Promoting activity in long-term care facilities with the social robot Pepper: a pilot study.

About 40 000 individuals depend on assisted living in long-term care facilities in Norway. Around 80% of these have a cognitive impairment or suffer from dementia. This actualizes the need for activities that are tailored to individual needs. For some users, technology-assisted participation in communal activities can be an alternative approach to increasing their quality of life. To gain insight about the experiences of residents and healthcare professionals in long-term care facilities when interacting with the social robot Pepper. This is a qualitative pilot study. After a series of interventions with the robot in a long-term care facility, data were collected through individual interviews with healthcare professional and residents. These were analyzed through a qualitative content analysis. A thematic analysis identified three major themes: 1) Activity, joy and ambivalence, 2) challenges when introducing social robots in contexts of care and 3) thoughts about the future. Although employees and residents report that they enjoyed interactions with the social robot, highlighting opportunities for novel types of activities and action that differed from the daily routine, the subjects articulated several concerns and challenges. Developments in intelligent social robots is still in its infancy, despite much hype.

Improving everyday life of people with dementia living at home: Health care professionals' experiences.

AIM: This study investigates what health care professionals experience is important for improving everyday life of people with dementia living at home. BACKGROUND: A prerequisite for living at home is that people with dementia and their relatives can handle everyday life together despite the challenges that dementia poses. METHODS: This qualitative study conducted focus group interviews (n = 14), and the data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: The analysis identified one theme-need for enhanced competence to develop and implement individual plans-and three categories: challenge in identifying cognitive decline; need to timeously facilitate an active and meaningful everyday life; and need for consistency, continuity and coordination in dementia home care. CONCLUSION: Increased expertise is needed among health care professionals to contribute to the development and implementation of individual plans in dementia home care. To achieve this, health care professionals' competence and how dementia home care is organized must be seen in conjunction. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Routines should be established for identifying cognitive failure early and providing support and guidance at the beginning of the process. There is a need for nurse managers to facilitate increased advanced competence regarding dementia care for a professional home care service and to consider how home services can be organized to ensure continuity and security for people with dementia and their relatives. Creating and implementing an individual plan which can be a starting point for identifying individual needs and wishes and for coordinating an individual user's services.

Coping with Everyday Life for Home-Dwelling Persons with Dementia: A Qualitative Study.

AIM: This study aimed to gain insight into factors that influence everyday coping strategies as described by persons with early to intermediate dementia. BACKGROUND: Living with dementia presents difficulties coping with everyday life. This study focuses on coping with everyday life for persons with mild to moderate dementia in order to facilitate their ability to live at home. DESIGN: A qualitative study. METHODS: Individual interviews with 12 persons with dementia were conducted in their own homes. FINDINGS: Coping with everyday life can be influenced by the experience of the diagnostic process and by information about dementia. It can also be affected by stigmatization of persons with dementia, as well as by challenges in everyday life. In addition, challenges in receiving help may include poor continuity of services and healthcare staff with limited competence. By contrast, person-centered care led to positive experiences that supported everyday coping skills. Most of the respondents wanted to participate in day care several days a week. Other positive experiences were making new friends and participating in meaningful activities; such experiences could enhance to coping strategies. CONCLUSION: To strengthen everyday coping for persons with dementia living at home, there is a need for openness about the disease. Follow-up for persons with dementia must be carried out by reputable professionals trained and educated in dementia care. Finally, the municipalities must have contact persons, dementia coordinator/-team, who are available for persons with dementia at the time of diagnosis position and afterwards.

Informal caregivers and persons with dementia's everyday life coping.

This qualitative study explores informal caregivers' experiences of supporting persons with dementia's everyday life coping. In the future, there will be fewer health personnel, increased dementia prevalence and limited nursing home availability. Accordingly, close relatives may be compelled to assume greater care responsibilities. Knowledge concerning persons with dementia's everyday coping from the perspective of informal caregivers remains insufficient, despite these people's importance for those with dementia. This investigation analyses informal caregivers' perceived challenges and pleasures in providing care, how home health care affects everyday life coping and the factors that are most important to informal caregivers in supporting care receivers.

