Becoming at home in residential care for older people: a material culture perspective

Residential homes encourage new residents to bring belongings with them, so that they can personalise their room and ‘feel at home’. Existing literature on material culture in residential homes views objects as symbols and repositories of home and identity, which can facilitate a sense of belonging in residents through their display in residents' rooms. I suggest that this both misunderstands the processual and fluid nature of home and identity, and conceptualises objects as essentially passive. This article uses ethnographic data and theories of practice and relationality to argue that rather than the meaning of home being inherent in objects, or felt subjectively by residents, meaning is generated through ongoing, everyday interactions between the two. I show that residents became at home by acquiring new things –as well as displaying existing possessions – and also through interacting with mundane objects in everyday social and relational practices such as cleaning and hosting. I conclude that being at home in older people's residential homes need not be so different from being at home at other stages of the life course and in other settings. This challenges conceptualisations of older people's homes – and older age itself – as somehow unknowable and unfamiliar

Ageing and Long-Term Care Planning Perceptions of Hispanics in the USA: Evidence from a Case Study in New London, Connecticut

This paper explores the ageing attitudes and long-term care planning behavior of adult Hispanics in New London, Connecticut, a town with 30 thousand inhabitants that is rapidly ageing. We conducted six focus groups and had 37 participants share their ageing perceptions and long-term care needs. Our main findings suggest that informal care arrangements are vulnerable and unsustainable especially since women have historically and disproportionately provided most family eldercare even at their own personal and financial expense. Though male participants expected their female relatives to care for them when they age and need personal assistance, female participants did not necessarily expect the same from their relatives including their daughters. Also, both formal and government long-term care systems lack cultural competence and can be prohibitively costly. Therefore, Hispanics plan for ageing within their circles of family care and their resilience in a context of cultural exclusion and socio-economic disadvantage epitomizes strong intergenerational values. These support networks may help explain why may outlive whites (the Hispanic paradox ) who, on average, have higher wealth and education levels. Long-term care planning is a complex process that cannot be relayed to families only. Adequate training for family members from other relatives, and from private and government entities to appropriately convey this type of planning is vital to ensure that Hispanic families understand their options

An international perspective on improving occupational conditions for direct care workers in home health

Abstract The occupational health and safety of direct care workers in the home health setting has been the focal point of a somewhat scarce, though highly important, body of research. Although the demand for home care services continues to expand with the rapidly growing population of older adults worldwide, home care workers - such as home health aides and personal care attendants - do not have the same level of protections by workplace safety policies such as those implemented in hospitals and nursing homes. This commentary synthesizes international perspectives on the occupational health and safety of home care workers, including the problem of workers’ rights violations and abuse by clients and their families. Prior policy and practice efforts have focused on improving the training, supervision, job satisfaction, and retention of home care workers, but have focused less on addressing issues of abuse. This paper recommends potential strategies to be developed and tested to provide a stronger support system for home care workers, more fully integrate them into the care team, and improve the occupational health and safety of this diverse, rapidly expanding workforce

Neighborhood Environment and Disparities in Health Care Access Among Urban Medicare Beneficiaries With Diabetes: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Older adults’ health is sensitive to variations in neighborhood environment, yet few studies have examined how neighborhood factors influence their health care access. This study examined whether neighborhood environmental factors help to explain racial and socioeconomic disparities in health care access and outcomes among urban older adults with diabetes. Data from 123 233 diabetic Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years and older in New York City were geocoded to measures of neighborhood walkability, public transit access, and primary care supply. In 2008, 6.4% had no office-based “evaluation and management” (E&amp;M) visits. Multilevel logistic regression indicated that this group had greater odds of preventable hospitalization in 2009 (odds ratio = 1.31; 95% confidence interval: 1.22-1.40). Nonwhites and low-income individuals had greater odds of a lapse in E&amp;M visits and of preventable hospitalization. Neighborhood factors did not help to explain these disparities. Further research is needed on the mechanisms underlying these disparities and older adults’ ability to navigate health care. Even in an insured population living in a provider-dense city, targeted interventions may be needed to overcome barriers to chronic illness care for older adults in the community. </jats:p

The Price of Female Headship: Gender, Inheritance and Wealth Accumulation in the United States

Female-headed households in the United States suffer from lower levels of asset ownership than their male-headed counterparts. This gap remains after controlling for the lower incomes of female heads. What, then, produces the gender discrepancy in net worth? Using longitudinal, intergenerational data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, we ask whether differential patterns of inheritance, savings rates or investment yield this female-male asset gap. Results demonstrate that differential savings rates between female- and male-headed households account for the gender gap in net worth. We speculate on the financial constraints within female-headed households that account for the savings rate differential.</jats:p

Nurse Visits, Site of Care, and Hospitalization Among Hospice Patients With Dementia

Abstract Persons with dementia comprise up to 50% of hospice patients and face an increased risk of burdensome, disruptive, and costly discharge from hospice due to hospitalization. The relationship between timing, dose and site of hospice care provided, all modifiable factors, and risk of hospitalization is poorly understood. We use a retrospective cohort analysis of 2,692 electronic health records of hospice patients with dementia who received care from a large hospice agency in New York City between 2013-2017 to determine the relationship between hospice service delivery (e.g., number and timing of nurse visits, home vs. facility-based) and risk of hospitalization (vs death). We control for demographic and clinical characteristics of patients. 9.36% of patients with dementia were hospitalized. Hospice service delivery factors were significantly associated with risk of hospitalization. Each additional nurse visit was associated with a 5% decrease in risk of hospitalization (AOR: 0.95, 95% CI: 0.92-0.98). Each additional day between last nurse visit and discharge was associated with a 7% increase in risk of hospitalization (AOR: 1.07, 95% CI: 1.04-1.11). Home hospice was associated with 97% higher odds of hospitalization (AOR: 1.97, 95% CI: 1.19-2.09). Hospice patients with dementia who receive services at home, receive fewer nursing visits, and have increased time between nursing visits are at increased risk for hospitalization. Research is needed to determine if increasing the number and timing of nursing visits can reduce risk of hospitalization in this population.</jats:p

The Role of Patient Activation in Improving Blood Pressure Outcomes in Black Patients Receiving Home Care

Variations in patients’ self-management knowledge, skills, and confidence as measured by the Patient Activation Measure (PAM) have been linked to variations in health behavior and outcomes. In a randomized trial, we tested two blood pressure (BP) control interventions, one grounded in activation principles. Study participants were Black home care patients ( N = 587) with uncontrolled hypertension. This article examines intervention impacts on 12-month PAM score change, other predictors of PAM change, and associations between PAM change and BP outcomes. In multivariate models, the interventions did not significantly affect PAM change. Baseline characteristics associated with increased PAM were lower PAM score, higher income, higher health literacy, younger age, lower systolic BP, diabetes, and fewer medications. PAM increase was associated with a modest reduction in diastolic BP but not with improved systolic BP or BP control. Although studies suggest that increasing activation may lead to improved patient outcomes, this study did not find it to be so. </jats:p