Home alone: unmet need for formal support services among home health clients

In order to remain in the home without family or other informal support, home health clients must have access to essential formal services such as nutritional support and homemaking chores to supplement medical and nursing care. In this study, we looked at client-related factors associated with the need for formal support services, and factors associated with whether those needs are adequately met. Data were collected from 2,013 home health clients in Massachusetts. According to the assessment of the skilled nurses treating them, 85 percent of the clients needed one or more support services; some or all needs were not adequately met in nearly half. Significant factors contributing to unmet need included: being non-white, having Medicaid as payer, being in a health maintenance organization, having AIDS, receiving maternal/child health services, and having an acute condition. This research suggests that even clients receiving skilled nursing care may not have many or most of their supportive needs met, and that there are identifiable factors which decrease the likelihood of having adequate care provided.     

社区卫生服务中心在提升社区老人生活质量中的作用及对策

目的 :通过对上海曹杨社区500位老年人生活质量的调查分析,结合社区卫生服务中心在社区老年人居家养老中的功能定位,探索适宜社区老年人居家养老模式,进一步提升社区老年人的生活幸福指数。方法 :采用纽芬兰纪念大学幸福度量表和老年人生活质量评定量表,对500例上海市某社区的老年居民进行问卷调查,研究老年人生活质量的现状及影响因素。结果 :对老年人生活质量影响较大的是心理及社会因素,如情绪、家庭关系、人际关系、社会活动等。社区卫生服务中心可在现有资源下积极参与。结论 :政府及护理机构应深化社区护理模式的研究,社区卫生服务中心提供"以人为本"的社区护理服务,开展个性化的护理照顾,把关注老年人心理活动和提供更丰富的社会支持作为社区护理发展的重要内容。     

Community care staff attitudes towards delivering a falls prevention exercise intervention to community care clients

Millions of older people world-wide receive community care services in their home to assist them to live independently. These services often include personal care, domestic assistance and social support which are delivered by non-university trained staff, and are frequently long term. Older people receiving community care services fall 50% more often than individuals of similar age not receiving services. Yet, few ongoing community care services include exercise programs to reduce falls in this population. We conducted an earlier study to examine the feasibility of community care staff delivering a falls prevention program. A critical finding was that while some of the assessment and support staff responsible for service delivery delivered the falls prevention exercise program to one or two clients, others delivered to none. Therefore, the aim of this qualitative sub-study was to understand reasons for this variation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 participating support staff and assessors from 10 community care organisations. Staff who had successfully delivered the intervention to their clients perceived themselves as capable and that it would benefit their clients. Older clients who were positive, motivated and wanted to improve were perceived to be more likely to participate. Staff who had worked at their organisation for at least 5 years were also more likely to deliver the program compared to those that had only worked up to 2 years. Staff that did not deliver the intervention to anyone were more risk averse, did not feel confident enough to deliver the program and perceived their clients as not suitable due to age and frailty. Experienced staff who are confident and have positive ageing attitudes are most likely to deliver falls prevention programs in a home care organisation.     

Allocative efficiency of case managers for the elderly.

This study presents an analysis of the allocative efficiency of case managers for the community-based elderly in an environment in which case management and a range of home and community-based services were available and directly linked to a mandatory preadmission screening program for nursing home applicants. We collected data for a one-year follow-up period on client placement, health and functional status, informal support, and use of health and social services for clients in two urban and two rural counties that participated in the Minnesota Pre-Admission Screening/Alternative Care Grants Program (PAS/ACG). We found that among those receiving ACG-supported services, the relationship between variation in the level of support for home and community-based services and the length of time elderly clients remained in the community suggested that case managers were allocating home and community-based services in a reasonably efficient manner. This finding offers support for using case managers to target services to the elderly.     

