Family care prior to the admission of the elderly in a nursing home and continuity in family care: A comparative study of Colombia and Spain

This study examined the background before admission to a nursing home and the conditions for the continuity of care, of the relatives of older adults of Colombia and Spain. The study sample comprised 546 participants: 278 and 268 from Colombia and Spain, respectively. Structured interviews were conducted with the older adults’ relatives. Sociodemographic similarities predominated, although in the Colombian sample there were significantly more unrelated people. Similarities in previous and current care conditions also predominated too. Cluster 1 included all the cases of Colombian low-resource nursing homes, and Cluster 2 included all the relatives of Colombian high-resource nursing homes and all the Spanish centers. The type of nursing home was the variable more important to identify the abovementioned clusters. Conclusions: Family members from Colombia and Spain continue to care for the elderly admitted to geriatric homes. The type of geriatric center is what establishes the differences in the users.

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Spanish and Colombian family caregivers continue to provide care to the elderly after their admission to the residence.

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There are more similarities than differences between Spanish and Colombian family caregivers.

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Reconciling work-family implies a difficult balance, especially among women, who are more overloaded.

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The deterioration of the health of the elderly was the most frequent reason for admission.

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There are differences between relationships and provision of care in the elderly living in low-income residences in Colombia with respect to the rest of the Colombian and Spanish sample.

Using Participatory Action Research to Sustain Palliative Care Knowledge and Readiness Among Latino Community Leaders

OBJECTIVE

We examined the effectiveness of nurse-led training on palliative care knowledge and advance care planning readiness with Latino leaders.

METHODS

As part of a larger participatory action research study, we used a one-group, pretest-posttest design to evaluate Latino leaders' preparation to share information during home visits with Latinos with advanced cancer. Using Spanish and English materials, 2 palliative care nurse specialists provided a 10-hour training plus a 6-month, post-training booster session. The Palliative Care Knowledge Scale (PaCKS) was administered at baseline (T0), post-training (T1), and 10 months post-training (T2). The Advance Care Planning and Engagement Survey (ACPES) was administered at T0 and T2.

RESULTS

Among the 15 leaders, 93% were women and 73% were of Mexican heritage. There was a significant increase in the PaCKS score between T0 and T1 (Md_T0 = 10; Md_T1 = 12, z = -2.15, p_exact = .031) and T0 and T2 (z = -2.49, p_exact = .008) with a medium-to-large effect size (r = .45). There was a significant increase in ACPES scores between T0 and T2.

CONCLUSIONS

Nurse-led training of Latino community leaders improves palliative care knowledge and may bolster the palliative care infrastructure in emerging Latino communities.

Role of the Infusion Nurse: Caring for the Family/Lay Caregiver of Older Adults

Approximately 43 500 000 family caregivers provide unpaid care to an adult or child. Most caregivers provide care to older adults, most often parents. Caregivers are often ill-prepared to assist their loved ones, creating or increasing caregiving burden and/or risk of compassion fatigue, potentially leading to critical "caregiving tipping points." Identifying families who are experiencing increased burden or risk of compassion fatigue is a skill that nurses, including infusion nurses, who have unique entrée into the caregiving situation, should develop. The purpose of this article is to describe "impending" tipping points before they occur and to offer solutions for how nurses can help caregiving families identify them and access additional supportive services.

Four Kinds of Hard: An Understanding of Cancer and Death among Latino Community Leaders

Early integration of palliative care after a diagnosis of cancer improves outcomes, yet such care for Latino populations is lacking in rural regions of the United States. We used a participatory action research design with Latino community leaders from emerging immigrant communities in North Carolina to explore sociocultural perspectives on cancer and death. Thematic analysis was conceptualized as Four Kinds of Hard represented by four themes: Receiving an Eviction Notice, Getting in the Good Book, Talking is (Sometimes) Taboo, and Seeing Their Pain Makes us Suffer. These themes captured fears of deportation, coping with cancer through faithfulness, ambivalence about advance care planning, and a desire to spare families from suffering. Findings suggest strategies to improve conversations about end-of-life wishes when facing advanced illness and death. This study demonstrates the importance of training Latino community leaders to improve palliative care and bridge service gaps for Latino families living in emerging rural communities.

