Elderly care recipients in a Swedish municipality living in their own homes: their diseases, functional health status and care provided as reported by formal carers

The aim of this study was to investigate from the perspective of formal carers the care given to people aged 65 and over, who are cared for in their own homes by informal care. Thirty-three district nurses (DNs) and 20 home service assistants in a municipality with 13500 inhabitants (over 65 years old), were interviewed about the location of care recipients and 398 care recipients were located. Most of them were over 80 years old and had more than one disease (62%), mostly related to the circulatory system (27%). Dependence in three or more of the Katz ADL categories was seen in 30%, reduced mobility in 67%, reduced memory in 34% to a degree that restricted their everyday life and 34% of them could seldom or never be alone. Care had been given for three years or more for 57% of these people. The monitoring of the disabilities and reduced functional health status differed significantly between the diagnostic groups. Home help service was associated with the care recipients' ADL index but not with their need for continuous monitoring. The DNs' care did not relate to any of the variables. In conclusion, diagnoses, the care recipients ability to be alone and functional health status are important variables to include when assessing the demands for home care and when planning supplementary care for home care recipients and their informal caregivers.     

Clinical supervisors' views of their leadership role in the clinical supervision process within nursing care

The purpose of this study was to investigate nurse supervisors 'views of their supervisory styles, their personal qualities and their leadership role, and the development of these styles The sample consisted of 18 clinical nurse supervisors The data were collected by interviews using 15 open-ended questions, and a 10-item questionnaire, and the analysis was a combination of hermeneutical and factor analysis The analysis revealed two specific styles the emotional and the cognitive supervisory style The supervisors' personal qualities were willingness and preparedness to show understanding, bringing out genuine feelings and 'confirming', the latter being the most important in the nurse supervisors 'styles The supervisors' views of their leadership role showed that high values were given to the following three factors techniques in providing clinical supervision, responsibility for facilitating process, responsibility for creating a climate conducive to supervision and focusing on the main themes