The Gerontologist
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Review Multicenter Study
The experience of dying: an ethnographic nursing home study.
This article reviews the literature on "The Experience of Dying" and presents data from a larger, ongoing study of an ethnography of dying in nursing homes. The purpose of the ethnographic study was to investigate the process of providing end-of-life care to residents who were dying in nursing homes. ⋯ Future research is needed on: The experience of dying for patients with dementia, for people in a comatose state, and for non-English speaking patients; symptom management; health care provider/patient-family interaction; the burden of caregiving for families; and the consequences of the constraints within our health care system for people who are dying in various settings.
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The aim of this study was to validate a pain scale for the Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessment instrument and examine prevalence of pain in major nursing home subpopulations, including type of admission and cognitive status. ⋯ Pain is prevalent in nursing home residents, especially in those with cognitive dysfunction, and often untreated.
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Multicenter Study
In their own words: nursing assistants' perceptions of barriers to implementation of prompted voiding in long-term care.
Prompted voiding is an effective intervention for the improvement of continence in long-term care. This study investigated certified nursing assistants' (CNAs) perceptions of incontinence etiologies, as well as perceived barriers to prompted voiding implementation. ⋯ CNAs perceived prompted voiding as helpful; however, inadequate staffing, workload, and turnover/absenteeism hindered implementation. CNA recommendations for long-term success included increased staff, staff support, improved communication, ongoing education, and alternative delivery models of care.