A collaborative endeavour to integrate leadership and person-centred ethics: a focus group study on experiences from developing and realising an educational programme to support the transition towards person-centred care.

BACKGROUND: Ensuring the transition towards person-centred care is a growing focus in health and social care systems globally. Presented as an ethical framework for health and social care professionals, such a transition requires strong leadership and organisational changes. However, there is limited guidance available on how to assist health and social care leaders in promoting person-centred practices. In response to this, the Swedish Association of Health Professionals and the University of Gothenburg Centre for Person-Centred Care collaborated to develop an educational programme on person-centred leadership targeting health and social care leaders to support the transition towards person-centred care in Sweden. The aim with this study was to explore programme management members' experiences from the development and realisation of the programme. METHODS: Focus group discussions were conducted, involving 12 members of the programme management team. Data from the discussions were analysed using a structured approach with emphasis the collaborative generation of knowledge through participant interaction. RESULTS: The analysis visualises the preparations and actions involved in programme development and realisation as a collaborative endeavour, aimed at integrating leadership and person-centred ethics in a joint learning process. Participants described the programme as an ongoing exploration, extending beyond its formal duration. Leadership was thoughtfully interwoven with person-centred ethics throughout the programme, encompassing both the pedagogical approach and programme curriculum, to provide leaders with tangible tools for their daily use. CONCLUSIONS: According to our analysis, we conclude that a person-centred approach to both development and realisation of educational initiatives to support person-centred leadership is essential for programme enhancement and daily implementation of person-centred leadership. Our main message is that educational initiatives on the application of person-centred ethics is an ongoing and collaborative process, characterised by an exchange of ideas and collective efforts.

Person-centred care and the work-related health and job satisfaction of health and social care professionals: protocol for a prospective longitudinal cohort study combined with qualitative studies (the PCC@Work project).

BACKGROUND: The interplay of ethical stress, heavy workloads, and job dissatisfaction poses challenges to both the recruitment and retention of health and social care professionals. Person-centred care, rooted in ethical principles, involves collaborative care, and is expected to improve care and job satisfaction. However, prior research on the impact of person-centred care practices on professionals' work-related health and job satisfaction has yielded mixed results, and most studies emanate from residential care. Understanding how person-centred care practices influence health and social care professionals across different care settings thus requires further exploration through rigorous methodology. The overall aim of PCC@Work is to follow, describe, assess, and explore the impact of person-centred care practices in hospital wards, primary care centres and municipal care on health and social care professionals' work-related health and job satisfaction. METHODS: PCC@Work is designed as a prospective, longitudinal cohort study combined with qualitative studies. A web-based questionnaire will be distributed on five occasions within two years to health and social care professionals in the three care settings. In addition, focus groups and interviews will be conducted with a selection of health and social care professionals to explore their experiences of work-related health and job satisfaction in relation to person-centred practices. DISCUSSION: PCC@Work will highlight some of the knowledge gaps on the impact of person-centred care practices regarding work-related health and job satisfaction of health and social care professionals. The uniqueness of the project lies in the multi-method design, combining a prospective longitudinal cohort study with qualitative studies, and the involvement of various professions and settings. This means we will be able to provide a comprehensive and representative understanding of person-centred care practices as a critical component for effective change in the working conditions of health and social care.

Challenging oneself on the threshold to the world of research - frail older people's experiences of involvement in research.