Gender Differences in End-of-Life Care in Older Mexican American Adults

Mexican Americans (MAs), 1 of 10 subgroups of Latinos, are the largest and fastest growing Latino subgroup in the United States; yet, their access to end-of-life (EOL) care using hospice services is low. An investigation was needed into extant research-based knowledge about factors influencing EOL care decisions among MAs to guide health-care professionals in assisting MAs to make timely, acceptable, and satisfactory EOL care decisions. To determine whether gender was an influence on EOL decision-making among older MAs, CINAHL and PubMed were searched for articles published between 1994 and 2018. Relevant sources were also identified through the reference lists of review articles. Reports were included if they were written in English, involved participants aged 50 years and older who identified themselves as MA, and data derived directly from participants. Reports in which MAs were not equally represented in the sample, large databases, and instrumentation development and testing articles were excluded. Of the 345 unduplicated articles identified in our electronic search and the 47 identified through review articles, 22 met the inclusion criteria. Content analysis was conducted using a priori codes from the Ethno-Cultural Gerontological Nursing Model (ECGNM). Only 8 (36%) of the 22 articles reported on MA older adults' gendered experiences related to EOL decision-making. Results indicate an association between gender and EOL decision-making. As the older MA population grows, tackling disparities in EOL services use requires attention to how culture and gender influence EOL decision-making and care.

The association among knowledge of and confidence in home health care services, acculturation, and family caregivers' relationships to older adults of Mexican descent

The purposes of this study were to examine the relationships among knowledge of and confidence in health care services (HHCS), acculturation, characteristics of family caregivers of Mexican descent, and differences by caregivers' relationship (spouse or adult child). A sample of Mexican-descent older adults and their caregivers was recruited (n = 74 dyads) in Arizona. Each participant completed questionnaires on knowledge, confidence, and acculturation. There were moderate but significant associations among higher Anglo Orientation with Knowledge and with Confidence. Fear of HHCS was positively associated with higher Anglo Orientation and English Language Preference; and negatively associated with Mexican Orientation and Spanish Language Preference. For Spouse caregivers, Fear of HHCS was positively correlated with higher Anglo Orientation and English Language Preference; for Offspring caregivers, Fear of HHCS was negatively correlated with Mexican Orientation and Spanish Language Preference. Results support assessing caregiver cohort and socio-cultural context to decrease HHCS use disparities by Mexican-descent caregiving families.

Differences in Transitional Care Provided to Mexican American and Non-Hispanic White Older Adults

Background:Transitional care, assisting patients to move safely through multiple health care settings, may be insufficient for older Hispanic patients. Purpose: Describe home health care services referral rates for Hispanic and non-Hispanic White (NHW) patients and factors that influence case managers’ (CMs’) discharge planning processes. Design: Organized by the Ethno-Cultural Gerontological Nursing Model, health records were reviewed ( n = 33,597 cases) and supplemented with qualitative description ( n = 8 CMs). Findings: Controlling for gender, insurance type, age, and hospital length of stay, NHW older adults received more home health care services referrals (odds ratio = 1.23). Insurance coverage was the most frequent determinant of CMs’ post–hospital care choices, rather than patients’ being Hispanic. NHW older adults were more likely to have insurance than Hispanic older adults. Implications: Insurance coverage being CMs’ primary consideration in determining patients’ dispositions is a form of systems-level discrimination for Hispanic vulnerable groups, which combined with other hospital-level constraints, should be addressed with policy-level interventions.

Cuidado popular de familias con un adulto mayor sobreviviente del primer accidente cerebrovascular

Introducción: el accidente cerebrovascular afecta a numerosas personas en el mundo y se constituye en la principal causa de muerte. Los sobrevivientes pueden padecer discapacidad y sufrir modificaciones en las actividades cotidianas. La familia es el principal apoyo del sobreviviente y al ser parte de una misma cultura, construye acciones de cuidado en búsqueda del bienestar. Objetivo: describir las acciones del cuidado popular de las familias con un adulto mayor sobreviviente del primer accidente cerebrovascular. Método: estudio etnográfico, con observación participante y entrevistas en profundidad. Participaron siete familias bogotanas (siete adultos mayores entre los dos y diez meses posteriores al primer accidente cerebrovascular y los siete cuidadores principales respectivos). Resultados: cuidadores y adulto mayor comparten acciones de cuidado para la recuperación, relacionadas con la alimentación, el cuidado personal y la ingesta de medicamentos permeadas por la creencia religiosa, fuente de soporte y vínculo afectivo. Conclusión: conocer el cuidado popular de esta población posibilita proponer acciones culturalmente congruentes con sus valores y creencias para potencializar las capacidades familiares e intermediar en los procesos de tratamiento.