scholarly journals The Work of Front Line Community Aged Care Staff and the Impact of a Changing Policy Landscape and Consumer-Directed Care

2016 ◽  
pp. bcw112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirela Prgomet ◽  
Heather E. Douglas ◽  
Amina Tariq ◽  
Andrew Georgiou ◽  
Pauline Armour ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aged Care ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Front Line ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Community Aged Care

scholarly journals “A good death but there was all this tension around”- perspectives of residential managers on the experience of delivering end of life care for people living with dementia

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica A. L. Borbasi ◽  
Allison Tong ◽  
Alison Ritchie ◽  
Christopher J. Poulos ◽  
Josephine M. Clayton
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Residential Aged Care ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Advanced Dementia ◽  
Front Line ◽  
Care Managers

Abstract Background End of life care for residents with advanced dementia in the aged care setting is complex. There is prolonged and progressive cognitive decline, uncertain disease trajectory, significant symptom burden and infrequent access to specialist palliative care. Residential aged care managers offer a unique perspective in understanding the experience of providing end of life care for residents with advanced dementia. They bring insight from the coalface to the broader policy context. The aim of this study was to describe the experience and perspectives of residential aged care managers on providing end of life care for residents living with dementia. Methods Focus groups and semi-structured interviews were conducted with residential or care managers from various care homes from one dementia specific aged care organisation in Australia. A comprehensive sampling strategy was used in participating care homes. Transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. Results 20 residential or care managers from 11 aged care homes in two states of Australia participated in two focus groups (total 16 participants) or individual interviews (4 participants). Six themes were identified: laying the ground work to establish what families understand about dementia, playing the peacemaker in the face of unrealistic family demands and expectations, chipping away at denial and cultivating a path towards acceptance of death, recruiting general practitioners as allies, supporting and strengthening the front line, and dedication to optimal care is relentless but rewarding. Conclusion Aged care manager participants described provision of end of life dementia care as a rewarding but sometimes fraught experience requiring persistent personalisation of care and communication to enable family acceptance of the resident’s terminal condition. The findings suggest that continuous front line aged care staff skill development, iterative family discussions, and partnership building between aged care staff and general practitioners, are all required to promote optimal end of life dementia care in residential aged care settings.

scholarly journals Influenza Vaccine Uptake and Associated Factors in Aged Care Facilities

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (s1) ◽  
pp. s140-s140
Author(s):  
Mohana Kunasekaran ◽  
Mallory Trent ◽  
Elisa Lai ◽  
HaoYi Tan ◽  
Abrar Chughtai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Influenza Vaccine ◽  
Influenza Vaccination ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Vaccine Uptake ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Care Facilities ◽  
Aged Care Facilities ◽  
The Impact

Introduction:Influenza vaccine is recommended for high-risk populations in Australia (including those aged over 65 years) but is less effective in the elderly due to a progressive and predictable age-related decline in immune function, referred to as immunosenescence. Aged care facilities (ACF) are known to be at high risk of explosive outbreaks of influenza (even in highly vaccinated populations) and may reflect a higher intensity of transmission within the closed setting of ACF, as well as lower immunity and immunosenescence in the frail elderly.Methods:To measure the impact of influenza in aged-care staff (ACS) and residents as well as vaccine effectiveness, a prospective observational epidemiological study was conducted in collaboration with an aged-care provider with multiple sites from March to October 2018. Weekly active surveillance on influenza-like symptoms and questionnaires were used to collect data on two groups: ACS and residents. A range of variables was examined against their 2018 influenza vaccination status in statistical analysis.Results:Vaccination rates were high in residents and consistent with other studies. Vaccine rates in aged-care staff were lower and consistent with other studies.Discussion:Residents and relatives are unlikely to change their minds about vaccination from year to year unless there is targeted effort to persuade them to so, and negative perception of the vaccine is likely to persist. Workplace influenza vaccination programs targeted at staff could be an effective method of raising vaccine uptake.

scholarly journals Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Restraint Use in Aged Care

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juanita Louise Breen ◽  
Barbara C Wimmer ◽  
Chloe Smit ◽  
Helen Courtney-Pratt ◽  
Katherine Lawler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Strong Support ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Residential Aged Care ◽  
Royal Commission ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Chemical Restraint ◽  
Restraint Use ◽  
Community Aged Care

