Anna Song Beeber

Systematic Review: Effective Characteristics of Nursing Homes and Other Residential Long-Term Care Settings for People with Dementia

In response to the need for an evidence‐based review of factors within long‐term care settings that affect the quality of care, this review compared characteristics of nursing homes and other residential long‐term care settings for people with dementia and their informal family caregivers with respect to health and psychosocial outcomes.

Successfully Reducing Antibiotic Prescribing in Nursing Homes

To determine whether antibiotic prescribing can be reduced in nursing homes using a quality improvement (QI) program that involves providers, staff, residents, and families.

A transactional model of cancer family caregiving skill

Family caregivers of persons receiving treatment of cancer must acquire illness-related skills not usually found among nonprofessional caregivers. Although research is needed to understand the skill acquisition process, no models of family caregiving skill exist to guide such research. The purpose of this study was to develop a model of caregiving skill through qualitative research. Participants were 44 caregiver/patient dyads and 63 individual caregivers. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview. A transactional model of family caregiving skill was developed that includes the concepts of demands of the illness situation, patterns of care, caregiver responses, and patient responses.

Physician Perspectives on Medical Care Delivery in Assisted Living

To describe the provision of medical care in assisted living (AL) as provided by physicians who are especially active in providing care to older adults and AL residents; to identify characteristics associated with physician confidence in AL staff; and to ask physicians a variety of questions about their experience providing care to AL residents and how it compares with providing care in the nursing home and home care settings.

Dementia in relation to family caregiver involvement and burden in long-term care.

To better understand the process and outcomes of family involvement for long-term care residents with varying stages of dementia, we analyzed family and staff data for 467 residents of 24 residential care/assisted living and nursing-home settings. Adjusted analyses found that although the amount of family visitation did not significantly vary by resident cognitive status (15 versus 20 visits/month to persons with and without dementia, respectively), the nature of the visit did. Families of cognitively intact residents spent more time in activities related to social and community engagement, such as taking residents on trips and calling and writing letters (p < .001), while families of more impaired residents spent more time on care-related activities, including tasks related to nutrition (p < .027), mobility (p = .001), and discussing care with staff (p = .007), the latter of which was associated with greater burden (p < .001). Staff identified similar patterns but perceived less family involvement.

Licensed Nurse Staffing and Health Service Availability in Residential Care and Assisted Living

To create data‐driven typologies of licensed nurse staffing and health services in residential care and assisted living (RC/AL).

Fidelity Decision Making in Social and Behavioral Research: Alternative Measures of Dose and Other Considerations

This article advances the discussion of treatment fidelity in social and behavioral intervention research by analyzing fidelity in an intervention study conducted within participating long-term care settings of the Collaborative Studies of Long-Term Care. The authors used the Behavior Change Consortiums (BCC) best practices for enhancing treatment fidelity recommendations in the areas of study design, provider training, treatment delivery, treatment receipt, and treatment enactment to evaluate fidelity-related decisions. Modifications to the original fidelity strategies were necessary in all areas. The authors revised their dose score and compared it with two constructed alternative measures of fidelity. Testing alternative measures and selecting the best measure post hoc allowed them to observe chance differences in relationship to outcomes. When the end result is to translate behavioral interventions into real practice settings, it is clear that some degree of flexibility is needed to ensure optimal delivery. Based on the relationship of program elements to the outcomes, a multicomponent intervention dose measure was more appropriate than one related to individual elements alone. By assessing the extent to which their strategies aligned with the BCC recommendations, the authors offer an opportunity for social work researchers to learn from their challenges and decision-making process to maximize fidelity.

Role of Body Temperature in Diagnosing Bacterial Infection in Nursing Home Residents

To provide empirically based recommendations for incorporating body temperature into clinical decision‐making regarding diagnosing infection in nursing home (NH) residents.

Adapting the family management style framework for families caring for older adults with dementia.

This article presents an adaptation of the Family Management Style Framework (FMSF)—a well-established framework of family response to chronic condition care of children—to families caring for older adults with dementia. Using the FMSF to better understand how families manage dementia care can provide clinicians with insights on how to work effectively with families. Using data from interviews with eight female caregivers of older adults with dementia, this secondary analysis adapts the FMSF, and identifies new dimensions that apply specifically to families caring for older adults with dementia. The discussion draws comparisons between the family management of a child with chronic condition to management of an older adult with dementia. The article concludes with a discussion of how understanding how families manage care of an older adult with dementia informs assessment for management styles and the tailoring of interventions specific to family, caregiver, and older adult needs.

Challenges of antibiotic prescribing for assisted living residents: perspectives of providers, staff, residents, and family members.

To better understand the antibiotic prescribing process in assisted living (AL) communities given the growing rate of antibiotic resistance.