Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 20-21).

Thesis (M.Sc.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references.

No description available.

This exploratory study sought to identify factors which motivate individual participation in volunteer services for the Long-Term Ombudsman Program of the Volunteer Center of Riverside County.

This research investigated the connection between the Medicare star rating system and E-tags on emergency preparedness of nursing homes for disasters in Hampton Roads, Virginia. Emergency preparedness in nursing homes has been a topic of growing interest within the past decade. Hampton Roads, Virginia, has a history of natural disasters including hurricanes and flooding, which necessitates a proper and efficient emergency preparedness plan in nursing home facilities. The primary purpose of this research was to review the secondary Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) data regarding the star rating system and E-tag surveys of each of the 37 nursing facilities that were not connected to a hospital or part of a continuing care retirement community to find a correlation, if any, between emergency preparedness and CMS star rating. The theoretical foundation for the research was the diffusions of innovation theory, which addresses innovation that is communicated between members of a team or social group, inclusive of gaining knowledge of an innovation, persuading others to move toward that innovation, team decision making on the innovation, and implementation/confirmation of that innovation. The statistical analysis provided inconclusive answers to research questions. The potential social change from this study is it may inform nursing home administrators of the 4 most frequent E-tag deficiencies found in this research; and their nonlinear relationship to total bed count and variables such as individual Medicare star rating categories so that administrators can apply this new knowledge to their field in general and their facility in particular; to achieve better overall disaster preparedness coordination.

The population of older adults is growing worldwide, particularly in North America. Health information technology (HIT) is a group of technologies and systems that enhance care by electronically storing, managing, and exchanging data. HIT presents opportunities to support older adults' healthcare needs in communities and long-term care (LTC) environments. Despite their potential benefits, these technologies remain limited in LTC and older adults' healthcare contexts. Evidence is scattered on the factors that affect older adults' adoption of HIT. Little research has investigated the adoption of these technologies by formal healthcare providers and the technologies' impacts on LTC. A multi-method approach was employed in this thesis research, using a combination of a systematic qualitative review, an inductive semi-qualitative Delphi survey, and a quantitative deductive study to manage each research question in order to address these gaps. The systematic literature review used the PRISMA guidelines to identify and critically appraise studies that examined the effect of various HIT adoption factors among older adults in the community. The search involved five databases and a combination of keywords, resulting in the selection of critically appraised articles based on their evidence level and research rigor. A coding scheme was developed to extract information from the selected articles. The results showed that the main factors affecting HIT adoption by older adults relate to performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and high price/cost value. It also highlighted the importance of considering privacy/security and product design when evaluating HIT adoption by older adults. In light of the limited available studies on HIT adoption and impacts in the context of LTC, a Delphi study was developed to collect data from key formal healthcare providers (i.e., nurses) working in LTC at one of the largest and most progressive older adult healthcare facilities in Ontario, Canada. The Delphi study aimed to identify and prioritize the key factors that affect nurses' adoption of new technologies in support of older adults' care. A panel of nurses was solicited to participate in the Delphi study, which involved three rounds of data collection: brainstorming, narrowing down, and ranking. A total of 20 nurses completed the Delphi study, and the top factors that the LTC nurses identified were mainly related to the organizational and technological dimensions, including the complexity of HIT, the training and support provided, the interoperability of HIT systems, the cost of implementation, and the availability of HIT infrastructure. For the last part of this research, quantitative secondary data analysis was conducted on a Canadian national survey of nurses to examine their perceived impacts of HIT adoption by nurses in LTC. The survey included questions related to the current state of electronic medical records (EMR) and EMR adoption, the state of virtual care technologies, attitudes and perceptions related to access and the impact of the adoption of digital health technologies in practice, benefits and effects of EMR adoption, and barriers preventing nurses from getting total value from electronic health. A subset of 166 nursing homes/long-term care facilities/older adult residences and homecare nurses were selected for this analysis. Data management and analysis were conducted using IBM SPSS v28. The results showed that HIT adoption by nurses in LTC was positively associated with perceived benefits and organizational support. However, HIT adoption was negatively associated with perceived complexity and privacy/security concerns. This thesis research suggests that HIT adoption by older adults and nurses in LTC is complex and multifaceted, requiring attention to individual, organizational, and technological factors. There is a need for improved communication and collaboration among LTC team members and better working conditions to improve staff well-being and reduce turnover. The findings from the systematic review and Delphi study contribute to the theoretical understanding of the factors influencing the adoption of HIT in LTC facilities. The survey results provide valuable insights into the current state of HIT use in LTC facilities and can be used to inform the development of targeted interventions to improve HIT adoption and use. Overall, this study contributes to the growing body of knowledge on HIT adoption in LTC facilities and provides important recommendations for policymakers, administrators, and LTC staff to improve the use of HIT and ultimately enhance the quality of the care supplied to LTC residents.

No description available.

