Research Paper: Innovation to Transform Nursing Home Care
Heather Riley, MA, Executive Director and Chief Spiritual Officer
(This is an Executive Summary. You can download the full paper at the link below.)
COVID-19 has struck our nation’s nursing homes with terrifying force. No one group of persons have been more affected than the frail and infirmed elderly in our local nursing homes. Since the pandemic hit the shores of the United States, the virus has swept over one facility after another, leaping between patients and staff. Nursing homes have locked their doors. Outside visitors are banned and it appears the homes will remain on lockdown for an extended period.
The result is even greater social isolation and desperation
among these highly vulnerable persons and frontline staff.
“This is institutionalized isolation. Some call it a form of solitary confinement. It’s become inhumane and cruel ”
The heartbreaking stories emerging from many nursing homes are indicative of dwindling staffs being left to navigate this disaster on their own, often without sufficient resources and expertise. A cough now sends a ripple of fear; stress is rising to impactful levels never before seen among fearful healthcare workers, anxious residents, and frantic families. Residents are losing their will to live and dying of broken hearts.(1)
As coronavirus morphs into heightened feelings of loneliness, “failure to thrive” and “social isolation” are being listed as current causes of death according to Robyn Grant, National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care.
Isolation and loneliness have negative effects on mental health with worsening depression, anxiety, and mood disorders. Impact on physical health is higher rates of cardiovascular impairment, chronic pain, and fatigue. Additional studies found that loneliness is a risk factor for accelerating the progression of cognitive decline, Dementia, and Alzheimer's disease.(2)
Spiritual, relational, and practical challenges of Covid-19 imperils the lives of our nations’ nursing home residents and staff. Lockdown demands lasting innovative transformation for care.
Social connectedness, spiritual support and engagement technology play an essential role in the overall well-being of individuals. These means enhance mental, emotional, spiritual and physical health. Engagement technology and smart devices boost an older adult’s relationships with peers, family, friends and caregivers. Integrated, holistic approaches increase the quality of life and care for seniors and lowers the risk of nursing home abuse.(3)
Holistic care includes assessing and meeting both spiritual and religious needs. During transitional crisis moments, people have many deep questions about the spiritual dimension of life and are looking for resources to support them.4 Spiritual care is necessary to achieve a positive impact on the well-being of patients, families, health care professionals, and health institutions. Care providers need training in research based, evidence-informed psychological insights from field study. Introducing spiritual care to nursing promotes best practices in patient care and elicits greater job satisfaction among providers.(5)
References:
(1) Is Extended Isolation Killing Older Adults in Long-Term Care? https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/health/info-2020/covid-isolation-killing-nursing-home-residents.html
(2) Cacioppo S, Grippo AJ, London S, et al. Loneliness: Clinical imports and interventions. Perspect Psychol Sci 2015; 10:238e249. https://www.jamda.com/article/S1525-8610(20)30373-X/pdf
(3) Coyle N. Introduction to palliative nursing care. In: Ferrell BR, Coyle N, Paice JA, eds. Oxford Textbook of Palliative Nursing. 4th ed. New York, NY: Oxford University Press; 2015:3-10. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6343956/#:~:text=Compassion%20fatigue%20is%20medically%20defined,caring%20for%20sick%20or%20traumatized
(4) Balboni, M. J., Puchalski, C. M., & Peteet, J. R. (2014). The relationship between medicine, spirituality and religion: Three models for integration. Journal of Religion and Health, 53(5), 1586–1598. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-014-9901-8
(5) Cockell, N., & McSherry, W. (2012). Spiritual care in nursing: An overview of published international research. Journal of Nursing Management, 20, 958-969. doi:10.1111/ j.1365-2834.2012.01450.x https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Monica_Veloza/publication/294423989_The_Importance_of_Spiritual_Care_in_Nursing_Practice/links/5a09c557a6fdcc1b976cc744/The-Importance-of-Spiritual-Care-in-Nursing-Practice.pdf page 11