Restraint use in Australian residential aged care has been highlighted by the media, and investigated by researchers, government and advocacy bodies. In 2018, the Royal Commission into Aged Care selected ‘Restraint’ as a key focus of inquiry. Subsequently, Federal legislation was passed to ensure restraint is only used in residential aged care services as the ‘last resort’. To inform and develop Government educational resources, we conducted qualitative research to gain greater understanding of the experiences and attitudes of aged care stakeholders around restraint practice. Semi-structured interviews were held with 28 participants, comprising nurses, care staff, doctors, physiotherapists, pharmacists and relatives. Two focus groups were also conducted to ascertain the views of residential and community aged care senior management staff. Data were thematically analyzed using a pragmatic approach of inductive and deductive coding and theme development. Five themes were identified during the study: 1. Understanding of restraint; 2. Support for Legislation; 3. Restraint-free environments are not possible; 4. Low-level restraint, and 5. Restraint in the community is uncharted. Although most staff, health practitioners and relatives have a basic understanding of restraint, more education is needed at a conceptual level to enable them to identify and avoid restraint practice, particularly ‘low-level’ forms and chemical restraint. There was strong support for the new restraint regulations, but most interviewees admitted they were unsure what the legislation entailed. With regards to resources, stakeholders wanted recognition that there were times when restraint was necessary and advice on what to do in these situations, as opposed to unrealistic aspirations for restraint-free care. Stakeholders reported greater oversight of restraint in residential aged care but stated that community restraint use was largely unknown. Research is needed to investigate the extent and types of restraint practice in community aged care.

Characteristics of older Australian community aged care clients who fall: Incidents reported by care staff

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsey Brett ◽  
Mikaela Jorgensen ◽  
Rimma Myton ◽  
Andrew Georgiou ◽  
Johanna I. Westbrook
Keyword(s):  
Aged Care ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Australian Community ◽  
Community Aged Care

A randomized controlled trial examining the impact of aged care residents’ written life-stories on aged care staff knowledge and attitudes

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (9) ◽  
pp. 1291-1299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Dennerstein ◽  
Sunil S. Bhar ◽  
Jencie J. Castles
Keyword(s):  
Life Stories ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Care Service ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Knowledge And Attitudes ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACTBackground:The unprecedented increase in the number of older adults moving into aged care facilities has created a challenge for quality person-centered care service provision. This study examined the impact of written life-stories on knowledge and attitudes of care staff about the residents when compared to usual file notes.Methods:A randomized controlled study was carried out with 40 staff working in an aged care residential facility. Staff were randomly assigned to a control condition, in which they read file notes (n = 21) or to an experimental condition, in which they read life stories (n = 19) about residents who they knew, and completed the Knowledge of Resident Scale (KRS) before and after their assigned reading.Results:A main effect for time was found for eight of the ten questions on the KRS, suggesting that irrespective of whether a participant read life stories or file notes, there was a significantly positive impact on knowledge and attitudes toward residents. However, significantly greater improvement was shown for one item on the KRS in the experimental condition when compared to the control condition, indicating that historical knowledge of residents was greater when staff read life stories than when they read file notes, F (1,38) = 6.50, p = 0.02.Conclusion:These results provide preliminary evidence that knowledge and attitudes of care staff can increase about the residents for whom they care following reading file notes and life stories. The increase is similar, except in the area of historical information, where it is greater for the group who read life stories.

scholarly journals Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Restraint Use in Aged Care

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (21) ◽  
pp. 11022
Author(s):  
Juanita Breen ◽  
Barbara C. Wimmer ◽  
Chloé C.H. Smit ◽  
Helen Courtney-Pratt ◽  
Katherine Lawler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Strong Support ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Residential Aged Care ◽  
Royal Commission ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Chemical Restraint ◽  
Restraint Use ◽  
Community Aged Care

Restraint use in Australian residential aged care has been highlighted by the media, and investigated by researchers, government and advocacy bodies. In 2018, the Royal Commission into Aged Care selected ‘Restraint’ as a key focus of inquiry. Subsequently, Federal legislation was passed to ensure restraint is only used in residential aged care services as the ‘last resort’. To inform and develop Government educational resources, we conducted qualitative research to gain greater understanding of the experiences and attitudes of aged care stakeholders around restraint practice. Semi-structured interviews were held with 28 participants, comprising nurses, care staff, physicians, physiotherapists, pharmacists and relatives. Two focus groups were also conducted to ascertain the views of residential and community aged care senior management staff. Data were thematically analyzed using a pragmatic approach of inductive and deductive coding and theme development. Five themes were identified during the study: 1. Understanding of restraint; 2. Support for legislation; 3. Restraint-free environments are not possible; 4. Low-level restraint; 5. Restraint in the community is uncharted. Although most staff, health practitioners and relatives have a basic understanding of restraint, more education is needed at a conceptual level to enable them to identify and avoid restraint practice, particularly ‘low-level’ forms and chemical restraint. There was strong support for the new restraint regulations, but most interviewees admitted they were unsure what the legislation entailed. With regards to resources, stakeholders wanted recognition that there were times when restraint was necessary and advice on what to do in these situations, as opposed to unrealistic aspirations for restraint-free care. Stakeholders reported greater oversight of restraint in residential aged care but specified that community restraint use was largely unknown. Research is needed to investigate the extent and types of restraint practice in community aged care.

