Hi Everyone!
Each of you have identified important questions and topics for your research. You have taken time to search the literature and identify potential resources that could help to answer your question.

The process of reflection helps nurses to update their knowledge and skills and maintain their continuing competence (CNO 2024). In research, reflection is an important part of mobilizing research and translating evidence into practice.

I look forward to reading how your research relates to your own practice or how it could support nurses as profession.

Jen C.

Hello everyone,

The titles for both my articles that I chose was :Educational Interventions on Reducing Stress Urinary Incontinence Episodes among elderly Women and Registered nurse’s experiences of continence care for older people: A qualitative descriptive study. Both articles discuss leadership and educational interventions for urinary continence. Leadership applies to my own practice because as the unit RPN it’s my duty to oversee the unit and make sure assigned tasks get done. If I notice something different from the resident’s normal behavior I address it with the care team so we can collaboratively work together to figure out a solution. The article also talks about nurses embracing leadership at the point of care. I totally agree with that statement because as nurses we need to lead by example so others follow suit, I also believe in employers organizing educational seminars relating to leadership to help staff become stronger leaders. The other article discussed the different educational interventions for example :pelvic muscle exercise,toilet training and lifestyle modifications will reduce episodes of stress incontinence. In my own practice these interventions can be implemented into the resident’s routine if staff members are able to work collaboratively and discuss what’s working and what’s not working.

Hello all,

The research evidence I found emphasizes the importance of staff training and knowledge to effectively manage responsive behaviours in older adults with dementia. Article one suggested that a standardized protocol be established so that staff can respond to responsive behaviours in a consistent manner. This could be implemented into nursing practice by creating a clearly outlined, concise procedure for approaching someone with dementia with care. This procedure would need to account for the fact that all people with dementia have varying needs, but it would at least provide a generalized framework so that the staff have guidelines for confidently and safely providing care. I know that Gentle Persuasive Approach (GPA) training addresses this topic, but the research suggests that more training for staff is helpful.
Article two explored the relationship between lack of staff training and an increase in using pharmacological interventions to manage responsive behaviours, which is not the recommended first-line intervention. Training for staff should not only include interpersonal strategies for interacting with clients with dementia but also more training about creating care plans that intentionally enhance care and prevent responsive behaviours in this population. I would need to do more in-depth research about how certain aspects of care planning may result in better outcomes for patients with dementia to recommend what specific training may help staff. This seems within the realm of possibility and my estimation is that the training could be within an organization’s training budget.

Thank you,
Rachel

Hello Rachel,

I really enjoyed reading your response, as an RPN working in long term care and previously working on a locked unit I couldn’t agree more about staff training. As I stated before I used to work on a locked unit and all staff were sent to GPA training in which I believe was effective to help to minimize responsive behavior . I also believe consistent training /refreshers is beneficial in improving residents’ overall care. With your second article I agree with their stance about creating care plans tailoring to that specific individual in which can benefit that individual’s overall care. I also completed the P.I.E.C.E.S course in which enchanced my knowlegde about supporting people at risk or living with complex chronic conditions. Thanks for sharing.

Research Question: Research Question: How can short periods of compassion-based responsive behaviors by non-family member caregivers help support mental wellness in older adults residing in LTC?

Article 1 : Hesse, C., & Rauscher, E. (2018). The relationships between doctor-patient affectionate communication and patient perceptions and outcomes. Health communication, 34 (8), 881-891.
This article provides great supporting evidence for my research question. Affectionate communication is an example of a compassion-based responsive behavior that non-family member caregivers can engage in when caring for older adults residing in LTC. According to the researchers, provided it is within the optimal tolerance of both the healthcare provider and the patient, affectionate communication can yield positive outcomes for patients physically, mentally and emotionally. In practice, affectionate communication by the care provider could take the form of active listening, genuine facial expressions of care and concern, kindness, messages of confirmation, and emotional support. This compassion-based behavior of affectionate communication results in better health care provider-to-patient therapeutic relationship which allows for open and sincere communication, granting the healthcare provider access to pertinent information that could impact the well-being of patients physically, mentally and emotionally.

Article 2: Kahana, E., Bhatta, T. R., Kahana, B., & Lekhak, N. (2021). Loving others: The Impact of Compassionate love on later-life psychological well-being. The Journals of Gerontology Series B, 76(2), 391–402.
This is another article that provides valuable information to support the attainability of the concept of my research question. Compassionate love in the context of both giving and receiving loving emotions, is another example of a compassion-based responsive behavior that can impact the psychological well-being of older adults. The results of the research study showed that an increase in the feeling of being loved led to a decline in the odds of reporting greater levels of depressive symptoms over time. The researchers also indicated that the positive psychological effects of compassionate love on older adults were maintained even after the action of compassionate love (please refer to examples listed above) had occurred. This entails the genuine embodiment of caring, understanding and trustworthy behaviors which one eventually displays effortlessly in words, deed, actions and emotions. In practice, compassionate love could take the form of active listening, therapeutic silence, engaging in discussions with patients on a shared topic of interest, allowing for enough time to assist patients with their ADLs, and so on. Compassionate love as an example of a compassion-based responsive behavior helps to build trust, foster open communication, and engenders hope, all of which are vital to supporting the mental wellness of older adults residing in Long Term Care (LTC).