Coping with the changes in living environment faced by older persons who relocate to a health‐care facility in Japan

Abstract

Aim: The purpose of this study was to clarify how older people cope with the changes they faced in their living environment after relocating to a health-care facility for the elderly and to consider their coping characteristics. Methods: Employing a qualitative descriptive study design using multiple case studies, we continuously interviewed and observed eight older residents after they moved into a health-care facility. We selected the model of Moos & Schaefer (1986) as a framework for analysis because it is thought to lead to an understanding of the experience of older people relocating to a nursing home and to effective nursing intervention. Results: Although not shown in the constituent categories of the model, it became necessary to include the typical experiences of these Japanese residents of health-care facilities for the elderly in the study as constituent categories of the model. With the addition of these experiences as constituent categories, the model is thought to become more appropriate for understanding people that have relocated to health-care facilities for the elderly in Japan. There were the three categories of support influencing adaptive tasks, tasks for life integration, which are growth tasks for the elderly, and the resolution of unrecognized problems, which are adaptive tasks not recognized by the person in question. Conclusions:The conceptual model in this study is thought to be useful in considering the care of older residents when they enter a health-care facility.

Relationships among person-centered care, nursing home adjustment, and life satisfaction: a cross-sectional survey study

“…Specifically, the staff needs to take an active role in facilitating residents' social connections with family, other residents, and staff because the capacity of residents to make new relationships and redefine previous relationships is an important determinant in resident adjustment to their new environment (Lee, 2001). Nursing home staff also need more training to better detect and manage residents' relocation anxiety and distress (Keister, 2006;Komatsu et al, 2007). During the care processes, an individualized care plan should be implemented based on understanding the resident's socio-cultural experiences and cultural heritage (Komatsu et al, 2007).…”

Characteristics of the built environment for people with dementia in East and Southeast Asian nursing homes: a scoping review

“…Support movement and engagement 46% of the articles highlighted the application of items from the EAT-HC that describe the fifth principle "support movement and engagement", with 29% of the literature citing evidence of negative application (Fleming and Bennett, 2015b). Examples consist of facilities that have pathways which contain clutter or obstacles and those that bar residents from venturing outdoors, discouraging movement and engagement (Komatsu et al, 2007;Srithamrongsawat et al, 2009;Hwang et al, 2013;Zulkifli and Khan, 2014;Ibrahim and Dahlan, 2015;Othman and Fadzil, 2015). These environments result in residents indicating an elevated level of discomfort as they remain disengaged and in bed during the day (Komatsu et al, 2007).…”

“…Examples consist of facilities that have pathways which contain clutter or obstacles and those that bar residents from venturing outdoors, discouraging movement and engagement (Komatsu et al, 2007;Srithamrongsawat et al, 2009;Hwang et al, 2013;Zulkifli and Khan, 2014;Ibrahim and Dahlan, 2015;Othman and Fadzil, 2015). These environments result in residents indicating an elevated level of discomfort as they remain disengaged and in bed during the day (Komatsu et al, 2007). Improving environmental factors by raising awareness of and applying the fourth and fifth principles of design can help reduce disruptive and distressing behaviors while supporting residents to remain independent, engaged, and cognitively stimulated (Kasai et al, 2015).…”

“…These activities include gardening, house chores, community and family engagement programs, religious activities, and charitable work with the greater community (Wu et al, 2008;Traphagan and Nagasawa, 2008;Otsuka et al, 2010;Risseeuw, 2012). Such activities provide occupation, meaning, and social engagement for residents, increasing motivation, coping skills, and acceptance of their new living environment (Komatsu et al, 2007;Chen and Li, 2014;Otsuka et al, 2010).…”

Religious coping measurement in the context of long-term care.

“…Other late-life stressors may include interpersonal relationships, health, finances, and work (Moos, Brennan, Schutte, & Moos, 2006). Poor health and functional decline compel some older adults to move to a long-term care (LTC) facility (Brownie, Horstmanshof, & Garbutt, 2014;Komatsu, Hamahata, & Magilvy, 2007). As Brownie and colleagues (2014) suggest, "while transition is considered a natural process prompted by the changes in our lives, the transition to a residential care environment represents a uniquely significant relocation for older people" (p. 2).…”