BACKGROUND: User involvement of people outside academia in research is argued to increase relevance of research for society and to empower the involved lay persons. Frail older people can be a hard to reach group for research and thus an underrepresented group in research. There is a lack of knowledge how collaboration with frail older people should be best performed. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore frail older people's experiences of involvement in research. METHODS: In this study we have invited people, 75 years of age or older screened as physically frail and who have previously participated in a study as data sources, to share their experiences by intensive interviewing. Data was collected and analysed in parallel inspired by a constructivist grounded theory approach. RESULTS: The results demonstrate how frail older people have different incentives, how their context of ageing and the unusual position of being involved in research altogether influenced how, where and in what way they wished to be involved in research. This is described in three categories: Contributing to making a difference for oneself and others, Living a frail existence and Being on somebody else's turf. The categories compose the core category, Challenging oneself on the threshold to the world of research, which symbolises the perceived distance between the frail older people themselves and the research world, but also the challenges the frail older people could go through when choosing to be involved in research. CONCLUSIONS: Frail older people have a varied capacity to participate in research, but in what way and how is difficult to know before they have been involved in the process of research. Our results advocate that it is problematic to exclude frail older people a priori and that there is a potential for new perspectives and knowledge to be shaped in the encounter and in the relationship between the researcher and the frail older person. For research to be able to cater for frail older people's needs of health services, their voices need to be heard and taken into consideration.

Effects of a staff education programme about person-centred care and promotion of thriving on relatives' satisfaction with quality of care in nursing homes: a multi-centre, non-equivalent controlled before-after trial.

BACKGROUND: As part of a nursing home intervention study, the aim of this paper was 1) to evaluate the effects of a staff education programme about person-centred care and promotion of thriving on relatives' satisfaction with quality of care and their perceptions of the person-centredness of the environment, and 2) to outline factors of importance to explain the variance in relatives' satisfaction with quality of care. Relatives are often referred to as vital for the operationalisation of person-centredness in nursing homes, representing an important source of information for care planning and quality of care assessments. However, the evidence for effects of person-centredness in nursing homes on relatives' experiences is sparse and little is known on what could explain their satisfaction with the quality of care. METHODS: A multi-centre, non-equivalent controlled group before-after design with study sites in Australia, Norway and Sweden. Staff in the intervention group participated in a 14-month education on person-centredness, person-centred care, thriving and caring environment. Staff in the control group received a one-hour lecture before the intervention period. Data were collected at baseline, after the intervention and six months after the end of the intervention, and analysed using descriptive statistics, a generalised linear model and hierarchical multiple regression. RESULTS: In general, relatives from both the intervention and control nursing homes were satisfied with the quality of care, and no statistically significant overall between-group-effects of the intervention were revealed on satisfaction with quality of care or perceptions of the person-centredness of environment. A person-centred environment in terms of safety and hospitality were identified as factors of prominent importance for the relatives' satisfaction with the quality of care. CONCLUSION: The findings of this paper provide a foundation for future research in terms of intervention design in nursing home contexts. Staff availability, approachability, competence and communication with relatives may be important factors to consider to improve quality of care from the perspective of relatives, but more research both with and for relatives to people living in nursing homes is necessary to identify the keys to success. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov- NCT02714452 . Registered on March 19, 2016.

Associations between person-centred climate and perceived quality of care in nursing homes: A cross-sectional study of relatives' experiences.

AIMS: To explore the extent to which a more person-centred climate could explain the variation in quality of care, as rated by relatives to nursing home residents in three countries. DESIGN: A cross-sectional, correlational, anonymous questionnaire study. METHODS: Questionnaires were administered to 346 relatives to residents in six nursing homes in Australia, Norway and Sweden between April-June 2016. Relatives (N = 178) agreed to participate. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and hierarchical multiple regression. RESULTS: The results showed that the relatives' experiences of a more person-centred climate were associated with higher ratings of the quality of care. A person-centred climate of safety had the strongest unique association with the quality of care, explaining 14% of the variance in quality of care. In addition, the results indicated that the relatives in general were satisfied with the quality of care and that children to the residents rated the quality of care higher than partners or other relatives. CONCLUSION: This study advances the understanding of the relationship between person-centredness in nursing homes and quality of care, showing that person-centred climate aspects of safety and hospitality have a significant role in the quality of care as perceived by relatives. IMPACT: Person-centredness in nursing homes is often mentioned as a quality of care indicator, but the empirical evidence for this suggestion is limited. This study expanded the evidence-base for person-centredness as a significant aspect of relatives' experiences of the quality of care in nursing homes.