The presence of malnutrition in community‐living older adults receiving home nursing services

Aim: To determine the extent of malnutrition and malnutrition risk among community‐living older people (aged 65 years and over) who are receiving care from a metropolitan home nursing service in Victoria, Australia. Method: Over a 3‐month period (May–July 2009), 235 clients aged 65 years and over from a community nursing service providing home nursing care were assessed for malnutrition using the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA®, Nestle, Vevey, Switzerland). Results: Thirty‐four per cent (34.5%) of clients were identified as being at risk of malnutrition, while 8.1% were found to be malnourished. There was no significant relationship between nutrition risk and gender, country of birth or living arrangements. Conclusion: Malnutrition and nutrition risk was found to be an issue among this sample of community‐living older adults who were receiving home nursing care in Victoria, Australia. In this study, just over 40% of the participants were either at risk of malnutrition or malnourished, which highlights the vulnerability of this group of older people and the need for routine nutrition screening and a targeted intervention program to address nutrition issues.     

社区卫生服务中心创办医院模式托老服务的探讨

目的探讨在社区卫生服务中心创办医院模式托老中心的发展前景,为政府应对老龄化社会到来提供决策依据。方法采用自行设计调查表,对华南师范大学社区卫生服务中心托老中心入住的的32位老人及家属进行调查。结果本校职工及家属占78．13％;生活完全不能自理者和基本不能自理者占87．50％,需要特殊护理或者全护理;生活基本自理者占12．50％,需要一般护理;老人及家属对托老的医疗和护理都比较满意,且能承受托老费用;所有的老人和家属都表示在社区托老中心养老比社会敬老院好。结论在社区卫生服务中心创办托老中心可以取得很好的社会效益和经济效益,可以为社会和家庭赡养老人提供一种减负的措施;为高校离退休教职工及家属的养老方式开辟了一个新的选择;为社区卫生服务中心的服务提出了一个新的挑战和机遇。     

Factors determining the use of social support services among elderly people living in a city environment in Poland

Ageing populations entail important social issues. The population of Lodz is characterised by the highest ageing ratio in Poland (17.2% people aged 65 or above). The aim of our study was to present factors determining the use of social support services in the subpopulation of elderly people in a city environment. The study, conducted between 2011 and 2012 with the use of a survey questionnaire, included 466 respondents aged 65 or older, who were looked after by the Municipal Social Welfare Centre, Lodz‐Polesie. The response rate was 93.2%. Most beneficiaries were women (77.9%). The respondents were mostly widows (73.9% of women) or widowers (43.7% of men). Most respondents applied for nursing services (79.7%), while 28.3% asked for financial help. In Lodz as a whole, these percentages were 81.0% and 19.0%. A chronic disease was the most common cause of the application for help (73.4%). In 4.1% of applicants, the cause was a low income per capita. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that the variables which contributed to receiving financial support included being a man, aged 65–69 years, being single and receiving a monthly salary per capita below 500.0 PLN (Polish New Zlotys). The variables which contributed to receiving social care service in the form of nursing services included being a woman, aged 85 years or older, receiving a monthly salary per capita between 1001.0 and 1500.0 PLN, suffering from a chronic disease, which was a reason for applying for social support service, a result on the Activities of Daily Living scale confirming disability and a very negative self‐evaluation of health. The results of the study have shown that the poor health condition of elderly people is the most frequent reason for applying for social services. Identifying reasons for applying for social care by elderly people might facilitate the introduction of workable solutions in the social and healthcare policy.     

Geriatric assessment--an Australian idea

Residential care provision for elderly people varies from country to country as well as from state to state within Australia, yet despite this a universal feature of all countries is community pressure for increased provision of both nursing home and hostel accommodation. Australia has developed the concept of multidisciplinary assessment of elderly people requesting residential care. This paper describes the effectiveness of one assessment team in the south of Tasmania in reducing demand for residential accommodation and in improving outcomes for the clients referred to the team.     

