Paper
Saturday, July 24, 2004
This presentation is part of : Transforming Nursing Care Delivery in Long-Term Care (LTC): Integrating Evidence With Experience
Putting Humpty Dumpty together again: integrating mind, body, spirit and family in the long term care setting
Mozettia Henley, RN, DNS, Lucy Fisher, RN, MS, and Mary Louise Fleming, RN, MSN. Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center/San Francisco Department of Public Health, San Francisco, CA, USA
People receiving care in long-term care settings are generally shadows of their former selves. Losses and changes in their overall clinical condition, level of functioning, relationships with family and the community; and their self-perception typically occur and influence their recovery and rehabilitation. Additionally, regulations governing nursing care in these settings direct providers to develop programs addressing each of these potential losses and challenges while providing individualized, continuing, comprehensive, high-quality care. These regulations support the need for an integrated and holistic care model.

Despite a growing body of evidence supporting the interrelationship of mental health and physical illness, in relationship to the mind, we typically find that both severe and chronic psychopathologic care is left to the experts who are consulted to deal with a “problem”. Part of the reason the mental health piece does not receive, as much on-going attention is access. In these settings it can be difficult to link the person in need of these services related to availability and proximity of providers

These realities present another set of challenges for nurses in delivering holistic care. Responding to these challenges evidence-based approaches are implemented developing the skill of front line nursing staff to effectively assess, plan and utilize psychosocial evidence in implementing care.

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Back to 15th International Nursing Research Congress
Sigma Theta Tau International
July 22-24, 2004