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Biomedical subjects

C Dellasega

Publications and source records attributed to C Dellasega.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

The process and consequences of institutionalizing an elder.

This qualitative study was conducted to examine the decision-making process and its immediate consequences for family members who placed an elderly loved one in a long-term care facility. To explore issues related to the placement process, in-depth interviews were conducted with 7 individuals who had recently (6 weeks or less) placed an older relative. Content analyses of the interviews were conducted, and several common themes related to the decision-making process and outcomes emerged. Most of the subjects had provided personal care for their elderly relative, so placing their loved one in a nursing home often conflicted with their view of themselves as an ideal caregiver. During the process of making the decision, although family members were given advice and suggestions by health care professionals, this input was viewed as inadequate or even detrimental. Ultimately, subjects described making the decision to place an elderly relative in a long-term care facility as a singular process involving "I" rather than "we." The positive and negative role of friends emerged as an important influence during and after the placement process. The informal validation of the decision to place by peers was the one interaction that family members identified as helpful during this process.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Cholesterol-related health behaviors in rural elderly persons.

1. Hypercholesterolemia in the elderly is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. 2. Elderly subjects were found to be concerned about their cholesterol, but awareness of beneficial cholesterol reduction strategies and desirable cholesterol levels were low. 3. Major concerns for the rural elder are accessibility to cholesterol screening, explanation of the results of screening, and education about dietary interventions. 4. Nurses developing health promotion programs for rural elders need to incorporate methods which promote accessibility to screening and follow-up, understandable written information, and family support.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Use of home health services by elderly persons with cognitive impairment.

Individuals with cognitive impairment are at high risk for institutionalization; thus, they may benefit from the support provided by home health services. The authors studied a cohort of elderly persons admitted to a home health agency, after first assessing them for cognitive impairment. Comparisons were made between cognitively impaired and cognitively intact individuals. Significant differences in the volume and type of services used were found. Management issues for home health agencies are raised.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Strategies used by home health nurses to assess the mental status of homebound elders.

Home health nursing practice requires the ability to accurately assess elderly clients and, based on this assessment, arrange for needed home care services. Accurate evaluation of a homebound elder's mental status is particularly important, for it indicates whether the individual will be able to survive in his or her home and thereby avoid institutionalization. However, previous studies suggest that nurses in a variety of settings use assessment criteria that result in inaccurate judgements about their client's cognitive status. This study was undertaken to investigate specific strategies used by home health nurses to determine mental status. A convenience sample of 84 home health nurses was surveyed about the assessment criteria they used in their practice. Findings showed that these nurses, like others, rely primarily on orientation to evaluate cognition.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Nursing process: teaching elderly clients.

1. Nurses responsible for teaching older persons must adjust traditional approaches to address special age-related physical and psychosocial changes. 2. In order to develop effective teaching strategies, nurses should use the nursing process as a guide for identifying key knowledge deficits, establishing realistic goals, incorporating appropriate content, and evaluating learning. 3. The teaching environment, the actual presentation, and the presenter of information all influence the older adult's ability to learn important health-related information.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

The MMSE to assess the cognitive state of elders. Mini-Mental State Examination.

In both nursing practice and research settings, valid and accurate information on the cognitive function of elderly persons is necessary. However, methods and criteria for evaluating an elder's mental status are inconsistent. A formal screening tool such as the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) would enable nurse clinicians and researchers to use a common method for identifying cognitive impairment. In addition, the MMSE score can readily describe levels of impairment across settings. Although certain limitations exist when using this instrument, the MMSE has been successfully employed by some nurses in selected clinical and research settings as a brief but accurate screen of cognition in older persons.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Home health nurses' assessments of cognition.

Assessments of mental status in elderly persons admitted to home health agencies are the basis for decision-making related to resources provided. A home health nurse's perceptions of an elderly client's capacity for self-care determines whether community services will be prescribed. In institutional settings, evaluation of cognition by professional nurses is often incomplete or inaccurate. It was the purpose of this study to compare the judgements of cognition made by nine home health nurses who were admitting elderly clients to a visiting nurse association with scores from an objective measure of mental status. Findings suggest that these nurses relied primarily on orientation as an indicator of cognitive abilities.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Caregiving stress among community caregivers for the elderly: does institutionalization make a difference?

