Adapting Complicated Grief Therapy for Use With People With Intellectual Disabilities: An Action Research Study.

Background: There is established evidence of complicated grief among people with an intellectual disability. This paper describes the process of adapting complicated grief therapy (CGT) for this population.

Method: Action research documented the adaptation of CGT.

An exploratory graphical analysis of the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale pre- and post-treatment using pooled antidepressant trial secondary data.

Background: The 10-item Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) is a commonly used measure of depression in antidepressant clinical trials. Numerous studies have adopted classical test theory perspectives to assess the psychometric properties of this scale, finding generally positive results. However, its network configural structure and stability is unexplored across different time-points and treatment groups.

Exploring Funeral Directors' Experience and Perceived Impact of Providing Funeral Services During COVID-19 Restrictions.

The importance of ritual/ceremony following bereavement is well documented, however restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the freedom to bury loved ones according to beliefs/traditions. This study explores the experiences of staff providing funeral services during COVID-19 and considers the implications for supporting bereaved families. Fifty-eight staff (male, 72.

People with dementia and family carers are welcoming of a model of dementia palliative care, but sceptical of its implementation.

Introduction: A palliative care approach can improve quality-of-life for people with dementia. It is the preference of many people with dementia to remain living at home until death, with the appropriate care. To develop a successful model for dementia palliative care in the community, it is essential to assimilate the perspectives and experiences of those affected.

Interprofessional supervision among allied health professionals: a systematic scoping review.

Clinical supervision typically occurs between clinicians who are trained in the same discipline, and this assumption is present across much of the relevant literature. However, the use of interprofessional supervision (IPS), wherein clinicians do not share the same discipline, has increased in recent years. As IPS increases in usage, it is key that the implications of this approach are explored.

'Ageing well': Discursive constructions of ageing and health in the public reach of a national longitudinal study on ageing.

Established in 2006, the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) investigates the health, economic and social circumstances of a nationally-representative sample of people aged fifty years and older in a series of biennial data collection waves. Irish newspapers have been reporting the results of TILDA for over a decade and a half, and their texts represent reports of scientific research distilled through the pen of journalists. In their totality, their texts constitute a public discourse on ageing and health.

The Oral Symptom Assessment Scale (OSAS): criterion validation with the EORTC QLQ-OH15 and reliability testing.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the criterion validity and reliability of the Oral Symptom Assessment Scale (OSAS) in patients with advanced cancer receiving specialist palliative care.

Methods: To examine criterion validity, participants completed the OSAS, EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-OH15. Twenty-four hours later participants repeated the OSAS to investigate test-retest reliability.

A comparison of four dementia palliative care services using the RE-AIM framework.

Background: Living with a life-limiting illness, people with dementia benefit from palliative care which considers the holistic needs of the person and their family. However, little is known about how palliative care may be best provided to people living with dementia at home in the community. We examined four exemplary dementia palliative care services for people with dementia in the community, to see what activities they were providing, what were the commonalities and differences, and what lessons could be learned.

The effects of advanced factor analysis approaches on outcomes in randomised trials for depression: protocol for secondary analysis of individual participant data.

Background: Modern psychometric methods make it possible to eliminate nonperforming items and reduce measurement error. Application of these methods to existing outcome measures can reduce variability in scores, and may increase treatment effect sizes in depression treatment trials.

Aims: We aim to determine whether using confirmatory factor analysis techniques can provide better estimates of the true effects of treatments, by conducting secondary analyses of individual patient data from randomised trials of antidepressant therapies.

What Are the Psychosocial Needs of Adolescents and Young Adults with Cancer? A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Adolescents and young adults with cancer (AYACs) have become recognized as a unique group in recent years. The unique developmental context and related challenges of being a young person with a cancer diagnosis can lead to a distinct and diverse set of psychosocial issues. Existing research has attempted to explore these psychosocial needs and challenges and to develop appropriate and individualized interventions.

The perceived effects of COVID-19 while living with a chronic illness.

Introduction: A diagnosis of chronic illness posed a serious threat to people during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. People with chronic illnesses were faced with increased mortality and reduced access to healthcare. Self-care is the process of maintaining health and managing a chronic illness.

Perceived impacts of a therapeutic recreation based hospital outreach programme (HOP) for children with chronic or severe illness: Qualitative analysis.

Background: While Therapeutic Recreation (TR) camp programmes have been extensively analysed, less is known about hospital outreach programmes (HOPs). This study examined parent, volunteer and health care provider (HCP) perceived core features and outcomes of a hospital-based TR programme for children with serious illness.

