Introduction
Nursing homes have been one of the most critical places the older generation tends to spend the rest of their lives. During this developmental stage, care is given to people who need a certain level of medical attention that cannot be fulfilled through home care settings. In the US, we have about 16,000 nursing home care across the country where older adults receive various treatments and care. A nursing home can be described as where people who are not critically ill and cannot be cured at home utilize these places. As the aging population increases, nursing homes cannot keep up with the demand for elderly care.
Quality healthcare among elongates life among the older patients. Quality of life is a combination of several tasks that include creating a sense of purpose, staying in mental motion, recognizing and treating depression symptoms. Nursing science will keep expanding the scientific evidence foundation for better clinical care and life quality for our older population. Nurses offer preventative care in primary-care offices and society and protracted care in care facilities and assisted living communities for older persons.
Hypothesis
As the aging population increases, nursing homes cannot keep up with the demand for elderly care
Research Methodology
The waterfall methodology, a conventional approach to project management, will be used by me. Tasks and phases are accomplished in a sequential order, and each step of the project must be finished before moving on to the next. Because everything is planned out at the start, there is a lot of space for mistake if assumptions do not meet reality. Qualitative methods, which use observation rather than narrative numerical data, are increasingly being utilized in healthcare settings. They are seen to reach parts of the population that other methods cannot, and they are now considered part of the main methods in healthcare research (Masiero & Carraro, 2018). Qualitative research is a broad research tradition investigating human feelings and experiences. It is a strategy for understanding the significance of emotional characteristics in the natural environment of human collecting.
The project observes HIPAA regulations protects health-care coverage for employees and their dependents who change or lose their employment. It restricts the authority of new health plans to reject coverage based on a pre-existing sickness. On the other hand, OSHA guarantees employees’ safety and health by setting and implementing standards and providing training, outreach, information, and support.
Participants
I am planning to use is interviews with residents that are receiving care from nursing homes. I will use the in-person surveys by narrowing specific in their day-to-day dealings with residents and families in the nursing homes. Interviews would be conducted with Nurses 6, Social workers, 6, and Residents 8
Materials
I plan to use some tools needed for the survey, including a skilled workforce where trained personnel will be interviewing the participants through questionnaires and interacting with them face to face. Transportation and office supplies to the volunteers.
Measurements
I plan to use interval and ratio in determining the study from various data collected on the research study. The target population used in this study is people 65 years and older, and the current population census on the population of the healthcare team.
Old Age
Old age is defined by physiological deterioration as the body’s normal functioning continues to deteriorate. It leads to impaired eyesight, hearing, movement, diminished memory, inability to consume and digest food effectively, and inability to manage physiological functions, including continence, as well as chronic illnesses (Stefanacci, 2022). Below is a table detailing the predicted changes that will occur with old age.
Table 1:Body Changes in old age
The purpose of ensuring a good aging process is for caregivers to be aware of age-related changes, which allows them to assess possible dangers and make educated decisions about care (Stefanacci, 2022). Recognizing that an individual’s cultural and social background might influence specific challenges is critical. According to Stefanacci (2022), the most prevalent difficulties among the aged include failing health, financial hurdles, abuse, social marginalization, dependency, retirement, poverty, and systemic discrimination of the old. Formal social assistance through social laws in countries and informal social care through frequent encounters with family are two important ways to offer care to the elderly.
Research Variables
What is assessed in a research experiment or study is referred to as the dependent variable. In a study investigation or experiment, the independent variable refers to what the researcher changes in the experiment or study. The dependent variable is affected by the independent variable. Independent variables are psychological distress and Social support, while dependent variables are the aging population, health conditions, quality of care, high cost, and staffing.
Gerontological Nurses
In the United States, nursing homes and inpatient rooms in health facilities offer structured healthcare for older people. A trained nurse’s primary responsibility is to care for patients. Nurses work in both the public and commercial sectors, as well as in non-profit organizations. Nurses serve in public service in primary healthcare, social care, and specialist healthcare. Nurses apply practical and theoretical skills to promote and preserve health, cure and prevent illness, and rehabilitate patients while adhering to nursing norms and practices.
Nurses must be able to make professional and ethical decisions. The nine unique characteristics of nurse competence are client-centeredness, professionalism, ethics in nursing, entrepreneurship and leadership, evidence-based treatment and decision-making, teaching and education, health promotion, and functional capacity (Stefanacci, 2022). The objective of gerontological nurses is to give therapy, lessen or alleviate suffering in old patients, and assist the well-being of the old under challenging conditions.
The relationship between patients and nurses is critical for the psychological well-being of the elderly. Moreover, gerontological nurses enhance elderly trust, dialogic engagement, and confidence, all of which are seen as critical components in the elderly’s life quality. Nursing older adults is a highly skilled occupation that necessitates the development of specialized competencies that enable nurses to fulfill the demands of patients who may have sensory and cognitive deficits as well as significant degrees of physical reliance.
Role of Nursing Homes in elderly care
A nursing home is an alternate place to live for elderly individuals who require support with their everyday tasks. In contrast to the ambiance of a healthcare facility, several institutions provide living accommodations with a home-like atmosphere. Residents at a nursing facility felt much safer than they did in their own houses (Stefanacci, 2022). They were scared that anything would occur to the elderly, and they would be unable to obtain help at a critical time.
