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Higher Educated Caregivers: Cutting Cost and

Increasing Care in Assisted Living Facilities

Introduction: 

For the past two summers I have spent my time working at an Assisted Living Facility near my hometown.  Throughout this time I have had a first hand experience of what it is like to work in an assisted living facility. Using this experience I will write an Autoethnography documenting my experience as a direct care giver/mobile caregiver and the situations I observed.  I will also compare my personal experiences with situations described in current research.  This comparison of my experience to current research ideas will give an insight to what Assited Living Facilities are really like. 

Aims of the Study: 

To show a correlation between higher educated caregivers and patient care/cost efficiency by answering the following questions: 

• 1. How does the hiring of higher educated individuals increase care and decrease cost?
  2. What type of nursing atmosphere would higher educated caregivers give to an Assisted Living facility?
  3. In what ways would hiring higher educated individuals create more efficient patient care?
  4. Would Communication and Understanding between higher educated care givers create a system of checks for patient care?
  5. How would the staffing of non-educated individuals in positions the same as higher educated caregivers create high turnover of the higher educated caregiver?
  6. How does the higher educated caregiver create feelings of independence among their residents?
  7. In a facility with higher educated caregivers, will the caregivers be more likely to participate and encourage furthering education?
  8. By having higher educated staffers, how would this effect resident education about their care?

Source: 

Williams, K, & Warren, C. (2009). Communication in assisted living. Journal of Aging Studies, 23. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=MImg&_imagekey=B6W51-4TKXD75-1-1&_cdi=6557&_user=3569841&_pii=S0890406508000844&_orig=search&_coverDate=01%2F31%2F2009&_sk=999769998&view=c&wchp=dGLbVlz-zSkzk&_valck=1&md5=4b74c957c61527358aa8d60f81ee54e3&ie=/sdarticle.pdf 

Weech-Maldonado, R, Shea, D, & Elmendorf, K. (2007). Long-term care providers and their perceptions of the external environment: rural versus urban differences. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 26(78), Retrieved from http://jag.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/26/1/78 doi: 10.1177/0733464806296145 

Castle, N.G., & Engberg, J. (2007). The Influence of staffing characteristics on quality of care in nursing homes. Health Services Research, Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2254574/ doi: 10.1111/j.1475-6773.2007.00704.x. 

Ball, M.M., Lepore, M.L., Perkins, M.M., Hollingsworth, C., & Sweatman, M. (2009). “They are the reason i come to work”: the meaning of resident- staff relationships in assisted living. Journal of Aging Studies, 23(1), Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6W51-4TKXD75-2&_user=3569841&_coverDate=01%2F31%2F2009&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1210903812&_rerunOrigin=scholar.google&_acct=C000060884&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=3569841&md5=87736721aa814edae02baeb346698fd8 doi: 10.1016/j.jaging.2007.09.006 

Spellbring, AM, & Ryan, JW. (2003). Medication administration by unlicensed caregivers: a model program. Journal of Gereontological Nursing, 29(6), Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=5&hid=11&sid=73e293b6-662d-40bd-9644-a9cf3e63eaa3%40sessionmgr13&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=c8h&AN=2003104511#db=c8h&AN=2003104511 

Stefanacci, RG, & Podrazik, PM. (2005). Assisted living facilities: optimizing outcomes.. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 53(3), Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=5&hid=11&sid=73e293b6-662d-40bd-9644-a9cf3e63eaa3%40sessionmgr13&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=c8h&AN=2005076192#db=c8h&AN=2005076192 

 Lima , JC, Miller, SC, & Shield, RR. (2009). Palliative and hospice care in assisted living: reality or wishful thinking?. Journal of Housing for the Elderly, 23(1-2), Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=7&hid=11&sid=73e293b6-662d-40bd-9644-a9cf3e63eaa3%40sessionmgr13&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=c8h&AN=2010264224 

To demonstrate how autoethnography is used by researchers and how they can influence the nursing field. 

1. Show the support of autoethnography
2. Show the disapproval of autoethnography as a research source.

To Explain my experiences as a noneducated caregiver and then student  nurse and why education for any caregiver is important. 

Source: 

Wright, J. (2008). Searching one’s self: the autoethnography of a nurse teacher. Journal of Research in Nursing, 13(4), Retrieved from http://jrn.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/13/4/338 doi: 10.1177/1744987107088046 

Framework:  

In the medical field new research is being done constantly.  I would feel fairly uncomfortable stating that I was going to research any of the above questions systematically and create new information for the medical field.  Almost all of my questions have been answered in nursing/medical journals.  However, they have been answered by highly educated medical professionals who see the assisted living facilities from the outside.  My insight into this research is my experience working in an Assisted living facility.   My autoethnography will give a first hand account of the environment of an Assisted living facility.  My experiences are personal to myself.  I can then use research to back what I have experienced in the Assisted Living facilities.  An Authoethnography describes a person’s culture, ethnic backround or even personal experience.  By using this research method I will give an insight into what it is like to be a caregiver in an assisted living facility.  

Implications/Applications:  

By giving a first hand account of what it is like to work in an Assisted Living Facility, my information presented can help influence future decisions about staffing in such facilities.  Also my work will show what works and what doesn’t in the current system.  This information can help both owners/employers of assisted living facilities and also individuals considering care from Assisted Living Facilities.