Birgit Van Ee

Het begrip persoonsgericht werken is niet meer weg te denken uit de zorg voor mensen met dementie. Er is echter weinig bekend over hoe zorgmedewerkers in verpleeghuizen invulling geven aan persoonsgericht werken. In deze kwalitatieve studie staat de vraag centraal op welke manier zorgprofessionals en naasten de persoonsgerichte elementen persoonsbeeld, communicatie, omgeving en waardigheid terugzien en toepassen in de dagelijkse zorg en wat zij hiervan vinden. Vijf zorgprofessionals en zeven naasten van bewoners met dementie zijn hierover geïnterviewd waarna de interviews zijn geanalyseerd met behulp van thematische analyse. Naast vier thema’s die betrekking hadden op de persoonsgerichte elementen kwamen twee thema’s over de randvoorwaarden voor het leveren van persoonsgerichte zorg naar voren. Professionals en naasten beschreven diverse situaties waarin persoonsgericht werd gehandeld, maar ook waarin dat niet het geval was. Vooral in de communicatie ervoeren zorgprofessionals en naasten hiaten in persoonsgerichtheid richting bewoners, waarbij naasten zelf graag meer gehoord wilden worden door de zorgprofessionals. Behalve bekwaamheid van zorgverleners bleken voldoende personeel en tijd randvoorwaarden voor persoonsgerichte zorg. Met scholing over dementie en persoonsgerichte zorg, kleine aanpassingen en betere afstemming met naasten kan echter ook met het beschikbare personeel mogelijk al veel bereikt worden in de zorg voor bewoners met dementie.

Background: Breast cancer is more prevalent among women 60 years or older than among women younger than 60 years. However, we know much more about the breast cancer experiences of younger women than of older women. Such knowledge is important, for example, to guide treatment decisions or to provide psychosocial care. Objective: The aim of this study was to gain insight into the experiences of women with breast cancer 70 years or older. Methods: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 21 older patients with breast cancer in the Netherlands. We used open coding and affinity diagramming to evoke the themes reflecting the experiences of these women. Results: Four themes emerged from the data: living through and coping with breast cancer, information exchange and informed choice, support experiences, and impact on daily life. Getting breast cancer took some women by surprise. However, older women with breast cancer coped fairly well and were satisfied with the support they received, especially from oncology nurses. Disturbing treatment adverse effects and changes in appearance, comorbid diseases, lack of clear information, and/or an unsupportive environment complicated their living with breast cancer. Conclusions: Even though many older women with breast cancer handle their disease rather well, some women do encounter difficulties. Lack of support, comorbid diseases, and treatment adverse effects warrant extra attention. Implications for Practice: Nurses’ close attention to women at risk and early intervention could help relieve individual suffering, while taking these womens’ strengths into account can enhance self-management.

Patient navigation (PN) and patient activation (PA) interventions are widely used to help patients with cancer to manage the disease and the care trajectory. However, the usability and impact of these interventions on older patients and their well-being are unclear. This study aims to show which PN and PA interventions are being used and what impact they have. After systematically searching the literature, we assessed the quality of the publications we found. The publications had to involve at least a subgroup of older people with minimally one abnormal oncologic test result each, and they had to focus on PN or PA interventions. Six PA publications examined the interventions exclusively for elderly patients. Each of the 11 PN and PA publications contained at least one comment about the impact on older patients. The types of impact varied substantially, but there was scant attention to the quality of life. The type of intervention, the outcome measures and the quality of publications also varied considerably. Generally, age is not an important factor in PN and PA studies. To facilitate adjustment of navigation and activation interventions to the individual patient, more rigorous research into the impact of PN and PA interventions on older patients is necessary.