Mobility of Vulnerable Elders (MOVE): study protocol to evaluate the implementation and outcomes of a mobility intervention in long-term care facilities

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Almost 90% of residents living in long-term care facilities have limited mobility which is associated with a loss of ability in activities of daily living, falls, increased risk of serious medical problems such as pressure ulcers, incontinence and a significant decline in health-related quality of life. For health workers caring for residents it may also increase the risk of injury. The effectiveness of rehabilitation to facilitate mobility has been studied with dedicated research assistants or extensively trained staff caregivers; however, few investigators have examined the effectiveness of techniques to encourage mobility by <it>usual caregivers </it>in long-term care facilities.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>This longitudinal, quasi-experimental study is designed to demonstrate the effect of the sit-to-stand activity carried out by residents in the context of daily care with health care aides. In three intervention facilities health care aides will prompt residents to repeat the sit-to-stand action on two separate occasions during each day and each evening shift as part of daily care routines. In three control facilities residents will receive usual care. Intervention and control facilities are matched on the ownership model (public, private for-profit, voluntary not-for-profit) and facility size. The dose of the mobility intervention is assessed through the use of daily documentation flowsheets in the health record. Resident outcome measures include: 1) the 30-second sit-to-stand test; 2) the <it>Functional Independence Measure</it>; 3) the <it>Health Utilities Index Mark 2 and 3; </it>and, 4) the <it>Quality of Life - Alzheimer's Disease</it>.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>There are several compelling reasons for this study: the widespread prevalence of limited mobility in this population; the rapid decline in mobility after admission to a long-term care facility; the importance of mobility to quality of life; the increased time (and therefore cost) required to care for residents with limited mobility; and, the increased risk of injury for health workers caring for residents who are unable to stand. The importance of these issues is magnified when considering the increasing number of people living in long-term care facilities and an aging population.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>This clinical trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (trial registration number: <a href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01474616">NCT01474616</a>).</p

Experiences of a Novice Researcher Conducting Focus Group Interviews

The purpose of this paper is to report what I learned about how to conduct focus group interviews that produce insightful, revealing and informative data.&nbsp; I will discuss my experiences facilitating focus group interviews as a novice researcher and compare these experiences with the literature.&nbsp; I planned the focus groups in collaboration with a research team, recruited participants from various units at the local tertiary care hospital and set up the meeting rooms for the groups. &nbsp;I then facilitated the focus groups with the support of an assistant.&nbsp; Following the focus groups, I documented my field notes, as well as my personal reflective memos.&nbsp; I downloaded the audio recordings, de-identified the written transcripts, and reviewed them for accuracy prior to analysis.&nbsp; A number of concepts emerged that merit particular attention: challenges with recruitment, the use of field notes and reflective memos, the benefits and limitations of using a flip chart, importance of professional support, using homogenous groups, and attending to the set-up of the environment.&nbsp; As the focus group interview becomes an increasingly popular data collection method in qualitative research, my experiences could inform the preparation of other novice researchers as they undertake their own focus groups

Valuing Arts-based Academic Projects in a Faculty of Nursing: Experiences of Graduate Students and Supervisors

