Digital Commons Network^™

Grief On The Margins: The Death Of A Family Member To Substance Use, Adair Shaw

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Despite Canada's high death rates from substance use, there is limited research on the sociopsychological impact on families, who often face stigma and disenfranchised grief. This study explores how family members make meaning of a substance-related death. Through qualitative inquiry, eleven family members were interviewed on their experience of grief from substance death. The imprint of losing a family member to mental illness and substance use is fraught with intergenerational grief, ambiguity, prolonged mental-emotional distress, and relationship challenges. Substance death was also associated with stigma, social withdrawal, and shame for many participants. However, grievers reconstructed the socially prescribed negative perceptions …

Transdisciplinary Collaboration Of Healthcare Professionals And The Emotional Connectedness With Working With Patients Coping With Death And Dying, Princess Nguyen, Lindsay Gietzen

Pacific Journal of Health

Abstract

Purpose: This study explores how an integrated approach to care for patients and families by transdisciplinary healthcare teams provides opportunities for a patient-centered care approach to support quality of life throughout one's chronic illness and at the end-of-life. Discussions and conversations about impending death or dying are often challenging and a complex task for healthcare professionals in whatever settings. While there is an understanding of aspects of collaborative care and transitions and processes to support patients and families about how to cope and communicate about death and dying, it is essential to recognize how best to support end-of-life care …

How Do Older Adults Define A Good Death? A Scoping Review, Ellen L. Csikai, Quentin R. Maynard

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

A scoping literature review of the concepts of ‘good death’ and ‘dying well’ among older adults was conducted. The purpose was to identify aspects that older adults specifically considered important in defining a ‘good death’. The search revealed five articles published between 2005 and 2019 that met inclusionary criteria for the review. Primary among the views of the older adults in these studies of a ‘good death’ was the desire to avoid being a burden to families; done so by dying pain-free/peacefully (preferably in sleep) and preparing in advance by involving family in decisions and funeral/estate planning. Family support throughout …

African American Caregivers' Perceptions Of Ecological Factors Related To Hospice Utilization, Monica Prescott Lonon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African Americans remain an underrepresented demographic in hospice care because they underutilize the service at disproportionate rates compared to the total population. The research problem addressed African American perceptions of the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem factors that impacted their perceptions and utilization of hospice. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore African American caregivers’ perceptions of environment-related factors that affected their utilization of hospice care. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with 10 African American family caregivers aged 18 and over, with at least 2 years of experience as hospice caregivers. Findings from coding and …

Interprofessional Education In Healthcare Related Social Work: A Systematic Review, Devon Vitti

Social Work Doctoral Dissertations

The demand and need for social workers to enter the healthcare field continues to grow in the United States, particularly in integrated care settings working with other healthcare professionals. Social workers bring a unique perspective to the table, particularly when it comes to understanding and addressing intricate health issues like social determinants of health and social inequalities impacting individuals. However, they face numerous obstacles that hinder their ability to function optimally. These challenges begin during their undergraduate and graduate education, where there is a disparity among social work schools regarding the implementation of Interprofessional Education (IPE). This is partly due …

What Is The Importance Of Social Work Involvement In Hospice Care Transitions For Ill Children And Their Families, Natalie Rodas, Guillermina Morales

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Thousands of children who face terminal illnesses die annually in the United States, 10% of those children and their families have hospice care services available. Through this study, the importance of social work involvement in hospice care transitions for ill children and their families were examined. Due to the scarcity of social work in hospice care settings, this study helped amplify research on the importance of social workers in hospice care for ill children and their families. The study consisted of individual interviews held via Zoom with medical social workers that have experience working in pediatric hospice care. The individual …

“We’Re Dealing With An Inhumane Lack Of Resources”: Provider Perspectives On Palliative And End-Of-Life Care For Adults Experiencing Homelessness, M. Pilar Ingle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although palliative and end-of-life (PEOL) care offer many benefits to individuals with life-limiting illness, unhoused individuals face barriers in accessing these forms of care. Despite calls over the last several decades to improve PEOL services for unhoused individuals, this population remains underprioritized in efforts to improve access to healthcare. A richer understanding of these inequities as they relate to the specific social and political contexts within a state, such as Colorado, may offer more direct guidance on opportunities to improve policy and care provision.

