[Acceptance of deviant behavior in somatic nursing homes in the County of Aarhus].
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Four parents enrolled in a Responsive Teaching class carried out experiments using procedures they had devised for alleviating their children's problem behaviors. The techniques used involved different types of reinforcement, extinction, and punishment. One parent increased the frequency of the wearing of an orthodontic device during five daily time checks by making an immediate monetary payoff contingent on wearing the device. A second parent increased the number of points earned for doing daily household tasks by providing back-ups for which the points could be exchanged. The parents of a 4-yr-old boy decreased the frequency of whines, cries, and complaints by removing social attention when such behavior occurred. A mother decreased the duration of time it took for her 5-yr-old daughter to get dressed by making permission to watch television contingent on dressing within 30 min of the time she got up in the morning. Brief reversals of contingencies were used to show causal relationships between the procedures used and the changes in behavior. Checks on the reliability of measurement were made by persons present in the home.
beta(1-->3)-Glucans are potent proinflammatory agents that have been suggested to play a role in indoor-related respiratory health effects. The aim of this study was to assess whether beta(1-->3)-glucan concentrations in house dust are correlated with levels of endotoxins, allergens, and culturable mold spore counts in house dust. Further, the associations of beta(1-->3)-glucan with housing characteristics and occupant behavior were assessed. beta(1-->3)-Glucan was measured in settled house dust from living room floors of 395 homes of two German cities, Erfurt and Hamburg, with a specific enzyme immunoassay. Concentrations ranged from below the limit of detection to 19,013 microg/m(2) (22,588 microg/g dust). Concentrations per square meter were found to be correlated with endotoxins, mite and cat allergens, and culturable mold spores. Correlations were weaker when concentrations were expressed per gram of dust, indicating that variance in concentrations of all factors is largely determined by the amount of dust sampled. Associations between beta(1-->3)-glucan, housing characteristics, and occupant behavior were found for concentrations per square meter but not for concentrations per gram of dust. The following characteristics were associated with a significant increase in beta(1-->3)-glucan levels: carpets in the living room [means ratio (MR) = 1.9-2.1], keeping a dog inside (MR = 1.4), use of the home by four or more persons (MR = 1.4), use of the living room for > 180 hr/week (MR = 2.1), lower frequency of vacuum cleaning (MR = 1.6-3.0) and dust cleaning (MR = 1.2 and 1.4, respectively), and presence of mold spots during the past 12 months (MR = 1.4). We conclude that that the amount of dust sampled can be used as a proxy for hygiene and that beta(1-->3)-glucan concentrations per square meter are related to the amount of dust sampled.
This quasi-experimental study assessed the influence of a psychoeducational train ing program on the knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy of nursing home staff (nursing aides [NAs] and registered nurses [RNs]) regarding elderly residents and the management of their problematic behaviors. The training, which was conducted in northern Taiwan, was based on self-directed learning theory. Participants were divided into experimental (n = 130) and control (n = 140) groups. Staff's knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy were assessed before, immediately after, and 3 months after the program. Total knowledge improved significantly in all participants. For RNs, attitudes toward residents with disruptive behaviors and self-efficacy in managing these behaviors also improved, but these improvements were not maintained. These findings indicate that cognition is not the only factor influencing attitudes and self-efficacy.
The concept of symptom-avoidance behavior is discussed, with particular reference to home intravenous hyperalimentation (HIVH) patients. Symptom-avoidance behavior is explained as a combination of a health behavior model and an expectancy motivational theory leading to a basic outcome, which is satisfactorily avoiding the onset of symptoms. A systematic behavioral assessment method is presented, based on anecdotal cases; it is experimental in nature and can serve as a guide for practitioners who wish to initiate HIVH.
The incidence of indirect self-destructive behavior (ISDB) is explored in a sample of 99 male, predominantly elderly nursing home patients, using a rating scale (ISDB Scale) developed by the authors in a previous study. Scores from the ISDB Scale are correlated with psychological test material, background information, and other descriptive data for the sample of patients. Findings indicate that the use of ISDB in the elderly patient group is associated with direct suicide potential, dissatisfaction with the treatment program and with life in general, confused reasoning and judgment, poor prognosis for discharge, the absence of religious commitment, and significant losses in the patient's life. It appears from the findings that ISDB serves as an alternative form of suicide for many of these patients.
