Impact of infection outbreak on long-term care staff: a rapid review on psychological well-being

Context: Older people and people with an intellectual disability who receive long-term care are considered particularly vulnerable to infection outbreaks, such as the current Coronavirus Disease 2019. The combination of healthcare concerns and infection-related restrictions may result in specific challenges for long-term care staff serving these populations during infection outbreaks. Objectives: This review aimed to: (1) provide insight about the potential impact of infection outbreaks on the psychological state of healthcare staff and (2) explore suggestions to support and protect their psychological well-being. Method: Four databases were searched, resulting in 2,176 hits, which were systematically screened until six articles remained. Thematic analysis was used to structure and categorise the data. Findings: Studies about healthcare staff working in long-term care for people with intellectual disabilities were not identified. Psychological outcomes of healthcare staff serving older people covered three themes: emotional responses (i.e., fears and concerns, tension, stress, confusion, and no additional challenges), ethical dilemmas, and reflections on work attendance. Identified suggestions to support and protect care staff were related to education, provision of information, housing, materials, policy and guidelines. Limitations: Only six articles were included in the syntheses. Implications: Research into support for long-term care staff during an infection outbreak is scarce. Without conscious management, policy and research focus, the needs of this professional group may remain underexposed in current and future infection outbreaks. The content synthesis and reflection on it in this article provide starting points for new research and contribute to the preparation for future infection outbreaks

Sexuality, education and support for people with intellectual disabilities:A systematic review of the attitudes of support staff and relatives

Support staff and relatives are uncertain about multiple aspects of the sexuality of people with intellectual disabilities. Given that their attitudes embody positive and negative views, they can respectively support and restrict free sexual expression among people with intellectual disabilities and their potential for (intimate) relationships. A qualitative systematic literature review was conducted on the attitudes of support staff and relatives toward the sexuality of people with intellectual disabilities. A systematic search strategy was deployed across seven databases. The identified articles were screened on predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria, and assessed on quality, which resulted in 31 included studies. A metasynthesis of these studies resulted in two major themes emerging, namely (a) attitudes toward the sexuality of people with intellectual disabilities, and (b) attitudes toward the sex education and support. Themes represented both positive and restrictive attitudes among support staff and relatives. The findings suggest that despite a general acceptance of the sexual rights of people with intellectual disabilities, certain forms of sexuality were approached more cautiously. Moreover, the sexual needs of some subgroups of people with intellectual disabilities received scarce attention. Those support staff and relatives holding rather restrictive attitudes appear to emphasize sexual risks. Finally, support staff and relatives stressed the importance of providing sex education and support for people with intellectual disabilities, while, simultaneously, expressing insecurity over the subject. The findings can help to improve the support provided to support staff and relatives to promote sexual health among people with intellectual disabilities

Support needs of older people with intellectual disabilities:An exploratory study among psychologists in the Netherlands

Background:  Information regarding the common-daily support needs of older people with intellectual disabilities remains scarce, despite the necessity of such knowledge to the provision of adequate support. This exploratory study aims to identify the most important support needs.  Method:  A mixed-method design was conducted, in which 11 semi-structured interviews were held with psychologists to gain insight into the support needs of older people with intellectual disabilities.  Results:  The data provide an overview of the support needs of older people with intellectual disabilities in all quality-of-life (QoL) domains. Physical well-being, emotional well-being, interpersonal relationships and self-determination were identified as the most important domains for older people with intellectual disabilities.  Conclusions:  The findings of this study may guide the development of a specific training for support staff and constitute a valuable contribution to raising awareness among support staff concerning the broad range of support needs existing among older people with intellectual disabilities

Setting up a new team of support staff for people with mild intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning and severe challenging behaviour:A concept mapping study

Background Studies about teams of staff supporting people with intellectual disability have focused on team performance of existing teams. This study aimed to examine important factors in the process of setting up a new team of support staff. Specifically, we considered the process for a team that supports service users with mild intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning who display severe challenging behaviour from the orthopedagogical perspective (i.e., with a focus on contextual factors). Method Three participant groups (service users, support staff, and professionals supporting a team) participated in a concept mapping procedure, including generating statements in interviews and focus groups, sorting, and rating. An expert group interpreted the results. Results Important factors to one or more groups were: service users and support staff getting acquainted early, team safety, social support, a shared vision, and a positive reputation of the new home. Conclusions Four core outcomes were addressed that may help service organisations to provide an environment matching the needs of service users who show severe challenging behaviour from the start