Associations between job satisfaction, person-centredness, and ethically difficult situations in nursing homes-A cross-sectional study.

AIM: To explore the associations between job satisfaction and perceived person-centredness and ethically difficult situations among staff in nursing homes (NHs). BACKGROUND: Previous studies have indicated that person-centredness and few ethically difficult situations can contribute positively to NH staff's job satisfaction. However, empirical evidence of these associations is lacking. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey design. METHOD: Nursing home staff (N = 341) in six NHs in Australia, Norway, and Sweden completed the questionnaire measuring job satisfaction, person-centredness, and ethically difficult situations. Data were collected between April - June 2016. Univariate analysis was used to describe the sample, one-way analysis of variance examined differences between variables. Bivariate correlation tested the relationships between variables and hierarchical multiple regression explored the extent to which person-centredness and ethically difficult situations could explain job satisfaction among staff. RESULTS: After controlling for socio-demographic variables in a regression model, three variables of person-centredness and "ethically difficult situations" were significantly associated with job satisfaction. A "climate of community" contributed the most, followed by the "amount of organizational and environmental support," "a climate of everydayness," and few "ethically difficult situations." CONCLUSION: The results support the theoretical foundation and previous findings suggesting that establishing NHs organizations based on person-centredness will increase staff job satisfaction. However, this is a cross-sectional study and the causality may go in both directions and should be further explored.

The meaning of working in a person-centred way in nursing homes: a phenomenological-hermeneutical study.

BACKGROUND: The present study aims to illuminate the meaning of working in a person-centred way as experienced by staff in nursing homes. Insights into what working in a person-centred way mean for nursing home staff may contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of what gives staff satisfaction in their work and support further development of person-centred care approach in nursing homes. METHODS: Interviews with 29 health care personnel who had participated in a one-year intervention focusing on person-centred care and thriving in three nursing homes in Australia, Norway and Sweden were performed, and a phenomenological-hermeneutical method was used to explore staffs' lived experiences of working in a person-centred way in nursing homes. RESULTS: For nursing home staff, working in a person-centred way meant that they were able to meet individual resident's needs and expressed preferences in close family-like relationships, understanding the residents' rhythms and preferences as the basis of the daily work plans and being able to do 'the little extra' for residents. Also, working in a person-centred way meant meeting shared goals by working towards a collective practice in collaborative teams. As a whole, the staffs' lived experiences of working in a person-centred way in nursing homes was interpreted to mean thriving at work as a psychological state in which individuals experience both a sense of vitality and learning. CONCLUSIONS: Working in a person-centred way means staff thriving at work in nursing homes. The results further indicate that delivering care by only focusing on routines and practical tasks and not on residents' preferences and well-being would inhibit thriving among nursing staff, leading to the potential for dissatisfaction with work.

A person-centred and thriving-promoting intervention in nursing homes - study protocol for the U-Age nursing home multi-centre, non-equivalent controlled group before-after trial.

BACKGROUND: The literature suggests that person-centred care can contribute to quality of life and wellbeing of nursing home residents, relatives and staff. However, there is sparse research evidence on how person-centred care can be operationalised and implemented in practice, and the extent to which it may promote wellbeing and satisfaction. Therefore, the U-Age nursing home study was initiated to deepen the understanding of how to integrate person-centred care into daily practice and to explore the effects and meanings of this. METHODS: The study aims to evaluate effects and meanings of a person-centred and thriving-promoting intervention in nursing homes through a multi-centre, non-equivalent controlled group before-after trial design. Three nursing homes across three international sites have been allocated to a person-centred and thriving-promoting intervention group, and three nursing homes have been allocated to an inert control group. Staff at intervention sites will participate in a 12-month interactive educational programme that operationalises thriving-promoting and person-centred care three dimensions: 1) Doing a little extra, 2) Developing a caring environment, and 3) Assessing and meeting highly prioritised psychosocial needs. A pedagogical framework will guide the intervention. The primary study endpoints are; residents' thriving, relatives' satisfaction with care and staff job satisfaction. Secondary endpoints are; resident, relative and staff experiences of the caring environment, relatives' experience of visiting their relative and the nursing home, as well as staff stress of conscience and perceived person-centredness of care. Data on study endpoints will be collected pre-intervention, post-intervention, and at a six-month follow up. Interviews will be conducted with relatives and staff to explore experiences and meanings of the intervention. DISCUSSION: The study is expected to provide evidence that can inform further research, policy and practice development on if and how person-centred care may improve wellbeing, thriving and satisfaction for people who reside in, visit or work in nursing homes. The combination of quantitative and qualitative data will illuminate the operationalisation, effects and meaning of person-centred and thriving-promoting care. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov March 19, 2016, identifier NCT02714452 .

