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RELATIVES SATISFACTION
WITH CARE PROVIDED
3.4 Activities
3.4.1 Activity Therapists
Forty-four per cent of respondents
stated that the Home in which their relative was a resident
employed an activity therapist. However, 44% did not know.
Forty-nine per cent of respondents
with a relative in a nursing home stated an activity therapist
was employed, compared to 38% of respondents with a relative
in a residential home.
3.4.2 Activity Programme
Approximately, two-thirds
of respondents (63%) thought the activity programme provided
by the Homes was good or satisfactory.
| Our friend has settled into the Home
unbelievably well. We are especially in praise of the
day to day running of the home. An excellent team of
staff members giving dedicated loving care to the residents
and regular activity and outings planned. The elderly
wouldn't get a chance to be bored there. |
Reasons for stating the programme
was poor, included:
- no activity programme provided
- programme lacking in variety
- residents not encouraged to participate
|
Have visited different times and days and evening,
have not seen any activity programmes except carol
singing at Christmas.
Programme is not varied enough. Persons conducting
the programme do not have proper training. Limited
use of occupational therapist.
Each time I visit, patients are sitting around with
the TV on.
The activity programme is not suitable to the needs
of the residents, in that it provides no stimulation.
|
3.4.3 Encouraged participation
in activities
Sixty-three per cent of individuals
resident in nursing homes and 77% of those resident in residential
homes were encouraged to participate in activity programmes.
| The Home provides entertainment frequently.
They play bowls once a week as well. |
However, approximately eighty
per cent (79% in nursing homes and 84% in residential homes)
of respondents stated that staff respected the wishes of
residents who did not wish to participate in particular
activities.
My mother does not wish to
join in most of events provided - she is blind and a bit
deaf.
3.4.4 Relatives involvement
in activities
Overall, thirty per cent of
respondents stated they had been asked to assist in some
of the activities in which their relative had been involved.
However, of those who had not been asked to assist, only
18% would have liked the opportunity to be involved.
| If I could I would like to take part
in the activities. |
3.5 Staff
3.5.1 Staffing levels
A higher proportion of respondents
felt enough staff were on duty during the day to care for
residents in each Home, than during the night (table 3.3).
Respondents with a relative in a nursing home, were the
least satisfied with staffing levels.
Table 3.3 - Satisfaction
with staffing levels
| Enough staff .. |
Overall |
Nursing Homes |
Residential Homes |
| during the day |
63% |
59% |
68% |
| during the night |
47% |
39% |
58% |
|
The biggest problem is that the Home always appears
to be understaffed and the staff mostly seem to be
agency staff.
I feel problems arise when too few staff are on at
nights and weekends, standards drop, sometimes very
badly.
|
Twenty-one per cent of respondents
with relatives in residential homes and 38% with relatives
in nursing homes felt there was a high turnover of staff
in the Home.
|
I feel that my mother does not get the care she needs
due to the fact the staff are changing so often which
means that agency staff are used a lot, therefore
they do not get to know what each patient's requirements
are.
I feel that it takes time to develop a relationship
with the patient, and that an undue turnover of staff
does not help the process.
|
When asked if their relative
had a key worker, a higher proportion of respondents with
a relative in a residential home than in a nursing home
stated they had (79% compared to 64%).
3.5.2 Care provided by
staff
Satisfaction with staff regarding
their attitude towards residents, the quality of care given,
and their helpfulness was high (table 3.4). Levels of satisfaction
were slightly higher in residential homes.
Table 3.4 - Satisfaction
with care provided by staff
| |
Overall
|
Nursing Homes
|
Residential Homes
|
| |
Very satisfied
|
Satisfied
|
Very satisfied
|
Satisfied
|
Very satisfied
|
Satisfied |
| Attitude |
59%
|
37%
|
52%
|
43%
|
68%
|
31% |
| Care |
58%
|
37%
|
51%
|
43%
|
68%
|
29% |
| Helpfulness |
61%
|
35%
|
55%
|
40%
|
69%
|
29% |
| At all times, both my family and me
have always found all the staff to be friendly, helpful
and kind. |
Reasons given for being dissatisfied
with staff included:
- poor staff attitude
- ignoring of problems
- lack of communication between staff and relatives
Almost all respondents (over
97%) felt their relatives were treated with respect, dignity
and as individuals (figure 3.5). A slightly lower proportion
(93%) felt their relatives were given the opportunity to
make choices.
Figure 3. 5 - Treatment
of residents
Issues raised by those who
were not as satisfied that their relatives were being treated
with respect, dignity nor given the opportunity to make
choices included: male staff taking female residents to
the toilet; inability to lock resident's rooms; assumption
that residents want to be called by their Christian names;
and earliness of bedtimes.
|
My mother was upset because a few times the male
carer took her to the toilet. She does not mind the
male carer giving her help with other things but not
the toilet.
I do not agree to carers addressing residents by
their Christian names unless it has been decided beforehand.
Residents are put to bed too early. Before I left
my father tonight, they were going to put him to bed
at 8.20pm. I asked if he wanted to go to bed and he
said no. The staff heard this and said they would
"do" someone else and dad could stay up.
|
Some nursing and residential
homes have beds allocated for individuals requiring respite
care. However, only a small proportion of respondents (8%)
felt that the provision of this care adversely affected
the care given to permanent residents.
3.5.3 Relatives relationship
with staff
The majority of respondents
felt staff valued the information they gave about their
relative (figure 3.6). However, those with a relative in
a residential home were the most positive that this information
was valued.
Figure 3.6 - Staff valuing
information given to them by relatives
Relatives rated their relationship
with staff highly in both residential and nursing homes
(table 3.5). Those who felt they had a poor relationship
with staff thought it was because of the attitude of staff.
Table 3.5 - Rating of relationship
between relatives and staff
| |
Overall |
Nursing Home |
Residential Home |
| Very good |
65% |
62% |
69% |
| Good |
27% |
28% |
24% |
| Average |
8% |
9% |
7% |
| Poor |
>1% |
1% |
>1% |
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