How Volunteers Contribute to Persons with Dementia Coping in Everyday Life.

INTRODUCTION: The society needs volunteers to fulfill its duty to ensure that people with dementia have active and meaningful everyday lives. Volunteers seem to experience their work as positive and meaningful for their own part, but we know less about what motivates volunteers to start working in home-dwelling dementia care and what motivates them to continue their engagement. This study seeks to close some of the knowledge gaps that exist regarding volunteers' engagement in activities for persons with dementia. AIM: The aim of this study was to explore what motivates volunteers to start engaging in volunteer work in home-dwelling dementia care and what motivates them to continue their engagement. METHODS: The study design was qualitative, using focus group interviews. Three focus group interviews (n=16) took place between May and June 2018. The text was analyzed using content analysis. RESULTS: Findings in this study indicate that the volunteers were motivated by the feeling of doing an important job for the persons with dementia and their relatives, and that they contribute to their coping with everyday life. Other motivating factors included feeling important to someone, gaining friendship, and sharing common interests. They also believed that they do an important job for the community to fulfill society's goal that people with dementia should stay home longer. However, the volunteers were confused about their role and ask for knowledge, peer support, and clarification of roles. CONCLUSION: To maintain motivation volunteers need to know what his/her role is. A volunteer can and shall not act as a substitute for a professional, only as a supplement, and the expectations must be addressed to all stakeholders: the health care service, the volunteer, the person with dementia, and their relatives, as we believe that this will contribute to diminishing misunderstandings.

Next of kin of cancer patients - challenges in the situation and experiences from a next of kin course.

PURPOSE: To gain more knowledge about the challenges facing the next of kin of cancer patients and how a cognitive-based course for these next of kin helps them handling the challenges they are facing. METHODS: Focus groups were used to explore the experiences, thoughts, and perceptions of the next of kin about specific challenges and their participation in the course. A thematic content analytical approach was used. RESULTS: Three focus groups were convened with each group consisting of 4-7 adults. A total of 9 women and 7 men, aged 32 to 78 years, were included in the sample. The following two main themes emerged in the results: Fighting three battles and From distance to acceptance. This study shows that the difficult situations next of kin experience require the next of kin to gain a new understanding of challenges, which involves a comprehensive learning process. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that a cognitively oriented course for the next of kin fill a need for help for them to learn and cope, but further research in this area is recommended.

The role of next of kin of patients with cancer: learning to navigate unpredictable caregiving situations.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study are to develop knowledge about (1) the experiences of next of kin in caring for seriously ill patients with cancer and (2) the effects of strain and support on the next of kin's ability to cope. BACKGROUND: Better treatment has resulted in patients with cancer normally living longer. Because this treatment is typically administered in a polyclinic or at home, next of kin inherit the largely unknown and demanding role of caregiver. DESIGN: A qualitative, descriptive and interpretive design. METHODS: Focus group interviews were used. The sample comprised 16 adults who were the next of kin of patients with cancer. A thematic content analysis was performed, the text coded for meaning units, condensed and interpreted based on the understanding of the next of kin's role and ability to handle the situation. RESULTS: The role of next of kin is multifaceted and challenging. It is important for next of kin to be near and to take care of the sick. Next of kin's acceptance of the situation plays a crucial role in their ability to cope and to look forward. The unpredictability of the situation adds stress and affects the daily routines. CONCLUSIONS: Providing next of kin with knowledge, support and guidance is important in helping them to understand and cope with the situation and to reduce the amount of strain that they experience in the caregiving role. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: This study emphasises the importance of health workers in possessing the knowledge and competence required to educate, guide and support the next of kin of those with cancer. Health workers should provide care to next of kin, and a support system for next of kin must also be available.