A person-centred approach to health promotion for persons 70+ who have migrated to Sweden: promoting aging migrants' capabilities implementation and RCT study protocol.

BACKGROUND: There are inequities in health status associated with ethnicity, which may limit older foreign-born persons' ability to age optimally. Health promotion for older persons who have experienced migration is thus an area of public health importance. However, since research related to this issue is very limited, the study 'Promoting Aging Migrants' Capabilities' was initiated to improve our understanding. The study aims to implement and evaluate a linguistically adapted, evidence-based, health-promoting intervention with a person-centred approach for two of the largest groups of aging persons who have migrated to Sweden: persons from Finland and persons from the Balkan Peninsula. METHODS/DESIGN: This study has a descriptive, analytical, and experimental design. It is both a randomised controlled trial and an implementation study, containing the collection and analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data. The setting is an urban district in a medium-sized Swedish city with a high proportion of persons who were born abroad and whose socio-economic status is low. The intervention comprises four group meetings ('senior meetings') and one follow-up home visit made by a multi-professional team. For the randomised controlled trial, the plan is to recruit at least 130 community-dwelling persons 70 years or older from the target group. Additional persons from involved organisations will participate in the study of the implementation. Both the intervention effects in the target group (outcome) and the results of the implementation process (output) will be evaluated. DISCUSSION: The results of this forthcoming randomised controlled trial and implementation study may be useful for optimising implementation of person-centred, health-promoting initiatives for older persons who have experienced migration. It is also hoped that this combined study will show that the capabilities for optimal aging among older persons born in Finland and the Balkan countries can be improved in the Swedish healthcare context. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov April 10, 2013, identifier: NCT01841853.

Health promotion programme design and efficacy in relation to ageing persons with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Health promotion has the potential to empower people to develop or maintain healthy lifestyles. However, previous research has visualised serious health and healthcare inequities associated with ageing, cultural affiliations and linguistic preferences. Therefore, this study was part of a larger health promotion project, set out to bridge barriers to health for ageing persons who have migrated to Sweden. More specifically, the present study aimed to elucidate the content and effects of multidimensional health promotion programmes in the context of ageing persons with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. METHODS: Databases were systematically searched to identify relevant randomised controlled trial publications. All potentially relevant publications were assessed for relevance and design and after this screening, a final sample of eight publications could be included in the review. Those publications evaluated six different programmes and a mixed-methods approach to data analysis was applied, using a combination of narrative synthesis, meta-analyses and evidence grading. RESULTS: The findings suggest a multidimensional health promotion programme design for ageing persons with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, involving culturally and linguistically modified activities and health information that should be provided by professionals with a person-centred approach. In addition, the meta-analyses revealed statistically significant effects in favour of health promotion on: general health, depression, mental health, physical health, and vitality. However, the evidence for the identified effects is low, and further research findings are likely to change the estimations. CONCLUSIONS: The present study provides an aggregation of health promotion intervention research with older persons with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds; a group of people who are commonly excluded from research, and marginalised when it comes to health and healthcare. By visualising the core components of health promotion programmes with proven efficacy, the findings provide guidance for further explorations of how health promotion should be designed to minimise inequities in health.

Research collaboration with older people as a matter of scientific quality and ethics: a focus group study with researchers in ageing and health.

