homes for the aged

..It is recommended that physiotherapists reconsider which residents may benefit from treatment. This may require a shift in the focus of physiotherapists from 'recovery and discharge' to 'quality of life and well-being'...

..Assessing ADLs within the context of residents' cooperation with LTC is an important part of understanding residents' overall quality of life...

..Furthermore, these findings suggest that behavioral disorders significantly improved in the group-home residents because of the incorporation of activities combining basic and instrumental activities of daily living...

..Most changes observed can be related to the growing number of inhabitants above 80 years of age...

..This month we examine the interdisciplinary team approach to assessment, method, and implementing strategies for an effective fall prevention program. Tools used for prevention, monitoring, and investigation of falls are also detailed...

..The MNA may be more useful in an assisted living facility, where nutrition screening and assessment tools are not currently in place, yet maintenance of functional status is important to prevent transfer to a nursing facility...

..CONCLUSION: This article advocates the use of mixed models and proper causal reasoning and terminology in the analysis and publication of results from studies on aging and life course...

..The ADL assessments based on residents' and family or staff reports differ, but the size of these differences depends on the proxy type and the method of data collection...

..These findings suggest that, where there are dedicated staff and equipment resources, the need for wheel-chair seating intervention can be minimized and independent mobility for long-term care residents maximized...

..Future research should develop and validate methods to identify patients with impaired capacity to make everyday decisions. These data will supplement functional, cognitive, and medical assessments...

..CONCLUSION: Many higher-functioning long-stay nursing home residents have chronic care needs that are similar to those of older adults who live in private residences. Many such persons may be able to live in community settings...

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..7 years) and 38 older residents ( M = 79.92 years). Results indicate that there were no age differences in QOL, suggesting the need for a broad conceptualization of QOL in the nursing-home population...

..Suggestions are also offered to assist health care providers in supporting older adults and their families in making this significant transition...

..Most physical health characteristics, such as health care usage, were not significantly different in the three groups. Suggestions for strategies to promote the health and well-being of this growing population are discussed...

..Accordingly, it is suggested that non-pharmacological treatment plans be adapted to each situation and then implemented to potentially reduce the use of neuroleptics...

..The effect of dementia was more prominent for those with mobility problems. Intervention for continence problems and mobility problems has the potential to reduce the use of residential care...

..Using the Nursing Role Effectiveness Model developed by Irvine et at. (1998) as the organizing framework, this project highlights the importance of the nurse's role in quality improvement initiatives...

..Access-block cannot be understood by viewing the hospital system in isolation from other sectors that support the health and well-being of older Australians...

..5%, 44.4%, and 44.6% of participants retaining their initial first choice across IADL, ADL, and dementia scenarios, respectively. Implications of study findings are discussed...

..We believe that future studies of estrogen for urinary incontinence in frail NH residents should utilize a topical preparation and consider targeting urinary tract infection as an additional outcome measure...

..Interventions for individuals with dementia should impact the behavioral aspects of the condition and slow disease progression in addition to improving physical functioning...

..We conclude that a high activity level and the use of a walking aid may protect against falls...

..This article describes the strategies that were designed and implemented to recruit and screen the 287 older adults who entered the randomized, single-blinded clinical trial...

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..It also discusses their characteristics versus other evaluation systems, such as Resource Utilization Group RUG-III and Autonomie Gerontologique--Groupes Iso-Resources AGGIR...

..3 (range 4-10). Family members were more content now than in 1998, when the corresponding figures were 86% and 7.3 (range 4-10). Nevertheless, the results still highlight certain aspects that should be improved and developed...

..CONCLUSION: Use of PIDs is common in nursing homes and hospitals in Finland but has no impact on mortality or hospital admissions. Use of high-dose temazepam as a hypnotic accounted for most of the high use of PIDs...

..Although no significant within-group differences were noted in socialization, loneliness, or ADLs, the 5-week program was more effective in increasing socialization and physical functioning...

..The service was well received by the facility staff and primary care providers. These preliminary results suggest that pharmacists can play an important role in the pharmacotherapy of BPSD with positive clinical outcomes...

..21 and .22 in the experimental and control conditions, respectively (P = 0.86). CONCLUSION: Attainment of preset quality improvement objectives did not translate into detectable improvements in the care provided to residents...

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..DISCUSSION: The risk profiles highlight the diversity among individuals with cognitive impairment and the opportunity for differential targeting of services for the distinct needs of each group...

..Choosing for help and overcompensation in the household was positively related to wellbeing in the nursing home...

..Furthermore, differences in achievement levels of each activity with aging were found in both elderly groups. These findings may suggest that there are remarkable individual differences in ADL ability of the elderly with aging...

..AD/OD patients have more comorbidities and are at greater risk of entering a nursing home than to die during the follow-up, compared with those without these diagnoses...

..The validity of TTO utility for studying the institutionalized elderly needs further evaluation...

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..This article highlights some of these evolving models of nursing practice in assisted living, home care, hospitals, and nursing homes...

..It then synthesises the research findings to outline a comprehensive series of recommendations that nurses can use to improve clinical practice in this area...

..Identification of the risk factors for ESBLs is the first step in formulating an effective strategy to curtail the spread of ESBL resistance in long-term care facilities...

..Recognition and treatment by NH-physicians proved sub-optimal. Future studies should focus on interventions to improve recognition and treatment of pain...

..30). In conclusion, it may not be possible to measure overall quality of life through self-report, and possibly also through observation, in many nursing home residents...

..Recommendations as to how to achieve more personal contact and a better collaboration among medical professionals are proposed...

..Significant relationships between vision impairment, odds ratio (OR) = 3.67, confidence interval (CI) (1.13, 11.92), and dual sensory impairment, OR = 2.88, CI (1.04, 8.26), with the development of acute confusion were identified...

..The care provided to residents with diabetes should address depression, pain, and low rates of advance care planning...

..These results suggest that LTC residents with mild to moderate dementia might be capable of reliably answering certain types of customer satisfaction surveys...

..Admission to a long-term care facility may actually result in a reduction of depression within the year after admission in part due to rapid recognition, appropriate diagnosis and treatment...

..Adequate indications may not have been achieved in all cases. More attention should be paid to the appropriate use of antipsychotics in this frail population...

..This article discusses the applicability of EBM to the long-term care setting and some of the barriers to implementation...

..Nontargeted interventions might increase positive affect. Treatments that produce even a brief improvement in affect indicate improved quality of mental health as mandated by federal law...