 (95%CI 2.3-9.9). Bone densitometry at non-weight-bearing sites, QUS and RA of the phalanges did not discriminate female cases from controls, but proved capable of separating male cases from controls. The risk of death was higher in cases than in controls, with a multivariate rate ratio (RR) of 3.4 (95%CI 1.7-7.0). There was no significant association between bone density and mortality. </p><p>Nursing home residents underwent QUS of the heel and phalanges. Almost all of the female residents and 51% of the male residents were, if the WHO-criterion for osteoporosis was applied, osteoporotic as assessed by heel and finger QUS. The QUS values were approximately 1.5 SD lower than expected for age and gender. </p><p>In this randomised controlled intervention study we evaluated the effect of external hip protectors in nursing home residents; 302 residents were allocated to wear such protectors and 442 were controls. External hip protectors were found to be effective in preventing hip fractures in nursing home residents, with an adjusted relative risk for hip fracture of 0.33 (CI 0.11 - 1.00). </p>

Hip fractures are the most serious consequence of osteoporosis, and are one important cause of morbidity and mortality among the elderly. Prophylactic treatment for hip fractures are now available. Early detection of individuals with increased risk for hip fractures is therefor of great interest. A subset of non-institutionalised patients with a first hip fracture (cases;n=l18) and controls (n=263), aged 65-85 years, underwent dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) of the femoral neck, quantitative ultrasound (QUS) of the heel and phalanges and radiographic absorptiometry (RA) of the phalanges. The entire cohort was followed for approximately four years or to death. In women, DXA of the proximal femur and QUS of the heel showed a high predictive value for an incident first hip fracture, adjusted odds ratio (OR) 3.6 (95% confidence interval (CI) 2.4-5.5) and 3.4 (95%CI 2.2-5.0) respectively. The association was even stronger in men, but only for DXA of the proximal femu,r with an adjusted OR of4.8 (95%CI 2.3-9.9). Bone densitometry at non-weight-bearing sites, QUS and RA of the phalanges did not discriminate female cases from controls, but proved capable of separating male cases from controls. The risk of death was higher in cases than in controls, with a multivariate rate ratio (RR) of 3.4 (95%CI 1.7-7.0). There was no significant association between bone density and mortality. Nursing home residents underwent QUS of the heel and phalanges. Almost all of the female residents and 51% of the male residents were, if the WHO-criterion for osteoporosis was applied, osteoporotic as assessed by heel and finger QUS. The QUS values were approximately 1.5 SD lower than expected for age and gender. In this randomised controlled intervention study we evaluated the effect of external hip protectors in nursing home residents; 302 residents were allocated to wear such protectors and 442 were controls. External hip protectors were found to be effective in preventing hip fractures in nursing home residents, with an adjusted relative risk for hip fracture of 0.33 (CI 0.11 - 1.00).

This study examined the effects of volunteer counselor training (empathy training versus information only) and age of volunteer (senior citizens versus adolescents) upon depression level of nursing home residents. Results showed that residents who received a volunteer counselor significantly improved (p < .01) in level of depression compared to the no volunteer control group. The empathy trained counselors were not significantly more effective than the information only group. The age of the. volunteer counselor was found not to be a significant variable.

Yes / Objectives To pilot a complex intervention to support healthcare and improve early detection and treatment for common health conditions experienced by nursing home (NH) residents. Design Pilot cluster randomised controlled trial. Setting 14 NHs (7 intervention, 7 control) in London and West Yorkshire. Participants NH residents, their family carers and staff. Intervention Complex intervention to support healthcare and improve early detection and treatment of urinary tract and respiratory infections, chronic heart failure and dehydration, comprising: (1) ‘Stop and Watch (S&W)’ early warning tool for changes in physical health, (2) condition-specific care pathway and (3) Situation, Background, Assessment and Recommendation tool to enhance communication with primary care. Implementation was supported by Practice Development Champions, a Practice Development Support Group and regular telephone coaching with external facilitators. Outcome measures Data on NH (quality ratings, size, ownership), residents, family carers and staff demographics during the month prior to intervention and subsequently, numbers of admissions, accident and emergency visits, and unscheduled general practitioner visits monthly for 6 months during intervention. We collected data on how the intervention was used, healthcare resource use and quality of life data for economic evaluation. We assessed recruitment and retention, and whether a full trial was warranted. Results We recruited 14 NHs, 148 staff, 95 family carers and 245 residents. We retained the majority of participants recruited (95%). 15% of residents had an unplanned hospital admission for one of the four study conditions. We were able to collect sufficient questionnaire data (all over 96% complete). No NH implemented intervention tools as planned. Only 16 S&W forms and 8 care pathways were completed. There was no evidence of harm. Conclusions Recruitment, retention and data collection processes were effective but the intervention not implemented. A full trial is not warranted.

