IntroductionThere has been an issue with lack of care in long term care facilities. Some examples ofthese issues include the following: pressure ulcers, falls, dehydration, insomnia, abuse ofrestraints, etc. of the elderly residents. Therefore, there has been studies performed to determinewhat needs to be changed and what the effect these changes would have on the facility as well asthe workers or nursing assistants. These studies take place in two different facilities in Quebec,Canada. It is sad how the majority of the workers interviewed have the same complaints thatdirectly relate to the reasons why proper care is not provided, yet nothing has been done to fixthose issues.DevelopmentThe most important factor to the career of a nursing assistant and the care of the elderlyin facilities is time. …show more content…
Out of the twenty-three workers interviewed, the overall complaint seemed to be about time. They each have totake care of an average of six residents, and with their work schedule there is no way they cancomplete the required tasks. In training, none of the nurse assistants were prepared to deal withtime limits. Gravely, as a team they were left with no choice other than to choose workefficiency over patient care. This is not right, however seeing their side of the situation, it wouldbe extremely difficult. However, patients and residents always come first. Assuming the issue oftime not only affects those who work in long term care facilities, but could affect those workingin hospitals (where I plan to work), is very eye opening. It prepares me to not only learn what
The majority population of long-term health facilities is comprised of geriatric patients with complex comorbidities. Studies show that one-third of these patients have cognitive impairments, and over one-half have physical limitations (Tjia, Bonner, Briesacher, McGee, Terrill & Miller, 2009). It is important to know geriatric patients have increased vulnerabilities. When patients are poor historians and family is unavailable, the nurse often becomes their only advocate during facility admissions. Adequate discharge planning is imperative for patient safety and successful transitions from hospitals to long-term care facilities. It is the equal responsibility of both care
It started 06/27/2014, my father was admitted in the hospital for breathing problems. At this time his lungs was collapsing to where he had to be put on a ventilator i almost lost him, he woke up 2 weeks later but had to remain on the ventilator, while on this his health went up and down he was tranferred from the hospital to a long term care facility to where they were not taking care of him properly i almost lost him twice so he was transferred to another faility lets just say it was a year long battle i had to learn medical terminology so i could keep up with what was going on and til this day im still taking care of him i want to study this fiedl because i feel as though i can help people in need because i would take my job and the customers
They found that the daily interaction with residents is very limited which make isdifficult to properly complete the tasks they are assisting with in a quality manner. One Assistantreported that “we’re not enough to provide quality care so we’re asked to take good care ofresidents; we try to but were just not enough, the service we provide is too kept to a minimum.” Ithink these key points are very important to healthcare role, I think that if you are training to bein the healthcare field you should know the importance of taking training seriously and thingsshould be done in a quick but timely manner. I would agree with this article and the nurseassistants who voiced their opinions on how caring more about the residents and properly
The authors took a qualitative design to their research to developed an understanding why the quality of care varied across several nursing homes (Burns, D. J., Hyde, P. J., & Killett, A. M., 2016, p. 995). This study included 12 different nursing homes which consist of a mixture of non-profit and for profit nursing homes and residential living communities over the course of three years (2009-2012). Each nursing home varied from 10 to 65 bed facilities that varied in the terms of the level of care provided. Field research consisted of repeated site visits to each nursing home or living community, interviews, and observations. Each visit to the different nursing communities lasted from four to six weeks. During this time, the authors conducted 175 different interviews including department heads, nurses, caregivers, residents, and family or relatives of the
In a profession where others' health and well-being are priority, there leaves room for neglect of those who are delegated to care for these people. As a professional nurse, there are many obstacles that arise and affect the care provided to a patient, as well as the livelihood of the nurse. The current deteriorating and unsafe staffing conditions in hospitals and other institutions prompts workplace advocacy as the universally appropriate concept for maintaining professional nursing practice. Common
Since the area of long-term health care is constantly evolving the manager must be able to prepare for changes that could affect the organization. These changes could involve federal regulations, state and local polices, and accrediting agencies (Dana & Olson, 2007). This requires the ability to be open-minded and creative to embrace the opportunity for improvement. The manager must be able to plan ahead to ensure the organization is not blindsided by these changes. However, in order to better adapt to these changes, the manager must have a strong base to work from. The implementation of changes may be costly so the manager must be able to determine the capability of the organization’s funding abilities. Mangers that are able to budget costs
This paper will review the many aspects of long-term care problems and many challenges there are within Long-Term care. We will look at rising costs within long-Term Care, patient abuse, will look at the quality of life, shortages of nurses and demand that the elderly are putting on the medical field. The type of care that Long-Term Care had been giving to its patients and the changes within Long-Term Care.
