Informal caregivers of older adults aging in place are at risk for adverse health and financial consequences. This descriptive qualitative study explored the experience of working with a faith community nurse (FCN) liaison of care in a Catholic health care system affiliated primary care practice among older adult clients and their informal caregiver. Semistructured face-to-face interviews were conducted with nine older adult client–informal caregiver dyads, three clients, and one caregiver ( n = 22). Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis method. The analysis generated one overarching theme, I’m Sorry the Study and FCN Visits Are Coming to an End, and two key themes, The FCN Was Always There to Help Us (older adult clients) and The FCN Took the Pressure Off of Caregiving for Awhile (informal caregivers). Participants viewed the FCN as an instrumental member of their health care team and considered prayer and spiritual support offered by the FCN an essential element of care.
Faith community nursing and holistic nursing are recognized by the American Nurses Association as nursing specialties. Both nursing specialties practice with the understanding that holistically caring for an individual as a unique whole in his or her totality including respecting and attending to a human being’s spiritual and/or faith-based needs across the life span is integral in promoting health and healing. The purpose of this article is to present the evolution of faith community nursing and holistic nursing practice and to compare their similarities and differences based on each specialty’s current Scope and Standards of Practice. Utilizing each specialty’s Scope and Standards of Practice allowed the authors a fair, practical, and extensive means for presenting a comprehensive and inclusive comparison. Continued and partnered research should be conducted by both specialties to advance their scope and standards of practice, to support comprehensive evidence-based and outcome-based care that promotes health, healing, compassion and caring, and to educate others regarding each nursing specialty’s role, value, and significant contributions to the art and science of nursing.
The purpose of this study was to test the impact of embedding trained Faith Community Nurse (FCN) interventionists in a Catholic Health System affiliated primary care practice as liaisons of care in the homes of older adult clients (OACs) and their informal caregiver (IC). Specific aims were to examine if a FCN intervention improved IC and OAC health, well-being, knowledge and understanding of chronic disease management, self-advocacy, and self-care. A non-random quasi-experimental design was used. Most ICs were spouses or adult children ( M age = 66) who lived with the older adult ( M age = 79). The ICs’ scores significantly increased after the intervention on the Preparedness for Caregiving Scale ( p = .002), Spirituality as Life, Meaning, and purpose ( p = .026), and Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale ( p = .005). Future research is needed examining the FCN intervention with larger sample sizes in more diverse communities and acute care settings.
The Faith Community Nurse (FCN) provides population-based and other nonclinical services in community settings that are not commonly available to the older adult population. The purpose of the FCN Connections (FCNC) study was to test the impact of the FCNC intervention on the health and well-being of clients (C) age 60 and older with chronic diseases and caregiver (CG) dyads (CCGD) by embedding a FCN in a primary care practice (PCP). A mixed method design was used with two cohorts over 18 months (N = 13 CCGD). Experienced FCNs led the components of the intervention in the CCGD home, including client health assessment, education and support while identifying their caregiver’s perceived needs, providing education and spiritual/emotional support, linking to resources, and connecting the CCGD with the PCP. The CCGD completed measurements at baseline, 6 and 12 weeks. CG knowledge, preparedness, self-efficacy with caregiving activities, and spirituality were measured with statistically significant CG improvement for handling emergencies, making caregiving activities pleasant, and taking care of emotional needs of the client. Spirituality, self-esteem, function, depression, and healthy living domains were measured for clients. At 12 weeks, semi-structured interviews with the CCGD were conducted and transcribed. An experiential/phenomenological framework and Reflexive Thematic Analysis were used to analyze data which generated one overarching theme, ‘I don’t want to see it [study] end’ and key themes, Theme 1 [client]: ‘She was always there to help’ and Theme 2 [caregiver]: ‘It’s like you took the pressure off me for a while’ describing the CCGD’s FCNC experience.
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