Changes in Perceptions and Attitudes of Healthcare Profession Students Pre and Post Academic Course Experience of Team-Based 'Care for the Critically Ill'.

The aim of this study was to describe the development and outcomes of an interprofessional course "Interprofessional Care of the Critically Ill," involving pharmacy, nursing, social work, and respiratory therapy students from two universities. An institutional review board-approved survey was adapted from the TeamSTEPPS surveys investigating clinical practitioners' attitudes and perceptions regarding teamwork, collaboration, and interprofessional engagement. Items applicable to an academic setting were revised and resulted in a 28-statement survey and comments section. Participation was voluntary, and students were requested to participate in the survey on the first and last day of class. There was a significant increase in the perceived understanding of scope of practice of other disciplines from the beginning to end of class (24.4 to 60%, strongly agreed/agreed). Furthermore, students gained appreciation for the complexities associated with working in an interprofessional team with a significant increase in the percent agreeing and strongly agreeing that working on an interdisciplinary team is challenging (66.7 to 81%). Students and faculty gained a greater understanding and appreciation for other disciplines represented in the class and are therefore better prepared to engage in health care teams upon graduation. IPE should be embedded in curriculums and not just an add-on.

The role of the gerontological social worker in assisted living.

This qualitative study reports on thirteen assisted living (AL) administrators' perspectives of the role and the importance of the AL social worker in addressing the unmet needs of older adults as they move and transition into AL. Participant interviews were analyzed using the constant comparative method. Administrators described 5 AL social work roles: (a) decision-making and adjustment coordinator; (b) resident advocate; (c) mental health assessor and counselor; (d) family social worker; and (e) care planner. Implications include directly examining AL social workers' views, analyzing costs and benefits of employing AL social workers, and developing social work practicum sites within AL.

Residential outcomes for nursing facility applicants who have been diverted: where are they 5 years later?

PURPOSE: The purpose of this longitudinal study was to determine the length of community tenure for adults aged 60 and older after application for nursing facility (NF) admission and to examine the proportion of older adults who lost community tenure due to either (a) death while a community resident or (b) permanent NF admission. DESIGN AND METHODS: In this 5-year prospective study, we tracked older adults who had applied for NF admission and were diverted (residing in the community 30 days later). Four waves of NF applicants (N = 2,882) were identified, and those diverted (n = 599) were tracked for 60 months at 3-month intervals. RESULTS: Sixty months after diversion, 18.0% of older adults (n = 108) were residing in the community, 39.2% died as community residents (n = 235), and 42.7% (n = 256) became permanent NF residents. In all, 414 diverted older adults (69.1%) died during the 5 years following NF application, with the majority of deaths occurring while older adults were community residents. IMPLICATIONS: This longitudinal study documents the capacity of NF applicants aged 60 and older to remain in the community long term, which was previously unknown. Policymakers now have data indicating that for many NF applicants, diversion does not simply delay NF admission; rather, diversion helps older adults avoid permanent NF placement until death.

Social support for exercise by experts in older women post-hip fracture.

Using the data of the Baltimore Hip Study 5 (a home-based exercise intervention), this study examined how social support for exercise by experts (SSE-E) affected the self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and exercise behavior among older women following a hip fracture. The total sample included 164 females aged 65 years (M = 81.0; SD = 6.9) who had surgical repair of a nonpathologic hip fracture. Model testing showed a direct relationship between SSE-E and outcome expectations for exercise. There was, however, no direct or indirect relationship between SSE-E and self-efficacy or exercise behavior. The positive effect of SSE-E on the outcome expectations for exercise in older women recovering from a hip fracture provides an opportunity for health care providers in improving physical activity in this population.