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to explore student and supervisor experiences and perspectives regarding the advantages and challenges of arts-based projects in the context of graduate nursing education programs. We define arts-based academic projects as graduate level projects that incorporate a significant artistic component, and that culminate in a final written report of a capping exercise, a thesis or a dissertation. Procedures: Three graduate students were asked to briefly summarize their arts-based academic projects and to reflect upon their experiences with their projects, noting the advantages and challenges that they encountered in the process. The students’ supervisors also reported their experiences with supervising students conducting arts-based academic projects. The resulting written reflections were collated and summarized. Results: The arts-based academic projects included a set of comics, a story-based digital education tool and a digital knowledge whiteboard animation video. All of these projects integrated visual art into products for the purpose of knowledge translation. The students and their supervisors identified numerous advantages to arts-based projects, such as being able to address the complexities of context and to engage broad audiences. They reported challenges such as misunderstanding and devaluing the nature of these less traditional academic projects. Conclusions: This study has implications for future arts-based projects that may be conducted in Schools or Faculties of Nursing. Supervisors and committee members play a key role in fostering the creativity of students, building on their strengths, and encouraging them to pursue innovative theses or capping exercises. Similarly, graduate program coordinators/associate deans of graduate programs can also support these students by encouraging and approving projects that are less conventional and by helping others understand the value of these projects. Résumé Objectif : Cet article a pour but d’explorer les expériences et les perspectives d’étudiantes et de directrices de projets quant aux avantages et aux défis inhérents aux projets de nature artistique dans le cadre de programmes d’études supérieures en sciences infirmières. Nous définissons les projets d’études de nature artistique comme étant des travaux des cycles supérieurs qui comportent un important volet artistique et aboutissent à la rédaction d’un rapport de fin d’études, d’une thèse ou d’un mémoire. Approche : Nous avons demandé à trois étudiantes des cycles supérieurs de résumer leur projet artistique et de réfléchir sur leur expérience en soulignant les avantages et les défis rencontrés au court du processus. Les directrices de ces projets étudiants ont également décrit leur expérience de suivi de projets d’études de nature artistique. Nous avons colligé les réflexions écrites pour en faire la synthèse. Résultats : Les projets d’études de nature artistique qui ont été présentés comprenaient une bande dessinée comme moyen de diffusion de résultats de recherche, un outil numérique d’apprentissage basé sur un récit pour des parents et des enfants asthmatiques ,et une vidéo d’animation numérique de partage de connaissances sur tableau blanc pour les parents d’enfants qui ont gastroentérite aiguë. Tous ces projets intégraient les arts visuels dans des produits destinés au transfert de connaissances. Les étudiantes et les directrices de projets ont soulevé de nombreux avantages liés à de tels projets, comme la possibilité de rendre compte de la complexité du contexte et d’intéresser un large public. Les défis soulignés incluaient notamment l’incompréhension et la dévalorisation de tels projets d’études moins conventionnels. Conclusions : Cette synthèse peut avoir des répercussions sur d’éventuels projets d’études de nature artistique menés dans les écoles ou les facultés de sciences infirmières. Les directrices et les membres de comités jouent un rôle prépondérant auprès des étudiantes, soit de favoriser leur créativité, de développer leurs forces et de les encourager à envisager des thèses et des rapports de fin d’études avant-gardistes. De même, les responsables et les vice-doyennes des programmes de cycles supérieurs peuvent soutenir ces étudiantes en favorisant et en approuvant des travaux moins conventionnels, tout en aidant les autres à en comprendre la valeur

Navigating Mealtimes to Meet Public Health Mandates in Long-Term Care During COVID-19: Staff Perspectives

Context: Mealtimes in long-term care (LTC) settings play a pivotal role in the daily lives of residents. The COVID-19 pandemic and the required precautionary infection control mandates influenced many aspects of resident care within LTC homes, including mealtimes. Limited research has been conducted on how mealtimes in LTC were affected during the pandemic from staff perspectives. Objective: To understand the experiences of LTC staff on providing mealtimes during the pandemic. Methods: Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 22 staff involved with mealtimes between February and April 2021. Transcripts were analysed using interpretive description. Findings: Three themes emerged from the analysis: (1) recognizing the influence of homes’ contextual factors. Home size, availability of resources, staffing levels and resident care needs influenced mealtime practices during the pandemic; (2) perceiving a compromised mealtime experience for residents and staff. Staff were frustrated and described residents as being dissatisfied with mealtime and pandemic-initiated practices as they were task-focused and socially isolating and (3) prioritizing mealtimes while trying to stay afloat. An ‘all hands-on deck’ approach, maintaining connections and being adaptive were strategies identified to mitigate the negative impact of the mandates on mealtimes during the pandemic. Limitations: Perspectives were primarily from nutrition and food service personnel. Implications: Overly restrictive public health measures resulted in mealtime practices that prioritized tasks and safety over residents’ quality of life. Learning from this pandemic experience, homes can protect the relational mealtime experience for residents by fostering teamwork, open and frequent communication and being flexible and adaptive

