Virtual Collection

A Virtual Collection is a carefully curated, online only section of an issue of The Gerontologist focusing on a topic or theme. As part of an online only section, the articles in this section will be published online only (title would appear in a print issue Table of Contents for the journal, but the full article would appear online only).

August 2018 – Quality of Care in Long-Term Care: Qualitative Research

Quality of care in long-term care settings continues to be major concerns for consumers, providers, and policy makers. This Virtual Collection of qualitative and mixed methods articles recently published in The Gerontologist includes eight studies that explore factors contributing to resident quality of care and quality of life from the perspectives of staff and residents. These articles provide insights into: staff decision-making regarding use of antipsychotic medications, the impact of leadership involvement and the challenges to sustaining effective quality improvement interventions, strategies for implementing quality improvement initiatives, and residents’ views of quality and quality indicators. These articles represent a range of qualitative and mixed methodologies, illustrating the richness to be gained when these methodologies are used skillfully and appropriately. We hope this collection will inspire other researchers and provide guidance to long-term care staff and administrators, clinical care providers, and consumers of long-term care residential services.

April 2018 - Dementia and Caregiving

With the number of people living with dementia expected to increase each year, caregivers continue to play an integral role in maintaining quality of life and quality of care of those living with dementia. This Virtual Collection highlights studies recently published in The Gerontologist that focus on caregiving for persons with dementia. The selected articles cover a broad range of issues including care-related stress, impact of caregiving on families, sociocultural factors in care seeking behaviors, caregiver involvement in treatment management, post-caregiving well-being, and psychosocial interventions to improve the quality of life for caregivers. We hope this timely collection of papers will attract interest of researchers in the field and also provide a valuable resource and support to healthcare providers and caregivers alike.

Additional research on dementia care to improve quality of care and quality of life for persons with dementia and their caregivers is available in the supplement, Alzheimer’s Association Dementia Care Practice Recommendations, published in February 2018.