Papers by Tony Schumacher Jones
Australian Nursing Journal, Oct 1, 2008
International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 2007
Residential aged care facilities are increasingly becoming locations wherein the most frail and o... more Residential aged care facilities are increasingly becoming locations wherein the most frail and older people with mental illness live out the remainder of their lives, yet it has become apparent in recent years that these institutions are fraught with a variety of social and clinical problems. One issue of concern has been the exodus of registered nurses (both general and psychiatric), who have been increasingly replaced by carers with little or no expertise in psychiatric illness or disorders of cognitive decline. This 'de-professionalizing' of aged care has important implications for the well-being of clients, particularity those with complex mental health problems. In this survey we sought to discover demographic information concerning those who provide front-line care to this population of aged Australians, and we sought also to ascertain how much education in caring for residents who suffer specifically from neurodegenerative disorders (the dementias) and mental illness was provided by the facilities to those who care for such older people. The lack of training in the areas of mental health and cognitive impairment raises a variety of issues that mental health nurses need to address. These issues cover clinical, professional, and social justice dimensions. We believe that mental health nurses are strategically and professionally placed to take a leadership role in raising the profile of aged care in this country and they need to act proactively to secure the well-being of this particularly vulnerable client group.
This study has three general aims. First to make some general demographic assessment of personal... more This study has three general aims. First to make some general demographic assessment of personal carers with respect to age, gender, education level, hours worked per week and location of employment. Second, to identify the scope of education provided by the workplace in respect of disorders of cognitive decline, such as the dementias and mental illness. Third, to understand something of the workplace experiences within which personal carers were employed. Within this context the study seeks to gain an insight into the experience of caring for cognitively impaired elders by those who were engaged in delivering care.
To study person centred care for people with a dementia with a particular focus on residential ag... more To study person centred care for people with a dementia with a particular focus on residential aged care facilities - A 2013 Churchill Fellowship Report.
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Papers by Tony Schumacher Jones