Further Psychometric Evaluation of the Eight-Item Hospice Philosophy Scale: Results From a National Sample of Interdisciplinary Hospice Clinicians.

This study examined the psychometric properties of the eight-item Hospice Philosophy Scale (HPS-8) through confirmatory factor analysis; differential item functioning by age, gender, race, and professional discipline; and internal consistency reliability. We administered the HPS-8 to a national convenience sample of 471 interdisciplinary hospice clinicians. Confirmatory factor analysis results supported a one-factor model with an error correlation between two similarly worded items, χ2(19) = 48.38, p < .001 (RMSEA = .06, SRMR = .03, CFI = .98, TLI = .97). "Multiple indicators, multiple causes" model results indicated differential item functioning by age, race, and/or professional discipline on five items. However, subsequent uncorrected and differential item functioning-corrected models detected no statistically significant HPS-8 mean differences by grouping variables. Composite reliability results (CR = .82) demonstrated acceptable internal consistency reliability. Our results support the HPS-8 as a valid and reliable measure of attitudes toward the hospice philosophy of care in hospice clinicians.

A Facility-Level Analysis of Nursing Home Compare's Five-Star Rating and Maryland's Family Satisfaction with Care Survey.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Nursing facilities care for individuals with cognitive and/or physical disabilities. Poor quality is associated with greater disease and mortality. Quality comprises many factors and different stakeholders value different factors. This study aimed to compare two care quality frameworks, one based on observable factors and one on family satisfaction. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We merged publicly available 2021 Maryland nursing facility data. The Maryland Health Care Commission surveys long-term care residents' family satisfaction across seven domains. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) 5-star ratings aggregate inspections, staffing, and quality measures. We used univariate and bivariate statistics to compare the frameworks. RESULTS: The data set included 220 facilities and 4,610 survey respondents. The average facility rating was 7.70/10 and overall 77% of respondents would recommend the facility. Eighty-six percent of respondents from 5-star facilities, 79% from 4-star facilities, and 76% from 3-star facilities would recommend the facility compared to 65% from 1-star facilities (p < .001, p < .01, and p < .05, respectively). Four or 5-star facilities received significantly higher ratings (8.33, p < .001; 7.75, p < .05, respectively) than 1-star facilities (7.07). DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Our results corroborated earlier findings of strong associations between CMS ratings and satisfaction at the extremes of the 5-star system. These associations are inconsistent across family-reported domains. This suggests overlap between the frameworks. CMS ratings address care quality; family satisfaction measures quality of life and care quality. High satisfaction is associated with high care quality and quality of life; lower satisfaction is associated with lower care quality.

Model Testing of the Factors that are Associated with Care Interactions among Nursing Home Residents with Dementia.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to test a model of the resident and community factors that are associated with quality of care interactions among nursing home (NH) residents living with dementia and test for invariance between model fit when tested with the Black versus White residents and female versus male residents. It was hypothesized that resident age, gender, race, pain, comorbidities, quality of life, resistiveness to care, function, cognition, community profit status, overall community star rating, community size, and staffing star rating would be directly and/or indirectly associated with quality of care interactions. It was also hypothesized that the model fit would be invariant by resident race and gender. DESIGN: This was a secondary data analysis using baseline, cross-sectional data from the Evidence Integration Triangle for Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (EIT-4-BPSD) intervention study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: The study included 528 residents from 55 NH facilities. METHODS: Descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed model. RESULTS: The results showed that the final model with significant paths only had a poor fit to the data (χ2/df = 10.79, comparative fit index = 0.57, Tucker-Lewis index = 0.15, normed fit index = 0.57, root mean square error of approximation = 0.13). However, the findings indicated that comorbidities, pain, profit status, and overall community star rating were significantly associated with quality of care interactions. There was no difference in model fit between Black residents versus White residents, and between male versus female residents. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: This study suggests factors that may influence quality of care interactions. Managing comorbidities, managing pain, and supporting higher quality of care in NH communities will likely help increase the frequency of positive care interactions. These findings can inform future interventions and training curricula for NH care staff to promote positive care interactions.

Medical Aid in Dying: How Might U.S. Policy Prevent Suffering at the End of Life?

