An Assessment of Institutional Relocation: Qualitative Perceptions and Resident Outcomes

Relocation among older adults, either from their home to a long term care (LTC) facility or between facilities, has been studied since the early 1960s. The earliest studies focused on resident mortality while more recent papers have included other outcomes such as functional ability, depression, behavioral symptoms and general health and well-being. Castle reviewed 78 studies measuring the impact of relocation. The vast majority of studies found no significant positive or negative effects of relocation. However, these studies were limited by sample size, equivocal time frames for outcome measurements and the lack of control groups.(1). Although the topic has clear relevance to Canadian LTC and complex continuing care (CCC) facilities, the Canadian literature is sparse.(2-4) St. Joseph’s Hospital and Home has been providing care for the people of Guelph since 1861. Planning began for a new building in 1994 and at that time, the decision was made to change the focus of the services provided. The acute care portion of the staff and services were divested in 2001 to the Guelph General Hospital. In October 2002, residents, staff and volunteers moved into the new facility located on the existing property. The new 254-bed facility, known as St. Joseph’s Health Centre (SJHC), includes LTC, complex continuing care and rehabilitation inpatient services as well as several outpatient programs. The current study attempted to broaden the understanding of relocation from the perspectives of residents, families and staff at SJHC. Several characteristics of this project made it unique. For example, it took place within a Canadian context, used both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods, included families and staff and included questions to elicit a set of recommendations for other facilities preparing for a similar move

Satisfaction with Care among Residents and Families in a Long-Term and Complex Continuing Care Organization

This article looks at one organization’s implementation of a satisfaction survey for all of its residents. It also explores how satisfaction ratings vary between complex continuing care (CCC) and long-term care (LTC) residents between residents with and without dementia. Satisfaction with care at St. Joseph’s Health Centre (SJHC) Guelph was measured during the fall and winter of 2004/2005. A total of 107 residents and patients from both LTC and CCC were interviewed and 141 family members returned mailed surveys. Overall quality of care was rated highly by both residents and families. There were no statistically significant differences comparing LTC and CCC residents and only one comparing those with and without dementia. Within the area of medical care, 57.7% of residents with dementia compared to 78.0% of residents without dementia agreed they received therapy when needed (p=.03). This information has been very valuable to SJHC staff and administrators as they strive to improve their quality of care. The project also highlights the important work that can be achieved through collaborations between researchers and health care providers

Using the split squat to potentiate bilateral and unilateral jump performance

The purpose of this study was to examine if a split squat conditioning exercise with no or light loads could potentiate unilateral and bilateral jump performance. Twelve semi-professional rugby players (age: 22.3 +/- 1.4 years; height: 1.84 +/- 0.05 m, mass: 92.4 +/- 9.6 kg) from the English National League 1 performed a series of unilateral and bilateral countermovement jumps (CMJ) and broad jumps (BJ) over the course of two testing days. Both testing days involved performing baseline jumps before completing two sets of ten repetitions of a split squat, this completed with either bodyweight (testing session 1) or a 30kg weighted vest (testing session 2). A five-minute recovery period was permitted both following the warm up and following the completion of the split squat exercise. Significantly larger bilateral jump scores were reported following completion of the bodyweight split squat: CMJ (p = 0.001, ES = 0.44, [mean difference 2.517]), BJ (p = 0.001, ES = 0.37, [mean difference 3.817]), and the weighted vest split squat; CMJ (p = 0.001, ES = 0.8, [mean difference 4.383]), BJ (p = 0.001, ES = 0.68, [mean difference 6.817]). The findings of this study demonstrate that no or light loads of a split squat conditioning exercise are able to potentiate bilateral jump performance in semi-professional rugby players without the need for expensive weight room equipment. As such, this may provide coaches with a viable option of enhancing bilateral jump performance as part of a warm up or on-field conditioning practice

Self-Directed Learning in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted teaching and learning at higher education institutions (HEIs), and this book disseminates research findings on a series of cross-campus online initiatives of the North-West University (NWU) to ensure high-quality self-directed learning, whilst simultaneously attending to the need for inclusion and diversity in this challenging context. The golden thread running through the 13 chapters is how this HEI responded to the pandemic in a creative way through its investment in online virtual student excursions, based on problem-based, cooperative learning and gamification principles to support self-directed learning. Whereas virtual excursions usually refer to learning opportunities where ‘a museum, author, park or monument is brought to the student’ (Hehr 2014:1), the virtual excursion in our context is an activity system (Engeström 1987) where students’ learning is scaffolded across the zone of proximal development (Vygotsky 1978) and where their ‘social and pedagogical boundaries are stretched or expanded’ (De Beer & Henning 2011:204). Students engage as Homo ludens, the playing human (Huizinga 1955), in learning activities embedded in an ill-structured problem, and through reflective activities, they are encouraged to reflect on their own naïve understandings or biases. This ‘tension’, or in Veresov (2007) parlance, ‘dramatical collisions’, provides a fertile learning space for self-directed learning

Self-Directed Learning in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted teaching and learning at higher education institutions (HEIs), and this book disseminates research findings on a series of cross-campus online initiatives of the North-West University (NWU) to ensure high-quality self-directed learning, whilst simultaneously attending to the need for inclusion and diversity in this challenging context. The golden thread running through the 13 chapters is how this HEI responded to the pandemic in a creative way through its investment in online virtual student excursions, based on problem-based, cooperative learning and gamification principles to support self-directed learning. Whereas virtual excursions usually refer to learning opportunities where ‘a museum, author, park or monument is brought to the student’ (Hehr 2014:1), the virtual excursion in our context is an activity system (Engeström 1987) where students’ learning is scaffolded across the zone of proximal development (Vygotsky 1978) and where their ‘social and pedagogical boundaries are stretched or expanded’ (De Beer & Henning 2011:204). Students engage as Homo ludens, the playing human (Huizinga 1955), in learning activities embedded in an ill-structured problem, and through reflective activities, they are encouraged to reflect on their own naïve understandings or biases. This ‘tension’, or in Veresov (2007) parlance, ‘dramatical collisions’, provides a fertile learning space for self-directed learning

Not Bad for an 85-year-old!\u27--the Qualitative Analysis of the Role of Music, Therapeutic Benefits and Group Therapeutic Factors of the St Joseph\u27s Alzheimer\u27s Adult Day Program Music Therapy Group

The aim of this interdisciplinary research project was to gain new understanding into how a music therapy intervention affects the quality of life for clients with dementia. The research was based on the qualitative paradigm, adapted grounded theory, and narrative inquiry (Amir, 2005; Ceglowski, 1997; Coffey & Atkinson, 1996; Corbin & Strauss, 1998; Denzin & Lincoln, 2000; Glaser & Strauss, 1967, 1999; Glaser, 1998;; Glesne, 1997; Strauss & Corbin, 1990, 1997). Music therapy sessions of the Music Therapy program at St. Joseph\u27s Health Centre, Guelph, Ontario, Canada were videotaped and qualitatively analyzed. Residents, family members, and staff were interviewed and the interviews were qualitatively analyzed in order to obtain their perspective. This article summarizes one set of the results of this interdisciplinary study, the qualitative analysis of therapeutic benefits and group therapeutic factors of the St Josephs Alzheimer\u27s Adult Day Program Music Therapy Group. The videotaped sessions of clients with dementia showed that, by participating in the MT sessions, they (1) were able to work through some of their initial negative feelings (e.g., feeling sad, frustrated, stupid), (2) began to feel proud of their accomplishments and eventually (3) began to really enjoy the experience. The Lloyd Carr-Harris Foundation funded the research project. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved