Community-Dwelling Older Adults Attending a Fire and Falls Health Promotion Program and the Experience of Social Isolation and Loneliness.

Many health promotion programs are designed for older adults who live in the community. This research describes a health promotion program called "Remembering When" (a fire and fall prevention program). In 2020, a quality improvement project was developed to examine the effectiveness and impact of Remembering When among community-dwelling older adults. After analyzing the qualitative data collected for the project, an interesting observation of why older adults attended Remembering When emerged. Older adults might attend Remembering When because they experience social isolation and/or loneliness. The concepts of objective and subjective social isolation and loneliness were defined, and the implications of Remembering When around social isolation and loneliness were discussed. Secondary data analysis followed Braun and Clarke's (2006) thematic analysis steps. Four themes were generated: It is about me having choices, Joining the program as an old friend, We all need referrals , and I am housebound . Overall, 2 significant observations were made: (1) some older adults valued the opportunity to interact with Remembering When's team, which might help older adults decrease social isolation and loneliness, and (2) older adults needed more individualized programs to address their emotional and mental health and well-being needs.

Impact of social phone programs on loneliness and mood in older adults: a mixed methods systematic review protocol.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this mixed methods review is to examine the effectiveness and experience of social phone programs on loneliness and/or mood in community-dwelling older adults. INTRODUCTION: There is a large and growing older adult population that is burdened with loneliness. Loneliness affects both physical and mental health, and it is, therefore, imperative to examine ways of mitigating experiences of loneliness. Social phone programs are being offered through multiple organizations as a way of increasing socialization and decreasing loneliness in older adults. There is a need to examine existing data on social phone programs to determine their effectiveness and optimize their implementation. INCLUSION CRITERIA: Included studies will be original qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods research, along with gray literature, examining the use of social phone programs to address loneliness and/or mood in older adults. METHODS: A convergent segregated mixed methods approach will be used, in line with the JBI methodology for mixed methods reviews. Articles will be searched in selected databases, sources of clinical trials, and gray literature. No limits have been set for language or date of publication. Two team members will select studies through title and abstract screening and then full-text screening. Critical appraisal will be performed in accordance with the standard JBI critical assessment tools, although no articles will be excluded based on this appraisal. Quantitative articles will be synthesized using meta-analysis, while a process of meta-aggregation will be used for qualitative articles. The findings will be integrated into a final report. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO CRD42022335119.

Nursing during the COVID-19 pandemic: A reflective thematic analysis of how the hamster wheel shifted personal and professional control.

AIM: The aim of this national study was to examine the experience of nurses 9-12 months after the onset of the pandemic. DESIGN: This article reports the reflective thematic analysis of the qualitative portion of a mixed methods study of the experiences of 1319 Canadian nurses between February to May 2021. METHODS: Data gathering occurred through open-text box questions in an online survey. RESULTS: Three overarching themes were found: (1) the hamster wheel, (2) the shifting sense of control, and (3) the inability to leave the pandemic at work. CONCLUSION: This research presents a national perspective of nurses which contributes to the wider global narrative. The experience of redeployment, nurses as decision-makers, communication and leadership challenges were all factors impacting mental health and intraprofessional collaboration. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION: The findings revealed the immense pressure, mental health concerns, and professional implications for nurses in all domains. PUBLIC OR PATIENT CONTRIBUTIONS: No public or patient contributions.

Capacity of nurses working in long-term care: A systematic review qualitative synthesis.