Medical aid in dying refers to policies that allow terminally ill patients to seek assistance from their medical providers to obtain medications to hasten death. In this paper, we used a 7-point policy analysis model to examine the diversity of medical aid in dying policies that exist in jurisdictions (states and territories) in the U.S. and the implications of these policies for suffering at end of life. As of this writing, these practices are available in 12 jurisdictions, including 11 states and the District of Columbia. Legalization has occurred via statutory approaches in 10 jurisdictions and permissive approaches in two jurisdictions. We discuss the structures of these laws, the requirements for participation, and the limitations created by having jurisdiction-specific policies on such broad, bioethical issues. Existing laws appear to relieve suffering in patients at end of life. Jurisdictional differences create barriers to comprehensive expansion but provide insights into practice in different contexts.

"Knowing when it's time to take a break": Nursing home social workers' coping during COVID-19.

Background: Nursing home (NH) social workers face many challenges in meeting the psychosocial needs of residents while balancing their own well-being needs. Methods: This study employed a cross-sectional survey of NH social workers via social media and professional networks about their coping strategies during COVID-19. Open-ended responses were analyzed qualitatively using the rigorous and accelerated data reduction technique (RADaR). Results: The study included a sample of 63 (N = 63) NH social workers. Four themes defined ways the in which NH social workers coped with stress during COVID-19, including relying on friends and family, mindfulness and spirituality/religion, self-care strategies, and setting boundaries at work. Conclusion: These techniques appear to be effective; however there remains a need for institutional programs and policies to provide the time and space to holistically support coping in NH social workers and to prevent burnout and turnover, particularly during times of crisis.

High quality resident care increases likelihood that nursing home social service directors report thriving at work.

Nursing homes contend with high staff turnover. Resources invested in employees are lost when an employee leaves. However, if employees are thriving in their job, turnover is less a concern. How can employers promote thriving in employees? Using an adaptation of Spreitzer et al. (2005)'s Social Embeddedness Model of Thriving at Work as a conceptual framework, we performed a logistic regression on the responses of 836 nursing home social service directors in the 2019 National Nursing Home Social Service Director Survey to determine factors that contribute to thriving. The model explained 39% of the variation. Seven variables contributed the most to distinguishing social service directors who report thriving at work from those who do not. Having greater influence on social service functions, having time to support residents, not having to do things others could do, and the facility providing quality care were all associated with greater thriving. Those who reported the administrator and/or attending physicians engage the expertise of social services were more likely to report thriving at work. Working in nursing home social services is demanding; retaining a good social worker is important. These findings suggest ways in which administrators can support social service directors thriving at work.

The Association Between Engagement in Activities of Daily Living and Care Interactions for Residents Living With Dementia.

BACKGROUND: Care interactions are essential to residents with dementia. PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to describe the characteristics and quality of staff-resident care interactions among nursing home residents living with dementia and to test whether the quality of staff-resident care interactions varied by resident level of engagement in the interaction. Specifically, it was hypothesized that controlling for age, gender, comorbidities, cognition, and function, actively engaged residents would have more positive care interactions with staff compared with passively engaged residents. METHODS: This was a secondary data analysis using baseline data from the Evidence Integration Triangle for Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia intervention study. RESULTS: A total of 532 residents were included. Actively engaged residents had significantly more positive interactions compared to passively engaged residents. CONCLUSIONS: Passively engaged residents may be at risk to receive poor quality care interactions. Strategies and interventions to optimize care interactions for these individuals are needed.

Social Workers Critical to Honoring Commitments to Residents and Families in Long-Term Care.

Social workers have been at the forefront of research and advocacy to improve nursing home care for several decades. However, United States (U.S.) regulations have not kept pace with professional standards, as nursing home social services workers are still not required to have a degree in social work and many are assigned caseloads that are untenable for providing quality psychosocial and behavioral health care. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM)'s recently published interdisciplinary consensus report, The National Imperative to Improve Nursing Home Quality: Honoring our Commitment to Residents, Families, and Staff (NASEM, 2022) makes recommendations for changing these regulations, reflecting years of social work scholarship and policy advocacy. In this commentary, we highlight the NASEM report recommendations for social work and chart a course for continuing scholarship and policy advocacy to improve resident outcomes.

High Interest in Pursuing Trauma-Informed Care in Nursing Home Social Services Directors.

This study explored nursing home social services directors' interest in pursuing trauma-informed care (TIC) training, and individual and organizational characteristics associated with their interest. Data from the 2019 National Nursing Home Social Services Directors Survey, a national cross-sectional survey, were used. Measures sought information on participants' interest in TIC training, sociodemographic characteristics, and characteristics of employing nursing homes. Descriptive statistics and multivariate binary logistic regression analyses were used. Of the 924 respondents, 880 (95.2%) were included in the analysis. Most (71.7%) expressed high interest in TIC training. Younger age, fewer years of nursing home social services experience, being degreed and licensed in social work, and being a person of color were associated with greater odds of high interest in TIC training. Neither nursing home ownership nor social services staffing ratio was significantly associated with interest in TIC training. As policy requires TIC in nursing homes, these findings present a first step towards understanding implementation.

