Pain assessment in a geriatric psychiatry program.

Background: The assessment of pain in older persons with psychiatric illness is particularly challenging for health care professionals. There are few well-tested pain assessment tools for this population.

Objectives: A study was conducted to explore pain assessment and management issues in geriatric psychiatry.

Mother-adult daughter relationships within dementia care: a critical analysis.

Evidence suggests that intergenerational caregiving between mothers and daughters will become increasingly common, and yet, we know very little about the specific relationships between adult daughters and their mothers with dementia. Guided by socialist-feminist theory and a life-course perspective, 15 mother-adult daughter dyads participated in two individual, semistructured interviews. Data analysis revealed four dynamic types of mother-daughter relationships: custodial, combative, cooperative, and cohesive.

Perspectives of women with dementia receiving care from their adult daughters.

The caregiving experience within Alzheimer disease is fairly well documented. However, little research has been conducted from the perspective of the person living with dementia. The purpose of this study, part of a larger qualitative investigation of mother-daughter relationships within the care process of dementia, was to elicit the perceptions and experiences of mothers receiving care from their adult daughters.

Beyond knowledge transfer: a model of knowledge integration in a clinical setting.

Current conceptualizations of knowledge transfer reinforce the notion of a linear process between researchers and clinicians, who are seen as operating separately with different agenda. This paper uses a case study to illustrate a dynamic model of knowledge integration involving integrated and interdependent relationships among researchers, clinicians, and decision-makers. We believe the principles of this model are more likely to lead to effective use of research evidence in clinical practice.

Pain reports by older adults in long-term care: a pilot study of changes over time.

Purpose: To document self-reported pain descriptions throughout residency in a long-term care facility for a convenience sample of older adults (Canadian war veterans).

Design And Methods: The present study was a longitudinal, fixed-cohort study with anticipated attrition. Participants (n = 33) were assessed every three months from admission until attrition or end of study (three years).

Instruments for the assessment of pain in older persons with cognitive impairment.

Pain in older persons with cognitive impairment is often unrecognized and inadequately treated. A major problem associated with this undertreatment is the challenging nature of pain assessment and in particular the selection of accurate and useful assessment instruments. The purpose of this study was to review pain measurement instruments for acute and chronic pain suggested for use with cognitively impaired older persons and to summarize available evidence on their reliability and validity.

Relationships between families and registered nurses in long-term-care facilities: a critical analysis.

Although much has been written about the relationship between families and nurses, little systematic analysis has been undertaken of this dyadic relationship in long-term care (LTC). Using a critical ethnographic approach, the researchers conducted separate in-depth interviews with 17 family-nurse dyads caring for residents with Alzheimer disease or a related disorder in one LTC setting. Analysis of interview transcripts and fieldnotes revealed 4 types of family-nurse relationships--conventional, competitive, collaborative, and "carative"--each reflecting the roles of nurse and family, negotiating strategies, and consequences.

Resident and family perspectives. The first year in a long-term care facility.

The purpose of this longitudinal study was to explore perspectives, needs, and expectations of residents (N = 6) and family members (N = 3) of the resident's first year in a long-term care facility. The narrative method and a semi-structured interview guide were used to obtain participants' views at 2 and 6 weeks, and 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after admission. During data analysis, six themes emerged, which suggest implications for gerontological nursing education and practice.