Is the bereavement grief intensity of survivors linked with their perception of death quality?

Background: Some people experience exceptionally severe bereavement grief, and this level of post-death grief could potentially be the result of a low quality dying process.

Aims: A pilot study was conducted to determine if a relationship exists between perceived death quality and bereavement grief intensity.

Methods: A questionnaire was developed and posted online for data on bereavement grief intensity, perceived death quality, and decedent and bereaved person characteristics.

A scoping research literature review to assess the state of existing evidence on the "bad" death.

Objective: A scoping research literature review on "bad death" was undertaken to assess the overall state of the science on this topic and to determine what evidence exists on how often bad deaths occur, what contributes to or causes a bad death, and what the outcomes and consequences of bad deaths are.

Method: A search for English-language research articles was conducted in late 2016, with 25 articles identified and all retained for examination, as is expected with scoping reviews.

Results: Only 3 of the 25 articles provided incidence information, specifying that 7.

Are chronically ill patients high users of homecare services in Canada?

Objectives: Chronically ill patients often need healthcare and supportive services, with formal homecare services an important source of community-based assistance. Although people diagnosed with 1 or more chronic diseases are thought to be the most common homecare clients, and perhaps the highest users of homecare services, few studies have analyzed homecare services utilization by specific clients. A study was done to determine if a relationship exists between chronic illness and homecare services utilization.

Examining waiting placement in hospital: utilization and the lived experience.

This mixed-methods study addressed the problem that although waiting placement is considered a major hospital utilization issue, minimal evidence exists to highlight the extent of it and the personal impact of waiting placement. An analysis of two years of complete hospital data for the Canadian province of Alberta was undertaken to examine waiting placement rates and describe waiting placement patients. Qualitative interviews and observations of elderly patients waiting in hospital for nursing home placement were also undertaken to gain an understanding of the lived experience of waiting for placement in hospital.

A population-based study on advance directive completion and completion intention among citizens of the western Canadian province of Alberta.

Determining what proportion of the public has completed an advance directive and which population subgroups complete or do not complete such a directive is crucially important for planning purposes. Our research objective was to examine and compare advance directive completion, intention to complete, and noncompletion rates among citizens of one Canadian province. A telephone survey was conducted with 1,203 Albertans who met gender, age, and other requirements for a representative sample.

The preferred place of last days: results of a representative population-based public survey.

Background: The place of death is of considerable interest now, yet few studies have determined public preferences for place of end-of-life (EOL) care or final days of life.

Objective: A survey was designed to answer three questions: (1) What are public preferences for the place of last days? (2) Is this place preference related to socio-demographic and other background characteristics? and (3) Is this place preference associated with specified previous death and dying experiences, the preparation of a living will or advance directive, or a viewpoint supportive of death hastening?

Design: An experienced telephone survey company was commissioned to gain a representative population-based sample and survey participants. In mid-2010, 1203 adults were surveyed in Alberta.

Canadian rural-urban differences in end-of-life care setting transitions.

Few studies have focused on the care setting transitions that occur in the last year of life. People living in rural areas may have more difficult care setting transitions and also more moves in the last year of life as health changes occur. A mixed-methods study was conducted to gain an understanding of the number and implications or impact of care setting transitions in the last year of life for rural Canadians.

Educating youths to make safer choices: results of a program evaluation study.

Injuries are a leading cause of childhood death and disability. Many injuries are a result of youths taking risks and not avoiding risky situations. An educational program to reduce adolescent injury risk (Prevent Alcohol and Risk-Related Trauma in Youth) has operated out of the Misericordia Hospital in Edmonton Canada since 1992.

Current End-of-Life Care Needs and Care Practices in Acute Care Hospitals.

A descriptive-comparative study was undertaken to examine current end-of-life care needs and practices in hospital. A chart review for all 1,018 persons who died from August 1, 2008 through July 31, 2009 in two full-service Canadian hospitals was conducted. Most decedents were elderly (73.

Age-Based Differences in Care Setting Transitions over the Last Year of Life.

Context. Little is known about the number and types of moves made in the last year of life to obtain healthcare and end-of-life support, with older adults more vulnerable to care setting transition issues. Research Objective.