BACKGROUND: Society is placing increasing demands on collaboration with actors outside the academia to be involved in the research process, and the responsibility for turning this into reality lies with the researchers. As research collaboration is a way to increase the societal relevance of research and since older people have the right to be actively involved in research that concerns them, this study is addressed to researchers who work with and for older people. The purpose of this article is to explore researchers' experiences of research collaboration with the heterogeneous group of older people, from healthy to frail. METHODS: The focus group method was applied based on a qualitative approach that is based on a social constructivist research tradition. It differs from other qualitative methods, such as interviews, in that it encourages interaction between research participants and contributes to shedding light on a collective understanding of the world. A total of 14 researchers participated in four focus groups (three to five participants/group). RESULTS: The results provided support for the overall theme: "Good scientific quality and ethics are balanced against the needs and abilities of older people". This means a balance between the researcher and the older people collaborating with them to receive the best possible scientific quality. This is highlighted in the core category "Positioning for research collaboration" with the subcategories "Involvement or not", "Traditional or innovative thinking" and "Selectivity or representativeness", and the core category "Research collaboration - an ethical issue of power" with the subcategories "Research collaboration a risk for freedom of research", "Research collaboration a risk of abuse of power" and "Discriminatory academic power structures create ethical issues". CONCLUSIONS: Addressing the balancing act of collaborating with older people in research, the findings contribute with an understanding of the importance of researchers' awareness of social and academic structures to minimise the risk of epistemic injustices in research on ageing and health. We want to highlight the researchers' voice and clarify the role that researchers have in terms of the opportunities for older people to become part of the collective understanding of ageing and health and make their voices heard.

Society is increasingly expecting researchers to involve people who are not researchers in their research. To understand how such collaboration could become a reality, this study aimed to explore researchers' experiences of collaborating with older people in research on ageing and health. A total of four focus groups consisting of 14 researchers from two universities were conducted to discuss experiences, approaches, opportunities and obstacles for research collaboration with older people. The results revealed an overarching theme that describes research collaboration as a balancing act with scientific quality and ethics on one side, and the needs and abilities of older people on the other side. This means that researchers need to strike a balance between achieving the highest scientific quality and considering the needs and abilities of older people they are collaborating with. To understand how unethical, it is to not involve older people in research, the concept epistemic injustice has been used. It refers to the systematic exclusion of certain groups from knowledge production and dissemination which can lead to the exploitation of vulnerable populations and the perpetuation of harmful stereotypes. In addressing the challenges of collaborating with older people in research, this study emphasises the importance of researchers being aware of both social and academic structures that might affect whose voices are heard in research. This awareness could help researchers clarify their role in giving older people the opportunity to be part of the collective understanding of ageing and health.

Occupational balance and associated factors among students during higher education within healthcare and social work in Sweden: a multicentre repeated cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to explore whether occupational balance is associated with health, health-promoting resources, healthy lifestyle and social study factors among students during higher education within healthcare and social work. DESIGN: The study has a multicentre repeated cross-sectional design. Data were collected via a self-reported, web-based questionnaire based on the validated instruments: the 11-item Occupational Balance Questionnaire (OBQ11), the Sense of Coherence (SOC) Scale, the Salutogenic Health Indicator Scale (SHIS) and five questions from the General Nordic Questionnaire (QPS Nordic) together with questions about general health and lifestyle factors. SETTING: Students at six universities in western Sweden at one of the following healthcare or social work programmes: biomedical scientists, dental hygienists, nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, radiology nurses and social workers. PARTICIPANTS: Of 2283 students, 851 (37.3%) participated. RESULTS: The students experienced that occupational balance increased during education. The total OBQ11 score was higher among students in semesters 4 and 6/7, compared with semester 1 students. Students with higher OBQ11 also reported higher SOC throughout their education, while health seemed to decrease. Students who reported higher levels of OBQ11 reported lower levels of health and well-being in semesters 4 and 6/7, compared with semester 1. There was an opposite pattern for students reporting lower levels of OBQ11. CONCLUSIONS: The association between higher levels of OBQ11 and lower levels of health and well-being is remarkable. There is a need for more research on this contradiction and what it means for students' health and well-being in the long run.

