Towards more elder friendly hospitals : final report - studies 3b and 3c

Deconditioning and loss of functional status occurs at high rates among elderly persons admitted to hospitals, independent of their medical condition. Design of the physical environment is one of several explanations as to why this may occur. The two pilot studies described in this report tested selected environmental modifications designed to overcome some of the physical barriers to safe independent transfer, mobility, and toileting identified in Studies 1 and 2 of the Towards More Elder Friendly Acute Hospitals Research Project. One pilot study (Study 3b) took place in two originally identical bedrooms at Burnaby Hospital, a community hospital located in Burnaby, British Columbia. The second (Study 3c) took place in two adjacent bathrooms. In both Studies 3b and 3c, one room remained "as is " and the other was modified; 36 community-dwelling volunteers aged 75+ performed a series of tasks in both the original and the modified bedrooms and the two toilet areas. Order of exposure to the "typical" and modified rooms was counterbalanced. Three types of data were collected: subjective, physiological and video. The environment modifications of interest were rated by participants for ease of use, for helpfulness, and/or for appeal and they were asked to respond to questions such as "what did you like most/least about the rooms and why"? Heart rate was measured as participants rested in each bedroom and postural sway was recorded as they transferred from the bedroom to the bathroom and while they pretended to use the toilet and "freshen up" at the sink. To document gross movement, gestures, coping actions and facial expressions, high resolution webcams were mounted in the bedrooms and bathrooms and a camcorder followed the participants throughout the study. A number of lessons were learned from the study about relatively inexpensive design features that if implemented in new construction and retrofitting, have the potential to increase the elder friendliness of FH hospitals (e.g. movement activated lighting at the entrance to the bathroom). A number of useful lessons were also learned concerning equipment and procedures for remote monitoring of physiological functioning and stress. The report ends with a series of recommendations that include recognizing the diversity of the frail elder population of British Columbia and designing physical space in hospitals to meet the needs of patients with multiple chronic physical and/or cognitive impairments. NOTE: The following thesis constitutes Study 3a of this report series: Love, T. (2007). Modifications to the hospital physical environment: Effect on older adults\u27 retention of post-discharge instructions. M.A. Thesis, Department of Gerontology (Supervisor: G. Gutman)

Modifications to the hospital physical environment : effect on older adults retention of post-discharge instructions

This study was conducted in two (originally identical) hospital bedrooms in a community hospital in Burnaby, British Columbia. For the study, one patient room was left in its original state; the second was modified to reduce visual and auditory distraction. In each room, older adults watched a video recording of different post-discharge instructions. After each viewing, and after approximately 24 hours, their learning/retention was tested. While in each room, video equipment and other non-invasive technology recorded physical movements/fidgeting. A significant interaction was found between room type, instruction type and order. Subsequent analyses found that the oldest participants had the most difficulty when faced with learning the more difficult instructions in the "typical" room. Movement/fidget data suggest that participants were less stressed while receiving instruction in the modified room rather than "typical" room. Participants overwhelmingly preferred the modified room and expressed comfort with the use of video to receive post-discharge instruction. NOTE: This thesis constitutes Study 3a of the following report series:(1) Gutman, G.M., Love, T., Parke, B., & Friesen, K. (2006). Towards more elder friendly acute hospitals: Study 1: The physical environment in ACE units: Design specifics and staff ratings Final report. Vancouver, BC: Gerontology Research Centre, Simon Fraser University.(2) Gutman, G.M., Sarte, A., Parke, B., & Friesen, K. (2006). Towards more elder friendly acute hospitals: Study 2: The elder friendliness of the physical environment of medical and surgical units in the Fraser Health Authority: Final report. Vancouver, BC: Gerontology Research Centre, Simon Fraser University.(3) Gutman, G.M., & Love, T. (2008, January). Towards more elder friendly hospitals: Final report - Studies 3b and 3c. [Report submitted to Fraser Health Geriatric Clinical Service Planning and Delivery Team]. Vancouver, BC: Gerontology Research Centre, Simon Fraser University

Mixed Tenure, Special Interest/Ethno-Cultural and Campus of Care Projects - 23RD ANNUAL JOHN K. FRIESEN CONFERENCE "Housing Alternatives for an Aging Population" May 28-29, 2014

This video comprises an address to the attendees of the 23rd Annual John K. Friesen Conference, "Housing Alternatives for an Aging Population" held May 28-29, 2014, Vancouver, BC. The Simon Fraser University Gerontology Research Centre (GRC) and associated Gerontology Department are pleased to welcome you to the 23rd John K. Friesen Conference. This year’s conference, organized and hosted in cooperation with the Lifelong Learning Adults 55+ Program, explores a range of tenure arrangements, housing forms, and service models currently available and under development for adults 55+ in British Columbia, including cohousing popular in the USA; life-lease projects, popular in the prairie provinces; mixed-tenure models and models targeted to specific groups (e.g., Performing Arts Lodges; ethno-cultural housing). Assisted Living was discussed as well as housing and service options that do not require people to move from their current home (e.g., the Village Model, United Way’s Better at Home Program, retro-fitting or adding “smart” technologies). Keynote speakers, expert panels and poster presentations discussed the pros and cons of each housing option and the type of resident for whom it is best suited. The objective of the conference was to provide information that enable people aged 55+ to plan ahead and make informed choices. As well, it was designed to provide a forum for developers (private, public & non-profit) to learn what adults aged 55+ are looking for in the way of housing for their later years. Sponsors: Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation; BC Housing; Retirement Concepts We also gratefully acknowledge a grant from the SFU Library\u27s Scholarly Digitization Fund for videography and post-production editing

Center for Bosnian Studies: Let\u27s Talk STL TV Ep. 40

Fontbonne University’s new Center for Bosnian Studies is now open. Dr. Adna Karamehic-Oates, the director, joins Let’s Talk to discuss the historical and cultural preservation initiative and its expanded mission

Towards more elder friendly acute hospitals : study 1 : the physical environment in ACE units : design specifics and staff ratings - final report

Report submitted to: Fraser Health Geriatric Clinical Service Planning and Delivery Team, January 17, 2006. Three facts about seniors are well known: (1) their numbers and proportion in the population served by the Fraser Health Authority (FHAA), the province and the country are increasing; (2) they constitute a substantial proportion of the inpatient hospital population, it has, in fact, been estimated that in most jurisdictions nationally and internationally, they may constitute the majority in medical and surgical wards other than pediatrics or obstetrics/gynecology; (3) a third fact is that substantial proportions of seniors have accidents in hospitals and/or lose functional status between admission and discharge at a rate above and beyond what is to be expected from their admitting diagnosis. While there may be various contributing factors, the focus of the study described in this report, and the broader project of which it is a part, is on the physical environment. A key question is whether there are aspects of the physical environment of hospitals, and in particular, interior design of patient private and public areas, that can be altered in ways that will improve older patient outcomes