|
September 21, 2000
Illinois Research Study on Families and Nursing
Homes Featured at World Alzheimer's Congress in Washington
D.C.
(Chicago) -- Today there are 4 million people with
Alzheimer's disease in the United States; by 2050 there
will be more than 14 million. To address this worldwide
epidemic, over 5,000 researchers and care providers
from around the world came together to share information
and develop creative solutions at the World Alzheimer
Congress held during July in Washington D.C.
One of the key questions facing the congress was: how
do we best care for persons with Alzheimer's disease
and support the needs of their family members? To address
this issue, researchers representing the Illinois Council
on Long Term Care have completed a groundbreaking study
entitled "Families: Partners in Care."
The researchers presented the results of this endeavor
at the World Alzheimer's Congress to an international
audience.
The "Families: Partners in Care" research
study involved discussion groups with dozens of family
members of persons with Alzheimer's disease living in
Chicagoland nursing facilities. Serving as research
consultant was Dr. Carol Farran of the Rush Alzheimer
Disease Center in Chicago.
While the families offered several helpful recommendations,
the study's most surprising finding was that the family
members were generally pleased with the Alzheimer's
services their loved ones were receiving at nursing
facilities. Most impressive to the families were the
quality of the facilities' activities program and the
talents, caring nature, and dedication of the nursing
home staff. While the families originally had many fears
in placing their loved ones in a long term care setting,
they discovered that their fears were generally unfounded.
Among the family members' recommendations for quality
Alzheimer's care:
- Create a More Home-Like Environment -- Families recommended
that providers include more things such as pets, children,
and objects from the residents' former residences to
make a facility seem more like "home".
-
Invest More in Staff Training --
Families stated that staff needed more specialized
education on such topics as the stages of Alzheimer's
disease, managing behaviors, and communicating with
persons who have dementia.
-
Provide Residents More Personal Contact
-- Family felt that facilities should encourage
more staff and volunteers to spend one-on-one time
with the residents, thereby reducing feelings of
loneliness and isolation.
-
Develop More Family Outreach Programs
-- Families wanted more opportunities to be involved
in facility life through such programs as family
activities, education sessions, and family support
groups.
-
Hire More Staff -- Families pointed
out that working with persons who have Alzheimer's
disease is difficult and time-consuming work; consequently,
more staff members are needed on Alzheimer's Units.
-
Become More Connected with the Community -- Families
wished that facilities increased their number of
programs that involved community groups such as
churches, schools, and ethnic organizations.
-
Offer Smaller Group Activities Divided By
Level of Ability -- Alzheimer's units include
residents at varying stages of the disease process.
Families recommended having smaller group activities
separated by high, mid, and low levels of functioning.
-
Communicate More Often with Families
-- Families stated that the staff members need to
keep them better informed about the physical and
emotional well-being of their loved ones.
-
Focus More on the Little Things
Families shared stories of staff going "above
and beyond" the call of duty, doing simple
things like serving a resident her favorite food
or maintaining her morning routine. It was
these "little things" that made a great
difference to the families' overall satisfaction.
With the number of persons with Alzheimer's disease
increasing dramatically over the next several years,
particularly with the aging baby boomer population,
developing innovative and effective approaches for Alzheimer's
care is becoming a vital issue.
"An important tool for evaluating and improving
our current health care system for Alzheimer's disease
is to listen to the families and hear their words of
wisdom," states Terrence Sullivan, executive director
of the Illinois Council on Long Term Care. "The
participants in the "Families: Partners in Care"
study offered many insightful perspectives on how care
to persons with Alzheimer's disease can be optimized.
This research study symbolizes the our sustaining commitment
to developing cutting-edge practices in provision of
quality Alzheimer's care for residents and families
in Illinois."
* * *
(The Illinois Council on Long Term Care is
an association of nursing home professionals committed
to quality residential health care in Illinois through
a productive and responsible partnership between the
private and public sectors. The Illinois Council represents
over 200 Illinois health care facilities serving 35,000
residents.)
|
