Work Stressors and the Quality of Life in Long-Term Care Units
2004
Gerontologist
Journal Article
Issue 5
Volume 44
Pages 633-643
Author(s): Pekkarinen, L., Sinervo, T., Perala, M. L., Elovainio, M.
Research suggests that work stress adversely affects healthcare staff job performance. And this in turn can influence patients’ quality of care or quality of life.
Added May 2014
Lean Thinking in Emergency Departments: A Critical Review
2011
Annals of Emergency Medicine
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 57
Pages 265-278
Author(s): Holden, R. J.
Added May 2014
Improving Front-End Flow in an Urban Academic Medical Center Emergency Department: The Emergency Department Discharge Facilitator Team
2013
Journal of Urban Health
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 90
Pages 406-411
Author(s): Sharma, R., Mulcare, M. R., Graetz, R., Greenwald, P. W., Mustalish, A. C., Miluszusky, B., Flomenbaum, N. E.
Added May 2014
Neural systems for landmark-based wayfinding in humans
2014
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Journal Article
Issue 1635
Volume 369
Pages 20120533
Author(s): Epstein, R. A., Vass, L. K.
Added May 2014
Lighting for improving balance in older adults with and without risk for falls
2012
Age & Ageing
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 41
Pages 392–395
Author(s): Figueiro, M. G., Gras, L. Z., Rea, M. S., Plitnick, B., Rea, M. S.
Sensory information about self-position and location of objects in the environment helps maintain balance, together with sensory input from the vestibular and somatosensory systems. The dependence on visual information for the maintenance of postural stability and control increases with age due to age-related changes that occur in the vestibular and somatosensory systems. Studies show that lighting enhances veridical visual information about the environment, and this could help older adults maintain better balance and be associated with less falls.
Added May 2014
The effects of refurbishment on residents' quality of life and wellbeing in two Swedish residential care facilities
2009
Health & Place
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 15
Pages 717–724
Author(s): Falk, H., Wijk, H., Persson, L.-O
The prevalence of elderly people with cognitive impairment in Swedish residential care facilities has been estimated to be approximately 50%, usually resulting in integrated populations with both cognitively intact and impaired residents. The physical environment must respond to the changing characteristics of their residents and variations within individuals over time to be able to provide for more than a single stage of fragility.
Added May 2014
Reduction in Injury Rates in Nursing Personnel Through Introduction of Mechanical Lifts in the Workplace
2003
American Journal of Industrial Medicine
Journal Article
Issue 5
Volume 44
Pages 451–457
Author(s): Evanoff, B., Wolf, L., Aton, E., Canos, J., Collins, J.
Many studies have reported a high rate of back injuries and other musculoskeletal disorders among healthcare workers. Back pain has been identified as a major factor in causing nurses to leave the profession. Patient care requires many lifting and transfer tasks that pose a demonstrated risk of injury to workers. Mechanical assistive devices such as patient hoists offer an engineering solution to reducing potentially harmful physical exposure to nurses.
Added May 2014
Psychiatric Ward Renovation: Staff Perception and Patient Behavior
1992
Environment and Behavior
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 24
Pages 66-84
Author(s): Devlin, A. S.
Added May 2014
Does a wander garden influence inappropriate behaviors in dementia residents?
2008
American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 23
Pages 31–45
Author(s): Detweiler, M. B., Murphy, P. F., Myers, L. C., Kim, K. Y.
Most cognitively impaired dementia unit residents are dependent and confined to a safe custodial environment with limited exposure to natural settings. However, the mandatory indoor confinement of dementia residents has been known to increase verbal and physical agitation and use of psychotropic medications. Several studies have reported that having access to unlocked doors leading to a garden or outdoor area may reduce the level of inappropriate behaviors in both residential and long-term dementia care facilities. This study explores the effect of adding a wander garden to an existing dementia unit on inappropriate behaviors of residents.
Added May 2014
Scheduled Medications and Falls in Dementia Patients Utilizing a Wander Garden
2009
American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 24
Pages 322–332
Author(s): Detweiler, M. B., Murphy, P. F., Kim, K. , Myers, L. , Ashai, A.
Among dementia residents, fall risk is often compounded by the side effects of the medications routinely used to treat comorbid medical issues, in addition to treating concurrent depression, agitation, psychosis, anxiety, and insomnia. Of all the types of medications involved in increased fall risk, psychotropic medications have been identified as having the highest risk. Studies suggest that dementia patients using a wander garden may have decreased indices of agitation and reduced use of as-needed (pro re nata [PRN]) medications. In addition, the wander garden has been reported to be a positive environmental intervention to reduce falls in residents with dementia.
Added May 2014
Quality of life of residents with dementia in traditional versus small-scale long-term care settings: a quasi-experimental study
2012
International Journal of Nursing Studies
Journal Article
Issue 8
Volume 49
Pages 931–940
Author(s): de Rooij, A. H. P. M., Luijkx, K. G., Schaafsma, J., Declercq, A. G., Declercq, A. G., Emmerink, P. M. J., Schols, J. M. G. A.
Due to the rapid increase in the number of people suffering from dementia worldwide, more residential care is greatly needed. Traditionally, residential dementia care has been carried out with a medical- and nursing-based care approach, which has been criticized for focusing mainly on the care aspects. Experts argue that dementia care should also pay attention to creating the environment that offers a better balance between living, well-being, and care. In an effort for better balance, small-scale living facilities for older persons have been developed. However, limited research has been done to identify their impact on quality of life of residents.
Added May 2014
Life Safety Code Comparison
2013
American Society for Healthcare Engineering
Journal Article
Author(s): Crowley, M. A., Harper, J. E.
