Empowering the Health and Well-Being of the Palliative Care Workforce: Evaluation of a Weekly Self-Care Checklist

Abstract Objective This study aimed to translate, culturally adapt, and validate the Mindful Self-Care Scale (MSCS, 33-item) in a Brazilian hospice and palliative care context. Method This was a cross-sectional study with a sample of 336 Brazilian hospice and palliative care providers. The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer — Quality of Life Group Translation Procedure protocol was used for the translation and the cultural adaptation process. Psychometric properties supporting the use of the MSCS were examined through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and correlation analysis with other instruments to assess congruence to related constructs (resilience and self-compassion). The reliability of the Brazilian-Portuguese version of the MSCS was assessed using Cronbach's α and composite reliability coefficients. Results The six-factor (33-item) model showed a good fit to the data, with satisfactory reliability indices and adequate representation of the scale's internal structure. Further validity is evidenced in the significant, positive correlations found between the MSCS, and similar well-being constructs, namely the Self-Compassion and Resilience scales. Significance of results The findings reveal that the MSCS (33-item) is a valid, reliable, and culturally appropriate instrument to examine the practice of mindful self-care by hospice and palliative care providers in Brazil. More broadly, it represents a promising instrument for future research into self-care practices and well-being among Brazilian healthcare providers.

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Leisure self-care, health and well-being in women’s lives

Annals of Leisure Research ◽

10.1080/11745398.2019.1652661 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 1-12 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Lisa Petty ◽

Dawn E. Trussell

Keyword(s):

Self Care ◽

Well Being ◽

Women's Lives ◽

Care Health ◽

Health And Well Being

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Happiness at the End of Life: A Qualitative Study

American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine® ◽

10.1177/1049909120939857 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 104990912093985

Author(s):

Anne O’Callaghan ◽

Ben Bickford ◽

Conor Rea ◽

Antonio Fernando ◽

Phillipa Malpas

Keyword(s):

Palliative Care ◽

End Of Life ◽

Hospice Care ◽

Qualitative Interviews ◽

Well Being ◽

Natural World ◽

The Internet ◽

Present Moment ◽

Hospice Patients ◽

Health And Well Being

Background: Happiness is a core ingredient of health and well-being, yet relatively little is known about what happiness means for individuals near the end of life, and whether perceptions of happiness change as individuals approach the end of their lives. Aim: The aim of this study was to explore, through interviews, how individuals experiencing hospice care understood and conceptualized happiness. Design: Qualitative interviews with hospice patients were analyzed thematically. Setting/Participants: Adult patients (n = 20) in a New Zealand hospice who were receiving palliative care and who could give their informed consent were invited by hospice nurse coordinators to an interview. Results: Four themes emerged from analysis of the transcribed interviews. Participants defined happiness most frequently and in most depth in relation to connection with others. They identified being in the present moment, particularly in relation to nature, and that happiness had become less associated with money, status, or possessions. They had an attitude of determination to focus on what mattered now. Conclusion: Patients receiving palliative care were generally happy with their lives, appreciated the simpler aspects of life away from the material. There was a common exhortation to young people to avoid focusing too much on acquisition and the internet and to prioritize instead social connection and engagement with the natural world.

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Reconfiguring health knowledges? Contemporary modes of self-care as ‘everyday fringe medicine’

Public Understanding of Science ◽

10.1177/0963662520934752 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 29 (5) ◽

pp. 508-523

Author(s):

Pia Vuolanto ◽

Harley Bergroth ◽

Johanna Nurmi ◽

Suvi Salmenniemi

Keyword(s):

Knowledge Base ◽

Knowledge Production ◽

Medical Knowledge ◽

Self Care ◽

Well Being ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Medical Expertise ◽

Medical Establishment ◽

Complex Modes ◽

Health And Well Being

The contestation of expertise is perhaps nowhere more pronounced than in the field of health and well-being, on which this article focuses. A multitude of practices and communities that stand in contentious relationships with established forms of medical expertise and promote personalised modes of self-care have proliferated across Euro-American societies. Drawing on multi-sited ethnography in three domains – body–mind–spirit therapies, vaccine hesitancy and consumer-grade digital self-tracking – we map such practices through the concept of ‘everyday fringe medicine’. The concept of everyday fringe medicine enables us to bring together various critical health and well-being practices and to unravel the complex modes of contestation and appreciation of the medical establishment that are articulated within them. We find three critiques of the medical establishment – critiques of medical knowledge production, professional practices and the knowledge base – which make visible the complexities related to public understandings of science within everyday fringe medicine.

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Recognition by family members that relatives with neurodegenerative disease are likely to die within a year: A meta-ethnography

Palliative Medicine ◽

10.1177/0269216311402712 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 26 (2) ◽

pp. 108-122 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

G Hubbard ◽

K McLachlan ◽

L Forbat ◽

D Munday

Keyword(s):

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Palliative Care ◽

Family Member ◽

Health Professionals ◽

Family Members ◽

Well Being ◽

Functional Abilities ◽

Thematic Synthesis ◽

To Receive ◽

Health And Well Being

Objective: To synthesize evidence of family members recognizing that their relative is likely to die within the year, and identifying the need for palliative care. Design: A meta-ethnography of studies of family members in multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s disease (PD) and motor neuron disease (MND). Review methods: Systematic search in electronic databases; thematic synthesis guided by the principles of meta-ethnography, which is a method for thematic synthesis of qualitative studies. Results: Nine articles were included. The results of the synthesis identified two key themes. First, family members are intimately aware of changes in their relative’s health and well-being. Sub-themes include family member awareness of different and progressive stages of the disease, noticing deterioration, noticing decline in functional abilities and recognizing that their relative will die. The second key theme is dilemmas of being involved in prognostication. Sub-themes include family member ambivalence toward hearing about prognostication, health professionals not being knowledgeable of the disease and family reluctance to receive palliative care. Conclusions: Family members monitor and recognize changes in their relative with PD, MND and MS and in themselves. Thus, drawing on the expertise of family members may be a useful tool for prognostication.

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Is the Health-Awareness of Leaders Related to the Working Conditions, Engagement, and Exhaustion in Their Teams? A Multi-Level Mediation Study.

10.21203/rs.3.rs-368807/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Luisa A. Grimm ◽

Georg F. Bauer ◽

Gregor J. Jenny

Keyword(s):

Working Conditions ◽

Work Engagement ◽

Self Care ◽

Well Being ◽

Job Resources ◽

Health Awareness ◽

Employee Outcomes ◽

Mediation Analyses ◽

The Individual ◽

Health And Well Being

Abstract Background: Research shows that leaders influence the health and well-being of employees, by being either a buffer or major source of employee's work stressors. Various leadership behaviors and their relation to employee outcomes have been examined. Yet, a satisfactory explanation of how leaders’ behavior influences health has not been found. A new line of research investigates the construct of “health-oriented leadership”, that is, the health awareness of leaders towards themselves (“self-care”) and towards their employees (“staff-care”). It is hypothesized that this health-orientation has a direct effect on both leader’s and employees’ health, as well as an indirect effect mediated by their working conditions.Methods: Data were derived from four company research projects, that involved employee and leader surveys on work, health, and well-being. The sample consisted of 50 teams, with 191 leaders and 604 team members. To test the relation between a leader’s self-care and his/her engagement, exhaustion, as well as staff-care, multiple regression analyses and mediation analyses were conducted. The relation between a leader’s staff-care, the team’s job resources and demands, and the individual employee outcomes engagement and exhaustion were tested with multilevel analyses.Results: Regression analysis showed that the stronger a leader's health-orientation towards him/-herself (“self-care”), the stronger was the health-orientation towards his/her employees (“staff-care”). A leader’s self-care was also associated with higher work engagement and lower exhaustion and this relation was mediated by his/her job resources and demands, respectively. Multilevel analysis showed that a leader's staff-care was associated with employee work engagement and exhaustion, and that this relation was mediated by team-level job resources and demands, respectively.Conclusions: The health-orientation of leaders relates to their own as well as their teams' engagement and exhaustion, which is partly mediated by job demands and resources. Thus the construct of health-orientation may prove worthy of further exploration. For practical conclusions, this study provides support for researching not different leadership styles with very specific facets, but a general orientation towards health, which can be implemented into coaching and consulting sessions for organizations.