This article describes the psychometric properties of the WHOQOL-OLD (an add-on module to the World Health Organization's Quality of Life measure for older people) in a South African sample. International literature cites three short versions of the WHOQOL-OLD instrument. The psychometric properties associated with these three short versions of the WHOQOL-OLD are also described. The unique challenges posed by ageing populations are evident in both developed and developing countries. In South Africa the elderly population is also increasing dramatically. There is a disproportionate distribution of older persons per ethnic group, with white older people representing the largest group of older South Africans (21%, proportional to ethnic group). Regardless of integration policies in post-apartheid South Africa, especially in terms of housing arrangements, the majority of long-term care facilities in South Africa remain to be occupied predominantly by white older people. For this reason the participants of this study were mostly older white South Africans. It is, however, projected that this picture will change in future times due to more aggressive transformation-driven policies. A national audit of residential care facilities by the Department of Social Development in 2010 indicated a need for psychosocial interventions since the QoL of residents was found to be undetermined. QoL research in South Africa has largely been conducted from socio-economic and health-care perspectives and has tended to focus on specific societies in which older people are usually not explicitly included. Evidence exists of various qualitative studies among older people living in long-term care facilities, from a psychological perspective. However, the short supply of quantitative studies in this setting is significant. The lack of measurements developed for an older population also resulted in an increasing need for the development of gerontological QoL measurements with sound psychometric properties. Internationally, various measures of QoL utilised in older age groups have become increasingly popular. This study took particular interest in the WHOQOL-OLD instrument. Under the auspices of the World Health Organization Quality of Life group, a collaborative effort among numerous researchers from various countries has led to the development of a measure focussing on the QoL in older population cohorts. The initial development of the generic WHOQOL measures of quality of life occurred in 15 different centres worldwide, excluding South Africa. In the development of an add-on module, 22 centres around the world were involved (again excluding South Africa). It cannot be assumed that measuring instruments developed in a Western context are applicable in an African context. South Africa is a very diverse nation - the majority of ethnic groups lead a collectivistic existence. As a result the determination of the psychometric properties of such instruments, for use within South Africa, was needed. It is of importance to note that the participants of this study were more individualistically inclined, which is comparable to Western societies. This study was the first step in exploring the instrument’s reliable use within South Africa. Surveys were completed by 176 older people who were fluent in both Afrikaans and English. Participants of the study resided in long-term care facilities in Potchefstroom in the North-West province of South Africa. Their ages varied between 61 and 95 and the mean age of participants was 77 years. Of the respondents, 50 were male and 126 were female. All reported average to good health and cognitive ability. The current study found encouraging results related to the original factor structure of the WHOQOL-OLD as well as the three shorter versions of this instrument. Results from the data of the current sample seem to fit the original structure model well. The reliabilities associated with the various sub-dimensions point to a reliable instrument. The original WHOQOL-OLD questionnaire with its 24 items or any of the three short versions of this instrument can therefore be utilised in a South African context. / MA (Clinical Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

This article describes the psychometric properties of the WHOQOL-OLD (an add-on module to the World Health Organization's Quality of Life measure for older people) in a South African sample. International literature cites three short versions of the WHOQOL-OLD instrument. The psychometric properties associated with these three short versions of the WHOQOL-OLD are also described. The unique challenges posed by ageing populations are evident in both developed and developing countries. In South Africa the elderly population is also increasing dramatically. There is a disproportionate distribution of older persons per ethnic group, with white older people representing the largest group of older South Africans (21%, proportional to ethnic group). Regardless of integration policies in post-apartheid South Africa, especially in terms of housing arrangements, the majority of long-term care facilities in South Africa remain to be occupied predominantly by white older people. For this reason the participants of this study were mostly older white South Africans. It is, however, projected that this picture will change in future times due to more aggressive transformation-driven policies. A national audit of residential care facilities by the Department of Social Development in 2010 indicated a need for psychosocial interventions since the QoL of residents was found to be undetermined. QoL research in South Africa has largely been conducted from socio-economic and health-care perspectives and has tended to focus on specific societies in which older people are usually not explicitly included. Evidence exists of various qualitative studies among older people living in long-term care facilities, from a psychological perspective. However, the short supply of quantitative studies in this setting is significant. The lack of measurements developed for an older population also resulted in an increasing need for the development of gerontological QoL measurements with sound psychometric properties. Internationally, various measures of QoL utilised in older age groups have become increasingly popular. This study took particular interest in the WHOQOL-OLD instrument. Under the auspices of the World Health Organization Quality of Life group, a collaborative effort among numerous researchers from various countries has led to the development of a measure focussing on the QoL in older population cohorts. The initial development of the generic WHOQOL measures of quality of life occurred in 15 different centres worldwide, excluding South Africa. In the development of an add-on module, 22 centres around the world were involved (again excluding South Africa). It cannot be assumed that measuring instruments developed in a Western context are applicable in an African context. South Africa is a very diverse nation - the majority of ethnic groups lead a collectivistic existence. As a result the determination of the psychometric properties of such instruments, for use within South Africa, was needed. It is of importance to note that the participants of this study were more individualistically inclined, which is comparable to Western societies. This study was the first step in exploring the instrument’s reliable use within South Africa. Surveys were completed by 176 older people who were fluent in both Afrikaans and English. Participants of the study resided in long-term care facilities in Potchefstroom in the North-West province of South Africa. Their ages varied between 61 and 95 and the mean age of participants was 77 years. Of the respondents, 50 were male and 126 were female. All reported average to good health and cognitive ability. The current study found encouraging results related to the original factor structure of the WHOQOL-OLD as well as the three shorter versions of this instrument. Results from the data of the current sample seem to fit the original structure model well. The reliabilities associated with the various sub-dimensions point to a reliable instrument. The original WHOQOL-OLD questionnaire with its 24 items or any of the three short versions of this instrument can therefore be utilised in a South African context. / MA (Clinical Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

No description available.