Mental Health Matters
Acceptability and Feasibility of a Program Supporting Community Participation and Inclusion of Older Adults Living with Mental Health Challenges in Recreation Centers
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Ginette Aubin, Marie-Michèle Lord
With the intention of creating inclusive spaces for marginalized older adults, namely those living with mental health challenges (MHC), a health promotion program was adapted and implemented in community recreation centers (RC). This 10-week program, named Count me in!, aims to support community participation through group discussion and reflexive activities, and a strength-based approach. The next step of this action research aimed to document its initial acceptability and feasibility. A descriptive qualitative approach was used. The program was implemented in two RCs, in different cities in the province of Quebec, in Canada. Program participants (n=10) were submitted to interviews and filled out questionnaires, before and after the program. Facilitators (n = 4) took notes during each group session and were also interviewed, as were RC activity coordinators (n=2). A thematic data analysis was conducted. Dimensions of acceptability (such as perceived program effectiveness, efforts required to participate and values conveyed by the program) obtained a positive evaluation by participants as well as facilitators. Feasibility was facilitated when program implementation conditions within RCs (logistics for example) required little or no additional resources. Facilitators greatly appreciated “mixing” older adults, some living with an MHC and others not. In addition, recognition of the RC’s expertise by the community turned out to be an asset. Therefore, the implementation of the Count me in! program in RCs seems to have a good potential for becoming an inclusive space for older adults living with an MHC.
Mental Health and Substance Use Issues Among Home Care Clients: Implications for Service Provision
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Don Fuchs, Hai Luo, Lori Mitchell
Canadian research identifies a growing segment of older adults with mental health and/or substance use (MH/SU) conditions. This has implications on home care programs, which typically serve older adults but were not established for MH/SU concerns. This project determines the nature and prevalence of mental health and substance use among home care clients in Manitoba and examines the impact on provision of service to this population. Ten years of data from the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority’s (WRHA) public home care program were used. Clients’ clinical and service data were reviewed retrospectively for prevalence of mental health and substance use and clinical and service characteristics of MH/SU clients. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with a cross-section of WRHA Home Care staff and external service partners to explore the current context and implications for supporting MH/SU clients. Analyses found MH/SU conditions in home care have increased over time, to a current prevalence in one-third of clients. SU/MI clients are younger in age and present significant differences in clinical status and care considerations. Interviews identified the need for specific staff training, enhanced recruitment and retentions strategies, attention to staff safety and development of networks of collateral community base support resources for adults with MH/SU issues to address the growth and complexity of needs found in SU/MI clients. MH/SU conditions are important clinical considerations in home care, with service challenges. Results have transferability for policymakers and service providers to address MH/SU needs in communities and enhance client care
Designing Lighting for Wellbeing: A Comparison of the Emotional vs Physiological Impact for People Living with Dementia from a Wellbeing Perspective
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Kate Turley
Interior lighting environments are an integral part of everyday life, but often we pay little attention to the spectral composition of the lights as we monotonously switch them ‘on’ and ‘off’. However light has a huge impact on not only our vision but on our body clocks. The variation in intensity and wavelength of incident lighting at different times of the day helps to control our mood, rest-activity patterns and sleep-wake cycles. For people living with dementia, this regularity of the body clock is often absent. Therefore learning to incorporate this knowledge into lighting design while maintaining the user’s comfort is critical to help support their wellbeing. This research discusses the design of a study which aims to compare the emotional vs physiological impact of lighting as a means to inform lighting design for the ageing generation and people living with dementia. The authors propose an open and closed interview structure which weights the importance of different aspects of lighting from the perspective of people living with dementia. The responses are then compared to the ‘current guidelines’ which report on lighting to support the body clock. The final outcome then provides an analysis of how to integrate both evidence-based lighting for wellbeing while maintaining the comfort and sense of environment for the end users.
