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Social worker stress and an online meditation programme
- Author:
- PANDYA Samta P.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Work, 21(3), 2021, pp.271-293.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Summary: This article reports a study that investigates the impact of a three-month online meditation programme for geriatric social workers in South Asian cities for mitigating stress, improving professional quality of life, and building work competencies. Findings: Results indicated that the online meditation sessions were effective (Cohen’s d range = 2.21–4.17, p = . 001) in lowering perceived stress of geriatric social workers, mitigating burnout and vicarious traumatization and promoting higher levels of compassion satisfaction and geriatric social work competencies as compared to online music sessions. Meditation was more effective for women workers, Hindus and Buddhists, who undertook therapeutic interventions, and whose clientele were older adults with physical ailments, in home-care with cognitive impairments and hospice-living elderly. This was in comparison to men, Christian workers, whose work profile comprised resource mobilization and whose clientele were healthy community-dwelling older adults. Regular attendance of the online meditation sessions and self-practice were significant mediators of intervention impact. Applications: The findings contribute to intervention research on mitigating stress at work and more specifically the stress of professional geriatric care-work. In addition to mitigating burnout and reducing emotional exhaustion, this person-directed online meditation programme also led to compassion satisfaction and bolstered competencies for geriatric practice. (Edited publisher abstract)
Resilience, stress, and life quality in older adults living with HIV/AIDS
- Authors:
- FANG Xindi, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 19(11), 2015, pp.1015-1021.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Objectives: This study tested the mediating effect of resilience on the relationship between life stress and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in older people, 50 years of age and older, living with HIV/AIDS (OPLWHA). Method: Data from 299 OPLWHA were analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM) to define a novel resilience construct (represented by coping self-efficacy, active coping, hope/optimism, and social support) and to assess mediating effects of resilience on the association between life stress and HRQoL (physical, emotional, and functional/global well-being). Results: SEM analyses showed satisfactory model fit for both resilience and mediational models, with resilience mediating the associations between life stress and physical, emotional, and functional/global well-being. Conclusion: Resilience may reduce the negative influence of life stress on physical, emotional, and functional/global well-being in OPLWHA. Interventions that build personal capacity, coping skills, and social support may contribute to better management of HIV/AIDS and increase HRQoL. (Edited publisher abstract)
Stress on health-related quality of life in older adults: the protective nature of mindfulness
- Authors:
- DE FRAIS Cindy M., WHYNE Erum
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 19(3), 2015, pp.201-206.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Objectives: This study examines whether the link between stress and health-related quality of life was buffered by protective factors, namely mindfulness, in a sample of middle-aged and older adults. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 134 healthy, community-dwelling adults (ages 50-85 years) were recruited from Dallas, Texas. The participants were screened for depressive symptoms and severity (using the Patient Health Questionnaire [PHQ-9]). All participants completed measures of self-reported health status (i.e. SF36v2: mental and physical health composites), life stress (using the Elders Life Stress Inventory [ELSI]), and trait mindfulness (i.e. Mindful Attention Awareness Scale). Results: Hierarchical regressions (covarying for age, gender, and education) showed that life stress was inversely related to physical and mental health. Mindfulness was positively related to mental health. The negative effect of life stress on mental health was weakened for those individuals with higher levels of trait mindfulness. Conclusions: The results suggest that mindfulness is a powerful, adaptive strategy that may protect middle-aged and older adults from the well-known harmful effects of stress on mental health. (Publisher abstract)
Quality of life in early dementia: Comparison of rural patient and caregiver ratings at baseline and one year
- Authors:
- HEGGIE Marcie, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Dementia: the International Journal of Social Research and Practice, 11(4), July 2012, pp.521-541.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Presently, there is no cure for dementia and the objectives of anti-dementia therapies are to improve two outcomes, one of which is quality of life (QOL). This study investigated change in patient and caregiver ratings of patient QOL over one year in individuals with dementia living in rural and remote settings in Saskatchewan, Canada. The sample was selected from non-institutionalised patients who were assessed at an interprofessional memory clinic. Measures of QOL, cognitive function, depression, and functional ability were completed by the patient. Caregivers completed measures of patient QOL and behaviour, and their own burden and distress. At baseline 119 patients and family caregivers were assessed. Thirty-two families had complete data at clinic day and one-year follow-up. There was no significant change in either patient or caregiver-rated QOL over one year. Significant predictors of patient self-rated QOL were patient symptoms of depressed mood and functional ability, and symptoms of depressed mood at one year. Significant predictors of caregiver-rated patient QOL were caregiver burden, patient functional ability, and symptom severity. Patient and caregiver ratings of patient QOL were moderately associated, but neither patients nor their caregivers reported a significant change in patient QOL.
Mindfulness and older people: a small study
- Authors:
- MARTIN Marion, DOSWELL Sinikka
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 75(1), January 2012, pp.36-41.
- Publisher:
- Sage
There is a growing body of evidence that mindfulness can improve health and wellbeing. However there is relatively little research examining how older people respond to mindfulness-based therapy and few papers on the subject published by occupational therapists. This small research study was carried out with four older people who attended mindfulness classes run by an occupational therapist for Age UK. Focus groups took place during the classes, and follow-up interviews were carried out a year later. Interpretative qualitative analysis was used to analyse the data. All four participants readily accepted this approach, believing it was especially suited to their age group. Although they all reported positive experiences during the classes, one year on they were either too ill to be interviewed or found that distracting life events had prevented them from continuing to be mindful. As a group older people may find informal mediation during everyday activities easier than formal mediation. The authors conclude that mindfulness-based therapy with older people may have some benefits but more research is needed in this area.
