#longterm care

[squaredawayblog]

Will You Need or Provide Long-Term Care? – Center for Retirement Research

Factors such as marital status, education, race, and health can offer insight on how to plan for future care needs and costs.

[squaredawayblog]

An attorney and advocate for nursing home residents explains the history behind these hot spots for the virus.

[stewardshipmatters]

4 Overlooked Strategies Fund LTC

Tax Professionals need to know that 7702B will allow business owners special provisions not available to non business owners in regards to the calculations for LTC.

[perks-of-being-a-nurse]

the thing that i wrote for the publication that the facility we’ve been in does

so, this is the piece that i wrote for a publication that the facility we've been at does every year. it's kind of based off a bunch of stuff that I said in this post, as well as some other thoughts. it’s written in a more formal way, so that’s a thing. i have edited it to remove identifying details.

In coming  __Up North__ to do my first practicum, I didn’t really know what to expect. Having my clinical at __The Facility__ has greatly exceeded all of my expectations. The staff here at __The Facility__ have been so welcoming and helpful. I have met so many amazing people that are so encouraging, and are happy to answer questions and facilitate our learning. I have also met a lot of great residents, and had the privilege to speak with them and hear some of their stories.

I think a lot of facilities try to practice person-centered care, but they aren’t succeeding to the fullest extent that they about be. I believe that __The Facility__ really embodies the principles of person centered care. A good definition for person-centered care that I found is “a way of thinking and doing things that sees the people using the health and social services as equal partners in planning, developing, and monitoring care to make sure it meets their needs” (link to the article this definition comes from here: http://www.hin-southlondon.org/system/ckeditor_assets/ attachments/41/what_is_person-centred_care_and_why_is_it_important.pdf ). In school we have called it patient-centered care, but they’re all just different names for the same thing.

Something another student said was that a lot of facilities seem to practice more “provider-centered care” than person- or patient-centered care, and I think that this is true to some extent. Daily tasks are done in a way that is perceived to be easiest for healthcare providers, but is not necessarily the highest quality of care that we can give our clients. Even though this may be the goal, I don’t think it’s really the case. Both staff and residents at __The Facility__ seem more relaxed and less rushed than in other facilities I have seen. I can definitely say that based on my limited experience, it is a much less stressful working environment. I’m not helping an HCA who has to get eight residents up, do all their care, and get them dressed before breakfast in the dining room by 08:15.

Person-centered care seems to me to permeate every aspect of the facility, down to the way the building was designed. Residents can wake up when they want, get up when they want, and eat what they want. There is evidence that letting people with dementia sleep until they naturally wake up can decrease confusion, agitation, and aggression, so it’s really in the best interest of clients and caregivers.

All the discussions around person centered care remind me of an article that I read, that I now can’t find anywhere, about adults with developmental disabilities. They asked adults with Down syndrome what one thing they would change that they thought would improve their quality of life the most, and the most common answer was that they got back was that they wanted to choose their own bedtime. What adult doesn’t get to choose their own bed time? Adults that live in facilities or are under the care of others; others who want to make their own lives easier by telling the people that they’re caring for when they should go to bed. One think a bunch of the staff at __The Facility__ talked about, especially on __the units__ where I was first, was that all the residents are retired, why should we tell them they can’t sleep in?

The past four weeks at __The Facility__ have a great learning experience. It is such a privilege to be able to work in such an awesome facility in the beautiful setting of __The North__. I will carry the teaching and insights into nursing practice that the staff have given me into the rest of my career. Coming __Up North__ for my practicum was definitely the right choice for me, and it wouldn’t have been the amazing experience that it was if it weren’t for __The Facility__.

[perks-of-being-a-nurse]

person-centered care

the clinical rotation i am doing right now is in long term care; here Up North they call it "continuing care", and at home back in BC they call it "complex care". all different names for the same thing. in the region where we are, continuing care (and I'm assuming the rest of the health care system here) is really big into person-centered care, also sometimes called patient-centered care. one reason that they don’t use the term patient centered care here in continuing care is that the people we work with aren’t really patients, they residents if they live in a facility, or clients if they receive home care help. 

person-centered care is a term I think that has been floating around for the last little while, and it has definitely been talked about in my BSN classes. a quick google search defines person-centered care as “a way of thinking and doing things that sees the people using health and social services as equal partners in planning, developing and monitoring care to make sure it meets their needs”. I think this is really great. that article also looks pretty interesting, although i didn’t read it all.

i believe that a lot of facilities try to practice person-centered care, but they aren’t succeeding to the fullest extent that they could be. something that another student said that i think is pretty true is that a lot of facilities practice more provider-centered care, that is that daily tasks are done in such a way that it’s easier for healthcare providers, but not necessarily the highest quality of care for clients. although, i think that this is not always the case. both the staff and the residents at facility where i am seem less stressed than at other facilities where i have been; everything is WAY less rushed. 

person-centered care seems to me to me in every aspect of this facility, even the design. the facility has four units that are each split into two sides each with 12 or 14 beds. each of these sides has a common sitting area, a dining room, and a small kitchen. all the meals are served here, and this is where the residents spend most of their time. each resident room has a bathroom with a shower. also on the units there is a shared bathroom, the chart room, report room, med room, dishwashing room, and a storage room. the unit i was working on was a locked dementia unit, so it was laid out slightly differently.

other than the layout of the units, the care is also delivered in a way that is very personalized to the residents. the residents are not woken up in the morning unless they really need to be for some medical reason. some residents are woken up briefly if they need some medications or to have their blood sugar checked, and then they go back to sleep. there was one resident that got up between 04:00 and 06:00, and other residents that would sleep in to 13:30. there is evidence that not waking up people with dementia can decrease agitation and confusion and actually leads to everyone having a better day (which i have seen be true). residents can choose what they have for breakfast, or choose not to have breakfast (unless they need to like if their blood sugar is low or something). they can choose if they want to eat their meals in the dining room or in their rooms, if they want meals later, it’s all good. they can also have coffee, tea, and snacks basically whenever they want unless there’s a medical reason for them not to. they can watch movies, listen to music, read books, hang out in their rooms; there isn’t really a set schedule. for bathing and personal care as well, they can refuse and that’s okay, unless there’s a health reason that they really need it like skin breakdown or infection control. they can also go to bed whenever they want, which means residents go to bed between 19:00 and 2:00.

i really like it there. 99% of the time, the vibe there is so relaxed, and i love it. it reminds me of an article i read on time (and now can’t find for the life of me which i HATE) that was about adults with down’s syndrome. the researchers had asked the question of all of these adults with down’s syndrome what was the one thing that they thought would improve their quality of life most, and the most common answer was that they wanted to choose their own bedtime. this killed me. what adult doesn’t get to choose their own bedtime? i love with my parents when i’m at home and my parents haven’t made me go to bed for two years, and i wasn’t even legally an adult in my province. one thing that a bunch of the staff at the facility kept saying that i thought was great was that they’re all retired, why should we tell them they can’t seep in?

i don’t know if this is the way things are done everywhere else and complex care is just really crappy where i’m from, but this place is great. 

[omyfinance-blog]

source: http://www.angieslist.com/articles/infographic-do-you-need-long-term-care-insurance.htm

[vanhookinc-blog]

Admissions criteria for residents at Van Hook Inc. semi-independent living for adults with developmental disabilities.

Van Hook, Inc. is dedicated to providing long-term residential care in a safe, supportive, family-like environment for adults with developmental disabilities with opportunities for choice and encouragement for independence in the least restrictive environment.

[vanhookinc-blog]

With ample room to live, work, and play, activities for residents reflect individual needs, abilities choices and may be on- or off-site.