Uncovering hidden abilities for participation in research through photo-elicitation interviews: a view on participatory research with people living in residential care facilities.

BACKGROUND: Participatory research has been described to improve the relevance of research findings for the society in terms of quality of healthcare services and other public benefits. Nevertheless, there is limited guidance on how to conduct participatory research, and especially in relation to persons living in residential care facilities. To make the voices of this group heard, we therefore take a stance in the democratic approach to participatory research, and we have applied the theoretical framework Model of Human Occupation (MoHO) on participation to evaluate photo-elicitation interviews as a participatory research method with this group. METHODS: A total of 13 persons living in two residential care facilities were involved in the study and asked to take photographs of their everyday life over one week. They were then invited to an individual interview to narrate the meaning of the photographs and to describe how they experienced the photo-elicitation method. The interviews were analysed in the six steps of theoretically driven reflexive thematic analysis. RESULTS: The findings are described in the theme 'Uncovering hidden abilities for participation in research' that describes how photo elicitation interviews facilitated the older persons' participation in research. This is illustrated by four sub-themes: 'Bridging the ageing body', 'Altering habituation to everyday life', 'Empowering storytelling', and 'Negotiating the institutional culture'. CONCLUSIONS: Our study findings support further application and evaluation of photo-elicitation interviews as a method for participatory research in residential care facilities. The major finding is how photo-elicitation interviews were used to reduce the impact of the institutional culture on the older persons' participation in research. The method is, however, not without limitations and we encourage researchers to study the dynamic relationship between physical, social, and cultural aspects of residential care facilities in relation to the use of photo-elicitation interviews with the persons living there.

This study was designed to improve the opportunities for persons living in residential care facilities to participate in research on their own terms. Digital instant print cameras were used by 13 older persons to document their everyday life at two different residential care facilities. The photographs were then followed up with individual interviews, during which the older persons were asked to share their experiences of using the cameras and to tell stories about the meaning of the photographs. Analysing the interviews, we found that the older persons could participate in the study in a way that they did not believe was possible before. They were not used to being given responsibility, and they felt limited by physical and cognitive impairment. Participating in the study, they realised that they had something to contribute with, and that there were aspects of everyday life that they really enjoyed. They felt empowered to share their stories, and we encourage researchers to continue evaluating photographs in combination with interviews in residential care facilities.

Becoming part of an upwards spiral: Meanings of being person-centred in nursing homes.

INTRODUCTION: Previous research suggests that person-centred care is positive for people living in nursing homes, but less is known on what motivates people working in nursing homes to be person-centred. Previous research has focused on person-centred care in relation to people in need of care, which may lead to a risk of viewing person-centred care as a means to achieve quality of care, and not as a means in itself. Therefore, this study aimed to illuminate meanings of being person-centred as narrated by people working in nursing homes. METHODS: A total of 23 persons working in a nursing home in rural Australia participated in group and individual interviews, conducted and interpreted in respect to a phenomenological hermeneutic approach. RESULTS: The thematic structure as emerging from structural analyses of the text indicated that being person-centred involved a joint effort to think differently on what you do and why you do it interpreted as; Doing what you know and feel is the right thing to do, Being a person with and for another person, and Striving to do and be better together. The comprehensive understanding of these findings was that being person-centred means becoming part of an upwards spiral of doing person-centred actions and being person-centred to become even more person-centred and to feel a sense of belonging to a person-centred culture. CONCLUSIONS: Denoting the importance of being more of a person in one's professional role, this study highlights health aspects of being person-centred from the perspective of people working in nursing homes, and complements previous research that describes the impact of person-centred care on people in need of care. The findings could be applied to facilitate person-centred care in nursing home contexts, and to develop prevention strategies to diminish negative impacts on person-centred doing, being, becoming and belonging.