A Policy Mapping Analysis of the U.S. Congressional Approach to Medical Aid-in-Dying.

This study examines the goals of medical aid-in-dying (MAID) legislation introduced to the US Congress from 1994-2020 using a policy mapping analysis approach. Using congress.gov, we identified 98 bills, 23 bills were analyzed in this study. Most of the bills aimed to restrict the use of federal funds, to regulate the drugs commonly used for MAID, to prohibit the development of policies or practices supporting MAID, and to regulate practitioners' roles in MAID. In practice, these bills would limit patient access to MAID by restricting drugs, funds, health care services, legal assistance, policy, and research. These findings suggest there lacks congressional support for MAID, even though polls of the public are divided yet favorable. Policymakers who support MAID should consider affirmative policies that 1) prevent MAID policies from discriminating against vulnerable groups, 2) support funding to study the use of MAID, and 3) build avenues to allow all qualified people to access MAID in places where it is legal.

Grief and Loss During Care Transitions: Experiences of Direct Care Workers.

Direct Care Workers (DCW) provide both personal care to patients and emotional support to patients and caregivers in hospice and palliative care. DCWs often develop close ties and are then expected to work with new clients immediately following a care transition, with little or no time to grieve. A qualitative pilot study (n = 24) was conducted to explore the experience of DCWs during care transitions. Data was collected via focus groups and individual interviews. Thematic analysis was used. Results suggest DCWs managed their experiences (n = 19), by anticipating and accepting grief and loss (n = 21), employing personal coping strategies (n = 19), and saying good-bye (n = 15). Relational factors impacted the experience of care transitions (n = 22), including building and maintaining the relationship (n = 14), and the strength of perceived connections (n = 15). Increased organizational support and training to help address grief and loss will better support DCWs and the direct care workforce.

"I Am A Living Testimony to the Human Spirit": A Thematic Analysis of Middle Aged and Older Adults' Resilience after Child Sexual Abuse.

Despite extensive documentation of the adverse impacts of child sexual abuse (CSA), less is known about long-term effects of CSA, that is, the impact in middle and late adulthood, when one is further removed from the CSA. This study describes coping strategies and positive outcomes reported by adult female survivors of child sexual abuse ages 50+ (n = 58). Responses came from an anonymous online survey of adult survivors of CSA. We conducted a qualitative "RADaR" rapid analysis on the survey's open-ended questions. Survivors employed both internal attitudes and specific activities to cope with their childhood CSA. Most (n = 55) reported positive outcomes from CSA: self, others, and relational and/or emotive strengths. Due to survey limitations, we were unable to identify factors that contributed to survivors reporting positive outcomes and survivors who reported negative or no positive outcomes. This study suggests CSA survivors in middle and late adulthood may feel stronger as a result of abuse. More research is needed to identify factors that contribute to resilience.

Family member roles in long term care: Lessons for the future from COVID-19.

This study investigates nursing home residents' and care partners' experiences during COVID-19 visitation restrictions. A nonprobability purposive sample of care partners was recruited via social media and email listservs. Care partners completed surveys (N = 30) and follow-up interviews (n = 17). Before COVID-19, care partners visited residents 3+ times per week for socialization and care. After restrictions, communication between care partners and nursing homes deteriorated. Families experienced reduced communication about residents' health statuses and little COVID-19 case information. Care partners expanded their advocacy roles, proposing policies to protect residents' rights. Care partners reported losing irreplaceable time with residents during restrictions. In future emergencies, we must balance the value of family visits with public health protection such as personal protective equipment (PPE).

Who's in the House? Staffing in Long-Term Care Homes Before and During COVID-19 Pandemic.

Critical gaps exist in our knowledge on how best to provide quality person-centered care to long-term care (LTC) home residents which is closely tied to not knowing what the ideal staff is complement in the home. A survey was created on staffing in LTC homes before and during the COVID-19 pandemic to determine how the staff complement changed. Perspectives were garnered from researchers, clinicians, and policy experts in eight countries and the data provides a first approximation of staffing before and during the pandemic. Five broad categories of staff working in LTC homes were as follows: (1) those responsible for personal and support care, (2) nursing care, (3) medical care, (4) rehabilitation and recreational care, and (5) others. There is limited availability of data related to measuring staff complement in the home and those with similar roles had different titles making it difficult to compare between countries. Nevertheless, the survey results highlight that some categories of staff were either absent or deemed non-essential during the pandemic. We require standardized high-quality workforce data to design better decision-making tools for staffing and planning, which are in line with the complex care needs of the residents and prevent precarious work conditions for staff.

