Care of the Older Individuals, Research Paper Example

According to Donnelly & MacEntee (2016), culture change movement in long-term care facilities is focused on the improvement of the quality of life for residents who live in nursing homes.  Long-term care facilities are essential in enhancing the wellbeing of the elderly; unfortunately, the traditional systems have continued to thwart resident autonomy and decision making. The culture change movement as detailed by Chisholm et al., (2018) is a platform meant to create a new space where elderly persons do not live in enclosed settings, with the majority of the decisions being made by the caretakers. The culture change movement emphasizes individualized care or person-centred care (PCC) support, where the elderly can make decisions concerning their daily lives and care independently.

Fazio et al. (2018) further mention that PCC shifts the focus away from the traditional way of providing care. Under the traditional systems in these long-term care facilities, the decisions are always generalized and do not cater for the elderly preferences. PCC favors the embracing of autonomy and personal choice for the elderly who are under long-term care. With the complex care needs posed by the elderly population, PCC remains a priority in offering them efficient care. However, despite the positive benefits linked to PCC, it continues to be neglected in long-term care facilities. The most common reason being given for overlooking PCC is that there is a shortage of nursing staff.

However, as stated by Donnelly & MacEntee (2016), the three key goals of PCC are; to enhance the resident’s purpose, create the residents meaning, and creating autonomy in the resident. In order to achieve these goals, the residents’ values and preferences need to be given a keen focus. A successful reform toward PCC requires a cultural change that is reflected across the nursing facility and further foster positive and trusting relationships that cover the needs and preferences of the residents and those close to them (Corrazzini et al., 2019). Understanding the residents as individuals having specific differences, cultural identities, and preferences extend beyond the traditional care facility.

While others may quickly run to mention financial resources and to increase the amount of training to staff as an effective way of implementing PCC, this is not the case. According to Fazio et al., (2018), the best way to implement PCC is by making the leadership team within the residential care facility to have confidence in their ability to attain the goals for change. Secondly, the management needs to follows all the plans that were set as far as the implementation of PCC is concerned. Lastly, direct care providers should not be affected by the change; instead, the implementation process should foster even smoother operation.

Assuming that I was in the position of managing a residential care facility, the first policy I would set is the minimum acceptable ratio of residents to caregivers. I would ensure that one staff serve a minimum of five residents so as to provide individualized care that offers specific needs to the residents. The second policy that I deem necessary is mandatory yearly training for the staff to familiarize themselves with new concepts that are happening within the realm of residential care. Just like in other fields, long-term care is a field that is dynamic, and a tactic that is relevant today may be irrelevant tomorrow due to the establishment of a new approach. Therefore, the staff needs to have a mandatory familiarization of the existing best practices and not rely on irrelevant ones.

Most participants in the article by Donnelly & MacEntee (2016) cited that they receive poor care, staff lack empathy, face human indignities as well as a violation of personal autonomy, which is caused by the existing policies. The existing policies that guide care in long-term care facilities further act as a hindrance to attaining care based on the elderly preferences; instead, they are accorded general care. From the description of the elderly in these care facilities, my initial reaction was developing sympathy towards the elderly who had hoped that they would get the best care when they opted for the long-term care facilities. Unfortunately, they are unable to live a normal life or live as they want makes them even more vulnerable to mental health problems as they are neglected and their decisions do not count.

Taking the narrations and relating them to a loved one telling me of the ordeals experienced in the care facility, I would feel a mix of both sympathy and anger. If I decide to take an elderly relative to the resident care facility, my expectations are that he will be treated just like I would have treated him at home. This should include asking for his decisions as opposed to forcing some decisions on the relative. Eliminating personal autonomy is one great mistake that can make a person feel unloved hence negatively impacting him.

The article by Donnelly & MacEntee (2016), is an eye-opener to three distinct groups; residents, resident caregivers, and the families of the residents. From my perspective, it has helped me understand the reality of what happens in the long-term care facilities where residents’ autonomy is highly compromised. This calls for the need to push a policy that promotes the wellbeing of residents where their decisions, preferences, and values are considered thus enjoying their stay in the facilities. Interestingly, the article touched on the change movement, which entails efforts by different individuals to ensure that the residents in long-term care facilities are not confined to the traditional setting but be allowed to have a platform to air their problems and have services provided in a manner that meets specific needs.  Therefore, I have gained detailed information on how I can care for the elderly in long-term care facilities.

My response to whether the article by Donelly & MacEntee (2016) had an influence on how I will practice in the future is, yes, it has had a positive influence on my future career. Working in the long-term care facility, the first guiding principle should be sympathy and always being driven by the desire to offer PCC. The elderly population is one that has complex needs and thus requires a sophisticated approach when dealing with them.  Fortunately, the article has detailed the negative impacts of applying a generalized approach towards handling the elderly in long-term care facilities and has further gone forward to offer the best approaches that can be utilized to achieve a positive outcome among the elderly. Therefore, upon graduation, I am keen to follow the required approach and ensure that I offer individualized care to the elderly.

References     

Chisholm, L., Zhang, N. J., Hyer, K., Pradhan, R., Unruh, L., & Lin, F. C. (2018). Culture change in nursing homes: What is the role of nursing home resources? INQUIRY: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing, 55, 0046958018787043. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6050816/doi: 10.1177/0046958018787043

Corazzini, K. N., Anderson, R. A., Bowers, B. J., Chu, C. H., Edvardsson, D., Fagertun, A., … & Siegel, E. O. (2019). Toward common data elements for international research in long-term care homes: Advancing person-centred care. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 20(5), 598-603. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2019.01.123

Donnelly, L., & MacEntee, M. I. (2016). Care perceptions among residents of LTC facilities purporting to offer person-centred care. Canadian Journal on Aging/La Revue canadienne du vieillissement, 35(2), 149-160. DOI: 10.1017/s0714980816000167

Fazio, S., Pace, D., Flinner, J., & Kallmyer, B. (2018). The fundamentals of person-centred care for individuals with dementia. The Gerontologist, 58(suppl_1), S10-S19. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnx122