This study examined death and dying in assisted living (AL) and the various factors that influence these processes. The study is set in a 60-bed assisted living facility outside of Atlanta, Georgia. Data collection methods included participant observation and in-depth interviews with 28 residents and 6 staff. Data were analyzed using the grounded theory approach and focused on the 18 residents who were dying and/or died during the study period. Findings show that AL residents experience a variety of dying trajectories that vary in duration and shape; for the majority of residents, hospice is an important element in their death and dying experiences. In general, death is not communicated or acknowledged formally within the facility. Responses to deaths depend largely on the nature of the relationship the deceased resident had with others. Findings have implications for how to handle death and dying in AL and to improve residents‟ experiences.

Title: Elderly deaf - The significance of an own senior housing. A qualitative interview studyon how special senior housing affects the experience of well-being of elderly deaf [translated title]The purpose of the study was to examine how elderly deaf people experience living in aspecial senior housing, which is the country’s first and only housing with sign language fordeaf and deafblind in the region of Stockholm. The focus was to study how this seniorhousing affected the well-being of the residents and their experience of this accommodation.The study was based on a qualitative method with semi-structured interviews. Interviews wereconducted with four residents who have lived in the senior housing for deaf and deafblindpeople since it opened in spring 2013. The theoretical perspective of the study was on how tocope with aging. The result shows that the residents chose to live in the sign languageenvironment which positively affected their well-being. In their previous accommodation theyhad felt alone and felt insecure when they wanted to communicate with and understand theirneighbours contrary to living in the sign language community. There were certain negativeeffects on the well-being of the residents since the senior housing did not have a caretaker, noplanned activities, no hobby room and lack of availability in this residential area.

No description available.

Temos aktualumas Gyvenimo kokybės (GK) analizė yra vertinga siekiant palyginti ir įvertinti tam tikrų su sveikata susijusių būklių įtaką visuomenės gerovės aspektams, tiek vertinant iš paties žmogaus pusės, tiek ir pagal tai, kokios pagalbos jam reikia (Coons SJ. ir kt., 2000). GK tyrimai padeda geriau tai įvertinti. Rašydama šį darbą, noriu paanalizuoti, kaip socialiniai demografiniai veiksniai siejasi su gyvenimo kokybe. Darbo tikslas Įvertinti senelių namuose gyvenančių pagyvenusių ir vyresnių žmonių su sveikata susijusią gyvenimo kokybę. Darbo uždaviniai: 1. Įvertinti privačiuose senelių namuose gyvenančių pagyvenusių ir vyresnių žmonių su sveikata susijusią gyvenimo kokybę lyties ir amžiaus grupių aspektu; 2. Įvertinti valstybiniuose senelių namuose gyvenančių pagyvenusių ir vyresnių žmonių su sveikata susijusią gyvenimo kokybę lyties ir amžiaus grupių aspektu; 3. Palyginti privačiuose ir valstybiniuose senelių namuose gyvenančių pagyvenusių ir vyresnių žmonių su sveikata susijusią gyvenimo kokybę. Tyrimo metodika Protinės būklės trumpo tyrimo klausimynas (ang. Mini Mental State Exam, MMSE). Į tyrimą neįtraukiami asmenys, kuriems MMSE įvertintas sunkus pažinimo sutrikimas. Su sveikata susijusi gyvenimo kokybė vertinama naudojant SF-36 klausimyną (Trumpa sveikatos apklausos forma) (Hirsch, Bartholomae, Volmer, 2000; Ware 2000; Lloyd, Sawyer, Hopkinson, 2001). Rezultatai ir išvados Privačiuose senelių namuose gyvenantys pagyvenę ir vyresni žmonės su sveikata susijusią... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Relevance of the Topic The analysis of life quality is valuable seeking to compare and evaluate the influence of particular health states to the aspects of public welfare both assessing out of man‘s position and according to what kind of help he needs (Coons SJ. etc., 2000). The research of life quality helps to assess it better. Writing this work I aim at the analysis of how demographic factors are related to life quality. The aim of the work To assess the life quality as related to health of the elderly and the senior people living in the nursing home. The tasks of the work: 1. To assess the life quality as related to health of the elderly and the senior people living in private nursing home based on their gender and age group; 2. To assess the life quality as related to health of the elderly and the senior people living in public nursing home based on their gender and age group; 3. To compare the life quality as related to health of the elderly and the senior people living in private and public nursing home. The method of the research Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE). The research does not include people, who in MMSE were assessed as having a serious cognition disorder. The life quality related to health is assessed using SF-36 questionnaire (a short survey form concerning health (Hirsch, Bartholomae, Volmer, 2000; Ware 2000; Lloyd, Sawyer, Hopkinson, 2001)). The Results and Conclusions The elderly and the senior people living in private nursing home evaluated the life... [to full text]