BACKGROUND: Acute illness causes considerable morbidity and mortality in nursing home residents but is often difficult to recognize early. Nursing assistants often notice early signs of acute illness but do not methodically document or communicate their observations with medical staff. OBJECTIVE: To enhance nursing assistants' observation and documentation of signs of acute illness by developing a validated, standardized instrument for communication with medical staff. DESIGN: Observational cohort study. SETTING: Urban not-for-profit nursing home. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Candidate instrument items were generated in focus group interviews with nursing home staff. Twenty-three nursing assistants completed the instrument on 74 nursing home residents over 4 weeks. Acute illness, the primary outcome, was identified by nurse report and chart review and determined according to preset criteria. MEASUREMENTS: Predictive validity was assessed by determining the relationship between instrument responses and development of acute illness within 7 days. Interobserver agreement was calculated between morning and afternoon nursing assistants' responses. Convergent validity was assessed by comparing instrument responses with three standard status indicators. RESULTS: The instrument consisted of 12 items that assessed behavioral and functional status changes. Residents with an instrument-recorded change were more likely to develop an acute illness within 7 days than those with no change (risk ratio 4.1, 95% confidence interval 2.6, 6.3). A final five-item instrument had a sensitivity of 53% and a specificity of 93% for acute illness. Nursing assistants' documentation of signs of illness preceded chart documentation by an average of 5 days. Interobserver agreement between morning and afternoon nursing assistants was 76%. Correlation of responses with standard indicators of functional, mental, and global status was high. CONCLUSIONS: A new instrument developed for nursing assistants to document behavioral and functional status changes in nursing home residents demonstrates fair sensitivity and high specificity for acute illness. Close monitoring of patients with a positive instrument might avert morbidity and mortality from acute illness by allowing earlier treatment.
Patients and staff participating in a group home program operated by the Veterans Administration Hospital in Topeka, Kansas, were interviewed to determine their perceptions of what constitutes acceptable behavior and how the groups functioned. The interviews indicated that the behaviors accepted by group members--their own norms--differed markedly from the norms set by staff. The only behavior highly valued by both staff and group members was helping with household tasks. Staff placed great emphasis on personal hygiene and on participation in a daily work activity and a weekly group social activity, while group members placed emphasis on controlling open expressions of hostility.
During a period of 22 months 147 consecutive residents with behavioural disturbances from 80% of the Copenhagen nursing homes were referred to a visiting team of consulting specialists. Each resident was evaluated clinically, and data were recorded in a database. The conditions thought to represent the underlying etiologies were dementia (79%), delirium (28%) and depression (35%). The most commonly observed behavioural symptoms were aggressiveness, vocally disruptive behavior and non-aggressive psychomotor symptoms. The most common interventions suggested by the team were further diagnostic evaluations, adjustment of pharmaceutical treatment, using the life history of the resident as a reference for behaviour management, and psychological behavior management. There is a need for increased focus on systematic diagnosis and treatment of behavioural disorders, observed in nursing homes, which often have multifactorial etiology.
This study tested the extent to which a behavioral intervention, Strategies to Promote Independence in Dressing (SPID), improved dressing independence among 90 cognitively impaired nursing home residents (average score on Mini Mental Status Exam = 7.35 +/- .69). The effect of SPID on caregiving efficiency, the time required for nursing assistants to use the strategies, was also examined. The results showed improved independence (decrease in assistance) from 6.08 +/- .12 at baseline to 4.93 +/- .19 following 6 intervention weeks. This significant improvement in dressing independence occurred without a clinically relevant increase in caregiver time (less than 1 min). Seventy-five percent of the subjects improved one or more levels of dressing independence, and more than 20% achieved their maximum intervention effect during the first week of treatment.