Added May 2014
Living Environment and Mobility of Older Adults
2011
Gerontologist
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 57
Pages 698–703
Author(s): Cress, M. E., Orini, S., Kinsler, L.
Older adults often decide to live in smaller environments. Smaller living space and the addition of services provided by a retirement community (RC) may make living easier for the individual, but it may also reduce the amount of daily physical activity and ultimately reduce functional ability.
Added May 2014
Multisensory Stimulation to Improve Functional Performance in Moderate to Severe Dementia—Interim Results
2010
American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias
Journal Article
Issue 8
Volume 25
Pages 698–703
Author(s): Collier, L., McPherson, K., Ellis-Hill, C., Staal, J., Bucks, R.
One of the innovative interventions for dementia care is the use of multisensory environments (MSEs). It is designed to stimulate senses, providing an activity-based intervention and is argued to address imbalance in sensory stimulation by pacing sensory-stimulating activity with sensory-calming activity. This sensory pacing may assist people with dementia in coping with confusion and behavior changes that are the consequences of this progressive, debilitating illness. However, the value of MSEs for people with dementia has yet to be established. Therefore, this study aimed to explore to what extent the sensory components of MSEs influence functional performance in people with moderate to severe dementia.
Added May 2014
Perceptions of the Physical Environment, Stage of Change for Physical Activity, and Walking Among Australian Adults
2002
Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 73
Pages 146–155
Author(s): Carnegie, M. A., Bauman, A., Marshall, A. L., Mohsin, M., Westley-Wise, V., Booth, M. L.
The health benefits of regular physical activity are well-established. An understanding of the factors that influence physical activity behaviors is greatly needed to influence sedentary population groups to become more physically active. Psychological, physiological, demographic, and environmental factors are known to influence physical activity. The increasing interest in physical environmental factors such as pleasant walking paths away from traffic, bike paths, weather conditions, and neighborhood safety has arisen due to broader, integrated models developed to more comprehensively explain physical activity behavior.
Added May 2014
Physical Restraint Initiation in Nursing Homes and Subsequent Resident Health
2008
Gerontologist
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 48
Pages 442–452
Author(s): Engberg, J., Castle, N. G., McCaffrey, D.
Previous studies have shown that restraint use may be associated with mental health problems, including increased social isolation and decreased cognitive function. Social isolation negatively affects the health of elders. Facilities with restrained residents also have poor restraint-management practices. Two other well-known consequences of immobility are pressure ulcers and contractures. Pressure ulcers affect both the comfort and the medical outcomes of nursing home residents with impaired mobility.
Added May 2014
Traffic Flow in the Operating Room: An Explorative and Descriptive Study on Air Quality During Orthopedic Trauma Implant Surgery
2012
Journal of Infection Control
Journal Article
Issue 8
Volume 40
Pages 750-755
Author(s): Andersson, A.E., Bergh, I., Karlsson, J., Eriksson, B.I. MD, Nilsson,K.
Three main strategies exist to prevent surgical site infections following surgery: 1) the patient, 2) the surgical technique, 3) the surgical environment. This study focuses on optimizing the effect of the surgical environment in preventing SSIs (surgical site infections). The authors attempt to understand that the protective potential of operating room (OR) ventilation under different conditions is crucial to optimizing the surgical environment.
Added April 2014
Effect of light treatment on sleep and circadian rhythms in demented nursing home patients
2002
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 50
Pages 282-289
Author(s): Ancoli-Israel, S., Martin, J. L., Kripke, D. F., Marler, M., Klauber, M. R.
The disturbed sleep seen in nursing home residents may be due to changes in circadian rhythms. Human circadian rhythms are biological cycles of about 24 hours that include sleep/wake, body temperature, and melatonin secretion cycles. A second reason for sleep disturbances in this population may be decreased exposure to bright light. Bright light (≥ 2,000 lux) appears to be one of the most powerful synchronizers of circadian rhythms, directly influencing melatonin secretion, sleep/wake patterns, and other circadian rhythms.
Added April 2014
Suicide in Older Adults in Long-Term Care: 1990 to 2005
2008
Journal of American Geriatric Society
Journal Article
Issue 11
Volume 56
Pages 2107-11
Author(s): Briana Mezuk, Marta R. Prescott, Kenneth Tardiff, David Vlahov, Sandro Galea
Few studies have examined the intersection between suicide risk and residency in long term care settings. This study attempts to describe the characteristics associated with suicide in older persons residing in long-term care (LTC) facilities, to compare the characteristics of suicide cases in LTC with those of cases in the community, and to evaluate trends in suicide in these settings over the past 15 years.
Added April 2014
Increased Light Exposure Consolidates Sleep and Strengthens Circadian Rhythms in Severe Alzheimer's Disease Patients Increased Light Exposure Consolidates Sleep and Strengthens Circadian Rhythms in Severe Alzheimer's Disease Patients
2003
Behavioral Sleep Medicine
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 1
Pages 22-36
Author(s): Ancoli-Israel, S., Gehrman, P., Martin, J. L., Shochat, T., Marler, M., Corey-Bloom, J., Levi, L.
Studies with examined levels of illumination in adults have shown that the average level and the average amount of bright light exposure is lower in the elderly compared to younger adults, particularly in patients who are institutionalized with dementia. Although insufficient light exposure has been implied as a cause of sleep fragmentation, until recently there had been little direct evidence for this correlation. A recent study suggested that daytime light exposure impacts both nighttime sleep consolidation and timing of peak activity level (Shochat et al., 2000). In an attempt to improve sleep in nursing home patients, the current laboratory study exposed patients with mixed types of dementia to 2,500 lux for two hours a day for 10 days either in the morning or in the evening and tested the impact of the bright lighting on sleep and circadian rhythms.
Added April 2014