Reciprocal influences between burnout and effectiveness in professional care for elders
- Authors:
- CHEUNG Chau-Kiu, CHOW Esther Oi-Wah
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work in Health Care, 50(9), October 2011, pp.694-718.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
In a community care setting, the quality of life of the care recipient and the quality of service of the care provider are intertwined. The authors argue that this is a proposition derived from the dialectical perspective, which envisions the importance of promoting the quality of life of both the care recipient and provider, where the proposition hinges on mediation by caring effectiveness. This study explored the views of 232 dyads of older Chinese care recipients and their professional care providers in Hong Kong. Psychological well-being and functional disability were used as indicators of the quality of life of care recipients, whereas burnout was used as an indicator of the low quality of life of professional care providers. Findings revealed that caring effectiveness mediated the impact of the earlier burnout of the professional care provider on the subsequent psychological well-being of the care recipient. In turn, the earlier psychological well-being and functional disability of the care recipient also affected the burnout of the professional care provider. Implications for practice are discussed.
Evaluation of the home help service and its impact on the informal caregiver's burden of dependent elders
- Authors:
- CARRETERO Stephanie, GARCES Jorge, RODENAS Francisco
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 22(8), August 2007, pp.738-749.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
This study looks at the objective and subjective characteristics of home respite service provision and its impact on the informal care burden of dependent elders. A sample of 296 dependent people and their informal caregivers was randomly selected among users and non-users of the Home Help Service (HHS) in an autonomous Spanish region (Comunidad Valenciana). An experimental design was used and a field study was carrying out that collected information on sociodemographic variables of the dependent person and his/her caregiver, HHS characteristics and the assessment of the services delivered by this resource as well as the informal caregivers' burden. The results show that the services of this resource are very limited, with low cover and frequency, and they do not address the real dependency needs in specific activities of daily living. However, users and caregivers are satisfied with this care and experience a higher quality of life since it was implemented, although the HHS does not alleviate informal caregivers' stress. These data show the need to extend the services delivered by the HHS and the duration of care, address the caregiver's need for psychological care, and look at potentially modifiable variables in the care context when designing prevention and psychosocial intervention programmes to lessen the informal caregiver's burden.
Easing the burden of caregiving: the impact of consumer direction on primary informal caregivers in Arkansas
- Authors:
- FOSTER Leslie, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 45(4), August 2005, pp.474-485.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
This study assess the effect of consumer-directed care on the emotional, physical, and financial well-being of the primary informal caregivers of the Medicaid beneficiaries who voluntarily joined Arkansas's Cash and Counseling demonstration. The demonstration randomly assigned beneficiaries to a programme in which they could direct their own disability-related supportive services (the treatment group) or rely on traditional agency services (the control group). Outcome measures were constructed from telephone interviews with 1,433 caregivers who provided beneficiaries with the most unpaid assistance at baseline, and multivariate regression models to estimate programme effects. Interviews occurred between February 2000 and April 2002, 10 months after beneficiaries' random assignment. At follow-up, treatment group caregivers provided fewer hours of assistance than did their control group counterparts, on average, and they reported better emotional, physical, and financial well-being. Permitting interested Medicaid beneficiaries to direct their own in-home supportive services reduces burden on informal caregivers, which may help reduce beneficiaries' nursing home use.
Psychosocial benefits of solitary reminiscence writing: an exploratory study
- Authors:
- ELFORD H., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 9(4), July 2005, pp.305-314.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Claims have been made that reminiscence has benefits for older people's psychological well-being, and that writing memories may be a therapeutic process. This paper describes an exploratory study in which five nursing home residents engaged in a process of writing their memories by themselves, in a series of booklets containing memory prompts and photographs, over a period of four weeks. Each completed booklet was typed up by researchers and returned to participants the following week, with a bound copy provided to participants at the end of the study period. Analysis focuses on two sets of data: an in-depth case study of one participant, and a thematic analysis of field notes, researcher reflections, and the written material produced by the other study participants. The case study revealed three main themes: views on the past; sharing the past; and confidence in writing about the past. The field note analysis indicated the presence of four themes: proof and maintenance of skills; psychological or internal processes; social contact; and pleasure in reminiscence. The writing was seen as cathartic and provided a meaningful purpose, an opportunity to exercise writing skills and memory, and a focus for participants to share key stories with others. This exploratory study suggests that there is potential in using solitary writing within a reminiscence framework to improve psychological well-being in older people. However, caution should be exercised when encouraging older people to write their stories. Issues of confidentiality, audience, support, and appropriateness of the activity for the individual need consideration.
Functions of reminiscence and mental health in later life
- Authors:
- CAPPALIEZ P., O'ROURKE N., CHAUDHURY H.
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 9(4), July 2005, pp.295-301.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This study examines the extent to which various forms of reminiscence predict life satisfaction and psychiatric distress with and without control for the contribution of personality traits (n?=?420). Among older adults, reminiscences to revive old problems and to fill a void of stimulation were associated with lower life satisfaction and greater psychiatric distress. Reminiscence to maintain connection with a departed person also predicted psychiatric distress. In contrast, reminiscences for death preparation and to foster conversation were linked with higher life satisfaction. Based on our proposed model of the functions of reminiscence, discussion focuses on adaptive and non-adaptive uses of reminiscence in later life.