Methods: Participants were either 1) a HCP within a hospital setting, 2) a volunteer with HOP, or 3) the parent of a child with serious illness.

How blogs support the transfer of knowledge into practice in the field of dementia palliative care: a survey of facilitators and barriers.

Background: Blogging can help to maximise the impact of one's work in academia and beyond by making research findings accessible for multiple knowledge users, such as healthcare professionals and the public, as well as other researchers. As part of the knowledge exchange and dissemination activities of the Model for Dementia Palliative Care Project, this study explored stakeholders' views of blogs as a means to translate research findings.

Methods: A web-based survey was developed, piloted, and revised.

Supporting Social Inclusion in Neighbourhoods of Adults with Intellectual Disabilities: Service Providers' Practice Experiences.

Deinstitutionalisation has increased the likelihood of adults with intellectual disabilities residing in neighbourhoods either in staff-supported accommodation or in their family home. However, it raises the question of whether national policies on disability have translated into practice actions by service providers that result in positive social inclusion outcomes for individuals. This study examined the practice initiatives supporting social inclusion in neighbourhoods in specialist state-funded service providers for adults with intellectual disabilities.

: Exploring the Impact of a Therapeutic Recreation-Based Bereavement Camp for Families Who Have Lost a Child to Serious Illness.

This qualitative study explores the perceptions of impact associated with engaging in a therapeutic recreation-based bereavement camp for families whose child has died from serious illness. Interviews were completed with 12 parents who had participated in a three-camp cycle of the program over 12-month period, including a subgroup who had also attended a reunion camp. Interviews were also conducted with program staff.

Palliative care for older people with dementia-we need a paradigm shift in our approach.

Older people with dementia have multiple palliative care needs, with pain, agitation, dyspnoea, aspiration and pressure ulcers being common and persistent in advanced dementia. Anticipating the person's possible symptoms requires knowledge of the whole person, including the type of dementia, which is problematic when the dementia type is often not documented. A palliative care approach to dementia should look at symptoms across the four pillars of palliative care, but in reality, we tend to over-focus on physical and psychological symptoms, while spiritual and emotional needs can be overlooked, especially around the time of diagnosis, where such needs may be significant.

Unscheduled healthcare for children with intellectual disabilities: A systematic scoping review.

Background: The provision of unscheduled healthcare for children with intellectual disability is less researched than that focused on hospital settings or for adult services. The aim of the scoping review was to map the evidence base in this area and identify areas for future study.

Method: A five-stage scoping review framework was adopted.

Decision-making in palliative care: patient and family caregiver concordance and discordance-systematic review and narrative synthesis.

Background: Decision-making in palliative care usually involves both patients and family caregivers. However, how concordance and discordance in decision-making manifest and function between patients and family caregivers in palliative care is not well understood.

Objectives: To identify key factors and/or processes which underpin concordance and/or discordance between patients and family caregivers with respect to their preferences for and decisions about palliative care; and ascertain how patients and family caregivers manage discordance in decision-making in palliative care.

A scoping review of the evidence for community-based dementia palliative care services and their related service activities.

Background: Palliative care is identified internationally as a priority for efficacious dementia care. Research into "effective models" of palliative care for people with dementia has been recommended by several European countries. To build an effective service-delivery model we must gain an understanding of existing models used in similar settings.

Effectiveness of a nurse-delivered (FOCUS+) and a web-based (iFOCUS) psychoeducational intervention for people with advanced cancer and their family caregivers (DIAdIC): study protocol for an international randomized controlled trial.

Background: Worldwide, millions of people with advanced cancer and their family caregivers are experiencing physical and psychological distress. Psychosocial support and education can reduce distress and prevent avoidable healthcare resource use. To date, we lack knowledge from large-scale studies on which interventions generate positive outcomes for people with cancer and their informal caregivers' quality of life.

How can we know what we don't know? An exploration of professionals' engagement with complicated grief.

Objective: Research has shown that complicated grief has the potential to adversely affect bereaved individuals, and in this context, understanding how mental health professionals engage with it in practice is of relevance. Gaining an understanding of professionals' knowledge, attitudes, skills and training in relation to complicated grief could provide insights that will inform their training and professional development. The aim of this study was to consider professionals' engagement with complicated grief, as represented by self-reported knowledge, attitudes, skills and training.

Exploring Models of Care and the Perceived Impact in an Offender Rehabilitation Program.

Offender rehabilitation programs incorporating positive psychology interventions such as a strengths-based model can be effective. This study explores the perceived model of service provided by an offender rehabilitation service and the perceived impact that this service has on the lives of its clients. A qualitative methodology was employed in the context of an action research design, using semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders.