scholarly journals Socially Relevant Approaches to the Detection of Dementia in Minority Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 719-719
Author(s):  
Lana Sargent ◽  
Sarah Lageman ◽  
Leroy Thacker ◽  
Sally Russell ◽  
Marissa Mackiewicz ◽  
...  

Abstract Substantial gaps remain in the scientific literature regarding low-income minority older adult populations with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRDs). Access to care and early cognitive screening are often barriers to advancing ADRD detection in low socioeconomic status (SES) minority older adults. Additionally, there is the need for demographically (age, education, sex, race, ethnicity, and income) corrected normative scores in cognitive measures. Our cross-sectional study evaluated the psychometrics of the Mini-Mental State Exam-2 (MMSE-2) and the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery (NIHTB-CB). The sample consisted of n=80 community-based older adults without a diagnosis of dementia living in low-income high-rise housing units. Acceptability is assessed with a brief 6-item acceptability survey, multiple linear regression is used to get predicted cognitive scores adjusted for age, education, income, ethnicity, race, and sex, and t-test comparison of the adjusted scores found in this study to established norms. Results found a mean age of 73, 70% black, 48% with < 12th-grade education, 51% have a monthly income of < $1,000, and 49% with undiagnosed cognitive impairment (CI) by both measures. When applying demographic adjustments in the NIHTB-CB 1) standard scores; 2) age-corrected scores, and 3) demographically correct scores all remained significant (p > 0.0001). Participants reported high (80-95%) acceptability for the community-based cognitive screening, 18% reported concerns with cultural appropriateness of the questions in the NIHTB-CB as compared to 5% with the MMSE-2. This research lays the foundation for a community-based cognitive screening and care coordination program for the low SES minority older adult population.

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 205031212110400
Author(s):  
Kemal Jemal ◽  
Tinsae Abeya Geleta ◽  
Berhanu Senbeta Deriba ◽  
Mukemil Awol

Objectives: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has caused high morbidity and mortality in older adults over the world. Because the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic greatly affects older adults who have a preexisting health condition, they are generally susceptible to a high incidence of severe symptoms of anxiety and depression. Therefore, we aimed to assess the prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms in older adults during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Methods: Community-based cross-sectional study was completed in August 2020. Standardized and pretested General Anxiety Disorder–7 and Geriatric Depression Scale were used to screen the symptoms of anxiety and depression, respectively. Data were entered into EpiData (version 4.3.2) and transferred to SPSS (version 24) for further analysis. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were carried out to determine the significantly associated variables with a 95% confidence interval at p < 0.05. Results: Of the total older adults interviewed, 68.7% had developed symptoms of anxiety and 59.9% had symptoms of depression during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Female participants, having a chronic disease and poor knowledge of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, were significantly associated with anxiety symptoms. Age category of 81 to 90 and above 90, lack of social support, and having a chronic disease were significantly associated with symptoms of depression. Conclusion: The symptoms of anxiety and depression among older adults in the North Shoa Zone during coronavirus disease 2019 were higher than before the coronavirus disease 2019 happened. The results were evidence points for developing a psychological intervention to tackle the older adults’ mental health needs in the community during and after the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gemechis Teshome Geleta ◽  
Melese Chego Cheme ◽  
Elias Merdassa Roro

Abstract Objectives Hypertension is a growing public health problem in many developing countries. However, there is an insufficiency of scientific evidence on the prevalence of hypertension (HTN) at a community level in the study area. The aim of the study was exploring the prevalence and associated factors of hypertension among adults in Nekemte town, Ethiopia. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 711 adults who were selected by the multistage sampling procedure. Height, weight, blood pressure and waist circumference were measured with standard procedures. Data were analyzed by statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 20, and multiple logistic regression model was used to determine the independent risk factors for hypertension. Result The overall prevalence of hypertension was 34.9% among the adult population. Of them, only 52.7% know their status, and 22.4% were on antihypertensive medication. The prevalence of hypertension was higher among the older aged; AOR 5.85 (95% CI 1.74–20), Obese and over-weighted; (AOR 1.71 (95% CI 1.09–2.67)), Khat chewers in the past year; AOR 2.44 (95% CI 1.05–5.68), and with higher formal education (college and above); AOR 2.75 (95% CI 1.26–6.03) than their respective counterparts. Community-level prevention and treatment of hypertension should get due attention.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S583-S583
Author(s):  
Philip A Rozario ◽  
Emily Greenfield ◽  
Nancy Kusmaul

