Characteristics of double care demanding patients in a mental health care setting and a nursing home setting: results from the SpeCIMeN study

Clinical Staging for Personality Disorders in Older Adults

OBJECTIVE

This scientific research aimed to investigate the feasibility of implementing a clinical staging (CS) model for personality disorders (PDs) in older adults. The CS model could provide valuable insights into the life course of personality pathology, prognosis, and treatment decisions for PDs in older adults.

METHODS/DESIGN

The study employed an international Delphi methodology with three rounds and involved 21 experts.

RESULTS

Consensus was achieved on 12 out of 17 statements, confirming the viability of a CS model for PDs in older adults. The proposed model incorporates the Alternative Model for PDs, criterion A, and integrates life course information, distinguishing between chronic PD, re-emergent PD, late-onset PD, and past PD.

CONCLUSION

The findings suggest that international experts support the implementation of a CS model for PDs in older adults, considering both the severity of personality functioning and the retrospective life course of PD expression.

Personality assessment in nursing home residents with mental and physical multimorbidity: two informant perspectives

OBJECTIVES

In older patients with mental and physical multimorbidity (MPM), personality assessment is highly complex. Our aim was to examine personality traits in this population using the Hetero-Anamnestic Personality questionnaire (HAP), and to compare the premorbid perspective of patients' relatives (HAP) with the present-time perspective of nursing staff (HAP-t).

DESIGN

Cross-sectional.

SETTING

Dutch gerontopsychiatric nursing home (GP-NH) units.

PARTICIPANTS

Totally, 142 GP-NH residents with MPM (excluding dementia).

MEASUREMENTS

NH norm data of the HAP were used to identify clinically relevant premorbid traits. Linear mixed models estimated the differences between HAP and HAP-t trait scores (0-10). Agreement was quantified by intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). All HAP-HAP-t analyses were corrected for response tendency (RT) scores (-10-10).

RESULTS

78.4% of the patients had at least one premorbid maladaptive trait, and 62.2% had two or more. Most prevalent were: "disorderly" (30.3%), "unpredictable/impulsive" (29.1%) and "vulnerable" (27.3%) behavior. The RT of relatives appeared significantly more positive than that of nursing staff (+1.8, 95% CI 0.6-2.9, p = 0.002). After RT correction, the traits "vulnerable", "perfectionist" and "unpredictable/impulsive" behavior scored higher on the HAP than HAP-t (respectively +1.2, 95% CI 0.6-1.7, p < 0.001; +2.1, 95% CI 1.3-2.8, p < 0.001; +0.6, 95% CI 0.1-1.1, p = 0.013), while "rigid" behavior scored lower (-0.7, 95% CI -1.3 to -0.03, p = 0.042). Adjusted ICCs ranged from 0.15 to 0.58.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study shows high percentages of premorbid maladaptive personality traits, which calls for attention on personality assessment in MPM NH residents. Results also indicate that the HAP and HAP-t questionnaires should not be used interchangeably for this patient group in clinical practice.

Perfil e indicadores de los establecimientos de larga estadía para adulto mayor en Chile

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

In this article we sought to characterize the Long Stay Establishments for the Elderly in Chile, besides presenting the services offered in the public and private.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

It is a quantitative, cross-sectional descriptive study, with secondary information source. We analyze all establishments in the country registered with the National Service of the Elderly. As of November 2015, a total of 724 establishments were registered and distributed in 169 neighborhoods throughout the country in which 16,985 adults aged 60 and over were institutionalized.

RESULTS

Most of the establishments (65.9% [n=246/724]) are private, 47.5% of them (n=344/724) are located in the metropolitan region of Santiago. Of the residents' health, only 26.5% are considered functional brave, 28.3% are physically handicapped and 8.8% are mentally handicapped. Most establishments offer manual activities, physical exercises, memory classes, cultural classes and recreational or touristic tours. Proportionally of the activities offered were mostly private ones.

CONCLUSIONS

In Chile, most of the establishments are private, located in the metropolitan region where there is the largest supply deficit of this type of service, with an occupancy rate of 90.7%, with 72.4% women and almost half 47.7% with some physical or psychic dependence.