Residents at nursing homes contact employees the majority of the time. Thus those interactions must be meaningful. Nursing facilities with additional resources can assist their employees, resulting in better resident-staff interactions. The interaction with doctors and nurses is critical since it has a favorable impact on the well-being of residents. According to Stefanacci (2022). Residents felt more at ease in nursing homes where the person genuinely cared about them.
Challenges in Nursing Homes
Nursing homes aim to help increase the elderly’s quality of life. Even though nursing homes help the elderly and aim to enhance their standard of living, it is unquestionable that institutional care in the shape of a nursing home environment does provide certain obstacles. Elderly persons are at risk of abuse and neglect. They are vulnerable to maltreatment from family members, fellow senior people, and, most importantly, caregivers who provide direct care. Frail elderly persons and patients with cognitive disabilities rely heavily on their caretakers, thus vulnerable to exploitation.
Theoretical Framework
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines life’s quality as how a person evaluates their situation in life in connection to their objectives, aspirations, standards, and concerns in the context of the value systems where they live. It is a broad phrase that encompasses psychological and physical health, psychological condition, independent degree, social interactions, personal values, and how an individual interacts with their surroundings.
Strengths
The instruments were created cross-culturally and are accessible in more than 20 languages. Most medical evaluations are performed by health personnel and laboratories; the instruments, on the other hand, focus primarily on the patient’s perspective of the ailment (Masiero & Carraro, 2018). For example, in the case of diabetes, the devices will not only assess how well individuals with diabetes operate but also how content they are with their functionality and the consequences of the therapy.
Objectives of the Study
This research aimed to examine the factors influencing life quality in nursing facilities for the elderly. The research material on nursing home life quality was evaluated to accomplish this purpose. Literature on what the older people thought was essential for them at the nursing facility was also examined.
The following questions were created in order to fulfill the study’s goal:
- What variables influence the quality of life for seniors in nursing care homes?
- What nursing home attributes are significant to the elderly?
The following questions were created in order to fulfill the study’s goal:
- What variables influence the quality of life for seniors in nursing care homes?
- What nursing home attributes are significant to the elderly?
Discussion
The study aims to identify the elements influencing the senior population’s quality of life. According to the findings, more family members are considering placing their elderly relatives in nursing facilities. As people age, their cognition deteriorates, they get feeble, and they require more specialized care (Bouchard, 2021). When the old leave their homes, it is viewed as the end of life since what follows is death, and it is tough for the old to accept this transition in life. As a result, nursing homes must give home-like surroundings and activities relevant to them so that they can continue to live fulfilling lives.
Many aspects linked with old age impact the elderly’s quality of life, including changes in health condition, coping, changing roles in life, and the availability of social support (Bell et al., 2020). As a result, nurses must consider the many features of the older person while drafting a care plan. It includes the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual components and personalized services suited to unique older people. The articles share that many older groups were questioned, and the elderly’s main worry was being regarded as an individual.
Residents’ three most critical quality of life characteristics were being treated with respect, having meaningful, successful relationships, and receiving competent nursing care (Bouchard, 2021). Other psychological demands, like respect, choice, and self-determination, also lead to being perceived as healthy. Although the old do not want to be identified by their condition or disease or simply as a task, nurses must consider the elderly as persons with particular preferences and requirements.
When shopping for nursing homes, households look for particular traits. The most obvious impact is personnel and the availability of personal space or private rooms. Although studies have yet to conclude that having more staff leads to a higher quality of life, it is crucial to highlight that the nursing home is understaffed if the number of employees does not surpass a particular threshold. Nurses get the most one-on-one time among the elderly, and this time must be sufficient to satisfy their requirements.
Strengths, Limitations, and Recommendations
According to the study, more people are living longer lives. Thus, research on the issue of quality of life among some of the elderly ought to be ongoing to find additional ways to increase the quality of life. There was sufficient and up-to-date literature for this investigation. Quality of life is a comprehensive notion that includes various aspects, like health, job safety, education, religious views, and the environment. It was difficult to isolate the health-related quality of life since all other aspects intersected with health.
Assisting with everyday duties becomes regular, and dismissing the older person as a duty to be completed is tempting. Nurses may continue to include these concerns in their everyday routines by learning why they are essential to the elderly. Nursing facilities must have adequate employees to guarantee that nurses have enough time to interact with the elderly. It significantly impacts nurse-elderly person interactions whenever nurses are fatigued and burned out.
Conclusion
Although studies have yet to conclude that having more staff leads to a higher quality of life, it is crucial to highlight that the nursing home needs more staff if the number of employees does not surpass a particular threshold. As a result, the nurses cannot spend meaningful time with the elderly. Nurses get the most each time with the elderly, and this time must be sufficient to satisfy their requirements. Nurses’ roles include guaranteeing they are fully skilled and have specialized competencies to cope with unique senior demands such as cognitive and sensory deficits and high degrees of physical reliance.
References
Bell, S., Patel, N., Patel, N., Sonani, R., Badheka, A., & Forman, D. (2016). Care of older adults. Web.
Bouchard, D. (2021). Exercise and physical activity for older adults. Human Kinetics.
Masiero, S. & Carraro, U. (2018). Rehabilitation medicine for elderly patients. Springer.
Stefanacci, R. (2022). Changes in the Body with Aging. Msdmanuals. Web.