Purpose Drawing on therapeutic physical environmental design principles and Kitwood's theoretical view of person-centered care, this study examined the impact of environmental renovations in dining spaces of a long-term care facility on residents' mealtime experience and staff practice in two care units. Method The research design involved pre- and post-renovation ethnographic observations in the dining spaces of the care units and a post-renovation staff survey. The objective physical environmental features pre- and post-renovations were assessed with a newly developed tool titled Dining Environment Audit Protocol. We collected observational data from 10 residents and survey responses from 17 care aides and nurses. Findings Based on a systematic analysis of observational data and staff survey responses, five themes were identified: (a) autonomy and personal control, (b) comfort of homelike environment, (c) conducive to social interaction, (d) increased personal support, and (e) effective teamwork. Implications Although the physical environment can play an influential role in enhancing the dining experience of residents, the variability in staff practices reveals the complexity of mealtime environment and points to the necessity of a systemic approach to foster meaningful culture change.

The perspectives of participants provide a valuable contribution to the literature about undergoing TAVI. Clinicians need to be attentive to patients' expectations of benefit and temper these with consideration of the individual's broader health situation to provide treatment decision support. Patients and family caregivers also need adequate teaching and support to facilitate safe transition home given the shift towards early discharge after TAVI.

BackgroundMealtimes are important to quality of life for residents in long-term care (LTC). CHOICE (which stands for Connecting, Honouring dignity, Offering support, supporting Identity, Creating opportunities, and Enjoyment) is a multi-component intervention to improve relationship-centred care (RCC) and overall mealtime experience for residents. The objective of this developmental evaluation was to determine: a) if the dining experience (e.g. physical, social and RCC practices) could be modified with the CHOICE Program, and b) how program components needed to be adapted and/or if new components were required.MethodsA mixed methods study conducted between April–November 2016 included two home areas (64 residents; 25 care staff/home management) within a single LTC home in Ontario. Mealtime Scan (MTS), which measures mealtime experience at the level of the dining room, was used to evaluate the effectiveness of CHOICE implementation at four time points. Change in physical, social, RCC dining environment ratings and overall quality of the mealtime experience over time was determined with linear mixed-effects analyses (i.e., repeated measures). Semi-structured interviews (n = 9) were conducted with home staff to identify what components of the intervention worked well and what improvements could be made.ResultsPhysical and overall mealtime environment ratings showed improvement over time in both areas; one home area also improved social ratings (p < 0.05). Interviews revealed in-depth insights into the program and implementation process: i) Knowing the context and culture to meet staff and resident needs; ii) Getting everyone on board, including management; iii) Keeping communication lines open throughout the process; iv) Sharing responsibility and accountability for mealtime goals and challenges; v) Empowering and supporting staff’s creative mealtime initiatives.ConclusionsThis developmental evaluation demonstrated the potential value of CHOICE. Findings suggest a need to: extend the time to tailor program components; empower home staff in change management; and provide increased coaching.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12877-018-0964-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The development of effective interventions for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in older adults has been limited by extensive variability in the conceptualization and definition of MCI, its subtypes, and relevant diagnostic criteria within the neurocultural, pharmaceutical, and gerontological communities. A scoping review was conducted to explore the conceptual development of MCI and identify the resulting ethical, political, and technological implications for the care of older adults with MCI. A comprehensive search was conducted between January and April 2013 to identify English-language peer-reviewed articles published between 1999 and 2013. Our analysis revealed that the MCI conceptual debate remains unresolved, the response to ethical issues is contentious, the policy response is limited, and one-dimensional and technological interventions are scarce. Reflections on the conceptual, ethical, and policy responses in conjunction with the identification of the needs of older adults diagnosed with MCI highlight significant opportunities for technological interventions to effectively reposition MCI in the aging care discourse.

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