Psychologists in Long-Term Care (PLTC) Guidelines for Psychological and Behavioral Health Services in Long-Term Care Settings.

To address concerns about limited training of psychologists working in long-term care (LTC) facilities, the Psychologists in Long-Term Care (PLTC) organization published Standards for Psychological Services in Long-Term Care Facilities (Lichtenberg et al., 1998). The expanding evidence base for knowledge and skills, the increasing diversity of LTC residents, and the complexity of presenting problems have compounded the guidance psychologists need when providing services in this setting. In this article, the PLTC Guidelines Revision Task Force presents PLTC guidelines based on the original prescriptive PLTC Standards. The content of the PLTC Standards was updated and the format changed from prescriptive standards to aspirational guidelines. We begin with general guidelines regarding knowledge and skills in LTC (education and training. understanding of LTC systems. end-of-life care), followed by specific guidelines covering the basic psychological service activities in LTC (referral, assessment, treatment, ethical issues, and advocacy). The PLTC Guidelines are designed to provide direction for psychologists who work, or plan to work, in LTC and to guide continuing education pursuits.

Unmasking Our Grief.

BACKGROUND: Health care systems have been calling for trainings on the topics of self-care and burnout to help staff cope with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The geriatric care workforce in particular has been hard hit by the stresses of COVID-19 and social inequities for themselves and their patients. These stresses have led to trauma and grief among our colleagues and ourselves. OBSERVATIONS: Self-care techniques in and of themselves are not an adequate salve for the massive, collective, and many times unrecognized grief that the geriatric care workforce has faced over the course of this pandemic. We must acknowledge, name, and make space for the grief that is exhausting the entire elder care workforce and we must do so at an organizational level. In this paper, we briefly discuss the distress affecting the geriatric care workforce, reflect on our efforts to cope as health care workers, and offer recommendations at individual and organization levels to help address our collective grief. CONCLUSIONS: This pandemic has revealed our vulnerabilities as well as our strengths. These experiences also present us with opportunities to be better and do better as both professionals and people. We hope that teams and organizations will take advantage of these opportunities for self-reflection and continue unmasking our grief, healing our wounds, and honoring our shared humanity.

Psychologists in patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs): Roles, evidence, opportunities, and challenges.

The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) is an increasingly common model of health care delivery with many exciting opportunities for psychologists. The PCMH reflects a philosophy and model of care that is highly consistent with psychological science and practice. It strives to provide patient-centered, comprehensive, team-based, coordinated, accessible, and quality and safety-oriented health care delivery to individuals and families. Moreoever, in keeping with changes in the health care system more broadly, the PCMH model prioritizes the integration of behavioral and physical health care, and this emphasis lays the foundation for active and full engagement of psychologists in this context. This article provides an overview of the PCMH and the evidence and roles for psychologists across a range of pediatric, adult, and geriatric health care populations and settings. Current challenges to the necessary expansion of psychology in the PCMH are discussed, with particular attention to the needs for training and advocacy to support the contributions of behavioral health care in the PCMH. Psychology must embrace its rightful place as a health profession and appreciate and highlight the ways in which psychologists can play unique and critical roles in transforming present and future health care delivery models. (PsycINFO Database Record

Motivational and cognitive pathways to medical help-seeking for Alzheimer's disease: a cognitive impairment response model.

OBJECTIVES: Relationships among cognitive and motivational factors in predicting medical help-seeking for Alzheimer's disease (AD) symptoms were tested. METHOD: Community residents awaiting jury service (N = 280) completed questionnaires, including responses to a vignette depicting prototypical early symptoms of AD in a hypothetical mother. Cognitive responses to the vignette included AD symptom identification and AD attribution. Affective-motivational responses to vignettes were symptom impact and behavior appraisals. General knowledge of AD was assessed. Intention to seek medical help was the dependent variable. RESULTS: The impact and identification of AD symptoms, appraisals of risk, and attribution of the scenario to AD were modest, yet all contributed to prediction of medical-help-seeking intentions. The best fitting model had distinct but interrelated cognitive and motivational paths explaining 49% of the variability in medical help-seeking. Motivational variables had particularly important direct and indirect effects on help-seeking. DISCUSSION: Findings are interpreted as evidence of the importance of motivational as well as cognitive aspects of perceptions of illness behavior in another person. The substantial impact of the tested variables on the desired outcome of medical help-seeking may suggest options for public health efforts to enhance early medical help-seeking for AD that sets the stage for early intervention.

The Palisades: an interdisciplinary wellness model in senior housing.

PURPOSE: The conceptual model and implementation strategies for a university-private housing collaboration in a multilevel housing campus for older adults are described. The faculty and private developers viewed senior housing as an opportunity for people to downsize their space in order to upsize their lives within a community rich with resources to support their developmental needs. METHODS: A wellness program that includes assessments developed and performed by a multidisciplinary team provides the basis for the development of resources and interventions aimed at upsizing residents' lives. Semi-annual assessments and feedback sessions provide the residents with opportunities to set and revise goals and to work with members of the team to identify resource needs. RESULTS: After the first year, the wellness assessment scheduling and protocol were streamlined and recruitment barriers were addressed. The addition of a system for providing feedback to residents about their assessment results enhanced the meaning and value of the process. IMPLICATIONS: The Palisades team hopes to assist in promoting similar projects designed to positively impact wellness in older adults.