The purpose of this study was to explore healthcare and social service provider-identified approaches and challenges …

Hearing Aid Loan Program For Hearing Loss At The End Of Life, M. Courtney Hughes, Diane Schecklong, King Chung

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

This article describes a hearing aid loan program to provide free amplification devices for patients at the end of life to help them communicate more effectively at this critical time. It includes steps for establishing such a program, addressing challenges, and the role of the informal caregiver throughout the intervention. Healthcare professionals and social workers are encouraged to develop similar programs and use the information here as helpful suggestions to consider for their programs.

“The Hierarchy Is Your Constraint:” A Qualitative Investigation Of Social Workers’ Moral Distress Across A U.S. Health System, Sophia Fantus, Rebecca Cole, Lataya Hawkins

School of Social Work Faculty Publications

This paper reports findings from a qualitative study on the triggers of hospital social workers’ moral distress at a large southern U.S. health system. Moral distress occurs when ethical conflict cannot be resolved in a way that aligns with an individual’s personal and professional values and ethics. Participants indicated that moral distress derives from both individual interactions and the culture and climate of health systems. For example, participants expressed how sources of moral distress derived from client-centered decisions, such as end-of-life care and patient autonomy; interpersonal dynamics, including team or supervisory conflict; structural issues, such as insurance barriers or internal …

What Is The State Of The Literature About Robotic Animal Use Among Older Adults Receiving Hospice Or Palliative Care?, Allyson Miles

Social Work Theses - Archive

Objective: This review aims to assess the extent of the literature on robotic pet use among older adults receivinghospice or palliative care. Introduction: In 2015, in the U.S, an estimated 1,426,00 individuals received hospice; among this population, 94.6% were aged 65 or older (National Center for Health Statistics,2019). According to the literature, a social robot is defined as something that interacts with individuals socio-emotionally during the intervention (Hudson et al., 2020). Social robots, including robotic pets, are promising technological interventions that can benefit the psychosocial health of older adults and people with dementia. Although there are previous reviews on robotic …

Positive Ageing And Death Or Dying: A Scoping Review, Robin Otto

Social Work Theses - Archive

This scoping review aims to examine the extent and how research that utilizes successful, active, productive, and healthy ageing framework(s) include death or dying. An examination of peer-reviewed academic articles published between 1980 and 2021 were reviewed following Joanna Briggs Institute's methodological standards for scoping reviews and conforming to Arskey and O'Malley's five-stage framework. The initial search resulted in 1,759 articles for review, and following the rigorous screening, 35 studies were included for the final review. A thematic analysis was the qualitative method employed to identify how research utilizes the concepts of death and dying in the context of four …

Human And Social Services Direct Service Professionals' Perception Of Late-Life Cumulative Grief And Loss, Deanna Robinson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Globally, the adult population 65 and older is anticipated to grow, signaling the necessity of awareness of late-life issues and concerns. Although research has shown that losses and changes in late life are anticipated, there is very little empirical evidence of how HSPs direct care professionals understand, assess, or perceive the complexities of cumulative grief and loss in their 65 and older clients. Charmaz’s constructivist grounded theory (CGT) (2014) was used as the conceptual framework a qualitative methodology to explore the understanding, assessment, and perception of the complexities of late-life cumulative grief and loss of HSPs working with adults 65 …

Appreciation Day For Clinical Staff At Vna Hospice, Melody Nguyen

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

VNA Hospice of the Central Coast is a nonprofit that was created back in 1951. The staff at VNA are visiting about 75,000 homes per year. Throughout the years the staff have been seeing patients who reached the requirement of having 6 months or less to live. Working with Hospice patients can be hard for everyone but, the staff at VNA are seeing the patients from good days and bad days. Depression is known to negatively impact the clinical staff at VNA Hospice. Staff are working long hours which leads to sleep disturbance and chronic stress. Some staff are also …

Ameliorating Stress And Burnout Among Professionals Who Work With Migrants And Refugees, Mark Lusk, Samuel Terrazas

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

Professionals and volunteers who work with refugees and forced migrants experience burnout and secondary stress as a result of exposure to the trauma and adversities confronted by their clients. A pilot project aimed at reducing these problems through the use of group discussion, sharing, guided movement, relaxation techniques, and mindfulness was found to reduce burnout and secondary traumatic stress among participants.

