We estimate the hidden cost of social obligations to redistribute exploiting data from a controlled setting in urban Senegal, which combines lab-in-the-field measures and out-of-lab follow-up data. ...We estimate a social tax of about 9 percent. When given the opportunity to get hidden income, individuals decrease by 26 percent the share of gains they transfer to kin — mostly outside the household — and increase health and personal expenses. We expand on prior literature by both identifying the individual cost of informal redistribution and then relating it to postexperiment resource-allocation decisions, and by disentangling intra- and interhousehold redistributive pressure.
•In urban Senegal we estimate a kin tax of about 9%.•People are hiding from kin living nearby and not from household members nor friends.•Getting unobservable income allows people to decrease the transfers made to relatives.•They subsequently increase their expenses in private goods and in health.•Poorest women are the ones reacting the most to the opportunity to hide.
We investigated the therapeutic benefits (i.e., sense of purpose and meaning in life) of the Living Legends program, which includes life review writing and an intergenerational exchange, compared ...with life review writing alone, for community-dwelling older adults.
This study was a randomized controlled trial with a connected qualitative component. We analyzed quantitative data using independent-samples t tests and written descriptions of program experiences using Collaizi's qualitative methodology; we then used a triangulation protocol to integrate the qualitative and quantitative data.
For participants in the writing workshop plus intergenerational exchange, sense of purpose and meaning in life increased significantly (p<.0001) compared with those in the writing workshop alone. Qualitative themes revealed additional program benefits.
Living Legends enhanced participants' sense of purpose and meaning in life, a factor known to prevent cognitive loss and disability, compared with life review writing alone.
Consistent with a care approach that optimizes the underlying ability of the patient/resident, the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 mandated that residents attain and maintain their highest ...level of function. Restorative Care, which more recently has been referred to as Function Focused Care 4, is a philosophy of care that focuses on evaluating the older adult's underlying capability with regard to function and physical activity and helping him or her optimize and maintain functional abilities and increase time spent in physical activity. The purpose of this review was to consider the work that has been done in testing function focused care and to provide guidance on the best ways in which to integrate this philosophy within any setting.
A systematic review of the available literature studying the impact of function focused care approaches was performed using MEDLINE and CINAHL search engines. The studies included were evaluated based on such things as design, specifically whether or not they were experimental designs (which included randomized trials or quasi experimental studies) or single group studies intended to pilot an intervention or for purposes of feasibility; randomization approaches; sample size/number of residents or patients included; descriptions of the intervention such as if there was a champion utilized (research supported or staff); or if motivation of older adults or caregivers was addressed.
Out of 41 articles identified by CINAHL and 148 via MEDLINE, 20 articles met our inclusion and exclusion criteria. Overall the results provided support for the safety and efficacy of function focused care approaches. Continued research is particularly needed to consider best approaches for dissemination and implementation of function focused care and to test function focused care in acute care settings.
The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of participation in the Living Legends program upon health science students' image of older adults and interest in working with older people. A ...multisite quasi‐experimental control group design with a connected qualitative component was used. Program sites included three Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs) and one senior center. Health science students (n = 43) from two universities and two community colleges and community‐dwelling seniors (n = 39) participated in the program. A baseline questionnaire was used to ascertain demographic characteristics and prior type and amount of contact with older adults. The Image of Aging Scale and Likert‐style questions to measure interest in working with older adults were the primary outcome measures. Written responses to program experiences were also collected. Analysis of covariance was used to compare changes in Image of Aging subscale scores from pre‐ to posttest. Mean change in positive image of older adults subscale scores was 4.6 (SD = 4.4) for the intervention group and −0.6 (SD = 4.8) for the control group. The difference between groups was significant (F = 22.0, P < .001), and the effect size was large (Cohen's d = 1.07). Nine of the 22 students in the intervention group had a greater interest in working with seniors after the program. Qualitative themes that emerged included a positive and beneficial experience, life lessons, seeing the person beyond the visible, power of the written word, and shared lives. Living Legends is an effective program to enhance positive images of older adults in future healthcare professionals and may have a positive impact on some students with regard to interest in working with older adults.
Hospitalized older persons with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias are at greater risk for functional decline and increased care dependency after discharge due to a combination of intrinsic ...factors, environmental, policy, and care practices that restrict physical and cognitive activity, lack of family involvement and limited staff knowledge of dementia care. We have developed a theory-based intervention, Family centered Function-focused Care, that incorporates an educational empowerment model for family caregivers (FCGs) provided within a social-ecological framework to promote specialized care to patients with dementia during hospitalization and the 60-day post-acute period. Primary aims are to test the efficacy of the intervention in improving physical and cognitive recovery in hospitalized persons living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) and improving FCG preparedness and experiences.
