A dietary nutrient intake study of ninety-five residents of a nursing home in rural community was conducted. Nutrient intakes were determined for seven consecutive days using the method of weighing food served and weighing food left by subjects. Patients on in the study. Snacks consumed between meals and vitamin and mineral supplements were included in the nutrient intakes. Height, weight, body mass index, tricep skinfold measurement and serum blood laboratory data were obtained for each subject. Activity levels were also determined. Results showed the mean caloric intake of the men was 2152+331. For the women the mean caloric intake was 1869+251. Nutrients less 100 percent standard (RDA 1974) were energy, calcium, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin C, potassium, fiber and fat for the men and for the women energy, calcium, iron, thiamin, niacin, vitamin C, potassium, fiber and fat. Mean Index of Nutritional Quality values for selected nutrients indicated that for men protein, vitamins A, C, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, iron, calcium and phosphorus and INQ ratios of 1.0 or greater. INQ ratios for the women indicated that protein, vitamin A, C, riboflavin, niacin, iron, calcium, and phosphorus were greater than 1.0. Correlations were found between BMI and tricep skinfold measurement and a weak correlation between kilocalories and BMI for both men and women. All of the mean serum blood values were within normal limits except for albumin. Further studies using these methods will need to be done to determine whether high caloric intake of both men and women compared to other studies of nutrient intake of elderly subjects was possibly the result of more careful analysis or because subjects were more active.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 96-104).

The excessive use of chemical and physical restraints in intermediate care facilities has been a subject of study since the early eighties, and has produced several explanations for why restraint use continues to be practiced. One of the primary reasons often cited is that restraints are used to control "problematic behavior" commonly exhibited by a person suffering from dementia. The focus of the proposed project is to analyze whether restraint practices for residents with moderate to severe dementia differ between Special Care Units and integrated units within long term care facilities. The main objective of the study is to demonstrate whether seniors with dementia residing in Special Care Units will be less likely to encounter physical and chemical restraints than demented residents living within an integrated facility. This objective explores the assumption that Special Care Units were designed to meet the needs of residents with dementia, and therefore, care providers should be more accepting of deviant behaviours. The findings revealed that the more severe the level of memory impairment the more likely a resident would be placed in a Special Care Unit. Once located in these Special Care Units, residents were more likely to experience physical and chemical restraints than their counterparts in integrated care units.

This thesis presents a study about the experience of becoming a nursing home resident as it affects the identity and self-esteem of very old persons. / In a qualitative study with six female residents of an English-speaking Centre d'Acceuil in Montreal, themes are explored in the light of theory about the effects of institutionalization. Consideration is given to the dynamics of relationships with family, friends, peers and staff. Loss of autonomy is singled out as the factor having the most impact on the individuals in the study. / As life draws to a close, each of the women interviewed struggles in her own way with conflict between the value of self-determination and the value of acceptance of dependence on others. The author suggests that the attempt to reconcile these two values may be a "life-task" for very old institutionalized persons. Questions are raised at the level of planning for institutional policy and a direction is indicated for the education of social workers planning to work with an elderly clientele.

The assumption underlying this study is that a spatially well planned and appropriately furnished nursing home facility will help the nurses to perform their work more effectively and accordingly lead to more satisfaction for the residents. Research in the forms of a literature review, a movie analysis, and a field study of nursing homes in Germany and the USA, including plan annotations and observational mapping, trace study analyses and survey techniques, was conducted and revealed an unexpected urgent need for nursing home design improvement, especially in the U.S. The research results led to the development of a catalogue of patterns which are useful in the design and planning of a nursing home to improve nurses’ effectiveness in administering care to fulltime residents of nursing homes. With the help of the developed patterns, suggestions for building renovations of two of the researched nursing homes, one American and one German, were given. / Department of Architecture

Thesis (M.T.S.)--Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, 1993. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.N.) -- Memorial University of Newfoundland. / Typescript. Bibliography: leaves 65-70. Also available online.

The excessive use of chemical and physical restraints in intermediate care facilities has been a subject of study since the early eighties, and has produced several explanations for why restraint use continues to be practiced. One of the primary reasons often cited is that restraints are used to control "problematic behavior" commonly exhibited by a person suffering from dementia. The focus of the proposed project is to analyze whether restraint practices for residents with moderate to severe dementia differ between Special Care Units and integrated units within long term care facilities. The main objective of the study is to demonstrate whether seniors with dementia residing in Special Care Units will be less likely to encounter physical and chemical restraints than demented residents living within an integrated facility. This objective explores the assumption that Special Care Units were designed to meet the needs of residents with dementia, and therefore, care providers should be more accepting of deviant behaviours. The findings revealed that the more severe the level of memory impairment the more likely a resident would be placed in a Special Care Unit. Once located in these Special Care Units, residents were more likely to experience physical and chemical restraints than their counterparts in integrated care units. / Arts, Faculty of / Anthropology, Department of / Graduate

No description available.

Research shows that healthcare providers (HCPs) are not adequately prepared to provide comfort care for patients who are at the end of life. Since the 1990s, numerous legislative, research, and clinical initiatives have addressed concerns about improving care at the end of life. The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences of HCPs providing comfort for patients in the nursing home who are at the end of life. This study focused on physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses and nurses' aides at a central Florida nursing home. A descriptive qualitative design was done utilizing a focus group discussion, individual interviews, and a self-administered questionnaire. The findings indicated that a lack of facility support, inadequate staffing, inadequate end of life care education, family and patient denial of prognosis, as well as decreased primary care physician involvement affect the delivery of comfort care for patients at the end of life in the nursing home. This study supports the need for end of life education to HCPs and the need for adjustments in staffing to meet the complex needs of patients in the nursing home who are at the end of life. A new finding of this study reflects the use of an angel cart to aid in the provision of comfort care for patients at the end of life. Recommendations for future research were made based on study results