BACKGROUND: The United Nations calculates there were 703 million adults 65 years and older globally as of 2019 with this number projected to double by 2050. A significant number of older adults live with comorbid health conditions, making the role of a nurse in long-term care (LTC) complex. Our objective was to identify the challenges, facilitators, workload, professional development and clinical environment issues that influence nurses and nursing students to seek work and continue to work in LTC settings. METHODS: Eligibility criteria included being a nurse in a LTC setting and research with a substantial qualitative component. Multiple databases (including Medline and CINAHL) were searched between 2013 and 2019 along with grey literature. Covidence was used to organise a team of 10 into a paired review of titles and abstracts to the final full text screening, extraction and appraisal with the CASP Qualitative Studies Checklist. Analysis involved a thematic synthesis approach. The Enhancing Transparency in Reporting the Synthesis of Qualitative Research (ENTREQ) checklist informed the writing of the review. RESULTS: The search resulted in 18 articles and dissertations. Areas investigated included recruitment, resilience, employment and retention, how nurses perceived their professional work, rewards and difficulties, supervision, student preceptorship and career aspiration, nurses' perceptions of occupational status, along with leadership, education and development needs, and intentions to manage resident deteriorating health. The five themes were (1) perspectives of nursing influenced by the organisation, (2) pride in, and capacity to build relationships, (3) stretching beyond the technical skills, (4) autonomy, and (5) taking on the challenge of societal perceptions. DISCUSSION: This review revealed what is required to recruit nursing students to careers in LTC and retain nurses. To be explored is how staff can work to their full scope of practice and the resultant impact on resident care, including how to maximise a meaningful life for residents and their families. REGISTRATION: National Institute for Health Research UK (Prospero ID: CRD42019125214).

International nurse education leaders' experiences of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study.

AIMS: To explore the experiences of strategic leads for nurse education as they sought to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN: We utilised a qualitative interpretative approach to explore education leaders' experiences of leading during the early months of the pandemic. METHODS: Nineteen leaders with significant strategic responsibility for nurse education in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom were identified via purposive sampling and agreed to participate. Interviews were held between May and July 2020. RESULTS: Four overarching themes arose from the analysis: (1) Crisis driven adaptability & flexibility; (2) Responsive, complex and changing communication; (3) Making decisions for student and staff safety; (4) Looking to the future; stronger partnerships. CONCLUSION: Internationally, while nursing education leaders faced different problems, they shared a common goal amidst the crisis to remain student-centred. They demonstrated they were able to face major challenges, respond to large scale logistical problems and make decisions under significant and ongoing pressure. IMPACT: In responding to the pandemic, nurse leaders shared knowledge and offered mutual support. This bodes well for future collaboration. The move to online learning accelerated an existing trend and it seems likely that this will continue. Given the pressures they experienced over an extended period, the sector may wish to consider how it prepares and supports existing and future leaders.

The Role of Uncertainty in the Experiences of Nurses During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Phenomenological Study.

BACKGROUND: The novel coronavirus (Covid-19) has spread quickly to all corners of the globe and caused high rates of morbidity and mortality. Nurses have been at the centre of this experience managing the outbreak through direct bedside care, managing hospital units, providing Covid-19 testing, and contact tracing. PURPOSE: The aim of this article is to examine the role that nurses played in the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic through the voices of the participants. METHODS: Using a phenomenological methodology thirty-one interviews were completed via phone and thematic analysis was completed. RESULTS: The major themes that emerged from this phenomenological study were: emotional challenges, uncertainty, and protective factors. Emotional challenges included, stress, anxiety, exhaustion, frustration, guilt, and loneliness. These challenges were magnified by uncertainty through leadership and communication challenges, needs of the pandemic versus needs of the patient, and Covid-19 and best practice. In this study, emotional challenges were mitigated by the protective factors of: education, ability to contribute, team cohesiveness, and community support. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses are challenged during this time but by limiting uncertainty and providing protective factors, nurses can be less affected by emotional challenges and able to provide nursing care and manage the outbreak effectively.

Does problem-based learning in Nursing Education Empower Learning?

In this discussion paper, we explored our experiences with the integration of problem-based learning and use of evaluation tools in an undergraduate nursing research class. Six content areas in the course were adapted to problem-based learning. Understanding of concepts and being able to link concepts to the real world of practice can be achieved when nursing students actively engage to construct and reconstruct their knowledge. This journey has demonstrated to us the importance of reflecting on practice as faculty and student. We encourage discussion among nursing faculty to more deeply understand the significance of moving from traditional didactic towards learner-centered approaches that enhance critical thinking.