A real eye-opener: Nursing home staff experiences of co-designing nursing home services together with residents.

INTRODUCTION: Research and healthcare services struggle to fulfil the desires and needs of nursing home residents, and there is a call for person-centredness in both research and healthcare practice. Involvement of people outside academia in research has been advocated in an effort to increase the relevance and impact of research findings for the public. However, little is known on how to involve nursing home residents in research, and the purpose of this study was, therefore, to learn from professional experiences of working with this group. More specifically, the aim of the study was to explore nursing home staff experiences of co-designing nursing home services with the residents. METHOD: Focus group methodology was used. A total of 17 nursing home staff members (15 women and two men) from two nursing homes participated in four focus groups. Both homogeneity and heterogeneity were strived for during recruitment. RESULTS: The analysis is summarised in one theme and five sub-themes, describing the co-design process as an eye-opener for staff in terms of realising their own, as well as the residents', hidden abilities, and the importance of combining personal and professional knowledge of the residents in daily care and services. CONCLUSION: The major finding is the contribution of knowledge on how co-designing processes in nursing homes could change the dynamics of the relationships between the people involved, and that this, in turn, could realise the resources and knowledge within each person. What researchers in ageing and health can learn from the present findings is the importance of developing genuine and person-centred relationships with both nursing home residents and staff.

Effects of a person-centred and thriving-promoting intervention on nursing home residents' experiences of thriving and person-centredness of the environment.

AIM: To evaluate the effects of a person-centred and thriving-promoting intervention on nursing home residents´ experiences of thriving and person-centredness of the environment, and to evaluate if the effects varied between female and male residents. DESIGN: A multi-centre, non-equivalent controlled group before-after intervention design. METHODS: Six nursing homes in Australia, Norway and Sweden were allocated to either intervention or control group. The intervention comprised a staff educational programme. A survey using proxy-ratings by staff was administered before (T0), immediately after (T1) and six months after (T2) the intervention. The sample varied between 205 and 292 residents. Linear regression models were used to explore effects. RESULTS: Statistically significant effects were found on experiences of thriving and person-centredness of the environment. These effects were significant for male residents but not for female residents. The results emphasize the importance of individually tailored social and recreational activities.

Everyday life in a Swedish nursing home during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative interview study with persons 85 to 100 years.

OBJECTIVE: To understand and report on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the everyday lives of frail older persons living in nursing homes by exploring their experiences of how the pandemic-related restrictions had influenced them and in what way. DESIGN: Empirical qualitative interview study. SETTING: A publicly run nursing home in an urban area in Sweden in June 2020. The nursing home had visitor restrictions, cancelled activities and physical distancing requirements since March 2020. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 10 persons, 85-100 years, living in a Swedish nursing home during the COVID-19 pandemic, were recruited through nursing home management and interviewed in June 2020 using medically approved visors and physical distancing. ANALYSIS: Interviews were analysed using thematic analysis, which involves familiarisation, coding and definition of themes. Transcripts were coded into data-driven categories before being organised into categories that described and explained the data. RESULTS: The analysis resulted in the main theme 'It is like living in a bubble', that describes everyday life in the nursing home during the pandemic as a world of its own in which the older persons felt both protected and isolated. This is described in four subthemes: living 1 day at a time, without fear of the virus; feeling taken care of; having limited freedom and missing out on the little extras. CONCLUSIONS: Contributing to the growing area of COVID-19-related research, our findings provide novel insights into how pandemic-related restrictions in nursing homes represent a risk of isolating older people from the outside world and diminishing their freedom. Put in relation to the previous research, these findings could be applied beyond the pandemic, to develop research and practice that puts focus on how to support older people to decide for themselves how to spend the rest of their lives.

Research as an essentiality beyond one's own competence: an interview study on frail older people's view of research.

