Assessing the Educational and Support Needs of Nursing Staff Serving Older Adults

Abstract

Given expected changes in demography and dependent care ratios, communities are preparing for the needs of older populations. Sometimes communities form coalitions to address health care needs. This case study evaluates a coalition/university partnership formed to assess the educational and support needs of nursing staff who are taking care of older adults across all service settings in one geographically defined community. A community-based coalition of 17 service providers contracted with researchers from an external university to determine the perceptions of three key stakeholder groups: older adults and their families; all levels of nursing staff; and agency administrators. By applying principles of Participatory Action Research (PAR) this case study presents the challenges faced in the community-based coalition/university research team partnership. This community/research partnership is unique, differing from most academic examples of PAR because nursing professionals as community members initiated the partnership.

Co-constructing community: A conceptual map for reuniting aging people in prison with their families and communities.

“…It conceptualizes prison release not as 'community reintegration' but rather the 'reunification' of older adults with their families and communities. In their community-based participatory action study set in the midwest, Perry and Ziemba (2014) This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.…”

“…This article challenges readers to think outside of the social structures of the ‘prison’ box to visualize communities of care that actually do ‘care.’ It conceptualizes prison release not as ‘community reintegration’ but rather the ‘reunification’ of older adults with their families and communities. In their community-based participatory action study set in the midwest, Perry and Ziemba (2014) describe the challenges of defining community when multiple key stakeholders involved. The participants collectively defined community as “receiving services only within the county and by residents of the county” (p. 4).…”

A scoping review: The utility of participatory research approaches in psychology

“…These teams typically relied on regular contact (i.e., meetings, conferences, and focus groups) to discuss and resolve challenges in research design and at other stages of the projects. The formation of advisory groups, comprised of both academic and community participants, was common in research with Indigenous Peoples (e.g., McWhirter, Mununggirritj, Marika, Dickinson, & Condon, ; Novins et al, ; Palacios & Kennedy, ; Richards & Mousseau, ; Smith, Christopher, & McCormick, ), HIV/AIDS‐focused studies (e.g., Abelsohn et al, ; Andrasik et al, ; Baptiste et al, ; Burkhalter et al, ; DiStefano et al, ; Nyamathi et al, ; Vallely et al, ), and research with older adults (e.g., Guo & Phillips, ; Klemm, Rempusheski, & Teixeira, ; Ottmann, Laragy, Allen, & Feldman, ; Perry & Ziemba, ; Scharlach & Sanchez, ; West & Graham, ; Wethington et al, ). These efforts were sometimes described as attempts to address inherent power imbalances between university researchers and participants (e.g., Tobias, Richmond & Luginaah, ).…”

“…McWhirter, Mununggirritj, Marika, Dickinson, & Condon, 2012;Novins et al, 2012;Palacios & Kennedy, 2010;Richards & Mousseau, 2012;Smith, Christopher, & McCormick, 2004), HIV/AIDS-focused studies (e.g., Abelsohn et al, 2015;Andrasik et al, 2012;Baptiste et al, 2006;Burkhalter et al, 2013;DiStefano et al, 2012;Nyamathi et al, 2004;Vallely et al, 2009), and research with older adults (e.g., Guo & Phillips, 2006;Klemm, Rempusheski, & Teixeira, 2013;Ottmann, Laragy, Allen, & Feldman, 2011;Perry & Ziemba, 2014;Scharlach & Sanchez, 2011;West & Graham, 1999;Wethington et al, 2007). These efforts were sometimes described as attempts to address inherent power imbalances between university researchers and participants (e.g., Tobias, Richmond & Luginaah, 2013).…”

Long-Term Care

“…The final article in this issue (Perry & Ziemba, 2014) is a process evaluation of a participatory action research study of a community/university coalition that sought to assess the educational and support needs of nursing staff in an entire community. The 17-member coalition solicited feedback from and perceptions of older adults and families, all nursing staff, and administrators of local agencies.…”