Baycrest Health Sciences & Baycrest Foundation Publications
Issue link: http://baycrest.uberflip.com/i/708513
5 PSYCHIATRY & CLINICAL ETHICS: Best Pracces in Sexuality and Sexual Expression in Long‐ Term Care The KLAERU team is addressing a prominent issue in long‐term care through its collaboraon with Drs. Ken Schwartz (Psychiatric Day Hospital) and Marcia Sokolowski (Clinical Ethics) in a research study on sexual health and inmacy sponsored by the Ministry of Health Alternave Funding Plan (AFP) program. Some older adults connue to have interest in sexuality (gender identy, sexual orientaon), sexual expression (e.g. in their grooming, how they dress, how they behave), and sexual behavior regardless of age. Administrators and staff of long‐term care homes, as well as family, should ancipate sexual behaviours and be ready to respond appropriately. The KLAERU‐AFP team will be assessing Baycrest's preparedness for dealing with such issues using quesonnaires and focus groups. To date, KLAERU has assisted in the study design, successfully facilitated REB approval, staff recruitment, and data collecon. In 2016, KLAERU will facilitate phase 2 of the study which may involve focus groups. Responding to the sexual desires of older adults in residenal environments is widely recognized as a challenge by care staff, administrators, and family members. MEDICINE: Improving Performance In Drivers with Mild Cognive Impairment through Cognive Rehabilitaon Led by Dr. Gary Naglie, Chief of Medicine at Baycrest, the research team is conducng a double‐blind randomized trial of older adults with mild cognive impairment. The study aims to determine if a cognive intervenon designed to enhance execuve funcon and processing speed results in improvements in driving performance, cognion, mood, and quality of life, relave to processing speed training alone or an acve control intervenon. Since August 2014, KLAERU has successfully assisted in conducng 39 cognive and driving assessments of study parcipants as part of the post‐ intervenon follow‐up and 6‐ month follow‐up visits. The study is ongoing. NURSING & NUTRITION: Evaluaon of a Natural Bowel Care Protocol in Long ‐Term Care Through a collaboraon between Baycrest Nursing (Amy Davignon, Deborah Lappen, Advanced Pracce Nurses) and Food & Nutrion Services (Deborah Marnussen, Registered Diean), a natural bowel care protocol was implemented in the Apotex Centre, using ground flax, prunes, and increased fluid intake to regulate bowel movements among seniors with cognive impairment. In conducng an evaluaon of the efficacy of the natural bowel care protocol, KLAERU successfully assisted in obtaining REB approvals, extracted medical data from medical charts and medicaon records, idenfied appropriate outcome measures, and conducted a quantave analysis. The KLAERU team provided support for the preparaon of materials the nursing staff presented at the Canadian Gerontological Nursing Associaon Conference (May 2015) and co‐ authored the manuscript, "Implementaon and Evaluaon of a Natural Bowel Care Protocol in Long‐Term Care" published in March 2016 [Perspecves 38:4].