"They Just Took Him Out of My Life": Nursing Home Care Partner Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The current study describes the impact of visitation restrictions on nursing home residents and their family caregivers from caregivers' perspectives during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Family caregivers (N = 31) were recruited via social media and email listservs to complete an online survey. Researchers also completed semi-structured, one-on-one interviews with interested participants (n = 17). Caregivers reported experiencing disconnect from residents, confusion on the part of residents, and sadness. All caregivers were of the opinion that residents with dementia declined during lockdown and that they and their residents experienced irreparable harm from the prolonged separation. Providers, policymakers, and researchers must use the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic in future situations. Protecting residents from a deadly disease is important, but long-term separation from family caregivers cannot be condoned again. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 48(2), 7-11.].

Rising above the Flood: A Systematic Review of Gerontological Social Work in Disaster Preparedness and Response.

Physical/cognitive limitations associated with the aging process place older adults at disproportionate risk of negative consequences during disasters. Guided by the profession's commitment to supporting vulnerable populations, gerontological social workers have long been on the frontlines supporting older adults during disasters. Yet, disaster social work practice remains an undeveloped and under-researched area. Thus, we asked "what is the current role of gerontological social workers in disaster preparedness with older adults in the United States, and potential areas for improvement?" This paper systematically reviews the literature discussing social work and disaster preparedness/response with older adults in the U.S., to identify needs and inform future directions. PRISMA guidelines were followed to conduct a systematic search across relevant databases for peer-reviewed-publications between January 1, 2009-June 12, 2020. Eleven articles met inclusion criteria. This body of literature is small and covers two broad areas: (1) charging the social work profession to engage in this work, and (2) describing current efforts and unique challenges of older adults during disasters. Only three empirical studies were identified. Future educational efforts should formalize training to prepare social workers for this practice area. Research should detail the roles of social workers in disaster preparedness/response, and factors that predict involvement.

It gets better: childhood sexual abuse and trauma symptoms in female older adults.

While there has been great deal of research conducted on the effects of child sexual abuse (CSA) on trauma symptoms in children and adults, there is less knowledge on the effects on trauma symptoms in female older adult CSA survivors. The aim of this study was to investigate current symptoms of trauma in adult female survivors of child sexual abuse across each successive decade, beginning with eighteen year olds. This retrospective, anonymous online study gathered a sample of 223 adult female survivors of CSA (38 of whom were aged 50-59 (17%), and 20 of whom were 60+ years of age (9%)), and surveyed their trauma history and their current symptomology. In our sample, the survivors with the most severe trauma symptoms were between 18 and 29 years old. Each subsequent decade reported fewer trauma symptoms, with respondents in the 60+ age group reporting the lowest trauma symptom severity. While a cross-sectional study does not allow us to evaluate individuals' experiences over time, these results suggest that the negative impacts of CSA may abate over the life course. Future research should consider these questions longitudinally to explore whether these results are related to survivorship (those with worse outcomes dying younger) and whether these effects endure as female older adults experience physical and mental challenges in later life.

"Please Don't Let Academia Forget about Us:" An Exploration of Nursing Home Social Work Experiences during COVID-19.

Nursing home social workers are on the frontlines during COVID-19 responding to individual resident needs, the needs of staff, and larger health needs of the nursing home. However, it is unclear whether nursing home social workers feel adequately trained and prepared in responding to disasters, such as COVID-19. To explore this, we used a study cross-sectional survey distributed via social media focusing on 1) prior training on disaster preparedness, 2) any content social workers wish had been a part of their education, and 3) suggestions for educators/academics to serve social workers on the frontlines. Data in this study are based on a sample of 63 (N=63) nursing home social workers. Demographic data were analyzed using SPSS and qualitative data were analyzed using the RaDar (rigorous and accelerated data reduction) technique. Findings revealed that most social workers had little to no training in disaster preparedness, and shared areas of future education initiatives. Participants also shared the need for bridging the research to practice gap through open access articles and support from academics. Findings from the present study reveal areas social work programs can expand gerontology-focused course offerings. Additionally, developments promoting practitioner support from academics is worth consideration.