Stroke patients’ experiences of sharing rooms with dementia patients in a nursing home

The symbiotic experiences of residents with and without dementia co-living in Taiwan's long-term care facilities: a phenomenological study

BACKGROUND

In Taiwan, residents with and without dementia mostly co-live in long-term care facilities. The behavioral and psychiatric symptoms of dementia residents often pose challenges for others living together. This study explored the symbiotic experiences of residents without dementia co-living with those with dementia in long-term care facilities in Taiwan to present their experiences of living together.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional descriptive study with a phenomenological design. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with 30 residents without dementia from three long-term care institutions in Taiwan. Colaizzi's data processing steps were used for analysis.

RESULTS

The analysis of interview transcripts revealed that the experiences of residents who lived with those with dementia were that of a "symbiosis." Three core themes were found: "the impact of co-living," "facing difficulties and coping," and "companionship and reciprocity." This study showed that residents without dementia may be affected by the behavioral and psychiatric symptoms of residents with dementia when co-living in long-term care facilities. However, there are also positive and mutually beneficial interactions between them. By helping people with dementia in their daily lives, residents without dementia feel happy and accomplished and their self-worth is enhanced. Furthermore, residents with dementia have more opportunities for social engagement and co-living interactions.

CONCLUSION

These results can guide long-term care facilities without special care dementia units to support residents without dementia, reduce the interference of the behavioral and psychiatric symptoms of residents with dementia, and promote mutual benefits. However, these findings warrant further investigation.

A systematic review of studies investigating the care of stroke survivors in long-term care facilities

PURPOSE

The burden of stroke is immense, with approximately 30 million stroke survivors globally. Approximately one-quarter of residents in long-term care (LTC) facilities are stroke survivors. This review aims to integrate the existing knowledge from the literature and elucidate themes around the care of stroke survivors in LTC facilities.

METHOD

A systematic search was performed in PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library and CINAHL. Articles that met the eligibility criteria were selected. Synthesis of results according to similar themes was performed.

RESULTS

A total of 1920 articles were screened for eligibility, of which 22 met the eligibility criteria. Of the 22 articles selected, five and 17 articles comprised interventional and observational studies, respectively. Three themes were identified: rehabilitation, stroke specific care and secondary stroke drug prevention. These were found to be lacking within LTC facilities. There is also a dearth of interventional studies in stroke survivors from LTC facilities.

CONCLUSIONS

The care of stroke survivors in LTC facilities is lacking in rehabilitation, stroke specific care and secondary stroke prevention. This needs to be addressed through conducting further research to build a strong body of evidence to influence change in the care of this vulnerable group of patients. Implications for Rehabilitation Care of stroke survivors in long-term care facilities Stroke survivors make up almost a quarter of residents in long-term care facilities. They suffer from functional impairments and many other disabilities as a result of more severe stroke, precluding them from living in their own homes. Rehabilitation, stroke-specific care and secondary stroke prevention for stroke survivors are lacking in long-term care facilities despite strong evidence showing benefits for these interventions in stroke survivors living in the community. Interventions to address the unmet need in stroke survivors living in long-term care facilities are vital for optimal care of this vulnerable group of patients.

Experience of cognitively intact residents cohabitating with residents with dementia in long-term care facilities

A qualitative research approach was used to explore the life experience of cognitively intact (CI) residents cohabitating with residents with dementia in mixed placement facilities. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 21 CI residents from 6 long-term care facilities in southern Taiwan. Using a semi-structured interview guide, data were analyzed by content analysis. Two themes emerged: emotional diversity and coping. Emotional diversity described the wide range of responses, both positive and negative, expressed by the participants. Coping referred to the CI residents' ability to adapt to behaviors exhibited by the residents with dementia and the environment. Results of this study provide nurses and other health care providers with an understanding of the life experience of CI residents who live among residents with dementia. An understanding can lead to improved quality of life and positive social interactions among CI residents and those with dementia.