Spirituality Integrated Interventions For Caregivers Of Patients With Terminal Illness: A Systematic Review Of Quantitative Outcomes, Yongqiang Zheng, Anna Cox Cotton, Longtao He, Leslie Wuest

Faculty Publications - College of Social Work

This systematic review of published quantitative research was conducted to explore the effects of spirituality-integrated interventions for informal caregivers of terminally ill patients. Multiple databases were searched for articles published between January 2004 and November 2019. Twelve randomized controlled trials were identified. Methodological quality was assessed using the revised Cochrane Collaboration’s tool for assessing risk of bias. Studies were notably diverse in terms of spiritual background, intervention design, technology used, and outcomes measures. Spirituality-integrated interventions were found to show positive outcomes for caregivers. However, methodological flaws negatively affected the quality of most studies, warranting further and rigorous research into the …

Meaning-Centered Supervision: A Structured Self-Reflection Model To Reconnect With Personal And Professional Meaning In Palliative Care Work, Rebecca Cammy, Msw, Lcsw

Department of Medical Oncology Posters

Meaning-centered supervision explores participant’s sense of meaning of past, present, and future personal and professional experiences. The series aims to reintegrate selfreflection into clinical practice through experiential exercises, homework journaling, and group discussion. Social workers develop a narrative around themes of professional attitude, living and creating work life, and connections with the social work profession. The goal is to help palliative care social workers create a sense meaning and purpose in their work as they develop their personal and professional identities. Additionally, the hope is to support supervisees through any concerns of burnout and compassion fatigue.

Gerontological Social Work Roles In Disaster Preparedness And Response, Nancy Kusmaul, Allison Gibson, Skye N. Leedahl

Social Work Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Filipino Service Care Providers' Experience Of Compassion Fatigue While Working In Residential Care Facilities, Leizel Cerezo-Pann

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to explore Filipino service care providers’ experience of compassion fatigue. Compassion fatigue is a common experience among health care professionals and can contribute to feelings of hopelessness and adverse behaviors in caring for patients. In California, there are a large number of Filipinos who are employed as care providers for older adults; however, there is limited research available regarding Filipino workers in the United States. This study took on a qualitative design that utilized face-to-face interviews to gain more insight into Filipino service care providers’ experience of compassion fatigue in relation to their employment. …

Among Master Of Social Work Students, What Has A Higher Impact On Levels Of Stress: Spirituality, Physical Activity, Or Self-Compassion, Tania Garcia Avalos, Jose Murillo

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The main objective of this study was to determine which coping mechanisms have a higher impact on levels of stress in MSW graduate students. The distinctive aspect of this study was that the three primary points that were examined in MSW graduate students were spirituality, physical activity, and self-compassion. This study gathered quantitative data from students that were enrolled in the Master of Social Work program. There were a total of 102 participants in this study. A variety of bivariate analyses were conducted to assess the collected data. Significant outcomes from this study revealed that self-compassion was the best mitigator …

We Are The Medicine, Madalynn Wendland, Toni Speed

Interprofessional Education

We are all healers— to ourselves, each other and the world around us. Whether you are on the path of becoming a health professional, or have been in practice for a long time, this half-day workshop will help you to view healing from a holistic perspective that draws from the ancient traditions while respecting contemporary science.

Inclusion Of Social Workers In End-Of-Life Discussions In Intensive Care Units, Olivett D. Underwood-Mobley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Clinical social workers have roles in providing end-of-life care in the United States. Although clinical social workers are present in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting and have expertise to address end-of-life care dynamics, social workers are not consistently included in end-of-life discussions in the ICU setting. The purpose of this action research study was to explore the barriers that prevent clinical social workers from being included in end-of-life discussions in the ICU and how clinical social workers perceive their roles in end-of-life discussions in the adult ICU setting. Open-ended questions were used to gather data by facilitating 4 focus …

Perceptions Of Hospice Among Social Work Students: The Influences Of Sociodemographic Factors, Delia Vanessa Valenzuela

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The older adult population is rapidly growing along with the use and continued need for hospice care services. Due to these circumstances there is on ongoing demand for experienced and knowledgeable social workers to meet the unique needs of this population. Research in this study indicates that social workers currently working in the hospice field do not feel adequately prepared to work with dying and bereaved patients. Furthermore, research shows a lack of education within social programs and social work textbooks regarding the subject of end of life care. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding …

Hospice Social Work And The Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act, Christine A. Couture

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study was undertaken to explore how hospice social workers based at United States hospice agencies perceive changes in their work responsibilities in relation to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). Secondly, this study sought to explore hospice social worker support of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act healthcare policy reform.

