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BACKGROUND: For persons with dementia, receptive music may reduce negative expressions and increase positive ones. Caregiver singing (CS) is an intervention aimed at facilitating care situations and involves caregivers singing for or together with persons with dementia during care activities. In the literature, CS is commonly addressed as a music activity rather than a care intervention. The aim was to describe caregivers' experiences of the reactions of persons with dementia when using CS and receptive music in dementia care.

METHOD: The data comprised three focus group interviews with 12 professional caregivers in dementia care, analysed using qualitative content analysis.

RESULTS: the analysis resulted in two themes: "CS increases interaction and builds companionship" and "Receptive music soothes, awakens memories and reflects the person's self".

CONCLUSION: Both CS and receptive music was shown to have positive influences, and while the results were sometimes intertwined, CS was shown to better facilitate problematic care situations.

BACKGROUND: During the pandemic in Sweden, the aim was to protect older people, especially those among them who were sick, frail and vulnerable in residential care facilities. A ban was put on visits at all residential care facilities in March 2020 to prevent the spread of infection among the older people. This study aims to describe the experiences of Community Chief Nurses and Registered Nurses who provided medical and nursing care for older people in residential care facilities and home care during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to examine factors associated with the quality of care.

METHODS: The study has a mixed method cross-sectional design (STROBE). Data were collected using a web-based survey that comprised two questionnaires, for Community Chief Nurses and Registered Nurses developed for the study. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression models, as well as qualitative content analyses.

RESULTS: The majority of Community Chief Nurses reported adequate opportunities to work with management to handle the COVID-19 pandemic. The Registered Nurses reported that the quality of care, as well as the person's safety, was negatively affected during the pandemic. Factors associated with good care were as follows: information-sharing; ability to comply with hygiene practices; competence in how to care for older persons with COVID-19; a physician at bedside assessing their health; and support from frontline managers.

CONCLUSION: The study highlights crucial facets that care organizations must address to enhance their readiness for future pandemics or disasters, ensuring the security and well-being of the older people.

Purpose – Dignity and well-being are key aspects of the legislation and policies that regulate care of olderpersons worldwide. In addition, care of older persons should be person-centred. Dignity and well-being aredescribed as results of person-centred care (PCC). The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding ofimportant aspects for older persons to experience dignity and well-being in residential care facilities (RCFs).

Design/methodology/approach – This study had a qualitative approach, and individual semi-structuredinterviews were conducted with 20 older persons living in RCFs. Data were analysed using inductive contentanalysis.

Findings – To experience dignity and well-being older persons emphasized the importance ofpreserving their identity. To do this, it was important to be able to manage daily life, to gain support andinfluence and to belong to a social context. However, the findings indicate a need for improvements.

Practical implications – Insights into older persons’ experiences of important aspects for experiencingdignity and well-being in RCFs can be used by first-line managers and registered nurses when designingimprovement strategies to promote PCC.

Originality/value – Dignity and well-being are described as results of PCC. The findings provide anunderstanding of what older persons perceive as important for experiencing dignity and well-being inRCFs. The findings are useful when designing improvement strategies to promote PCC.

Background: Dignity and well-being are central concepts in the care of older people, 65 years and older, world‑wide. The person-centred practice framework identifes dignity and well-being as person-centred outcomes. Older persons living in residential care facilities, residents, have described that they sometimes lack a sense of dignity and well-being, and there is a need to understand which modifable factors to target to improve this. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between perceptions of dignity and wellbeing and the independent variables of the attitudes of staf, the indoor-outdoor-mealtime environments, and individual factors for residents over a three-year period.

Methods: A national retrospective longitudinal mixed cohort study was conducted in all residential care facilities within 290 municipalities in Sweden. All residents aged 65 years and older in 2016, 2017 and 2018 were invited to responded to a survey; including questions regarding self-rated health and mobility, the attitudes of staf, the indooroutdoor-mealtime environments, safety, and social activities. Data regarding age, sex and diagnosed dementia/pre‑scribed medication for dementia were collected from two national databases. Descriptive statistics and ordinal logistic regression models were used to analyse the data.

Results: A total of 13 763 (2016), 13 251 (2017) and 12 620 (2018) residents answered the survey. Most of them (69%) were women and the median age was 88 years. The odds for satisfaction with dignity did not difer over the three-year period, but the odds for satisfaction with well-being decreased over time. Residents who rated their health as good, who were not diagnosed with dementia/had no prescribed medication for dementia, who had not experienced disrespectful attitudes of staf and who found the indoor-outdoor-mealtime environments to be pleasant had higher odds of being satisfed with aspects of dignity and well-being over the three-year period.

Conclusions: The person-centred practice framework, which targets the attitudes of staf and the care environment, can be used as a theoretical framework when designing improvement strategies to promote dignity and well-being. Registered nurses, due to their core competencies, focusing on person-centred care and quality improvement work, should be given an active role as facilitators in such improvement strategies.

The care of older people living in residential care facilities (RCFs) should promote dignity and well-being, but research shows that these aspects are lacking in such facilities. To promote dignity and well-being, it is important to understand which associated factors to target. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between perceived dignity and well-being and factors related to the attitudes of staff, the care environment and individual issues among older people living in RCFs. A national retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted in all RCFs for older people within 290 municipalities in Sweden. All older people 65 years and older (n = 71,696) living in RCFs in 2018 were invited to respond to the survey. The response rate was 49%. The survey included the following areas: self-rated health, indoor-outdoor-mealtime environment, performance of care, attitudes of staff, safety, social activities, availability of staff and care in its entirety. Data were supplemented with additional data from two national databases regarding age, sex and diagnosed dementia. Descriptive statistics and ordinal logistic regression models were used to analyse the data. Respondents who had experienced disrespectful treatment, those who did not thrive in the indoor-outdoor-mealtime environment, those who rated their health as poor and those with dementia had higher odds of being dissatisfied with dignity and well-being. To promote dignity and well-being, there is a need to improve the prerequisites of staff regarding respectful attitudes and to improve the care environment. The person-centred practice framework can be used as a theoretical framework for improvements, as it targets the prerequisites of staff and the care environment. As dignity and well-being are central values in the care of older people worldwide, the results of this study can be generalised to other care settings for older people in countries outside of Sweden.

Purpose: Organized care in specialist stroke units is fundamental for achieving better outcomes for persons with stroke. Although the importance of the physical environment for health and well-being is well recognized, research regarding how environmental features can influence stroke care is limited. The aim was to elucidate healthcare professionals' experiences of the physical environment in newly built stroke units with respect to stroke care.Methods: Healthcare professionals (n = 42) representing eight professions participated in semi-structured, face-to-face interviews. Qualitative content analysis was used.Results: The physical environment both facilitated and restricted the professionals' ability to provide stroke care. Five categories were identified: "Working towards patient engagement in single rooms", "Hampered rehabilitation in an environment not always adapted to patients' difficulties", "Addressing patients' psychosocial needs in the environment", "Ensuring patient safety by using the environment in accordance with individual needs", and "Collaboration and task fulfilment-a challenge due to care unit design".Conclusions: The healthcare professionals viewed the physical environment mainly in relation to stroke patients' specific needs, and several environmental features were considered poorly adapted to meet these needs. The physical environment is essential to high-quality care; thus, the process of planning and designing stroke units should be based on existing evidence.