Nurses' experiences of an outreach interprofessional mental health service for nursing homes: a qualitative descriptive study

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: Treatment and mental health care in familiar environments are beneficial for older people experiencing mental health issues. But there are not enough qualified and specialized nurses who can meet the complex needs of nursing home residents experiencing mental health issues. The University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, Switzerland, established an outreach interprofessional mental health service to foster the care for residents experiencing mental health issues in nursing homes. Based on existing studies, little can be said about whether nurses in nursing homes find these types of services helpful. WHAT DOES THIS PAPER ADD TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: Nurses in nursing homes caring for residents experiencing mental health issues felt relieved by having inclusive support from the interprofessional mental health service. Nurses appreciated the mental health team and felt accompanied and more confident in their daily work. Results showed that nurses wanted to be included in the care and treatment processes and to work as partners on an equal footing with the mental health team. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: Outreach interprofessional mental health services for nursing homes should take into account nurses' views and professional experience, and value and respect their role as nurses. Outreach interprofessional mental health services for nursing homes should offer further training in psychiatric nursing, include an accessible contact person in the team, and develop clear processes and responsibilities.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Outreach interprofessional mental health services for nursing homes can increase the quality of care for residents experiencing mental health issues but research on how nurses in nursing homes experience such a service is lacking worldwide.

AIM

To describe how nurses experience the involvement of an outreach interprofessional mental health team in the care for older people experiencing mental health issues in nursing homes and to identify barriers to and facilitators of interprofessional collaboration.

METHOD

Qualitative descriptive analysis based on 13 semi-structured interviews. Framework analysis and complex adaptive systems theory were applied.

RESULTS

One core theme with two main categories: Nurses experienced relief from burden through inclusive support provided by the mental health team. Main categories were feeling accompanied and confident as a nurse and partnership-based collaboration.

DISCUSSION

Results showed for the first time that nurses felt supported by the mental health team and were encouraged to find new ways of coping with challenging situations.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

To empower nurses, mental health teams should take into account nurses' perceptions in the treatment process, value and respect their role as nurses, transfer knowledge in both formal and informal settings, establish a steady and reliable contact person, and define processes and responsibilities.

From psychiatric hospitals to residential facilities: Characteristics of patients who benefited from an institutional partnership

OBJECTIVES

The population of older adults is growing fast, especially in Europe and Northern America. Old age is often associated with mental health comorbidities. Moreover, life expectancy of people suffering from psychiatric disorders has increased, but with age-related difficulties, such as loss of independence. This represents a challenge for public health policies, as this population requires specific care and living conditions. As a response, a convention was signed between living facilities for dependent elderly (EHPAD) and the GHU Paris Psychiatry and Neurosciences. The agreement included dedicated places in EHPAD for older patients with psychiatric disorders. The aim of the study was to describe the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of those patients.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional study among patients who applied for an EHPAD admission.

RESULTS

Between 2016 and 2019, 163 patients applied for placement in an EHPAD, and 117 were admitted (72%). Applicants were 71 years old on average. Admitted patients were older than non-admitted and lived in different Parisian sectors. Among admitted patients, nine in 10 were single, divorced or widowed, and 64.3% were childless. Almost half of them were schizophrenic or had delusional disorders (46.9%), and 65.3% were considered as moderately dependent. At the time of the study, 89 patients still lived in EHPAD. Almost half of them had anxiety and depressive disorders (48.3%), 19.1% had cognitive disorders, and 42.7% manifested agitation.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study highlighted older psychiatric patients' specificities regarding their admission status into long-term living facilities.

Schema Therapy in the Nursing Home Setting: A Case Study of a Cognitively Impaired Patient

The use of schema therapy to treat personality disorders in older adults is gaining scientific attention. Personality disorders are prevalent in one out of ten older adults and have a detrimental effect on quality of life. Although 24% or more of nursing home residents may have personality disorders, psychotherapeutic treatment options in the case of comorbid cognitive impairment have not yet been studied. This study concerns a 63-year-old care-dependent male nursing home resident with a personality disorder, a substance use disorder, and several cognitive impairments due to cerebrovascular disease, who presented with complaints of loneliness, low self-esteem, sleeping problems and anger outbursts. Schema therapy was delivered based on the schema mode model for a period of 27 months. Post-treatment assessment demonstrated a decrease in early maladaptive schemas and dysfunctional schema modes and improved personality functioning overall. Although situational psychological distress fluctuated throughout treatment, quality of life improved after 7 months and remained stable onwards. Presented complaints either remitted or strongly diminished. Substance use was also addressed and was in remission for the last 20 months of therapy. This case study suggests that schema therapy is a viable treatment for older adults with personality disorders who present with cognitive impairments in nursing homes.

