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From Compliance to Care: Qualitative Findings from a Survey of Essential Caregivers in Ontario Long-Term Care Homes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 April 2024

James Conklin Open the ORCID record for James Conklin [Opens in a new window] ,
Maryam Mohammadi Dehcheshmeh ,
Douglas Archibald ,
Jacobi Elliott ,
Amy Hsu Open the ORCID record for Amy Hsu [Opens in a new window] ,
Anita Kothari ,
Paul Stolee Open the ORCID record for Paul Stolee [Opens in a new window]  and
Heidi Sveistrup
James Conklin*
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Human Sciences, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada Bruyère Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Maryam Mohammadi Dehcheshmeh
Affiliation:
Bruyère Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Douglas Archibald
Affiliation:
Bruyère Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada Department of Family Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Jacobi Elliott
Affiliation:
School of Public Health Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada Western University, London, ON, Canada Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada
Amy Hsu
Affiliation:
Bruyère Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada Department of Family Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Anita Kothari
Affiliation:
School of Health Studies, Western University, London, ON, Canada
Paul Stolee
Affiliation:
School of Public Health Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
Heidi Sveistrup
Affiliation:
Bruyère Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada School of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
*
Corresponding author: La correspondance et les demandes de tirésàpart doivent être adressées à : / Correspondence and requests for offprints should be sent to: James Conklin, Department of Applied Human Sciences, Concordia University, Montreal, QC ([email protected]).
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Abstract

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of the care provided by family members and close friends to older people living in long-term care (LTC) homes. Our implementation science team helped three Ontario LTC homes to implement an intervention to allow family members to enter the homes during pandemic lockdowns.

Objective

We used a variety of methods to support the implementation, and this paper reports results from an Ontario-wide survey intended to help us understand the nature of the care provided by family caregivers.

Methods

We administered a survey of essential caregivers in Ontario, and a single open-ended question yielded a substantial qualitative data set that we analysed with a coding and theming procedure that yielded 13 themes.

Findings

The 13 themes reveal deficiencies in Ontario’s LTC sector, attempts to cope with the deficiencies, and efforts to influence change and improvement.

Discussion

Our findings indicate that essential caregivers find it necessary to take on vital roles in order to shore up two significant gaps in the current system: they provide psychosocial and emotional (and sometimes even basic) care to residents, and they play a monitoring and advocacy role to compensate for the failings of the current regulatory compliance regime.

Résumé

RésuméContexte

La pandémie de la COVID-19 a mis en évidence l'importance des soins prodigués par les membres de la famille et les amis proches aux personnes âgées vivant dans un foyer de soins de longue durée (SLD). Notre équipe en science de la mise en œuvre a aidé trois foyers de SLD de l'Ontario à mettre sur pied une intervention permettant aux membres de la famille d'entrer dans les foyers pendant les périodes de fermeture pour cause de pandémie.

Objectif

Nous avons utilisé diverses méthodes pour soutenir la mise en œuvre, et cet article présente les résultats d’une enquête menée à l'échelle de l'Ontario pour nous aider à comprendre la nature des soins prodigués par les proches aidants.

Méthodes utilisées

Nous avons mené une enquête auprès des proches aidants de l'Ontario.Une des questions ouvertes de l’enquête a permis d'obtenir un ensemble substantiel de données qualitatives que nous avons analysées à l'aide d'une procédure de codage et de thématisation, ce qui a permis d’en dégager 13 thèmes.

Résultats

Les 13 thèmes révèlent des lacunes dans le secteur des SLD en Ontario, des efforts déployés pour y faire face et des efforts pour influencer le changement et l'amélioration.

Discussion

Nos résultats indiquent que les proches aidants jugent nécessaire d'assumer des rôles vitaux afin de combler deux lacunes du système actuel : ils fournissent des soins psychosociaux et affectifs (et parfois même des soins de base) aux résidents, et ils jouent un rôle de surveillance et de défense des droits pour compenser les failles du régime actuel défini par sa conformité à la réglementation.

Keywords

agingessential caregiverfamily caregiverlong-term careCOVID-19pandemicvieillissementproche aidant essentielproche aidant familialsoins de longue duréeCOVID-19pandémie
Type
Article
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 43 , Issue 4 , December 2024 , pp. 538 - 547
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Copyright
© Canadian Association on Gerontology 2024

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