Self-Reported Satisfaction of Older Adult Residents in Nursing Homes: Development of a Conceptual Framework

Innate psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and provider communication as determinants of patients' satisfaction and self-rated health

BACKGROUND

Reports from patient experience and satisfaction surveys are currently being used to target health quality improvement. The patient's healthcare experience is indicative of the interpersonal quality of care and significantly correlates with patient satisfaction as an evaluative measure. Guided by Self-Determination Theory (SDT), this study aims to explore the association of predictor constructs in the theoretical model of STD-perceived provider communication (PPC) and other innate psychological constructs of competence and autonomy with self-rated health (SRH) and healthcare satisfaction (HS). Of particular interest is the SDT construct of relatedness. For this study, it was operationalized as the perceived health communication of a provider. Items relevant to SDT in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) survey were tested, first, for whether they fall into the predicted SDT constructs and, second, whether and how these constructs were associated with self-reported health and patient HS.

METHODS

Two-stage data were analyzed using subsamples from the 2018 and 2019 HRS. Independent variables included items measuring SDT constructs about PPC, psychological well-being, and self-efficacy. Outcome variables included SRH and dimensions of HS, such as cost, quality, and providers. In the first stage, descriptive analyses and exploratory factor analysis were performed to identify the underlying factor structure. Principal axis factoring was used to extract factors. In the second stage, these factors were used in structural equation modeling to examine the relationship between SRH and HS.

RESULTS

Three factors with high internal consistencies (a > 0.8) and item-total correlations (r > 0.5) were identified. Data from the sample fit the structural model (χ2 = 0.00, CFI = 0.954, TLI = 0.946, RMSEA = 0.058, SRMR = 0.047). The structural phase indicated that PPC and competence were positively associated with SRH and HS. However, autonomy was only significantly associated with SRH but not with HS.

DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION

Individuals who rated PPC behaviors and their sense of competence more highly also showed higher satisfaction with multiple healthcare domains and their SRH status. Patient-centered determinants of health outcomes are complex, and more studies are needed to understand their nuances.

Relationship-Centered Care for Older Adults in Long-Term Care Homes: A Scoping Review

This scoping review, following Levac et al.'s methodology, examines the implementation and impact of relationship-centered care (RCC) in long-term care (LTC) settings for older adults. Peer-reviewed articles from AgeLine, CINAHL Complete, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Web of Science were included if published after 2000, involved older adults in LTC homes, focused on RCC, and conducted in Australia, Europe, New Zealand, or North America. Key findings were organized using inductive content analysis, and 41 empirical studies with qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods designs were included. Three categories emerged: (1) Core Practices of RCC-relationship building and reciprocal exchange; (2) Transformative Impacts of RCC-improved care quality and collaboration; and (3) Pathways and Roadblocks to RCC-individual and organizational factors. By understanding the key elements, facilitators, and barriers of RCC, policymakers and practitioners can develop targeted strategies to improve care experiences and outcomes for residents, families, staff, and all others involved in LTC.

Synergistic evaluation system of "technology and service" in smart elderly care institutions in China

Background

Smart elderly care faces numerous challenges while aligning with the national strategy of promoting the silver economy. Chief among these challenges is the inconsistent quality of services offered by smart elderly care institutions, which significantly impedes the industry's further development. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to develop a theoretical framework for assessing the quality of smart elderly care services, refine the evaluation index system for these services, and explore strategies to enhance their quality.

Methods

Based on the Structure-Process-Outcome model, this paper has developed an integrated theoretical framework and employed a combination of modified-Delphi method and Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory - Analytic Network Process to establish and assign weights to the service quality evaluation system for smart elderly care institutions in China.

Results

This study develops a "Technology + Service" synergistic theoretical framework and an index system comprising four first-tier indicators, 12 second-tier indicators, and 54 third-tier indicators. The most significant indicators identified are service resources, smart elderly care infrastructure, staffing, service empathy, the rate of health file creation, 3S device coverage rate, and average living space per bed.

Conclusion

The results reveal that service resources, especially the information technology infrastructure and smart equipment are the most crucial aspects of smart elderly care institutions. Additionally, institutions should focus on improving the expertise of their staff and providing psychological care for elderly adults.

Validation of the Chinese Version of Quality of Life Instrument (QUALIDEM-C) for People With Dementia in Long-Term Care Home

OBJECTIVES

To validate and examine the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of QUALIDEM (QUALIDEM-C).

METHODS

The psychometric properties of the Chinese QUALIDEM were tested in a sample of 150 residents in long-term care homes. Concurrent validity, internal consistency, inter-rater reliability, test-retest reliability and factor structure were determined.