Nurses in community settings are frequently exposed to elderly persons who receive a significant amount of physical and/or psychosocial support from one or more informal caregivers. Although numerous investigations exist examining stress and coping in persons who provide such care for elderly persons, little is known about the caregiver's status once full-time caregiving ceases. This study describes emotional and physical components of caregiving stress in a convenience sample of 124 caregivers. Of these, 31 had placed their charge in a nursing home, while 93 had not. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) between placed-nonplaced groups revealed no significant differences in the total score or Role and Personal Strain subscales of the Burden Interview (J. Zarit & S. Zarit, 1983). Implications for community health nursing practice involve providing ongoing counseling and support of the caregiver and his or her charge, preparing both for the placement experience should it be indicated, and continued follow-up care post-placement. Greater collaboration between community-based and institutionally based nurses can facilitate implementation of these strategies.

Alzheimer Disease↗
PubMed1991

The effects of institutional and community experiences on nursing students' intentions toward work with the elderly.

The intentions of nursing students toward working with older adults are similar to those of nurses in general. Several authors have suggested that educational interventions are the key to reversing the reluctance of nursing students to work with elderly persons. In this longitudinal study, the intentions of 39 junior baccalaureate nursing students were examined at three points: prior to any treatment, after clinical work with aged persons in an institutional setting, and after clinical work with aged persons in a community setting. The analysis of variance model run on this data revealed no significant differences in students' intentions as a consequence of their clinical experiences.

Attitude↗
PubMed1991

Meeting the mental health needs of elderly clients.

1. Older individuals in both community and institutional settings have traditionally underused mental health services. Providers of such care devote a minimum of their professional time to those over 65 years of age. 2. Ageism and difficulty with diagnosis are the most frequent explanations for inadequate mental health care to the elderly. This study found that lack of referrals and failure of the aged to seek services partially accounted for underuse. 3. Legislative changes mandating that aged persons be screened for and receive appropriate mental health services will increase the demand for qualified providers. 4. Nursing's approach to care of the older adult, which focuses on both physiological and psychological needs, can facilitate the delivery of comprehensive effective mental health interventions in and out of the institutional setting.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Perioperative nursing care for the elderly surgical patient.

1. For the surgical client, a nurse's knowledge of the older adult's specialized needs can reduce operative risk and increase the quality of care provided throughout the operative course. 2. Physical changes resulting from the aging process affect every system in the body. These age-related changes have important implications for the elderly surgical clients and their caregivers. 3. Due to the variety of sensory perceptual changes that occur with aging, such as loss of hearing and vision, preoperative teaching and discharge planning methods may require modification.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Self-care for the elderly diabetic.

Diabetes is a chronic disease; its successful management is largely dependent on the elderly individual's compliance with the treatment regimen. Teaching efforts for elderly clients with diabetes should be tailored to meet the many age-related conditions that affect learning abilities. These include prior experience with the disease, sensory perceptual changes, short-term memory loss, and lack of formal education. Orem's theory of self-care provides an appropriate framework for nurses who work with elderly diabetic clients. For these clients, nursing goals are geared toward having the older person remain as independent and healthy as possible.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1990

Elderly women and stress. Does marriage make a difference?

Although studies of gender differences in the stress/health relationship of elderly persons have been done, few have examined the combined affect of marital status and gender on health. The experience of stress may affect elderly married women differently than elderly unmarried women. The purpose of this study was to explore the differential effects of stress on elderly married women and to identify interventions that could be used in gerontological nursing practice to promote effective coping. Roy's theory is used to explain the effects of stress on elderly women and to suggest nursing interventions. According to Roy, individuals respond to stressors in four behavioral modes: physiological, self-concept, role performance, and interdependency. The results of this study indicate that, of the four groups studied in this sample, the married women were in poorest health and the most vulnerable to stress.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1990

The relationship between caregiving and employment. A study of stress in employed and unemployed caregivers of elderly persons.

The need for persons to provide care on an informal basis to frail and dependent elderly persons has generated a "caregiving crisis" in this country. Middle age women, the traditional caregivers for most generations, are no longer readily available to provide informal care. Instead, they are likely to be struggling to cope with the dual demands of paid employment and family responsibilities. Significant differences exist between employed and unemployed caregivers in relation to age, marital status, gender, personal health status, and caregiver-care recipient relationships. However, no differences exist in relation to the amount of stress experienced as a consequence of caregiving responsibilities. Occupational health nurses have an ideal opportunity to help employed caregivers cope with their caregiving responsibilities both at the worksite and in their personal lives.

Adaptation, Psychological↗