都匀市城市社区老年人健康状况及社区护理需求调查

目的 了解都匀市老年人健康状况及对社区护理的需求.方法 采用老年人社区护理需求调查表、老年抑郁量表（GDS）及社会支持评定量表对都匀市城区210名60岁以上老年人进行问卷调查.结果 210名老年人中67.1%患有慢性病,22.4%存在自理缺陷,50.5%有抑郁症状.对社区护理的客观需求方面有慢性病系统管理、康复指导、照顾者培训、心理护理及健康教育等.主观需求方面前10位依次为上门服务（30.5%）、慢性病管理（27.6%）、保健指导（26.7%）、健康档案（21.4%）、饮食指导（18.6%）、照顾者培训（13.8%）、专科护理（12.9%）、康复指导（11.4%）、技术性护理操作（11.0%）及家庭病床（11.0%）等.结论 老年人群是社区护理服务的重点人群,应加强对社区护理服务宣传,完善社区卫生服务体系,针对老年人需求调整社区护理工作重点.     

Role of the social support network which influences age of death and physical function of elderly people: study of trends in and outside of Japan and future problems

Concerning associations between the social support network and physical health of the elderly, longitudinal studies have been conducted using various measurement indexes. The studies indicated that the support network influences on physical function and life expectancy. In this study we compared research papers from Japan and elsewhere that appeared after 1980, from the viewpoint of 1) social support effects, and 2) social network effects, to examine potential problems in the future. The main knowledge obtained was that the receipt of emotional support, wide network size, and participation in social activities reduced the risk of early death and decrease in physical function of elderly people. Sex differences were indicated, and in many cases, the effects were more remarkable in men than women. In addition the positive influence of receiving help from a support network, a major subject of conventional research, the effects of offering help to others and negative findings were also examined. It has been indicated that participation in volunteer groups and offer of support to other people can prevent decrease in physical function or early death. As negative effects, improper instrumental support rather disturbs the mental and physical independence of elderly people. As future issues, it is necessary to focus on both positive/negative and receipt/offer effects of support network, and to clarify how to provide example which best match the life of elderly people by comparing sexes and regions. It is also important to actually apply the knowledge gained from observational studies to prevent the elderly from becoming a condition requiring care, and to develop intervention studies which can increase the social contacts of elderly people at the same time as conducting health education and medical treatment.     

宝安区西乡街道桃源居社区居家老人护理需求研究

目的调查分析桃源居社区居家老人对社区护理服务需求的现状,为开展居家护理服务和制定内容规划提供依据。方法编制居家老人护理需求评估表,通过专业人员对240名老年人的健康功能状况和居家护理服务需求进行入户评估。结果67.08%的居家老人有居家护理服务,年龄、文化程度、自理能力是影响老年人护理需求的影响因素。结论开展居家护理能够有效提高老年人的自我保健意识和能力,对保障老年人的健康生活具有重要意义。     

Factors explaining the referral of the elderly to home nursing or home help.

Factors explaining the referral of the elderly to home nursing or home help or both were studied in a population (n = 1358) aged 60 years or over and living in the commune of Aht?ri, a semi-industrialized community in middle-western Finland, using social and health care registers and questionnaires in collecting data. The clients of home nursing and of combined home nursing and home help were predominantly women, whereas men were in the majority among those referred to home help. A stepwise regression analysis showed old age, living alone, low self-perceived health, low education and few visiting contacts to explain home nursing or home help among men. Among women, the most important variables explaining home nursing or home help in the regression model were old age, low self-perceived health, low standard of housing, high amount of symptoms and lowered functional capacity. The poor availability of social support is more important a factor explaining the referral to home care among elderly men than among women. On the other hand, low health status and poor functional capacity, as well as poor availability of physical support are more important factors among women than men.     

