Visiting Nurse Service of New York

About: Visiting Nurse Service of New York is a nonprofit organization based out in New York, New York, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Health care & Population. The organization has 207 authors who have published 354 publications receiving 6382 citations.

Informal caregiving: differential experiences by gender.

Abstract: Background. With an aging population and public policies that limit accessible and affordable formal care services, informal caregivers, largely women, will continue bearing the overwhelming responsibility for home and long-term care services provision.Objectives. This study examined gender differen

When the Caregiver Needs Care: The Plight of Vulnerable Caregivers

Abstract: Objectives. This study examined the characteristics, activities, and challenges of high-risk informal caregivers.Methods. Telephone interviews were conducted with a nationally representative cross-section of 1002 informal caregivers. Vulnerable caregivers with poor health or a serious health condition were compared with nonvulnerable caregivers.Results. Thirty-six percent of caregivers were vulnerable. Compared with nonvulnerable caregivers, vulnerable caregivers were more likely to have difficulty providing care, to provide higher-intensity care, to report that their physical health had suffered since becoming a caregiver, to be aged 65 years or older, to be married, and to have less than 12 years of education.Conclusions. Reliance on informal caregivers without considering the caregiver's ability to provide care can create a stressful and potentially unsafe environment for the caregiver and the care recipient.

Pain assessment for people with dementia: a systematic review of systematic reviews of pain assessment tools.

Abstract: There is evidence of under-detection and poor management of pain in patients with dementia, in both long-term and acute care. Accurate assessment of pain in people with dementia is challenging and pain assessment tools have received considerable attention over the years, with an increasing number of tools made available. Systematic reviews on the evidence of their validity and utility mostly compare different sets of tools. This review of systematic reviews analyses and summarises evidence concerning the psychometric properties and clinical utility of pain assessment tools in adults with dementia or cognitive impairment. We searched for systematic reviews of pain assessment tools providing evidence of reliability, validity and clinical utility. Two reviewers independently assessed each review and extracted data from them, with a third reviewer mediating when consensus was not reached. Analysis of the data was carried out collaboratively. The reviews were synthesised using a narrative synthesis approach. We retrieved 441 potentially eligible reviews, 23 met the criteria for inclusion and 8 provided data for extraction. Each review evaluated between 8 and 13 tools, in aggregate providing evidence on a total of 28 tools. The quality of the reviews varied and the reporting often lacked sufficient methodological detail for quality assessment. The 28 tools appear to have been studied in a variety of settings and with varied types of patients. The reviews identified several methodological limitations across the original studies. The lack of a ‘gold standard’ significantly hinders the evaluation of tools’ validity. Most importantly, the samples were small providing limited evidence for use of any of the tools across settings or populations. There are a considerable number of pain assessment tools available for use with the elderly cognitive impaired population. However there is limited evidence about their reliability, validity and clinical utility. On the basis of this review no one tool can be recommended given the existing evidence.

The Future of Home Health Care A Strategic Framework for Optimizing Value

Abstract: The Future of Home Health project sought to support transformation of home health and home-based care to meet the needs of patients in the evolving U.S. health care system. Interviews with key thought leaders and stakeholders resulted in key themes about the future of home health care. By synthesizing this qualitative research, a literature review, case studies, and the themes from a 2014 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council workshop on “The Future of Home Health Care,” the authors articulate a vision for home-based care and recommend a bold framework for the Medicare-certified home health agency of the future. The authors also identify challenges and recommendations for achievement of this framework.

FAMILY CAREGIVERS: caring for older adults, working with their families.

Abstract: As the U.S. population ages and health care costs soar, family and friends are called upon increasingly to provide care. While the typical caregiver is a 46-year-old woman with at least some college education, anyone in the infirm person's circle may be called upon to provide care. The kind of care provided varies greatly--from managing treatment and medication regimens to driving in from out of town to help with shopping--as does each caregiver's reaction to providing such care. While some find caregiving terribly stressful, others find it rewarding. Nurses need to know how to identify the primary caregiver, discern the level of strain caused by caregiving, and create a partnership with the caregiver to help ease the burden. Accompanying text explores one caregiver's experience.