An individual s decision to place a close family member in a nursing home is both difficult and crucial. To assist consumers with such a decision, several initiatives have led to the creation of public websites designed to communicate quality indicators for nursing homes. However, a majority of consumers fail to fully utilize this information for various reasons, such as the multidimensionality, complexity, and uncertainty of the information. Some of the difficulties may be alleviated by information visualization (InfoVis) techniques. However, several unsuccessful attempts in applying InfoVis to decision making suggest that a thorough understanding of the user s perspective is necessary. Accordingly, the author has developed an InfoVis tool for the decision domain of choice of a nursing home. First, a framework of overarching InfoVis and decision theories, called the visualized decision making (VDM) framework, has been developed and contextualized within the selection of a nursing home. Second, a decision-support tool using several InfoVis techniques such as the weighting slider bar and the distribution view have been designed for application within the framework, and the designed tool, called VDM, was implemented. Third, VDM was empirically tested through a web-based experiment and follow-up interviews. The results of this study showed that individuals faced with the decision of selecting a nursing home could make fairly high quality decisions when they used VDM. Though the effects of proposed InfoVis techniques were not evident, this study provided the theoretical framework and empirical results which may help other designers of InfoVis techniques because this work addresses several issues consumers face when choosing a nursing home that can be generalized to other decision making contexts.

There is some evidence about the efficacy of preferred music on agitation in elders with dementia; however, little is known about its effectiveness on agitation when implemented by nursing staff in long-term care facilities. Even less is known about use of preferred music for managing anxiety in those with dementia. This quasi-experimental study aimed to evaluate the implementation of a preferred music intervention delivered by nursing staff on agitation and anxiety of institutionalised elders with dementia. The sample comprised of 57 elders with dementia residing in two building complexes which provided similar care routines and staffing in a large Taiwanese residential care facility. These two building complexes were randomly assigned as the experimental and control group. Nursing staff in the experimental group received a facilitation program to prepare them for implementing the preferred music intervention; whereas nursing staff in the control group received no facilitation program. The music intervention based on each resident's music preferences was then provided by the trained nursing staff for 32 experimental residents twice a week for six weeks. Meanwhile, 25 residents in the control group only received the usual standard care without music. All residents were assessed by Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI) for overall and three subtypes of agitated behaviours and by Rating of Anxiety in Dementia for anxiety at baseline and week 6. Additionally, the modified CMAI measured the 30-minute occurrence of agitation at baseline, session 4, and session 12. The results indicate that institutionalised elders with dementia who received six weeks of preferred music intervention implemented by trained nursing staff had significant reductions on overall, three subtypes of agitated behaviours, anxiety, and 30-minute occurrence of agitation over time compared to those who received the usual standard care without music. Preferred music shows promise as a strategy for reducing agitation and anxiety in those with dementia when implemented by trained nursing staff. Such intervention can be incorporated into routine activities to improve the quality of care provided by nursing staff and the quality of life of those with dementia in long-term care settings. Our study results provide clinically relevant evidence which contribute to closing the gap between research and practice.