Defining roles, relationships, boundaries and participation between elderly people and nurses within the home: an ethnographic study

Recently there has been a marked shift in the location of nursing care in the UK from the hospital setting to the community and more particularly the home, with elderly people identified as key recipients of care in this setting. A number of commentators have highlighted the particular situation of elderly people with regard to care provision, illuminating the often disempowering nature of care interactions between nurses and elderly people. However, although there is clear evidence from a number of settings that care for elderly people has been less than optimal, to date there is little comparable evidence available regarding elderly people's experiences of nursing care within the home environment. Utilising an ethnographic approach, incorporating participant observation and semistructured interviews with nurses and elderly people (aged 65 years and over), the aim of this study was to explore the nature of the care relationship within the home setting. Thirteen elderly people who were receiving nursing care within the home and 16 community nurses within one Primary Care Trust in the UK took part in the study and data were collected over a period of 1 year. Three themes emerged from the data: the location of care; the nature of nurse–patient relationships; and the meaning of health and illness. These offer an account of the ways in which roles and relationships are constructed, negotiated and experienced by nurses and elderly people in the home, illuminating the centrality of relationships between nurses and elderly people in defining the experiences and perceptions of both groups of the quality of care overall. As the location of care continues to move closer to home, it is crucial that the implicit qualities that are valued within nurse–patient relationships in this context are recognised and made more explicit at both the organisational and policy level.     

Awareness among community-dwelling elderly of assistive devices for mobility and self-care and attitudes towards their use

The researchers conducted a survey by personal interview of elderly people (75 +years) receiving home nursing (N= 117) in Belgium to investigate the extent of their awareness and perceptions of the existing supply of assistive devices for mobility and selfcare (ADs). A new scale has been developed to measure the possession and the awareness of ADs, the Assistive Devices Awareness Scale. The researchers identified important gaps regarding the awareness of ADs, despite their widespread usefulness and their commercial availability. Even persons with specific disabilities were not necessarily aware of the ADs available to assist with their particular problems. Nevertheless, the elderly persons presented positive attitudes regarding the possibility of using devices as a partial substitute for care and advocated participation in financing the purchase of ADs. Opinions regarding the effect of using ADs on feelings of loneliness differed quite extensively. Most people who were receiving home nursing already possessed ADs. These elderly people perceived mainly positive consequences from using the ADs they already possessed. Linear forward regression analysis revealed that for the elderly clients of home nursing services, the possession of devices is correlated with the extent to which there is a growing need for care, people are aware of the existing devices and people perceive the consequences of using ADs as positive. Implications for future research are discussed.     

Caring for elderly people with persistent pain in the community: a qualitative perspective on the attitudes of patients and nurses

This paper describes qualitative findings from a study which was designed to explore the nursing needs of elderly people in the community who experience persistent pain. Participants were 190 elderly people who were receiving visits from a district nurse and who reported pain of more than 6 weeks’ duration. The most common reported cause of pain was arthritis. Respondents participated in structured interviews which included open questions about their experiences and expectations. The district nurses completed questionnaires that included a combination of open and closed questions concerning pain and coping factors, for each individual respondent known to them. They were also asked questions about their general attitudes and beliefs about pain management. Data from all open questions were subjected to content analysis. The results indicate that most elderly respondents valued having someone who was prepared to listen to them, understand how they felt and provide information and encouragement. Most did not expect the nurse to relieve their pain. On the other hand, the nurses appeared to feel relatively helpless when medical treatments failed and although the importance of good social support visits was well recognized by most, the concept of ‘support’ tended to be vaguely defined. These findings highlight the importance of psychosocial care for the elderly in the community and the need for a strong focus upon psychosocial assessment and management during training for health professionals.     

Australian eldercare providers: comparing volunteers and temporary staff on work environment, interpersonal relationships, and self-efficacy

Volunteers (n = 52) and temporary employees (n = 49) at a nonprofit, health care program for the elderly in Australia completed measures on community self-efficacy, sense of community, and caregiver satisfaction and stress. Results indicated that both samples of respondents experienced a relatively strong sense of common mission to help the elderly, but volunteers, compared to employees, reported stronger self-efficacy about making a difference in their community. Volunteers, in comparison to temporary (or casual, the preferred term in Australia) employees, also reported a stronger sense of reciprocal responsibility to help their peers but stronger disharmony among members. Employees compared to volunteers reported greater satisfaction as a caregiver. Implications suggest marked differences in experiences of eldercare among volunteer and temporary employees working with the elderly.     

