Relatives' perceptions of residents' life in a municipal care facility for older people with a focus on quality of life and care environment

Abstract

This study highlights the need to create a powerful partnership between relatives, care providers and residents to enhance the quality of life for residents. Every single meeting is important and makes a difference for the resident. Care providers might need to support relatives to understand that the last phase of life might be about focusing inwardly and reflecting on one's whole life as a way to end it.

Setting-related influences on physical inactivity of older adults in residential care settings: a review

“…Caregivers have been perceived not to have sufficient time for individual residents [24, 25], which might be due to caring for more severely ill residents, but also to business with other tasks [24]. A lack of time can be a reason caregivers cannot go for a walk with residents [24, 25].…”

“…Caregivers have been perceived not to have sufficient time for individual residents [24, 25], which might be due to caring for more severely ill residents, but also to business with other tasks [24]. A lack of time can be a reason caregivers cannot go for a walk with residents [24, 25]. In addition, when caregivers have to do other tasks (e.g., cleaning) and are absent from the shared living/dining room [24], residents may sit there inactively or fall asleep [24, 25].…”

“…A lack of time can be a reason caregivers cannot go for a walk with residents [24, 25]. In addition, when caregivers have to do other tasks (e.g., cleaning) and are absent from the shared living/dining room [24], residents may sit there inactively or fall asleep [24, 25]. However, caregivers’ business may also lead to a delay in the time residents can be brought to bed [24].…”

“…Based on interviews with relatives, some caregivers seem to do only what they should do, whereas others have a more active approach towards residents, in which they, for example, invite residents to help wiping the table [24]. …”

“…In sum, with regard to the caregiver factor, lower staffing levels seem to be an important factor in residents’ physical inactivity levels [22**, 23***]; this aspect is supplemented with the finding that also the time that caregivers have available can contribute to (in)activity [24*, 25***]. Varying approaches of caregivers towards residents might be needed to be taken into account as well [21**, 24*].…”