BACKGROUND: There is an increased interest to make the voices of frail older people heard in research by actively involving them in research processes. Involving frail older people in research could, however, be perceived as challenging by researchers. To actively involve frail older people in research processes in a meaningful way, the knowledge about their own views on what research is must be widened and deepened. METHODS: Individual interviews were conducted with 17 frail older men and women with former experience of participation in research studies. Qualitative data were analysed using content analysis. RESULTS: Frail older people's views on what research means are described through the main category; An essentiality beyond one's own competence, which describes research as a complex process that is important for society but difficult to understand. This is described in the sub-categories; A driving force for societal development, A benefit when based on lived experience, A source of knowledge difficult to access and understand, and A respected job filled with responsibilities. CONCLUSION: Different views on research from the perspective of frail older people show that research is viewed as a complex yet important phenomenon to frail older people. Research was also seen as a natural part in society. Research was viewed as difficult to access and understand. Thus, researchers must train themselves to communicate research findings to the public in an understandable way. To create common understandings through information and education, researchers might be better placed to involve frail older people in a meaningful way and thereby also have the possibility to develop good working practice and relationships with those involved.

It is essential to the make voices of frail older people heard in research. Therefore, there is a growing interest to find ways to involve this group. However, to involve them in research is perceived as challenging for many researchers and frail older people might be excluded without acceptable reasons for exclusion. For frail older people to be involved in research processes, researchers must understand older peoples views, how to engage them and how to make research more inclusive. We therefore interviewed seventeen frail older people about their view of research, i.e., we asked questions on what research is and what it means for them. We found that research is viewed as important and necessary for societal development, but also as a something that is difficult to understand for the interviewed group. The participants did not feel competent or responsible for conducting research, and they respected researchers who they viewed as a group with great knowledge. Another pattern in the interviews was that the participants viewed research on frail older people's everyday issues as important, and that this was an area where they could contribute. What we can learn from these descriptions is that it is important to strive for collaboration that attends to the different experiences and needs of frail older people and support them to understand research findings and make their voices heard in an allowing research environment.

Illuminating Meanings of Thriving for Persons Living in Nursing Homes.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Thriving has been described as a multidimensional concept that can be used to explore place-related well-being; however, there has been limited research into the meaning of thriving in aged care. This study aimed to illuminate meanings of thriving as narrated by persons living in nursing homes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Narrative interviews were conducted with 21 persons residing in a rural Australian nursing home. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and interpreted using a phenomenological hermeneutic approach. RESULTS: Meanings of thriving could be understood as: Striving toward acceptance of being in a nursing home while maintaining a positive outlook; Feeling supported and cared for while maintaining a sense of independence; Balancing opportunities for solitude and company while living with others; and, Feeling a sense of home while residing in an institutional environment. The meanings of thriving, as presented through the interpretive lens of Gaston Bachelard's "Poetics of Space," encompassed having access to literal, metaphorical, and symbolic doors, as well as having the freedom to open, close, and use these doors however the person wishes. DISCUSSION: Exploring meanings of thriving in nursing homes could contribute towards understanding and implementing positive life-world constructs in research and practice. These findings could be used to inform and enhance person-centered care practices by maximizing opportunities for persons residing in nursing homes to have options and choices, and the agency to make decisions where possible, in relation to their everyday care and living environment.

Effects of a person-centred and thriving-promoting intervention on nursing home staff job satisfaction: A multi-centre, non-equivalent controlled before-after study.

Aim: To evaluate the effects of a person-centred and thriving-promoting intervention in nursing homes on staff job satisfaction, stress of conscience and the person-centredness of care and of the environment. Design: A multi-centre, non-equivalent control group, before-after trial design. Methods: Staff (N = 341) from six nursing homes in Australia, Norway and Sweden were assigned to the intervention or the control group and both groups were evaluated before the intervention, immediately after and by 6 months follow-up. Staff completed a questionnaire about job satisfaction (primary endpoint), stress of conscience and the person-centredness of care and of the environment (secondary endpoints). Linear regression models were used to identify the mean scores and to analyse group differences to test the effects of the intervention. Results: The intervention had no statistically significant effects on staff job satisfaction, level of stress of conscience or the perceived person-centredness of care and of the environment.