PenQuest Volume 2, Number 1

Table of Contents for this Volume: Untitled by Janet Collins Untitled by Judy Gozdur Last Hour of Light by Susan Reed Untitled by Judy Godzur Untitled by Rick Wagner Untitled by Carol Groover Untitled by R. Wagner Only in the Portico by Linda Banicki Untitled by Helen Hagadorn Private Place, Pubic Place by David Reed Untitled by Tammy Hutchinson Untitled by Tammy Hutchinson Madison Knights by Susan Reed Untitled by Sissy Crabtree The Price by Sandra Coleman Untitled by Ann Harrington Invasion of Privacy by Mark Touchton Untitled by Bruce Warner Untitled by Tom Schifanella Untitled by Tammy Hutchinson Bloodwork by Laura Jo Last Untitled by David Whitsett Burial Instructions by Bill Slaughter Untitled by S. Trevett PenQuest Interview: Joe Haldeman by David Reed Her Name Came from the Sea by Richard L. Ewart Untitled by V. Williams In the Woodshed by R. E. Mallery Untitled by Modesta Matthews Untitled by David Olson Illumination by E. Allen Tilley Untitled by Joseph Avanzini Everywoman by Laura Jo Last Untitled by Beth Goeckel Believe Me by Donna Kaluzniak Untitled by Judy Gozdur Untitled by Judy Gozdur Unicorn by David Reed Untitled by Susan Reed untitled by Paul Cramer Unititled by Lucinda Halsema The Violin by Richard L. Ewart Untitled by Maria Barry Untitled by Roger Whitt Jr. Haiku by Lori Nasrallah Rhymer’s Revolt by R. E. Mallery Untitled by Valerie William

Complete Genome Sequences of Cluster A Mycobacteriophages BobSwaget, Fred313, KADY, Lokk, MyraDee, Stagni, and StepMih

Seven mycobacteriophages from distinct geographical locations were isolated, using Mycobacterium smegmatis mc2155 as the host, and then purified and sequenced. All of the genomes are related to cluster A mycobacteriophages, BobSwaget and Lokk in subcluster A2; Fred313, KADY, Stagni, and StepMih in subcluster A3; and MyraDee in subcluster A18, the first phage to be assigned to that subcluster

Social anxiety symptoms in young children:Investigating the interplay of theory of mind and expressions of shyness

Children’s early onset of social anxiety may be associated with their social understanding, and their ability to express emotions adaptively. We examined whether social anxiety in 48-month-old children (N = 110; 54 boys) was related to: a) a lower level of theory of mind (ToM); b) a lower proclivity to express shyness in a positive way (adaptive); and c) a higher tendency to express shyness in a negative way (non-adaptive). In addition, we investigated to what extent children’s level of social anxiety was predicted by the interaction between ToM and expressions of shyness. Children’s positive and negative expressions of shyness were observed during a performance task. ToM was measured with a validated battery, and social anxiety was assessed using both parents’ reports on questionnaires. Socially anxious children had a lower level of ToM, and displayed more negative and less positive shy expressions. However, children with a lower level of ToM who expressed more positive shyness were less socially anxious. Additional results show that children who displayed shyness only in a negative manner were more socially anxious than children who expressed shyness only in a positive way and children who did not display any shyness. Moreover, children who displayed both positive and negative expressions of shyness were more socially anxious than children who displayed shyness only in a positive way. These findings highlight the importance of ToM development and socio-emotional strategies, and their interaction, on the early development of social anxiety

Sensory Communication

Contains table of contents for Section 2, an introduction and reports on fourteen research projects.National Institutes of Health Grant RO1 DC00117National Institutes of Health Grant RO1 DC02032National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Grant R01 DC00126National Institutes of Health Grant R01 DC00270National Institutes of Health Contract N01 DC52107U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research/Naval Air Warfare Center Contract N61339-95-K-0014U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research/Naval Air Warfare Center Contract N61339-96-K-0003U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Grant N00014-96-1-0379U.S. Air Force - Office of Scientific Research Grant F49620-95-1-0176U.S. Air Force - Office of Scientific Research Grant F49620-96-1-0202U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Subcontract 40167U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research/Naval Air Warfare Center Contract N61339-96-K-0002National Institutes of Health Grant R01-NS33778U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Grant N00014-92-J-184