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The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on long-term care facilities (LTCFs). While much attention has been paid to the impact of the pandemic on residents, less attention has been given to the experiences of staff and factors impacting their resilience in facing challenges working in LTCF. This research describes the factors contributing to the resiliency of LTCF staff during the COVID-19 pandemic in northern British Columbia (BC). Transcripts from 53 participants who completed one-hour semi-structured interviews were included and thematic analysis was conducted. All participants had experience working in a LTCF facility in northern BC during the pandemic. The LTCF staff described resilience as the ability to adapt to changing circumstances and protocols, while also maintaining a positive attitude and uplifting spirits during times of adversity. The analysis revealed five key themes influencing staff resilience: (1) availability and provision of resources for staff, (2) leadership and management within LTCFs, (3) social support available to staff, (4) impact of residents' morale on staff resilience, and (5) personal attributes and characteristics of the staff. Understanding and addressing the five themes can guide the development of targeted strategies and interventions aimed at enhancing staff resilience and well-being during challenging circumstances. By recognizing and addressing the specific needs of LTCF staff, it is possible to improve the overall quality of care provided in LTCF and promote the well-being of both residents and staff. The findings shed light on the interplay of these themes and their profound influence on LTCF staff. Identifying staff's needs and factors that contribute to their resilience may lower staff turnover, leading to a stronger and more resilient healthcare system, capable of safeguarding vulnerable populations, particularly during times of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research study focuses on exploring the effects of horticultural activities on the health outcomes of residents of long-term care facilities (LTCFs). The study utilizes evidence-based nursing and a systematic literature review. A search for relevant articles was conducted on databases such as PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Cochrane. Randomized controlled trials in English and Chinese were included in the analysis, with two researchers independently evaluating the selected articles. The synthesis of results revealed that horticultural activities for residents of LTCFs had positive effects on physical aspects, such as increasing physical agility and aerobic endurance. Moreover, they had positive influences including happiness, positive mental health. In terms of social aspects, horticultural activities for older adults helped reduce aggressive behaviors, promoted goal-oriented living, and enhanced quality of life. Evidence of the impact of horticultural activities on the positive mental health of residents of LTCFs is relatively scarce compared to community-dwelling older adults, where psychological states are often studied in negative contexts. It has been suggested that LTCFs should integrate horticultural activities into their regular programs to foster positive mental health outcomes. Horticultural activities show promise in promoting positive mental health among residents of LTCFs and warrant further exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has posed severe threats to human safety in the healthcare sector, particularly in residents in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) at a higher risk of morbidity and mortality. This study aims to draw on cumulative prospect theory (CPT) to develop a decision model to explore LTCF administrators' risk perceptions and management decisions toward this pandemic. This study employed the policy Delphi method and survey data to examine managers' perceptions and attitudes and explore the effects of sociodemographic characteristics on healthcare decisions. The findings show that participants exhibited risk aversion for small losses but became risk-neutral when considering devastating damages. LTCF managers exhibited perception bias that led to over- and under-estimation of the occurrence of infection risk. The contextual determinants, including LTCF type, scale, and strategy, simultaneously affect leaders' risk perception toward consequences and probabilities. Specifically, cost-leadership facilities behave in a loss-averse way, whereas hybrid-strategy LTCFs appear biased in measuring probabilities. This study is the first research that proposes a CPT model to predict administrators' risk perception under varying mixed gain–loss circumstances involving considerations of healthcare and society in the pandemic context. This study extends the application of CPT into organizational-level decisions. The results highlight that managers counteract their perception bias and subjective estimation to avoid inappropriate decisions in healthcare operations and risk governance for a future health emergency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthcare workers (HCWs) in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) can represent a source of influenza infection for the elderly. While flu vaccination coverage (VC) is satisfactory in the elderly, HCWs are less likely to be vaccinated. There is no definitive evidence on which types of healthcare system-based interventions at LTCFs would be more useful in improving the vaccination uptake among HCWs. We performed a systematic review in different databases (Pubmed, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Health Evidence, Web of Science, Cinahl) to provide a synthesis of the available studies on this topic. Among the 1177 articles screened by their titles and abstracts, 27 were included in this review. Most of the studies reported multiple interventions addressed to improve access to vaccination, eliminate individual barriers, or introduce policy interventions. As expected, mandatory vaccinations seem to be the most useful intervention to increase the vaccination uptake in HCWs. However, our study suggests that better results in the vaccination uptake in HCWs were obtained by combining interventions in different areas. Educational campaigns alone could not have an impact on vaccination coverage. LTCFs represent an ideal setting to perform preventive multi-approach interventions for the epidemiological transition toward aging and chronicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]