Older people in long-term care settings as research informants

Conducting nursing research in long-term care facilities and with samples of older people requires careful attention to research ethics and the ethical conduct of the study. This review analysed the research ethics of the empirical studies that focus on older people in long-term care settings as research participants. Articles (n = 66) focussing on older people in long-term care settings as research informants were retrieved from an electronic search of MEDLINE (1990 to February 2012) using the MESH terms ‘Nursing’ AND ‘Long-term care’ (578 citations) and ‘Institutionalization’ and ‘Nursing’ (89 citations). Ethical approval procedure was reported in more than half of the studies (58%) and informed consent in two-thirds of the studies (70%). Ethical issues in data collection were described in most of the articles, but only a few reported ethics in problem statement, reporting or presenting implications. There is a need to focus on reporting research ethics and procedures in empirical research on vulnerable people.

The Care Relationship Required by Seniors in Nursing Homes: A Qualitative Meta-study

Objetivo: describir que tipo de cuidados y de interacción humana demandan de sus enfermeras las personas mayores que viven en un hogar para ancianos, a partir de la síntesis y el reanálisis de los datos proporcionados por una serie de estudios primarios que han abordado la experiencia de vivir en un hogar para ancianos. Antecedentes: los estudios de tipo cualitativo que han tratado el tema de las experiencias vitales en un hogar para ancianos se han centrado en aspectos como la vida diaria, la calidad de vida, las experiencias de sufrimiento, los cuidados recibidos, la proximidad de la muerte y las relaciones personales. Materiales y métodos: metaestudio cualitativo de tipo análisis de metadatos. Las bases de datos empleadas han sido: ISI Web of Knowledge, CINAHL, EMBASE, LILACS y CUIDEN PLUS. Se han seleccionado 29 estudios. Resultados: las categorías centrales emergentes de los datos han sido: las cualidades personales demandadas al personal cuidador, las intervenciones cuidadoras, la relación personal con los cuidadores y la influencia de la relación persona mayor-cuidador en otros aspectos. Conclusión: con este trabajo hemos pretendido sintetizar las evidencias proporcionadas por una serie de investigaciones primarias tratando de proporcionar un nivel de conocimientos mayor sobre las necesidades de atención de las personas residentes en un hogar para ancianos, siempre a partir de los testimonios, las experiencias y las vivencias de los protagonistas.

Nursing home residents' challenges with socialisation: can nurses help?

Nursing home residents experience significant changes in their social and emotional connections as a result of the unique challenges associated with their environment. One of the greatest changes is with whom they communicate on a day-to-day basis. It is essential that social integration and, subsequently, social bonds develop in order to reinforce a sense of person, confidence, and hope. However, there are multiple and varied factors, such as cognitive impairment of other residents, which make building meaningful relationships especially challenging. This article investigates the challenges confronting cognitively intact nursing home residents and their impact toward successful socialisation in their environment. Based on findings in the literature, recommendations for strategies that nurses can use to promote a sense of community and feelings of being at home for residents are explored and areas for research identified.

What makes a phenomenological study phenomenological? An analysis of peer-reviewed empirical nursing studies

This article contributes to the debate about phenomenology as a research approach in nursing by providing a systematic review of what nurse researchers hold as phenomenology in published empirical studies. Based on the assumption that presentations of phenomenological approaches in peer-reviewed journals have consequences for the quality of future research, the aim was to analyze articles presenting phenomenological studies and, in light of the findings, raise a discussion about addressing scientific criteria. The analysis revealed considerable variations, ranging from brief to detailed descriptions of the stated phenomenological approach, and from inconsistencies to methodological clarity and rigor. Variations, apparent inconsistencies, and omissions made it unclear what makes a phenomenological study phenomenological. There is a need for clarifying how the principles of the phenomenological philosophy are implemented in a particular study before publishing. This should include an articulation of methodological keywords of the investigated phenomenon, and how an open attitude was adopted.

Cognitive status and the psychological well-being of long-term care residents over time

The majority of research within long-term care (LTC) has emphasized the physical health of residents, has been cross-sectional in design and has focused almost exclusively on residents with dementia. Few longitudinal studies have followed participants over intervals longer than 1 year. In contrast, the current study set out to examine the experience of LTC residents with and without significant cognitive loss over a 2-year period comparing the psychological well-being of groups over time. Significant Group x Time interaction effects were observed between residents with and without significant cognitive loss in life satisfaction and depressive symptomatology. Results of this study underscore the need for longitudinal measurement in LTC research, the use of multivariate statistical procedures and the need to identify and meet the distinct needs of residents with and without significant cognitive loss.