TY - JOUR
T1 - Firearm Safety and Suicide Prevention for Medically Complex Older Veterans
T2 - Perspectives of VA Home-Based Primary Care Directors and Psychologists
AU - Pless Kaiser, Anica
AU - Chennapragada, Lakshmi
AU - Andrusier, Sarah
AU - Silver, Chana
AU - Padgett, Cameron
AU - Beaudreau, Sherry A.
AU - Fairchild, J. Kaci
AU - Goodman, Marianne
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© This work was authored as part of the Contributor’s official duties as an Employee of the United States Government and is therefore a work of the United States Government. In accordance with 17 U.S.C. 105, no copyright protection is available for such works under U.S. Law.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - Objectives: Determine strategies and resources used by VA Home-Based Primary Care (HBPC) teams to discuss firearm safety and suicide risk with older veterans and their families or caregivers. Training and resource needs for promoting firearm safety with older veterans were also ascertained. Methods: Ten focus groups (N = 37) were conducted virtually in 2022 with HBPC directors and psychologists. Qualitative rapid response coding identified domains and themes within transcripts. Results: Analysis revealed three major domains: firearm safety, suicide risk, and resources/trainings. Firearm safety themes included discussions during clinical procedures, firearm-related challenges, veteran culture, and barriers and facilitators to effective conversations. Suicide risk themes included assessment procedures, frequency/types of risk conversations, factors related to suicidal ideation/behavior, challenges, and strategies to enhance communication. Resource/training themes included those currently used and perceived needs. Conclusions: Participants described strategies for facilitating firearm safety and suicide prevention discussions with older veterans, their families, and caregivers. Using respectful language and attending to values related to firearm ownership were identified as essential. Clinical Implications: Additional clinician/staff training/resources are needed for addressing older veteran firearm safety and suicide risk, including how to conduct more effective conversations with older veterans on these topics and better engage families/caregivers in prevention efforts.
AB - Objectives: Determine strategies and resources used by VA Home-Based Primary Care (HBPC) teams to discuss firearm safety and suicide risk with older veterans and their families or caregivers. Training and resource needs for promoting firearm safety with older veterans were also ascertained. Methods: Ten focus groups (N = 37) were conducted virtually in 2022 with HBPC directors and psychologists. Qualitative rapid response coding identified domains and themes within transcripts. Results: Analysis revealed three major domains: firearm safety, suicide risk, and resources/trainings. Firearm safety themes included discussions during clinical procedures, firearm-related challenges, veteran culture, and barriers and facilitators to effective conversations. Suicide risk themes included assessment procedures, frequency/types of risk conversations, factors related to suicidal ideation/behavior, challenges, and strategies to enhance communication. Resource/training themes included those currently used and perceived needs. Conclusions: Participants described strategies for facilitating firearm safety and suicide prevention discussions with older veterans, their families, and caregivers. Using respectful language and attending to values related to firearm ownership were identified as essential. Clinical Implications: Additional clinician/staff training/resources are needed for addressing older veteran firearm safety and suicide risk, including how to conduct more effective conversations with older veterans on these topics and better engage families/caregivers in prevention efforts.
KW - Clinicians
KW - firearm safety
KW - focus groups
KW - home-based primary care
KW - older veterans
KW - suicide prevention
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85173983273
U2 - 10.1080/07317115.2023.2263218
DO - 10.1080/07317115.2023.2263218
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85173983273
SN - 0731-7115
VL - 47
SP - 571
EP - 582
JO - Clinical Gerontologist
JF - Clinical Gerontologist
IS - 4
ER -