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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Factors that influence end of life care in nursing homes
— the physical environment, inadequate staffing, and lack of supervision | | Author(s) | Vincent Mor, Katherine Berg, Joseph Angelelli |
| Journal title | The Gerontologist, vol 43, special issue II, April 2003 |
| Pages | pp 76-84 |
| Keywords | Terminal care ; Nursing homes ; Space needs ; Architectural design ; Personnel ; Management [care] ; Standards of provision ; United States of America. |
| Annotation | Participant observation, interviews, and event analysis were used to obtain data concerning the process of providing care to terminally ill residents of two nursing homes. This study found that the physical environment of these nursing homes was not conducive to end-of-life care. The rooms were crowded, there was little privacy, and the facilities were noisy. Inadequate staffing and lack of supervision were among the most significant organisational factors that influenced care. Often, residents did not receive basic care, such as bathing, oral hygiene, adequate food and fluids, and repositioning. A consequence of inadequate staffing was the development of pressure ulcers: 54% of residents had pressure ulcers, and 82% of residents died with pressure ulcers. These findings suggest that the environment in both these nursing homes, as now structured, is an inappropriate setting for end-of-life care. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-030611206 A |
| Classmark | LV: LHB: R5: YB3: QM: QA: 583: 7T |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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