OBJECTIVE: To access an underserved, mobile segment of a monolingual Spanish speaking population and to improve maternal self efficacy for home safety behaviors using a culturally appropriate intervention. DESIGN: A pre- and post-test experimental design tested differences in maternal childhood injury health beliefs (MCIHB) and controllable safety hazards (CHS). Participants were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Baseline data assessed demographic and study variables comparability. The intervention included counseling, assessment of maternal safety practices, and provision of safety items. SETTING: A non-urban area in Texas where low income, largely migrant Hispanics represent the majority of residents. PARTICIPANTS: Eighty two mothers of 1--4 year old children. RESULTS: The 95% retention rate of an itinerant, hard to reach population suggests that minority participants may be receptive to culturally appropriate home visits. The intervention group demonstrated improved self efficacy for home safety behaviors (F (2, 77)=7.50, p=0.01). Mothers with stronger self efficacy and fewer perceived barriers had fewer accessible in-home hazards. Observed home hazard predictors were: (a) never being married; (b) poor home repair, (c) lower self efficacy for safety behaviors; and (d) control group status. CONCLUSIONS: Safety items coupled with a home visit tailored to child age and maternal culture was an effective intervention in a hard to reach population. This study contributes to designing research for a monolingual population with limited local language proficiency and community residency. Injuries represent a major source of health disparities in these neglected populations.
The objective of this study was to test the hypotheses that female rats are stressed by being in the same room as animals subjected to common husbandry and experimental procedures and that the level of stress is affected by housing density. Two commonly used indices of stress, heart rate (HR) and mean arterial blood pressure (MAP), were determined by using radiotelemetry for 2 h before and 3 h after rats witnessed the following procedures: decapitation, simulated decapitation, cage change, simulated cage change, restraint and subcutaneous injection, removal of rats to another room for injection, restraint and tail-vein injection, handling and weighing, and handling and vaginal lavage. In addition, home cage behaviors (sleeping, awake, moving, rearing, and grooming) were scored once each minute for 15 min before and 45 min after the procedures. Witnessing decapitation of six other rats induced small, but significant, increases in HR above undisturbed baseline values in animals housed alone, whereas responses in animals housed with one or three cage mates were slightly greater than those of rats housed alone. Witnessing a routine cage change induced significant increases in HR in rats which were equal to or greater than those induced by witnessing decapitations; however, housing density had little effect on the responses to cage change. HR did not significantly increase above baseline values in rats witnessing restraint and a subcutaneous or tail-vein injection of other rats or when witnessing other rats being handled and weighed. However, rats housed alone showed significant increases in HR when witnessing a vaginal lavage of other rats. Active behaviors (moving, rearing, grooming) in the home cage were significantly altered only in rats housed alone and then only when witnessing a cage change or a tail-vein injection. Considering primarily increased HR, we conclude that female Sprague-Dawley rats may be marginally stressed when present in the same room in which decapitation is being performed, but similar stress-like responses are induced by common husbandry and experimental procedures. Finally, group housing often, but not always, reduces the stress-like responses that can occur in female by-stander rats.
Two opposing hypotheses concerning determinants of mangabey (Cercocebus albigena) ranging patterns have been advocated. One hypothesis suggests that ranging patterns of mangabeys are largely a response to fruit availability, while the other hypothesis advocates that concerns of fruit availability are supplemented or overridden by concerns of fecal contamination and that the risk of parasite infection, especially during dry weather, determines their pattern of range use. In this 9 month study of mangabeys in the Kanyawara study area of Kibale National Park, mangabeys moved longer distances during the wet season than during the dry season. There were no seasonal differences in group spread, number of 50 by 50 m quadrats used, or in quadrat overlap between sequential sample periods. Intensity of quadrat use was closely related to the number of fruiting trees/lianas in the quadrats, irrespective of season. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that fruit availability is a main factor influencing mangabey ranging patterns. The results are not consistent with the hypothesis that mangabey ranging patterns largely reflect differential seasonal risk of parasite infection.
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Foragers of a stingless bee, Melipona seminigra, are able to use the optic flow experienced en route to estimate flight distance. After training the bees to collect food inside a flight tunnel with black-and-white stripes covering the side walls and the floor, their search behavior was observed in tunnels lacking a reward. Like honeybees, the bees accurately estimated the distance to the previously offered food source as seen from the sections of the tunnel where they turned around in search of the food. Changing the visual flow by decreasing the width of the flight tunnel resulted in the underestimation of the distance flown. The removal of image motion cues either in the ventral or lateral field of view reduced the bees' ability to gauge distances. When the feeder inside the tunnel was displaced together with the bees feeding on it while preventing the bee from seeing any image motion during the displacement the bees experienced different distances on their way to the food source and during their return to the nest. In the subsequent test the bees searched for the food predominantly at the distance associated with their return flight.
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