Search

The purpose of this study was to describe differences in pain, behavioral symptoms, quality of staff-resident interactions, participation in function focused care and physical activity among residents with and without cognitive impairment in assisted living. This was a secondary data analysis using baseline data from an ongoing trial testing Function Focused Care for Assisted Living using the Evidence Integration Triangle (FFC-AL-EIT). A total of 550 residents were recruited from 59 communities. The average age of participants was 89.30 (SD = 7.63), the majority were white (98%), female (69%), had evidence of cognitive impairment (75%), and 5.16 (SD = 1.86) comorbidities. Those with cognitive impairment had more pain, were more sedentary and less likely to engage in function focused care activities. Addressing pain and implementing interventions for those with cognitive impairment to participate in function focused care may help optimize function and physical activity in assisted living residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Positive social and care interactions are vital to understand and successfully accomplish the daily care needs of the residents in assisted living (AL) and optimize their quality of life. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the staff-resident interactions in AL. This descriptive analysis utilized baseline data in a randomized trial that included 379 residents from 59 AL facilities. The majority of the interactions observed were positive; almost 25% were neutral or negative. Most interactions were care-related (31.9%) or one-on-one (27.4%), occurred with nursing (40.2%) or support staff (e.g., dining aide; 24.6%), and involved close interpersonal distance (64.6%). Future research should focus on the transition of neutral or negative interactions to positive and explore the factors that might influence neutral and negative interactions. Additionally, innovative approaches are needed to optimize interactions amid physical distancing in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study described current use and predictors of psychotropics among residents with moderate to severe cognitive impairment. This was a secondary data analysis using baseline data from the first 341 residents in an ongoing trial. Predictive measures included age, gender, race, depressive symptoms, agitation, resistiveness to care, depression, cognition, pain, comorbidities, facility factors, and state. Overall 63% (n = 211) received at least one psychotropic medication, 16% (n = 52) an anti-seizure medication, 23% (n = 77) an anxiolytic, 30% (n = 99) an antidepressant, 2% (n = 8) a sedative hypnotic, 28% (n = 93) an antipsychotic medication, and 9% (n = 29) an opioid. Testing of models explained 9% to 15% of psychotropic medication use. There were high rates of psychotropic medication use and a limited association between demographic factors, behavioral symptoms, and psychotropic medication use. Continued research is needed to explore the impact of deprescribing, person-centered behavioral interventions, and beliefs of providers on psychotropic medication use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to test the reliability and validity of the Checklist for Function-Focused Care in Service Plans. Function-focused care is a care approach that optimizes function and physical activity during all care interactions. This study used baseline data from the first cohort of the study titled Dissemination and Implementation of Function-Focused Care for Assisted Living Using the Evidence Integration Triangle (FFC-AL-EIT). A total of 242 participants were recruited from 26 assisted living facilities. The majority of participants were White, female, and unmarried. There was support for internal consistency with an alpha coefficient of.96, interrater reliability with a correlation of.80, construct validity based on Rasch analysis and INFIT statistics ranging from 0.69 to 1.29, and a significant association with function-focused care activities. Although there is some support for reliability and validity of the measure, modifications are recommended to add more challenging items. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]