Abstract Social networks provide opportunities for engagement with others and structure the receipt and provision of emotional, instrumental, informational and appraisal support. Indeed scholars in this field have documented the importance of having strong social networks in influencing older adults’ well-being and quality of life. The three papers in this symposium draw on the convoy model of social relations and ecological model to examine and better understand the micro, mezzo, macro contexts that shape and influence how older people engage with and benefit from their networks in three areas: low-income senior housing communities, urban areas specifically targeting older Latinos with dementia, and disaster preparedness in micropolitan counties in eastern Iowa. The first paper, a cross-sectional study focusing on social connections in senior housing communities, examines levels of social networks, engagement, support and loneliness and their relationship with well-being outcomes. The second paper, a community-based participatory research project, reports an intervention that seeks to train natural helpers in a predominantly Latino urban neighborhood to identify and refer older Latinos with dementia to bilingual assessment services. The third paper, synthesizing findings from interventions targeting network building at the individual and state levels as well as a community-based network analysis, presents ways to strengthen networks at the mezzo and macro levels as well as environmental contexts that enable better disaster preparedness for community-based older adults. These papers will consider practice, policy and research implications in strengthening social networks and engagement to optimize older adults’ well-being in various settings.


2020 ◽  
Vol 54 ◽  
pp. 17
Author(s):  
Roberta De Oliveira Máximo ◽  
Ingrid Cristina Lopes ◽  
Allan Gustavo Brigola ◽  
Bruna Moretti Luchesi ◽  
Aline Cristina Martins Gratão ◽  
...  

INTRODUCTION: Providing care to an older adult is an activity that requires considerable physical effort and can cause stress and psychological strain, which accentuate factors that trigger the cycle of frailty, especially when the caregiver is also an older adult. However, few studies have analyzed the frailty process in older caregivers. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the prevalence of pre-frailty, frailty and associated factors in older caregivers of older adults. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted including 328 community-dwelling older caregivers. Frailty was identified using frailty phenotype. Socio-demographic, behavioral and clinical aspects, characteristics related to care and functioning were covariables in the multinomial logistic regression. RESULTS: The prevalence of pre-frailty and frailty were 58.8% and 21.1%, respectively. An increased age, female sex, not having a conjugal life, depressive symptoms and pain were commonly associated with pre-frailty and frailty. Sedentary lifestyle was exclusively associated with pre-frailty, whereas living in an urban area, low income and the cognitive decline were associated with frailty. A better performance on instrumental activities of daily living reduced the chance of frailty. CONCLUSION: Many factors associated with the frailty syndrome may be related to the act of providing care, which emphasizes the importance of the development of coping strategies for this population.


2020 ◽  
pp. 073346482092532
Author(s):  
Steffany Chamut ◽  
Shahdokht Boroumand ◽  
Timothy J. Iafolla ◽  
Margo Adesanya ◽  
Elena M. Fazio ◽  
...  

Objective: To investigate factors associated with infrequent dental use among older adults receiving home- and community-based services. Method: This cross-sectional study analyzed responses from the 2014 National Survey of Older Americans Act participants who received home- and community-based services. Descriptive and multivariable analyses were conducted to examine the association between infrequent dental use and key sociodemographic and health indicators. Results: Infrequent dental use was highest among adults participating in case management and home-delivered meals (63%); the lowest among those participating in congregate meals (41%). Participants who did not complete high school were 2 to 5 times more likely to be infrequent dental users compared to those with educational attainment beyond high school. Discussion: Among older adults receiving home- and community-based services, improving oral health knowledge and health literacy may reduce infrequent dental use.


Author(s):  
Maria Esther Irigoyen-Camacho ◽  
Maria Consuelo Velazquez-Alva ◽  
Marco Antonio Zepeda-Zepeda ◽  
Maria Fernanda Cabrer-Rosales ◽  
Irina Lazarevich ◽  
...  

Early information on public health behaviors adopted to prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) may be useful in controlling the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission. The objective of this study was to assess the role of income level (IL) and the perception of older adults, regarding COVID-19 susceptibility and severity, on adopting stay-at-home preventive behavior during the first week of the outbreak in Mexico. Participants in this cross-sectional study were urban community dwellers, aged ≥ 65 years from Mexico City. A total of 380 interviews were conducted over the phone. The mean respondent age was 72.9 years, and 76.1% were women. Over half (54.2%) of the participants perceived their susceptibility to COVID-19 as very low or low. Similarly, 33.4% perceived COVID-19 severity as being very low or low, and 57.6% had decided to stay at home: this behavior was associated with IL (β = 1.05, p < 0.001), and its total effect was partially mediated (15.1%) by perceived severity. Educational attainment was also associated with staying at home (β = 0.10, p = 0.018) and its total effect was partially mediated (15.0%) by perceived susceptibility. Interventions aimed at low income and less educated older adults should be developed to improve preventive behaviors in this vulnerable group during the COVID-19 pandemic.


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