By 2040, 79.7 million older adults will live in the US, and nearly 40% will need nursing home services that are primarily funded by Medicare and Medicaid. Researchers have underscored the importance of leadership in quality healthcare care delivery, suggesting that nursing home administrator turnover could influence resident quality of life, causing ill-health for the residents and preventable medical costs for taxpayers. In spite of the suggested association, little research has specifically examined the role of administrator turnover on resident quality of life. As such, the purpose and central research questions of this case study were designed specifically to address the relationship between nursing home administrator turnover and resident quality of life. The Donabedian health services quality model was the framework for the study. Data were collected from 14 nursing homes, and included semistructured interview data with 7 nursing home administrators, and a review of other documents related to quality of care including site visit reports and surveys. An iterative process of coding and constant comparison was used to identify themes and categories from the data. The findings indicate that turnover likely caused an adverse impact on the nursing home overall, which was expected. The study also determined, however, that high turnover itself was not perceived to be associated to low resident quality of life. The implication for social change is that nursing home stakeholders may develop processes to retain competent administrators which in turn could reduce absent leadership presence in nursing homes. Consistent leadership presence may lead to improvement in quality of life regulatory compliance and reduction in unnecessary Medicare and Medicaid spending by nursing home residents.

<p>Vår åldrande befolkning har ett ökande behov av vårdande för att upprätthålla sitt välbefinnande. Kanske kan djur användas som en del av vårdandet för att främja boendes välbefinnande inom äldrevården. <strong>Bakgrund:</strong> Historiskt har djur oftast använts inom psykiatrin och då framförallt i vården av barn. Under 1990-talet började det bli vanligt att införa sällskapsdjur inom äldrevården och mycket forskning publicerades, som pekade på hälsofrämjande effekter av djurassisterat vårdande. <strong>Syfte:</strong> Syftet med detta examensarbete var att beskriva den inverkan djurassisterat vårdande kan ha på boendes välbefinnande inom äldrevården. <strong>Metod:</strong> En systematisk litteraturstudie genomfördes för att besvara syfte och frågeställning. Data samlades in både manuellt och genom databassökning. Endast vetenskapliga forskningsartiklar inkluderades och datamaterialet var både kvantitativt och kvalitativt. Datamaterialet analyserades för att identifiera kategorier. <strong>Resultat:</strong> Nio kategorier identifierades varav åtta beskriver hur djurs medverkan i vården främjat välbefinnande hos äldre. Den nionde kategorin beskriver på vilka sätt djuren orsakat uttryck för illabefinnande. <strong>Slutsats:</strong> Fördelarna med djurassisterat vårdande uppvägde nackdelarna med god marginal, vilket gör att författarna anser att examensarbetets resultat pekar på att djurassisterat vårdande kan användas i praktiken för att främja boendes välbefinnande inom äldrevården.</p> / <p>Our ageing population have an increasing need of caring to maintain their sense of well-being. Companion animals have the ability to listen without judging, they can offer friendship and make the elders feel needed. <strong>Background:</strong> Historically, animals have been used in the psychiatric setting and foremost when caring for children. During the 1990s, introduction of animals into the nursing home setting became common and a substantial amount of research was published, indicating health-promoting effects of animal-assisted caring. <strong>Aim:</strong> The aim of this exam paper was to describe the potential impact of animal-assisted caring on well-being of older adults in the nursing home setting. <strong>Method:</strong> A systematic review was conducted in response to the aim and study question. Data was collected both manually and by searching a database. Only research-based journal articles were included and both quantitative and qualitative data was retrieved. The data was analyzed to identify categories. <strong>Results:</strong> Nine categories were identified including eight categories describing how animal contribution led to promotion of well-being among the elderly. The ninth category describes the ways animal-assisted caring caused expressions of ill-being. <strong>Conclusion:</strong> The benefits of animal-assisted caring outweighed the disadvantages by far, which led the authors to conclude that the results of this exam paper supports the implementation of animal-assisted caring in practice to promote well-being in elderly nursing home residents.</p>