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IMPROVING HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF GRANDPARENTS RAISING GRANDCHILDREN: A STRENGTHS-BASED INTERVENTION

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.1292 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S356-S356

Author(s):

Christine Fruhauf ◽

Loriena Yancura ◽

Aimee Fox ◽

Nathaniel Riggs ◽

Heather Greenwood-Junkiermeyer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Short Form ◽

Self Care ◽

Well Being ◽

Community Services ◽

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren ◽

Self Assessments ◽

Health And Well Being

Abstract Many grandparents raising grandchildren experience depression. Few interventions take a strengths-based approach to improve their mental health. To address this gap, this study utilized an adapted version of Powerful Tools for Caregivers (PTC) for grandparents (PTC-G) to improve their self-care, communication, and self-efficacy. Grandparents completed self-assessments including the CES-D short form prior to the intervention, immediately after the 6-week program, and at 6-months. Focus groups were also conducted during the 6-month follow-up to further explore positive behavior change. Data from all sources were analyzed to show that the PTC-G program significantly lowered depressive symptoms of grandparents raising grandchildren. Qualitative data shows that grandparents report increased awareness and use of self-care practices and community services. By improving the health and well-being of grandparents raising grandchildren, the PTC-G intervention shows promise in reducing depression and improving long-term mental health outcomes in vulnerable grandfamilies.

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Yoga in a palliative care suite: Promoting self-care amongst nurses and practitioners.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2015.33.29_suppl.169 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 33 (29_suppl) ◽

pp. 169-169

Author(s):

Cheryl Gancio ◽

Bridget Earle

Keyword(s):

Palliative Care ◽

Compassion Fatigue ◽

Self Care ◽

Well Being ◽

University Hospital ◽

High Rate ◽

Unique Challenge ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Quality Of Life Scale ◽

Organizational Involvement

169 Background: North Shore University Hospital (NSUH) in Manhasset, NY has a thriving in-patient palliative medicine consult service and a 10 bed palliative care suite (PCS). The PCS specializes in managing and treating symptoms as well as the psycho-social, interpersonal and emotional needs of our patients and families. Approximately 80% of the admitted patients expire on the unit. This high rate of patient expiration presents a unique challenge for staff working in this setting. In order to promote self-care and prevent burnout we implemented a yoga program for the nurses and practitioners in the PCS. Our goal was to assess the effectiveness of the yoga program on staff well-being and perceptions on the unit. Methods: We started with an evidence based literature search to validate the high amount of burnout in the clinical setting amongst staff and the benefits of yoga on reducing stress and promoting self-care. A fellow nurse certified yoga instructor was identified to run each session. Participation waivers were obtained from all staff. The yoga program started in June 2013 once to twice weekly in the PCS. All participants were surveyed to evaluate compassion fatigue, burnout and perception of organizational involvement using the professional quality of life scale (ProQOL). Results: There were a total of 23 subjects; 13 (56.52%) participated in yoga and 10 (43.48%) did not. Most of the participants were female and registered nurses. Results of the ProQOL showed no significant difference in compassion fatigue but the majority of subjects reported high perception of organizational involvement from their managers after the program was implemented. Conclusions: The program was feasible, of low cost and sustainable although we did face some challenges. It further identified the value of support from management to improve practitioner self-care and burnout. Our future plans include, assessing effectiveness on a larger scale, offering yoga to patients and family and continuing to implement the project on a more structured basis in the PCS.

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CARING FOR HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. CHANGING CONSUMER TRENDS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

RSUH/RGGU Bulletin Series Economics Management Law ◽

10.28995/2073-6304-2021-2-24-37 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 24-37

Author(s):

Tat'yana B. Ryzhkova ◽

◽

Elena A. Tarasenko ◽

Keyword(s):

Consumer Behavior ◽

New Technologies ◽

Health And Safety ◽

Self Care ◽

Consumer Attitudes ◽

Well Being ◽

Social Distancing ◽

Home Space ◽

Health And Well Being

In the article the authors give an assessment of changes in trends of the consumer behavior in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is shown that care for health and safety of oneself and loved ones in conditions of social distancing, forced homing and blurring the boundaries between work and home are main drivers for changing the consumer practices of Russian citizens, introducing the new creative ways of consumption and the emergence of deferred demand. The authors show changes in consumer attitudes towards home space, self-care increasing. They conclude that due to self-safety and digitalization trends in consumer behavior have changed so significantly that consumers will not completely return to their old habits after the end of the pandemic. New technologies and digitalization are making significant changes in the consumer lives and practices.

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