Rest and Sleep Patterns and Activities of Residents in Long-term Care Facilities: A Descriptive Study

Background:To facilitate healthy occupational participation and highlight the significance of rest and sleep for older adults, this study aimed to provide a description of rest and sleep patterns and activities of residents in long-term care facilities (LTCFs). Method: Secondary analysis of rest and sleep data collected from a funded R21 study was conducted. Twenty-nine residents were interviewed using the Yesterday Interview (YI) to describe their time and daily activities, including rest and sleep patterns and activities. Results: Average time spent sleeping was 10.22 (±1.77) hr and resting was 4.77 (±3.3) hr. Data were also collected on the personal and instrumental daily living activities in which residents participated during rest time and sleep preparation. Conclusion: Occupational therapists working with residents in LTCFs are well suited to incorporate rest and sleep interventions that will enhance the occupational performance of daily living activities. Future research efforts should be directed at strategies to increase the sleep health of residents in LTCFs in collaboration with other in-house professions

Exploring Spirituality of Elders Relocating into Long-Term Care Facilities

Background: Spirituality is recognized as an important contributor to quality of life, particularly for older adults. Yet, limited research has been conducted to examine spirituality of older adults relocating to long-term care facilities (LTCFs). The intent of this mixed methods study was to cull data from a parent study to explore different aspects of spirituality among residents newly admitted to LTCFs. Method: Qualitative and quantitative data of six participants from a parent study including interviews and scores from the religious and existential well-being sections of the Spiritual Well Being Scale (SWBS) were analyzed and triangulated. Results: Descriptive analysis of the demographic data including age, gender, ethnicity, and spirituality scores was conducted. Emerging themes from the qualitative interviews included: hope/hopelessness for the future; sense of belonging in the LTCF; contentment/discontentment with life; and personal religious beliefs. These themes, in turn, were triangulated with and supported by the SWBS scores Conclusion: The findings have the potential of developing recommendations for spiritually-based interventions to facilitate successful relocation to LTCFs. Clinical implications for occupational therapy and future research are discussed