The issue of elder abuse is clearly an ethical concern. As a caregiver, the nurse has the responsibility to ensure that the environment of the patient is safe and supportive of health and wellness. In the case of an elderly patient who is too frail to engage in effective self-care, the demands upon the nurse increase as the nurse must
Janice: You did an amazing job in presenting your summary. I thoroughly enjoyed reading key highlights mentioned in your post. You stated that “effective communication between nurses and other health care team members is critical to patient safety; lack or inadequate communication compromises patient safety.” Your statement certainly resonated with me, as this is something I had witnessed firsthand during the care process of my Grandmother. My family once had to make a critical decision of removing my grandmother from the nursing home facility she was currently staying at the time, after my family discovered that the nursing home did not follow specific instructions provided by the surgeon who performed a hip surgery on my grandmother. Indeed,
Employee understanding is not the only barrier to effective senior care. Factors for communication such as time, access to information, and privacy sometimes fail to come available when nurse practitioners need them the most. Organizational leaders mitigate these incidents by providing quiet rooms where practitioners consult with senior patients. Additionally, administrators ensure that there are sufficient nonmedical support staff so that nurse practitioners can focus on engaging patients appropriately. Administrators also clearly define roles and responsibilities for all personnel, so ensure the best possible caregiving environment. These are the most important factors in delivering dignified care to seniors as viewed from the perspectives of medical professionals.
Staff turnover within the long-term care industry continues to increase at a significant rate (Castle, 2003). National averages show the overall turnover rate ranges from 38% to 50% for Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN), registered nurses (RN) and administrators and 66% for Certified Nurses Aides (CNA) (American Health Care Association [AHCA], 2008). Turnover increases cost associated with recruitment and training as well as affects quality of care and customer satisfaction. For example, a turnover rate of 45% among 2.6 million long-term care workers costs about $4.1 billion per year. Furthermore, it can lead to inadequate staffing levels which results in decreased continuity of care (Castle, Degenholtz, & Rosen, 2006; Seavey, 2004; LTCCC, 2008). Dr. Charlene Harrington, a leading researcher in the nursing home field, contends that inadequate staffing levels are the primary reason for poor quality of care in nursing homes (LTCCC, 2008). Demographic changes in the U.S. population will affect the national workforce as well as increase the demand for long-term care. A large number of people will leave the workforce, which will increase turnover. At the same time, the aging population will increase the demand for health programs.
Over the years I have had the opportunity to provide music performances for those who have had to move into nursing homes and memory care facilities. I have taken that opportunity to brighten the spirits of those whom I love and respect. I have been impacted by the sadness of the individuals within the walls of these homes with their loneliness that pierces my heart. To paint the picture I reflect on a recent experience. “I walk into a nursing home where my grandparents had recently been relocated. It smelt like some sort of sanitizing spray that failed to mask the smell of urine. Once I spotted my grandparents, my heart sank to a level of complete disbelief. They sat hand in hand with their wrinkly fingers intertwined with one another. It
Also, research reveals that RN’s ageist perceptions and behaviors have a negative impact to level of safety and quality of the nursing care provided to an older patient. In a critical review conducted by Brown et al. (2011) in 25 studies, older patients are exposed to under or over treatment. Examples of these in the nursing context are (1) insertion of indwelling catheters to avoid the inconvenience, exertion or pain of toileting and (2) failure to perform basic bed repositioning that contributes to increased pain suffering and pose potential risk of infection and further injury to the older patient. Also, misconception on the recuperative abilities of the older patient causes the RN to lose the ability to impartially and accurately assess
The study was conducted in a state acclaimed, clean and cheerful nursing home environment in Connecticut, USA. Two of the four floors were selected with two groups in the study. The resident participants were similar in physical, mental, psychological health and social status. Residents in one (randomly selected) floor or group one were assigned
Nurses now find themselves responsible for various tasks and multiple patients all at the same time. They are constantly running around from patient to patient while doing numerous other jobs in between.Nurses are unable to spend quality one on one time with the patients and often have to deviate from one patient to another. This can lead to the patients not being adequately cared for and feeling as if the nurses do not actually care for he or she. In reality this is not true and that the nurses do actually care a lot about each of their patients