This study explored the interplay of the care culture (C), caring process (P) and care agent (A) in the care of older adults towards care satisfaction and quality of life. Two elderly care facilities (public and private) were considered as cases of this study. Using case study design, four elderly clients were asked to answer the Modified Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire, and five care facility personnel were interviewed and observed. The cross-case analysis derived the themes: a) a caring governance is a felt privilege for the elderly; b) housing arrangement: security or vulnerability?; c) How did you take care of me?: Its influence on patient care outcomes; and d) Elderly care provider: What am I?. The landscape of elderly care is a combination of the environment, culture, process and the agent who made the care more effective through patient outcomes and satisfaction. These factors have interacting relationship which one to the other but ultimately leads to a question of the elderly clients' present disposition and conditions.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify factors which predict depression in resdents of geriatric medical and welfare facilities in metropolitan areas. METHODS: The participants were 125 elderly people who resided in geriatric medical and welfare facilities. A structured questionnaires was used to collect data during the period from Sept. 28 to Oct. 23, 2009, and data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients, and Stepwise Multiple Regression with the SPSS/WIN 15.0 program. RESULTS: The mean score per item for perceived health status was 2.6, and the mean depression score was 3.40. Depression showed a negative correlation with perceived health status (r=-.44, p<.001). Variables that predicted depression were perceived health status, perceived economic status, and attitude of staff towards the elders (33.6%). CONCLUSION: The findings indicate a need to develop, geriatric mental health program to prevent depression in elders who reside in geriatric medical and welfare facilities.
Aged ; Depression* ; Geriatric Nursing ; Humans ; Mental Health ; Surveys and Questionnaires

The United Nations has identified the training and education of healthcare professionals and care providers involved in the care of older persons as a global priority. Singapore is no exception as it faces a rapidly ageing population. Older people have many medical needs of varying dimensions and their care requires a multidisciplinary healthcare team. The current status of geriatric education of health professionals involved in elderly care in Singapore is discussed in this paper. Important issues raised include the disparity between professions in the stages of development of geriatric education, questions on the adequacy of numbers and training of healthcare professionals providing geriatric care, as well as the need for geriatric education of caregivers.
Aged ; Geriatric Nursing ; education ; Health Personnel ; education ; Humans ; Singapore

PURPOSE: This study was to identify priority areas of nursing research in Korea. METHOD: A data analysis was done for the PhD subjects (n=133) who responded at the national level two-rounds delphi survey. Subjects were asked to assign a score from 1 to 7 for 29 nursing research areas regarding 3 aspects: the degree of nurses research leadership; the degree of contribution to nursing professions; and the degree of contribution to health and welfare of patients/clients. RESULT: For the overall three aspects, research area on clinical nursing practice was identified as the first priority, followed by nursing education, home health nursing, nursing research, and chronic disease. For nursing research leadership, research area on clinical nursing practice, nursing education, home health nursing, nursing research, and nursing diagnosis were identified. Concerning contribution to the nursing profession, the first priority was nursing education, followed by clinical nursing practice, nursing research, nursing policy, and home health nursing. Concerning contribution to the health/welfare of patients, clinical nursing practice, home health care, geriatric nursing, chronic disease, and symptom management were ranked as top 5 research priorities. CONCLUSION: The findings of this national survey will assist in building insights into the research needs of nurses practicing in Korea.
Chronic Disease ; Delivery of Health Care ; Education, Nursing ; Geriatric Nursing ; Home Health Nursing ; Humans ; Korea* ; Leadership ; Nursing Diagnosis ; Nursing Research* ; Nursing* ; Statistics as Topic

PURPOSE: The traditional nursing roles have become increasingly blurred. Nurses are now working in different ways and at higher levels of practice that enable nurses to adapt their roles and take on new responsibilities. The advanced role of nurses requires a different kind of master-level prepared education. METHOD AND RESULT: This article describes an curriculum development process in preparing registered nurses for their advanced nurese' roles in the area of acute adult health nursing, geriatric nursing, pediatric nursing, neonatal intensive care nursing and oncology nursing. Several important issues to be solved regarding introduction of APN were also discussed. CONCLUSION: The curriculum that was proposed in the study will equip nurses to meet the challenges of future healthcare provision and will be a model to other areas of nursing practice and curriculum development.
Adult ; Atrial Natriuretic Factor ; Critical Care Nursing ; Curriculum* ; Delivery of Health Care ; Education ; Geriatric Nursing ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Neonatal Nursing ; Nurse Practitioners* ; Nursing ; Oncology Nursing ; Pediatric Nursing