We will implement Family centered Function-focused Care in a cluster-randomized trial of 438 patient/FCG dyads in six hospital units randomized within three hospitals. We hypothesize that patients who receive the intervention will demonstrate better physical function, less delirium occurrence and severity, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and depression compared to those in the control condition (Education-only). We also hypothesize that FCGs enrolled in Family centered Function-focused Care will experience increased preparedness for caregiving, and less strain, burden, and desire to institutionalize, as compared to FCGs the control group. We will also examine the costs and relative cost savings associated with the intervention and will evaluate the cultural appropriateness of Family centered Function-focused Care for families from diverse backgrounds.
Our theory-based intervention makes use of real-world applicable approaches in a novel and innovative way to change the paradigm of how we currently look at acute care and post-acute transitions in persons with ADRD.
ClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT03046121 . Registered on 8 February 2017.
The Nurses Improving the Care of Healthsystem Elders (NICHE) program helps its more than 450 member sites to build the leadership capabilities to enact system‐level change that targets the unique ...needs of older adults and embeds evidence‐based geriatrics knowledge into practice. NICHE received expansion funding to establish a sustainable business model for operations while positioning the program to continue as a leader in innovative senior care programs. The expansion program focused on developing an internal business infrastructure, expanding NICHE‐specific resources, creating a Web platform, increasing the number of participating NICHE hospitals, enhancing and expanding the NICHE benchmarking service, supporting research that generates evidence‐based practices, fostering interorganizational collaboration, developing sufficient diversified revenue sources, and increasing the penetration and level of activity of current NICHE sites. These activities (improved services, Web‐based tools, better benchmarking) added value and made it feasible to charge hospitals an annual fee for access and participation. NICHE does not stipulate how institutions should modify geriatric care; rather, NICHE principles and tools are meant to be adapted to each site's unique institutional culture. This article describes the historical context, the rationale, and the business plan that has resulted in successful organizational outcomes, including financial sustainability of the business operations of NICHE.
Behavioral and psychological symptoms of distress in dementia (BPSD) are major drivers of poor quality of life, caregiver burden, institutionalization, and cost of care in nursing homes. The Evidence ...Integration Triangle (EIT)-4-BPSD in nursing homes was a pragmatic Hybrid III trial of an implementation strategy to help staff use evidence-based non-pharmacological interventions to prevent and manage BPSD. This study aimed to describe and explore the stakeholders' perceptions of the process to implement the EIT-4-BPSD strategy including its utility, and the barriers and facilitators to implementation in real-world settings.
EIT-4-BPSD was a multi-layer implementation strategy that engaged nursing home stakeholder groups to define community specific goals towards reducing BPSD over a 12-month period. Stakeholder groups from nursing homes that completed all 12-months of the implementation strategy were invited to participate in this process evaluation study. Qualitative data from focus group transcripts were analyzed using a conventional content analysis. Emerging codes were sorted into categories, then organized in meaningful clusters based on the domains of the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance) framework.
The EIT-4-BPSD implementation strategy was completed in 21 nursing homes; 93 stakeholders participated in focus groups. Over half of participating nursing homes reported meeting their BPSD goals as expected or more. Challenges, facilitators, and contextual factors reported by stakeholder members explains variability in the implementation of EIT-4-BPSD strategy in 11 key categories: family; staff; organizational; staff, environmental, and resident outcomes; utility of EIT resources; adoption barriers and facilitators; care process adaptations; and future planning.
Stakeholders offered guidance on salient factors influencing the feasibility and utility of EIT-4-BPSD adoption and implementation to consider in future implementation research that aims to improve behavioral well-being in NH residents living with dementia. Engagement of family and staff at all levels of the organization (Management, leadership, and direct care); and measurement of staff, environmental, and resident outcomes were perceived as critical for future implementation success. While regulations, finances, and competing demands on staff time were perceived as reducing implementation success.
The Testing the Implementation of EIT-4-BPSD study was registered in the ClinicalTrials.gov ( NCT03014570 ) January 9, 2017.
US nursing homes and other long-term care (LTC) communities such as assisted living and adult day care services have been disproportionally affected by COVID-19. Nurses and health care workers ...provided care and services despite health concerns for themselves and family members. Nurses on the frontline were called to act with extraordinary tenacity, skill, flexibility, and creativity to prevent infection; prevent complications; and optimize function, health, and well-being. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the strategies prioritized and implemented by nurse and interdisciplinary colleagues in LTC settings.