Relationships between volunteerism and social-physical health and QOL with community-dwelling elderly participating in a long-term care prevention programme

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to clarify the influence of volunteerism as part of a long-term care prevention program on social and physical health indicators and QOL, as compared with non-participation among elderly people. METHODS: The baseline survey was conducted in 2003 among elderly people (age, 70-84 years) living in a rural community in Miyagi Prefecture. We recruited elderly volunteer leaders for long-term care prevention from among the 1,503 elderly people participating in the baseline survey. Of these, 77 individuals were registered as volunteer leaders. One year later, we conducted a follow-up survey to clarify the influence of volunteerism. Finally, we analyzed data for 69 volunteer leaders and 1,207 non-leaders, focusing on influences of volunteerism on social and physical health and QOL using a logistic regression model. State of volunteer activity was treated as a dependent variable, and social and physical health indicators and QOL indices as independent variables. RESULTS: Non-participating individuals had significant declines in Intellectual Activity (OR: 4.51, 95% CI: 1.60-12.74), Social Role (OR: 2.85, 95%CI: 1.11-7.21), Self-efficacy for ADL (OR: 4.58, 95%CI: 1.11-18.88), Satisfaction with Economic State (OR: 2.83, 95%CI: 1.11-7.21), and Contact with Neighbors (OR: 3.62, 95%CI: 1.29-10.16), as compared with volunteers. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that volunteerism prevents lowering of higher-level functional capacity and social networking among community-dwelling elderly individuals.     

Transitions from home to nursing home in a capitated long-term care program: the role of individual support systems.

OBJECTIVE. This study calculated the risk of nursing home admission for clients receiving home- and community-based (HCB) care in a capitated long-term care system. DATA SOURCES. Program administrative data for non-institutionalized elderly and physically disabled (EPD) clients who had an HCB long-term care placement in the Arizona Long-Term Care System (ALTCS) during the period from January 1989 through December 1991. STUDY DESIGN. The program experience of clients who were initially placed in HCB care (N = 2,923) was tracked from the date on which they entered the program until the end of December 1992. DATA EXTRACTION METHODS. Program administrative data were used to create spans of program experience for each client. Cox proportional hazards regression models were then used to assess the individual factors associated with the risk of nursing home entry during the study period. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS. The greatest risk of nursing home entry was observed for those who were older or white, and for those clients with Alzheimer's disease. Little significant effect was observed for support system variables. CONCLUSIONS. Study results suggest that efforts to prevent nursing home entry may be most productive if they focus on the point at which clients are first assessed for placement into the ALTCS program. Once in HCB care, subsequent risk of nursing home placement may be more related to the client's health and frailty than to support system factors.     

Factors influencing the willingness of community service organisation staff to provide smoking cessation support: a qualitative study

Objective : This study aimed to explore factors influencing community service organisation (CSO) staff members’ willingness to provide tobacco cessation support to clients experiencing disadvantage. Methods : Face‐to‐face semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 29 staff members from seven services in the alcohol and other drugs, homelessness, and mental health sectors in Western Australia. Results : The primary barriers to providing cessation support were believing that addressing smoking was not a priority relative to other issues, being a current smoker, and the lack of a formal tobacco cessation program within the organisation. Factors that appeared to be most influential in enabling the delivery of cessation support were organisational processes requiring staff to routinely ask clients about tobacco use, confidence to provide support, and being a past smoker. Conclusions : The introduction of organisational procedures that include routine cessation care should be of high priority in CSOs to help reduce smoking rates among clients. Staff may also benefit from receiving training in the provision of cessation support and education about the importance and feasibility of addressing smoking concurrently with other issues. Implications for public health : The results may inform future efforts to increase the delivery of cessation care to groups of people experiencing disadvantage and comorbidity.