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of a nurse presence program on suicide prevention for elders with chronic disease. METHOD: The subjects were recruited from two different elderly institutions located in D city and K province, Korea. Twenty subjects in the control group received no intervention and nineteen subjects in the experimental group received a nurse presence program. RESULT: There were more significant decreases in suicide ideation, and the cortisol level and increases in life satisfaction in the experimental group compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: According to the above results, a nurse presence program for elders with a chronic disease decreased stressful events like suicide ideation and increased self esteem through therapeutic interaction. These findings suggest that this program can be used as an efficient independent nursing intervention for elders in a critical situation.
Aged ; *Chronic Disease ; Female ; Frail Elderly ; Geriatric Assessment ; Geriatric Nursing ; Health Services ; Humans ; Interpersonal Relations ; Nursing Methodology Research/*methods ; Personal Satisfaction ; Self Concept ; Social Support ; Suicide/*prevention & control

PURPOSE: This study investigated changes in attitudes toward elders in general and elders with dementia after students finished a gerontological nursing practicum. METHODS: Questionnaires developed for Asian cultures were administered pre practicum, immediately post practicum, and at 8-months follow up to 31 senior students in a baccalaureate nursing program. The 1-week practicum occurred at two adult day care centers: a center for elders with dementia and a center for elders with stroke. Repeated measures ANOVA and Bonferroni correction procedures were used to analyze data. RESULTS: Students' evaluation of elder vitality and flexibility increased significantly at post practicum, however this increase was not sustained at follow up. Score of generosity of elders, the only positively evaluated dimension for elders in general, improved partly at post practicum. Students evaluated flexibility and generosity of elders with dementia more negatively than general elders. All of the decreased attitudes at follow up were not significantly different from those at pre practicum. CONCLUSIONS: Students had more negative attitudes toward elders with dementia. Attitudes of students in direct contact with elders with dementia were improved through the practicum regarding generosity and flexibility. However the sustainability of the immediate effect was not observed at follow up.
Adult ; Aged ; Analysis of Variance ; *Attitude of Health Personnel ; Day Care ; Dementia/*nursing ; *Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate ; Female ; Geriatric Nursing/*education ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Stroke/*nursing ; Students, Nursing

Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) is a diagnostic process evaluating frail older patient's medical problems and functional status to make overall plan for treatment and long-term care plan. It emphasizes on functional status and quality of life and uses interdisciplinary team and assessment tool frequently. CGA is associated with significant benefit in improved diagnostic accuracy with increased survival, improved physical and cognitive function, appropriate medication use, reduced hospital and nursing home use and reduced health care costs. Although frailty patients might have greatest benefits, careful periodic screening and follow up monitoring of all older persons is also very important. The goal of CGA in the older patients might be independence. To improve the quality of life of frail old patients and to reduce long-term care population number and care costs, performing geriatric assessment would be the best choice in geriatric field.
Geriatric Assessment* ; Health Care Costs ; Humans ; Long-Term Care ; Mass Screening ; Nursing Homes ; Quality of Life

PURPOSE: Ego-integrity in Erikson's stage theory is used frequently among health team members related to the care of the elderly and has specific meanings within the context of quality of life in later life. However, the concept of ego-integrity in the elderly has not been well articulated in the literature. This study was conducted clarify and conceptualize the phenomena of ego-integrity in the elderly. METHOD: A Hybrid Model of concept development was applied to develop a concept of ego-integrity, which included a field study carried out in Seoul, South Korea using in-depth interviews with old adults who were admitted as a right person for research subject according to attributes of ego-integrity analysed in the theoretical phase. RESULTS: The concept of ego-integrity emerged as a complex phenomenon having meanings in several different dimensions which encompassed several attributes. CONCLUSIONS: Ego-integrity is a concept having needs that should be treated in a specific way and it is possible to enrich the meaning and methods to manage ego-integrity in nursing interventions for promoting quality of life so that its application may have effects that have positive impacts on the elderly's well being.
Adaptation, Psychological ; Aged/*psychology ; Aging/psychology ; *Ego ; Female ; Geriatric Nursing ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Superego

Aged ; Geriatric Assessment ; Homes for the Aged ; Humans ; Nursing Homes ; Quality of Health Care ; Singapore