RESULTS

QUALIDEM-C demonstrated good semantic equivalence with original version and good content validity. QUALIDEM-C showed satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbachs' alpha = 0.895), inter-rater reliability (ICC = 0.970) and test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.942). Acceptable concurrent validity was showed by consistently moderate correlations of QUALIDEM-C with generic and disease specific quality of life measures.

CONCLUSIONS

QUALIDEM-C is reliable and valid scales to measure quality of life of residents in long-term care home. Its applicability across residents with different levels of cognitive function favors its use over other measures in this context. It is potentially an effective tool, rather by multiple measures, to evaluate quality of life in future long-term care home research.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Spirituality and Spiritual Care Rating Scale: A Cross-Sectional Study in Eight US Nursing Homes

The aim of this study was to test a modified Spirituality and Spiritual Care Rating Scale (SSCRS) and report initial findings, based on a cross-sectional descriptive survey from eight nursing homes in the USA. This study examined the psychometric properties of a modified version of the SSCRS for assessing the perceptions of staff (i.e. nurses, rehabilitation staff, food and nutrition service staff, activities staff, social workers, and administrative staff) who work in nursing homes. The modified version of the SSCRS is measuring respondents' perceptions of spirituality, spiritual care, religiosity, and personalized care. Confirmatory factor analysis showed satisfactory goodness of fit for the original four-factor structure of the SSCRS. The modified version demonstrated good internal consistency and reliability (Cronbach's alpha ranging from 0.71 to 0.90). Initial findings showed statistically significant differences across all four sub-scales. Further research is needed to psychometrically test the modified tool.

Social Interaction and Life Satisfaction among Older Adults by Age Group

This study examined the effect of social interaction on life satisfaction in older adults. A total of 8188 participants were selected according to the inclusion criteria. SPSS Windows software (version 23.0) was used for statistical analyses. Data were analyzed using the independent samples t-test, chi-squared test, and multiple regression analysis with weights based on two age groups: 65-74 and ≥75 years. The results showed that social interaction factors influenced the life satisfaction of older adults. In the 65-74 age group, factors that statistically significantly increased life satisfaction were meeting children (β = 0.17, p < 0.001) and volunteer activities (β = 0.04, p = 0.007). In the ≥75 age group, factors that significantly increased life satisfaction were talking with friends (β = 0.11, p = 0.002), talking with children (β = 0.07, p = 0.013), using senior citizen community centers (β = 0.08, p = 0.001), and hobby club activities (β = 0.07, p = 0.001). In order to increase the life satisfaction of older adults, different ways to support social interactions need to be explored.

Creating age-friendly nursing homes: The time is now

The current global age-friendly movement supports older adults by promoting different policies and services. However, there is a dearth of attention to nursing home (NH) residents as part of age-friendly movements. The pioneering idea of an age-friendly health system, i.e., the "4 Ms" model is significant for NHs and formative for further developments; however, it does not identify unique components of NH care. This article aims to identify specific aspects of person-centered care in the literature to advance the development of a standardized conceptual framework. Along with residents, NH staff and administrators are integral parts of NHs. Incorporating the central role of caregivers, this study proposes a new "8 Ms" framework to describe the age-friendly NH. The traditional 4 Ms model notes that everything related to care matters to residents, along with care related to medication, mobility, and mentation. The proposed age-friendly framework introduces five additional "M," i.e., meaningful care, motivation, moderation, modification, and monitoring. This framework is proposed to advance education, training, clinical practice, research, and advocacy to promote quality of care in NHs. Application of the 8 Ms framework may yield multiple benefits, assuring good quality of care to residents, caregivers' job satisfaction, and supporting NH management in providing residents optimal care.

The satisfaction of elderly people with elderly caring social organizations and its relationship with social support and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

With the deepening of China's aging population, higher demands have been placed on the supply of elderly care services. As one of the main sources of providing elderly care services, the quality of service provided by elderly caring social organizations (SOs) directly affects the quality of life of the elderly. In recent years, mental health issues among the elderly have become increasingly prominent, especially with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Necessitating the need to pay much more attention to the social support and mental health of this population. This study, therefore, explores the mediating role of institutional satisfaction between the social support and anxiety levels of elderly people in Chongqing's elderly caring SOs.

