Ann Louise Barrick

Effect of person-centered showering and the towel bath on bathing-associated aggression, agitation, and discomfort in nursing home residents with dementia : a randomized, controlled trial

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of two nonpharmacological techniques in reducing agitation, aggression, and discomfort in nursing home residents with dementia. The techniques evaluated were person‐centered showering and the towel bath (a person‐centered, in‐bed bag‐bath with no‐rinse soap).

High-intensity environmental light in dementia: Effect on sleep and activity

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether high‐intensity ambient light in public areas of long‐term care facilities will improve sleeping patterns and circadian rhythms of persons with dementia.

Nutritional Issues in Long-Term Care

Because long-term care residents often have chronic illnesses and complex care regimens, nutritional issues are common in these populations. Furthermore, management is complicated because some residents are terminally ill and under palliative care treatment plans that allow for dehydration and low oral intake. As a result, the medical management of nutrition is complex and challenging for medical providers caring for residents of nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and other long-term care settings. Quality nutritional practice in long-term care involves careful assessment of barriers to adequate nutrition; reduction of risk factors; attention to specialized diets, food presentation, and supplements, when appropriate; awareness of the importance of psychosocial and environmental issues; and consideration of the role of medication both as a cause and a therapeutic adjunct. Optimal practice at a facility level would involve a systematic approach to applying the best evidence-based approaches, with a focus on individualizing each residents nutritional management.

The Effect of Ambient Bright Light Therapy on Depressive Symptoms in Persons with Dementia

OBJECTIVES: To assess the effect of ambient bright light therapy on depressive symptoms in persons with dementia.

The bathing of older adults with dementia. Easing the unnecessarily unpleasant aspects of assisted bathing

OVERVIEW:Older adults who need assistance with bathing often find the activity to be both physically and emotionally demanding, as do their caregivers. Research has identified several contributing factors, including pain; fatigue and weakness; confusion; anxiety resulting from being naked in front o

Effect of a person-centered mouth care intervention on care processes and outcomes in three nursing homes

To develop and test a person‐centered, evidence‐based mouth care program in nursing homes.

Impact of ambient bright light on agitation in dementia

To evaluate the effect of ambient bright light therapy (BLT) on agitation among institutionalized persons with dementia.

Changing the Culture of Mouth Care: Mouth Care Without a Battle

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY Culture change aims to fundamentally improve care provision in a manner consistent with individual preferences. However, few studies of culture change have focused on the quality of daily care, despite the fact that system-wide efforts are important to assure the effectiveness, adoption, and sustainability of person-centered care to meet daily needs. This paper describes a new culture change practice, Mouth Care Without a Battle. The focus on mouth care is predicated on the important association between person-centered support for oral hygiene and quality of life. DESIGN AND METHODS Mouth Care Without a Battle is a person-centered approach to quality mouth care for persons with cognitive and physical impairment. It was developed by an interdisciplinary team of clinician researchers based on literature review, consultation with experts, environmental scan of existing programs, and testing in nursing homes. Building from the success of Bathing Without a Battle, Mouth Care Without a Battle was evaluated in terms of changed care practices and outcomes, developed into a training program, and packaged for dissemination as a digital video disk (DVD) and website. RESULTS The development and evaluation of Mouth Care Without a Battle demonstrate attention to the areas necessary to establish the evidence-base for culture change, to ultimately empower and support staff to provide care to achieve quality outcomes. IMPLICATIONS As illustrated in this paper, it is beneficial to build the evidence base for culture change by attending to care processes and outcomes benefiting all residents, ability to implement culture change, and costs of implementation.

Psychiatric and criminal histories of persons referred for pretrial evaluations: Description and policy implications

Although the number of state hospital psychiatric beds in the United States has declined over the past few decades, the number of persons with a mental illness being treated in prison has increased. Of concern is that challenging transitions from the prison or state hospitals back into the community are resulting in a high number of persons who commute between our nations prisons and state psychiatric facilities. The purpose of this article is to investigate the psychiatric and criminal histories of consecutive admissions (N = 342) over a 5-month period to a pre-trial evaluation program established for persons accused of a crime and thought to have a mental illness. Our findings revealed that 286 (83.6%) had prior contact with one or both systems; 92 (26.9%) had been in prison, 48 (14.0%) in a state psychiatric hospital, while 146 (42.7%) had been in both systems. Policy implications of these findings are discussed.