Patient needs four years after first psychiatric hospitalization in a Brazilian cohort

Knowledge about the needs of psychiatric patients is essential for mental health care planning. However, research on met and unmet needs is still scarce, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to describe the patients' needs (met and unmet) at least four years after their first psychiatric hospitalization and to verify the role of demographic and clinical features as possible predictors of these needs. Patients who had their first psychiatric admission between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2007 at an inpatient unit in the city of Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, were eligible to participate in the study. Patients were contacted and face-to-face interviews were conducted by psychologists using the Camberwell Assessment of Need. Data were analyzed using zero-inflated negative binomial regression model. Of 933 eligible patients, 333 were interviewed. The highest level of needs was related to welfare benefits (32.4%, unmet=25.5%), followed by household skills (30.3%, unmet=3.0%), psychotic symptoms (29.4%, unmet=9.0%), psychological distress (27.6%, unmet=8.4%), physical health (24.3%, unmet=5.4%), daytime activities (19.5%, unmet=16.5%), and money (16.8%, unmet=9.0%). Fewer years of schooling, living with relatives, and unemployment at the moment of the first admission were significantly associated with a higher number of both met and unmet needs in the follow-up. Unmet needs were also more often reported by patients living alone. In conclusion, socioeconomic indicators were the best predictors of needs. The unmet needs related to welfare benefits point to the need for specific social and health policies.

Dopamine D2 Receptor Occupancy Estimated From Plasma Concentrations of Four Different Antipsychotics and the Subjective Experience of Physical and Mental Well-Being in Schizophrenia: Results From the Randomized NeSSy Trial

BACKGROUND

Impaired subjective well-being in schizophrenia patients treated with antipsychotics has often been linked inter alia to the antidopaminergic effects of medication. Thus, it is important to capture the association between striatal dopamine D2 receptor occupancy (D2-RO) and global subjective well-being. We examined this association using data from our multicenter, randomized, double-blind Neuroleptic Strategy Study (NeSSy).

METHODS

An innovative double randomization process was used for allocation of patients to the specific treatment groups. Plasma drug concentrations were measured after 6 and 24 weeks of treatment to obtain the estimated D2-RO (eD2-RO) relative to literature values. We made an exploratory analysis of associations between eD2-RO and subjective well-being scores. One hundred two blood samples from 69 patients were available for the analysis. Because of the lack of a satisfactory occupancy model for quetiapine, only haloperidol, flupentixol, and olanzapine treatment groups were pooled, whereas aripiprazole data were analyzed separately, because of its partial agonistic properties.

RESULTS

In the pooled antagonist group, eD2-RO correlated negatively with the summarized well-being score. In a more detailed analysis, this association could be confirmed for all first-generation antipsychotic-treated patients, but not for the separate second-generation antipsychotic groups. In the aripiprazole group, higher eD2-RO was associated with impaired physical well-being, but had no association with mental well-being.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that high plasma levels and consequently high occupancy at D2 receptors are disadvantageous for subjective well-being, as distinct from the objective extrapyramidal side effects. To minimize patients' malaise, which disfavors adherence, implementation of therapeutic drug monitoring in the clinical routine may be useful.

Natural course of neuropsychiatric symptoms in nursing home patients with mental-physical multimorbidity in the first eight months after admission

Objective: Aging societies will bring an increase in the number of long-term care patients with mental-physical multimorbidity (MPM). This paper aimed to describe the natural course of neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in patients with MPM in the first 8 months after admission to a geronto-psychiatric nursing home (GP-NH) unit.Methods: Longitudinal cohort study among 63 patients with MPM no dementia living in 17 GP-NH units across the Netherlands. Data collection consisted of chart review, semi-structured interviews, and brief neuropsychological testing, among which our primary outcome measure the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). Descriptive and bivariate analyses were conducted.Results: Our study showed a significant increase of the NPI total score (from 25.3 to 29.3, p = 0.045), and the total scores of a NPI hyperactivity cluster (from 9.7 to 11.8, p = 0.039), and a NPI mood/apathy cluster (from 7.7 to 10.1, p = 0.008). Just over 95% had any clinically relevant symptom at baseline and/or six months later, of which irritability was the most prevalent and persistent symptom and the symptom with the highest incidence. Hyperactivity was the most prevalent and persistent symptom cluster. Also, depression had a high persistence.Conclusions: Our results indicate the omnipresence of NPS of which most were found to be persistent. Therefore, we recommend to explore opportunities to reduce NPS in NH patients with MPM, such as creating a therapeutic milieu, educating the staff, and evaluating patient's psychotropic drug use.