scholarly journals A mixed-methods study evaluating the impact of an excursion-based social group on quality of life of older adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joyce Siette ◽  
Mikaela Jorgensen ◽  
Amy Nguyen ◽  
Gilbert Knaggs ◽  
Stuart Miller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Care Services ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Social isolation is an increasing concern for older adults who live in the community. Despite some availability of social support programs to address social isolation, their effectiveness is not routinely measured. This study aimed to evaluate an innovative excursion-based program offering unique social experiences to older adults receiving aged care services. Methods This six-month before and after mixed-methods study evaluated the outcomes of an Australian excursion-based program which offered social and physical outings to bring older adults receiving aged care services into the wider community. The study combined two parts: Part 1 was a pre-post survey assessing the quality of life of older adults who received the excursion-based program for 6 months (n = 56; two time-points, analysed using signed rank test) and Part 2 involved qualitative in-depth, semi-structured interviews (n = 24 aged care staff, older adults and carers; analysed using thematic analysis). Results Older adults experienced a significant increase in quality of life scores (p < 0.001) between baseline and 6 months. Interviews confirmed these observations and suggested that benefits of participation included increased opportunities for social participation, psychological wellbeing, physical function, and carer respite. Interviews also revealed being in a group setting, having tailored, convenient and accessible activities, alongside supportive staff were key drivers in improving the wellbeing of participants. Conclusions Participating in an excursion-based community program may improve wellbeing in older adults. Aging policy should focus on prioritizing initiatives that promote social connectivity with the wider community and assist in improving outcomes for older adults.

To what extent a “bad” job? Employee perceptions of job quality in community aged care

2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 192-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marilyn Clarke
Keyword(s):  
Community Care ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Employee Perceptions ◽  
Job Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Care Organisation ◽  
Employment Conditions ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Community Aged Care

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how community aged care workers evaluate job quality using a job quality framework. Design/methodology/approach – The study uses a qualitative approach. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and focus groups from a large aged care organisation. Findings – Perceptions of job quality are influenced by individual motivations, match between life-stage and work flexibility, as well as broader community views of the value of this type of work. Intrinsic factors (e.g. autonomy, job content) moderate the impact of extrinsic factors such as pay and job security. Research limitations/implications – The sample is relatively small and the study is based on data from one aged care organisation which may not reflect employment conditions in other organisations. Practical implications – Attraction and retention of community care workers can be improved by addressing factors associated with remuneration (including employment contracts and hours of work) and career structures. Skill and experience-based career structures would help build organisational capacity as well as making these jobs more attractive. Social implications – The demand for community care will continue to increase. Attracting, retaining and managing this workforce will be critical to meeting society’s expectations regarding the future care needs of older people. Originality/value – This research explores an under-researched workforce group in a critical area of aged care management. It highlights two key areas with the potential to improve employee perceptions of job quality and therefore address issues related to attraction, retention, job satisfaction and ultimately organisational performance.

Holocaust survivors’ perspectives on using community aged care and support services

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Karen Teshuva ◽  
Allan Borowski ◽  
Yvonne Wells
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experience ◽  
Holocaust Survivors ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Traumatic Experiences ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Methodological Triangulation ◽  
Community Aged Care

AbstractThe extant literature on Jewish Holocaust survivors’ experiences of receiving aged care services typically focuses on the risk that formal care settings may reactivate traumatic memories. Absent from previous research have been the viewpoints of older survivors themselves regarding their aged care experiences. An interpretive phenomenological approach was used to investigate Jewish Holocaust survivors’ lived experience of using community aged care services. Thirteen in-depth interviews were conducted and analysed using thematic analysis. The credibility of the findings was ensured by methodological triangulation and peer debriefing. Four major themes emerged from the analysis: wanting carers to do their job well; being supported to maintain autonomy; having a good relationship with the carer; and being understood as an individual. Although Holocaust survivors described the lived experience of using community aged care services in terms of universal themes similar to those identified with other groups of care recipients, the data revealed that this experience is intertwined with individual earlier-life traumatic experiences. This study has implications for training age care staff who work with Holocaust survivors and older trauma survivors from other refugee backgrounds.

scholarly journals The impact of nurse and care staff education on the functional ability and quality of life of people living with dementia in aged care: A systematic review

2018 ◽  
Vol 67 ◽  
pp. 27-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Bauer ◽  
Deirdre Fetherstonhaugh ◽  
Emily Haesler ◽  
Elizabeth Beattie ◽  
Keith D. Hill ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Functional Ability ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Staff Education ◽  
The Impact
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