No description available.

No description available.

Today´s society starts to be intensively interested in life in general and old people´s quality of life, therefore I decided to focus this diploma thesis on seniors´ quality of life in social service facilities. The given goals were to map and assess the quality of seniors? life in chosen social service facilities in a former Jindřichův Hradec district, to compare the quality of seniors´ life in three facilities of the same social services in the frame of the former Jindřichův Hradec district and also to compare the seniors´ quality of life in different social service facilities. The research of this work was made due to a qualitative form. A semi-standardized (semi-controlled) interview survey method and a qualitative observation method, which was used to get the assumed goals of the whole work, were used. To get the aims I used an interview method which was done in Senior Apartment in Jindřichův Hradec, České Velenice and Budíškovice as well as in an apartment with day care in Jindřichův Hradec. It was also used a scale questionnaire called WHO DAS II as a complementary technique in all the social service facilities. The following hypotheses were made out in keeping with the given goals of this diploma thesis. The first hypothesis ? the more social active actions were offered in the frame of provided social services, the higher is the users´ quality of life of this service. The second hypothesis ? users of this service have higher quality of life in the district town than users of this service provided in a municipality with inhabitants less than 10 000. The third hypothesis ? users? quality of life in day care facilities is higher than users´ quality of life of a senior apartment. The given hypotheses were confirmed. We can say old people´s quality of life has been improved in the comparison with last years. I would recommend solving this problem with good communication and feedback which is necessary to find out how seniors are satisfied with services in facilities. It is also very important to keep each client´s private which leads to the feeling of certainty and safeness.

Bakgrund: Anhöriga utgör en viktig och betydande del av vården som ges till personer med demenssjukdom. När man vårdar en närstående kan det leda till att man åsidosätter den egna hälsan. Att stödja personer som ger omsorg eller vård till en närstående är viktigt för både den anhöriga och samhället. Anhörigstöd är en sjuksköterskeuppgift.Syfte: Att belysa anhörigas upplevelse av stöd från vårdpersonal på särskilt boende för personer med demenssjukdom.Metod: Studien genomfördes som en deskriptiv kvalitativ intervjustudie. Data från sju semistrukturerade intervjuer analyserades med kvalitativ innehållsanalys.Resultat: Anhöriga upplever stöd från vårdpersonal när de blir bemötta på ett bra sätt, när de känner trygghet, när de vet att den närstående får bra vård och när de får information. Stöd från vårdpersonal upplevs inte av alla anhöriga och ses inte som en självklar arbetsuppgift för personalen.Slutsats: Sjuksköterskor kan ge stöd till anhöriga genom att bygga stöttande relationer, främja transparens och involvera anhöriga i planerandet och genomförandet av vården. Anhörigstöd på särskilda boenden behöver utvecklas. / Background: Close family and friends play a significant role in the care provided to people with dementia. When a person cares for a close relative or friend, it can be at the expense of their own health. Support for those who provide care and assistance to a close relative or friend is important for both the carer concerned and for society as a whole. Support for patients’ close family and friends is part of the nursing remit.Purpose: To examine the support provided by the care staff at residential homes for people with dementia as experienced by the family and friends of residents.Method: This research was carried out as a qualitative descriptive study based on interview surveys. Data from seven semi-structured interviews was analysed using a qualitative content analysis technique.Results: Close relatives and friends feel supported by care staff when they are treated appropriately and kindly, when they have a sense of trust and confidence in the environment, when they know that their family member or friend is being well cared for and when they are provided with information. Not all caring relatives and friends perceive that they get support from care staff, nor do they see it as a self-evident part of the job of the care staff.Conclusion: Nursing staff are able to provide support to patients’ close family and friends by forming supportive relationships, promoting transparency and involving patients’ close family and friends in planning and executing the provision of care. Support for close family and friends in the context of residential care needs improvement.