Well-being of nursing staff on specialized units for older patients with combined care needs

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THE SUBJECT

Working in long-term care is seen as a stressful, physically and mentally demanding occupation, and thus, nursing staff are at risk for work and stress-related diseases. In older patients, psychiatric illnesses often occur in combination with physical illnesses, requiring nursing care that is specific to these combined care needs. The impact of caring for these patients on the mental well-being of nurses is unknown.

WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE

Nursing staff working on specialized units for patients with combined care needs experience high levels of self-efficacy in combination with strong feelings of self-rated competence. Although levels of burnout are relatively low, mental healthcare nursing staff is more at risk for burnout when working in specialized settings for patients with combined care needs than nursing home staff working in specialized settings for these patients. Nursing staff characteristics, such as years of working experience and age, seem more important in relation to staff well-being than patient characteristics in specialized settings for combined care needs.

WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Staff well-being might benefit from specializing care, so that patients with similar care needs are placed together and care is focused. The presence of specialized care units for older patients with combined care needs can allow for both targeted and focused allocation of nursing staff to these units and provision of specific training.

ABSTRACT

Introduction In older patients, psychiatric illnesses frequently exist in tandem with physical illnesses, requiring nursing care that is specific to these combined care needs. The impact of caring for these patients on the mental well-being of nursing staff is unknown.

AIM

To investigate whether care characteristics of patients with combined care needs are related to the mental well-being of nursing staff.

METHOD

Well-being of nursing staff was studied within a larger exploratory observational cross-sectional study that examined the differences and similarities of specialized combined care units in Dutch mental healthcare and nursing home settings.

RESULTS

Nursing staff across settings, with more than 5 years of work experience, felt competent in caring for patients with combined care needs. No significant effects of care characteristics of patients with combined care needs on the work-related well-being of nursing staff were shown. Both mental health nursing staff and older employees, however, were found to be more at risk for burnout.

IMPLICATIONS/CONCLUSION

Staff well-being might benefit from placing patients with combined care needs together, so care is focused. The presence of specialized care units can allow for both targeted and focused allocation of nursing staff to these units and provision of specific training.

Characteristics and health conditions of a group of nursing home patients with mental-physical multimorbidity - the MAPPING study

BACKGROUND

Long-term care facilities have partly taken over the traditional asylum function of psychiatric hospitals and house an increasing group of patients with mental-physical multimorbidity (MPM). Little is known about the characteristics, behavior, and care dependency of these patients. This paper aims to describe these aspects.

METHODS

Explorative, descriptive study among patients with MPM without dementia (n = 142), living in 17 geronto-psychiatric nursing home (NH) units across the Netherlands, stratified by those referred from mental healthcare services (MHS) and other healthcare services (OHS). Data collection consisted of chart review, semi-structured interviews, (brief) neuropsychological testing, and self-report questionnaires. Patients referred from MHS (n = 58) and from OHS (n = 84) were compared by descriptive statistics.

RESULTS

Despite exclusion of patients with dementia, the majority of participants had cognitive impairment. Prevalence and severity of frontal impairment were high, as well as the number of patients with clinically relevant neuropsychiatric symptoms. MHS patients were younger, had more chronic psychiatric disorders, and more often used antipsychotics. Neuropsychiatric symptoms, domains of care dependency, physical conditions and concomitant medication use differed not significantly between the subgroups.

CONCLUSIONS

Both groups of patients with MPM showed heterogeneity in various aspects but differed not significantly regarding the consequences of their multimorbidity. In a variety of characteristics, this group seems to be different from other NH patient groups, which requires extra knowledge and skills of the staff. To uncover which knowledge and skills are necessary, the next step should be to investigate the specific care needs of NH patients with MPM without dementia.