A nonprobability sample of availability was used to find research participants. The researcher recruited participants through online social and professional networking groups and forums and by snowball sampling methods. Self-selected participants electronically confirmed their eligibility for participation in the study, prior to completing the 20-question online …

Relieving Human Suffering: Compassion In Social Policy, Mary E. Collins, Sarah Garlington, Kate Cooney

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Human suffering is always present in society. There is general consensus that action should be taken to address suffering, but there are differing views as to the appropriate means of doing so. In this paper we utilize a classical understanding of the virtue of compassion to answer the research question: How does contemporary U.S. policy address human suffering through compassionate response? To answer this question, we conduct a critical analysis of three policy domains (hospice care, domestic violence, and disaster relief) to determine variation in response to human suffering. Comparisons among the domains suggest the various ways in which compassion …

Lgbt Affirming Environments In Hospice Care Settings, Maria Gore

HIM 1990-2015

The documented experiences and perceptions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) patients receiving hospice or palliative care gives merit to the need for the implementation of LGBT affirming environments in hospice care settings. The guidelines for creating these affirming environments are described in this paper. Applying the Donabedian (1988) model of structure, process, and outcome this thesis project analyzes identified interventions relevant to the implementation of LGBT affirming environments in hospice care settings. Utilizing a formal PICO questioning method, a search strategy was devised and studies were identified based on established criteria. The results suggest that there is a …

Loss In Translation: A Model For Therapeutic Engagement And Intervention With Grieving Clients, Shelley Cohen Konrad

Social Work Faculty Publications

Bearing witness to grief is about accepting and experiencing suffering as an unavoidable aspect of loss. It also entails listening to and responding with clients in a way that affirms that their experiences have been heard and understood. This article describes a model for therapeutic engagement and intervention with grieving clients. The model is informed by contemporary grief and practice theories characterized by such qualities as emotional presence, reciprocity, responsiveness, empathic expression, and meaning making. Case examples from the author’s research and practice experience illustrate how these qualities contribute to what she describes as translational relationships that lead to transformations …

Personal Growth In Couples Caring For A Child With A Life-Threatening Illness, Kimberly Kennedy

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Little is known about the potential for positive outcomes in couples who have a child with a life-threatening illness. The current study was a secondary analysis of demographics and personal growth data of 34 couples actively caring for children with various life-threatening conditions. There were three overarching goals in this research: (a) to examine differences in Posttraumatic Growth Inventory scores (PTGI) of mothers and fathers, (b) to examine the relationship between demographic variables and PTGI scores of mothers and fathers, and (c) to measure level of congruency in couple-dyad scores and test if partners’ growth scores are predictive of one …

Informal Caregivers Of Advanced Cancer Patients: The Impact Of Geographic Proximity On Social Support And Bereavement Adjustment, John Garland Cagle

Theses and Dissertations

This research explored the social and psychological needs of caregivers of advanced cancer patients, and their subsequent bereavement adjustment. The study focuses exclusively on informal caregivers who provide assistance to patients receiving hospice care for end-stage cancer. Those individuals living furthest from the dying care recipient, the long distance caregivers, were of particular interest. This study used a prospective design to explore how a caregiver's geographic proximity impacted their social support and bereavement adjustment. A 2 x 3 repeated measures design was used to gather data from caregivers before a patient's death (using a pre-death questionnaire) as well as after …

Diagnostic Classifications And Resource Utilization Of Decedents Served By The Department Of Veterans Affairs, Sonia A. Duffy, Laurel Copeland, Faith Hopp, Robert J. Zalenski

Social Work Faculty Publications

Background: Given the volume and cost of inpatient care during the last year of life, there is a critical need to identify patterns of dying as a means of planning end-of-life care services, especially for the growing number of older persons who receive services from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).

Methods: A retrospective computerized record review was conducted of 20,933 VHA patients who died as inpatients between October 1, 2001 and September 30, 2002. Diagnoses were aggregated into one of five classification patterns of death and analyzed in terms of health care resource utilization (mean number of inpatient days and …

Strain Experienced By Caregivers Of Dementia Patients Receiving Palliative Care: Findings From The Palliative Excellence In Alzheimer’S Care Efforts (Peace) Program, Sadhna Diwan, Gavin W. Hougham, Greg A. Sachs

Faculty Publications

Programs that provide palliative care to individuals with dementia, which is a progressive terminal illness, are likely to encounter different issues (e.g., management of problem behaviors, caregiver strain extending over years) from those typically addressed by hospice programs. Little research is available on palliative care for individuals with dementia who live in the community.This study examines predictors of types of strain experienced by caregivers of community-dwelling patients with dementia enrolled in a unique demonstration program titled Palliative Excellence in Alzheimer Care Efforts (PEACE), which moved palliative care"upstream," integrating palliative care into the primary care of patients with dementia.Data were collected …