Older Adult Gun Ownership and Healthcare (Research, Video 2:39)

Guess who has the highest rate of gun ownership in America? It’s people over the age of 65. Is this a problem? After all, shouldn’t they be safe and able to protect themselves? Yes, they should, but this can be a problem for several reasons because those over age 65 also have the highest prevalence of depression and suicide. In addition, the numbers of grandparents serving as parents and babysitters to children are increasing. There is also dementia, another serious risk factor with guns in the home.

What can healthcare professionals do to assist older adults regarding gun ownership concerns? They should first ask if the older adult has a gun. If the person does have a gun, the healthcare professional should be knowledgeable about safe gun ownership and advise the patient. A good way to remember the important aspects of ownership is the 5 L’s (Locked, Loaded, Little Children, Feeling Low, and Learned Owner).

The following video on gun safety is presented by the Sacramento Police Department:

Frances Shani Parker, Author

Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes is available in paperback and e-book editions in America and other countries at online and offline booksellers.

Hospice and Nursing Homes Blog

Volunteer Management: Assignments, Opportunities (Research, Video 3:05)

Managing volunteers can be a consuming job with many issues to be considered. In addition to ongoing recruitment and retention of a workforce, managers have to deal with reaching outcomes of the organization and the community. What do healthcare volunteer managers think are their greatest challenges and opportunities? A research study with volunteer managers from 105 hospitals in five states had these survey-response results:

1   1) Primary assignments are volunteer recruitment and retention, administrative issues, and operational difficulties brought about by the current economic crisis.

     2) Key opportunities include more explicitly linking the volunteer function to hospital outcomes and community impact, and expanding volunteer recruitment pools, roles, and jobs. Other opportunities include developing organizational support for volunteers and making the volunteer management function more efficient and effective.

In this video, Shirley Buchanen, Hospice Palliative Care Volunteer Programs Coordinator, shares her management experiences at Central Okanagan Hospice House in Canada.

 

Frances Shani Parker, Author

Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes is available in paperback and e-book editions in America and other countries at online and offline booksellers.

Hospice and Nursing Homes Blog

Older Adult Sexuality Education of Doctors and Nurses (Research, Video 5:40)

Sex is an American taboo that many people still avoid discussing, particularly when it relates to older adults. Inaccurate stereotypes often surface during sexuality conversations. Why is an old man interested in sex called a “dirty old man,” but an interested young man isn’t? Why do people think the elderly outgrow all their sexual desires? Sex doesn’t belong to youth, and safe sex practices belong to all ages.

Healthcare professionals must address the sexual health concerns of older adults. They should acknowledge and support patients’ desires to function sexually within their abilities. In fact, healthcare professionals should initiate these discussions. But how knowledgeable are they about how to do this? Research on older adult sexuality was done with US physicians and nurse practitioners in primary care. While knowledge scores reflected good knowledge, only 3% of the sample felt they had adequate knowledge of older adult sexuality. Training was found to be adequate for only 11% of the sample. Clearly, primary care providers need more training about older adult sexuality.

Older adults are increasingly becoming more sexually active in various ways. It is natural, and many need help in this area. Often, they were raised in an environment where they are still uncomfortable discussing sex, even with healthcare professionals. Any discussion of older adults and sex must include the importance of their using safe sex practices. HIV/AIDS is an illness of older adults, too. Because many women in this population are postmenopausal, they may not use condoms with the vigilance they would for preventing pregnancy. More sexual experimentation, including some increased by drugs like Viagra, also promotes the likelihood of unprotected sex. In addition, online dating and the proliferation of older adult communities demand commitments to not taking sexual risks.

The following video shares general information about sexuality decisions that healthcare providers should be prepared to use as interventions for older adult sexuality:

Frances Shani Parker, Author

Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes is available in paperback and e-book editions in America and other countries at online and offline booksellers.

Hospice and Nursing Homes Blog

Patient Suicides in Healthcare Settings: Staff Impact, Precautions (Hospice Research, Video 3:54)

Having a patient die from terminal illness is very different from having a patient commit suicide. Hospice clinical staff can be affected personally and professionally when a patient commits suicide under their care. Coping strategies and support are often needed to assist staff members after such an occurrence.

This study was done to examine the impact of patient suicides among clinical hospice staff. In an online survey, 186 staff members described the impact of patient suicides on them as people and as professionals, their coping strategies, and recommendations for supporting others. These were the results:

1) The themes expressed by the hospice staff in reaction to patient suicides included psychological responses such as feelings of guilt and self-doubt, changes in professional attitudes, and changes in clinical practice such as greater sensitivity to signs of suicide.

2) When coping with a patient suicide, hospice staff described the use of team-based support strategies, debriefings, and personal spiritual practices.

3) Recommendations for future support included facilitated debriefings, individual counseling, spiritual practices, leaves of absence, self-care activities, and educational interventions.

In addition to hospice staff, other healthcare professionals are impacted by suicides in healthcare settings. Knowing strategies for identifying patients at risk for suicide can be very helpful. The following video gives advice on suicide precautions in healthcare settings:

Frances Shani Parker, Author

Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes is available in paperback and e-book editions in America and other countries at online and offline booksellers.

Hospice and Nursing Homes Blog