METHOD

This study employed a multi-stage stratified random sampling method to survey 1004 service recipients in elderly caring social organizations from July to August 2022. The self-made sociodemographic questionnaire, institutional satisfaction questionnaire, MSPSS, and GAD-7 were used to collect data on sociodemographic characteristics, institutional satisfaction, social support, and anxiety levels of older adults. Exploratory Factor Analysis and Cronbach's alpha were used to test construct validity and scale reliability, respectively. Data features were described with One-Way Analysis of Variance, while Multiple Linear Regression and Structural Equation Modeling were used to evaluate relationships between social support, institutional satisfaction, and anxiety levels.

RESULTS

The average institutional satisfaction score for elderly people in elderly caring SOs was 48.14 ± 6.75. Specifically, the satisfaction score for environmental quality and the satisfaction score for service quality were 16.63 ± 2.56 and 31.52 ± 4.76, respectively. In terms of socio-demographic variables, the presence of visits from relatives, personal annual average income, and self-rated health status all have significant effects on anxiety. Elders who receive visits from relatives have lower levels of anxiety compared to those who do not. Personal annual average income and self-rated health status are negatively correlated with anxiety levels. Social support had significant positive effect on institutional satisfaction, while institutional satisfaction had significant negative effect on anxiety. Institutional satisfaction partially mediated the relationship between social support and anxiety.

CONCLUSIONS

Our research demonstrates that improving the quality of organizational services in elderly caring SOs and increasing institutional satisfaction among the elders has significant potential for reducing anxiety levels among the elderly. Additionally, the social support by visits from family members cannot be overlooked. We encourage increasing the frequency of family visits through various means to enhance the support provided to elderly individuals.

Antipodean Perspectives—Aged Care Nursing and the Multifaceted Role of the Aged Care Nurse

Healthy ageing refers to the development and maintenance of the functional ability of ageing individuals. Aged care nurses provide nursing care to elderly individuals and usually work in aged care residential facilities, nursing homes, home care services, and/or hospital departments. The registered nurse working in the aged care sector has several important roles. Key roles cover both therapeutic and preventative paradigms, as discussed in this paper. The aged care nurse is also “tasked with” holistic patient-centred care and the promotion of healthy ageing via advocacy and sociocultural roles. This paper examined, described, and analysed the multifaceted role of an aged care nurse from an Australian perspective. We conducted meticulous searches using PubMed, Google Scholar, government guidelines, authoritative body regulations, quality control guidelines, and government portals pertaining to aged care nursing in Australia. This paper relied upon the information garnered from publications, reports, and guidelines resulting from these searches and analyses. Multiple aspects of healthy ageing and holistic aged care nursing are discussed. The key roles of the aged care nurse are enumerated next, in accordance with the code of conduct from the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA). The NMBA promotes evidence-based, culturally sensitive, consultative, holistic aged care clinical practice that includes input from care recipients, their decision makers, and/or their health care providers. The difficult issue of loneliness is discussed with strategies to ameliorate aspects of this. Good social networks, community interactions, meaningful friendships, and participation in personalised spiritual/religious practices improve the quality of aged care. The key topic of elder abuse and its forms are discussed apropos of aged care nursing. Healthy ageing is promoted by identifying and reporting elder abuse at the earliest. Current Australian law and recent federal legislation changes pertaining to aged care nursing are discussed next. As a result of these legislation changes, several new quality control imperatives (for aged care organisations/facilities) under the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC) have been implemented. Residential and flexible aged care providers should now have robust ongoing documentation and a well-developed behaviour support plan (BSP) for each care recipient who currently requires or may require restrictive practices, which must be reported under the new serious incident reporting scheme (SIRS). Various strategies to promote healthy ageing and approaches to communicate effectively with aged care recipients are also discussed. Healthy ageing is promoted when age care recipients are empowered with making their own autonomous choices in “major and minor” aspects of life. Finally, approaches to optimise quality aged care nursing care are discussed. The Roper–Logan–Tierney model is one of the models used to assess and optimise nursing care. This is premised on the capability of an ageing individual to accomplish 12 basic activities of daily living.

Nursing home directors of nursing experiences regarding safety among residents with obesity

The prevalence of nursing home (NH) residents with obesity is rising. Perspectives of NH Directors of Nursing (DONs) who oversee care trajectories for residents with obesity is lacking. This study aimed to describe the experiences of NH DONs regarding care and safety for NH residents with obesity. An adapted version of Donabedian's structure-process-outcome model guided this qualitative descriptive study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 DONs. Data were analyzed using directed content analysis, and findings are presented under the model's constructs. We learned that admission decisions for NH referrals of patients with obesity are complex due to reimbursement issues, available space and resources, and resident characteristics. DONs described the need to coach and mentor Certified Nursing Assistants to provide safe quality care and that more staff education is needed. We identified novel findings regarding the challenges of short-term residents' experience transitioning out of care due to limited resources.