Interventions for QoL and Other Outcomes Among Caregivers of Older Adults With Visual Impairments

Abstract Unpaid family caregivers play a critical role in the care of older adults with visual impairments (VI). Caring for older adults with VI requires much time and energy, often resulting in psychological stress and reduced quality of life (QoL). However, there is a paucity of data on the impact of caregiving on QoL and related outcomes among these caregivers. The purpose of this study was to conduct a scoping review examining issues of QoL, health, stress, burden, and barriers among unpaid caregivers of older adults (i.e. aged 60 years or more) with VI. The study aimed to summarize interventions for addressing these issues. This study followed the Arksey and O’Malley (2005) five stage approach for scoping reviews. We performed a search of published peer-reviewed articles available in PubMed, CINAHL Complete, and PsycINFO to identify relevant studies. Two reviewers conducted the screening of titles, abstracts, and full-texts. Of the 452 records identified, 24 were eligible for full-text screening and five articles met the final inclusion criteria. The following four themes were identified: (1) prevalence of QoL-related barriers among unpaid caregivers of older adults with VI; (2) adverse events among unpaid caregivers of older adults with VI; (3) interventions for unpaid caregivers of older adults with VI; and (4) potential impacts of intervention on unpaid caregivers of older adults with VI. These findings reveal a lack of interventions for unpaid caregivers of older adults with VI, despite the prevalence of QoL-related barriers and adverse events. Research addressing these issues are urgently needed.

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Interventions for quality of life and related outcomes among unpaid caregivers of older adults with visual impairments: A scoping review

British Journal of Visual Impairment ◽

10.1177/02646196211019064 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 026461962110190

Author(s):

Afeez Abiola Hazzan ◽

Pamela Haibach-Beach ◽

Lauren Lieberman ◽

Jamia Williams

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Older Adults ◽

Adverse Events ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Critical Role ◽

Visual Impairments ◽

Social Model ◽

Scoping Reviews ◽

The Impact

Unpaid family caregivers play a critical role in the care of older adults with visual impairments. Caring for older adults with visual impairments requires much time and energy, often resulting in psychological stress and reduced quality of life for the unpaid caregiver. However, there is a paucity of data on the impact of caregiving on quality of life and related outcomes among these caregivers. The purpose of this study was to conduct a scoping review examining issues of quality of life, health, stress, burden, and barriers among unpaid caregivers of older adults with visual impairments. The study also aimed to summarize interventions for addressing these issues. This study followed the Arksey and O’Malley five-stage approach for scoping reviews. We performed a search of published peer-reviewed articles available in PubMed, CINAHL Complete, and PsycINFO to identify relevant studies. Two reviewers conducted the screening of titles, abstracts, and full-texts. A total of 24 articles were eligible for full-text screening from the 452 records identified, and 5 articles met the final inclusion criteria. The following four themes were identified: (1) prevalence of quality of life–related barriers among unpaid caregivers of older adults with visual impairments; (2) adverse events among unpaid caregivers of older adults with visual impairments; (3) interventions for unpaid caregivers of older adults with visual impairments; and (4) potential impacts of intervention on unpaid caregivers of older adults with visual impairments. These findings point to a lack of interventions for unpaid caregivers of older adults with visual impairments, despite the prevalence of quality of life–related barriers and adverse events in this population. This study aligns with the social model of disability as it relates to the failure of the system to meet the needs of older adults with visual impairments. Research addressing these issues is urgently needed.

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Fear of memory decline predicts lower quality of life and increased memory failures in older adults: Preliminary findings from a novel fear-avoidance of memory decline scale.

10.31234/osf.io/vugny ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Francesca Farina ◽

Marc Patrick Bennett ◽

James William Griffith ◽

Bert Lenaert

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Older Adults ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Fear Avoidance ◽

Subjective Memory ◽

Memory Decline ◽

General Anxiety ◽

Quality Of Life Scale ◽

The Impact

Evidence concerning the impact of fear of memory decline on health-related outcomes is limited. To determine the relationship between fear-avoidance of memory decline, quality of life and subjective memory in older adults using a novel scale to measure fear of memory decline. Sixty-seven older adults (59-81 years) completed a 23-item self-report questionnaire designed to capture experiential, cognitive and behavioral components of fear of memory decline, known as the fear and avoidance of memory decline (FAM) scale. Memory performance was assessed using the Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS-IV) and the Memory Failures Scale (MFS). General anxiety was assessed using the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS) and the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI). Quality of life was assessed using the Older Person’s Quality of Life scale (OPQOL-35). The FAM scale demonstrated good reliability and validity. Three latent factors were observed including: (1) fear-avoidance, (2) problematic beliefs and (3) resilience. After adjusting for age, education, memory performance and general anxiety, higher fear-avoidance predicted lower quality of life (p=.021) and increased memory failures (p=.022). Increased fear of memory decline predicts lower quality of life and subjective memory failures in healthy older adults. Based on these findings, we propose a preliminary fear-avoidance model that explains the development and maintenance of dementia-related functional disability in terms of psychological processes.

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Pharmacist-Led Collaborative Medication Management for the Elderly with Chronic Kidney Disease and Polypharmacy

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18084370 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (8) ◽

pp. 4370

Author(s):

A Kim ◽

Hayeon Lee ◽

Eun-Jeong Shin ◽

Eun-Jung Cho ◽

Yoon-Sook Cho ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Chronic Kidney Disease ◽

Kidney Disease ◽

Medication Management ◽

Medication Use ◽

Potentially Inappropriate Medications ◽

Management Service ◽

Ckd Stage ◽

The Impact

Inappropriate polypharmacy is likely in older adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD) owing to the considerable burden of comorbidities. We aimed to describe the impact of pharmacist-led geriatric medication management service (MMS) on the quality of medication use. This retrospective descriptive study included 95 patients who received geriatric MMS in an ambulatory care clinic in a single tertiary-care teaching hospital from May 2019 to December 2019. The average age of the patients was 74.9 ± 7.3 years; 40% of them had CKD Stage 4 or 5. Medication use quality was assessed in 87 patients. After providing MMS, the total number of medications and potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) decreased from 13.5 ± 4.3 to 10.9 ± 3.8 and 1.6 ± 1.4 to 1.0 ± 1.2 (both p < 0.001), respectively. Furthermore, the number of patients who received three or more central nervous system-active drugs and strong anticholinergic drugs decreased. Among the 354 drug-related problems identified, “missing patient documentation” was the most common, followed by “adverse effect” and “drug not indicated.” The most frequent intervention was “therapy stopped”. In conclusion, polypharmacy and PIMs were prevalent in older adults with CKD; pharmacist-led geriatric MMS improved the quality of medication use in this population.

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Light Up Your Life! The Impact of Task Lighting on Visual Performance and Quality of Life in Older Adults

American Journal of Occupational Therapy ◽

10.5014/ajot.2021.75s2-po308 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 75 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. 7512515308p1

Author(s):

Martha Sanders ◽

Caila Frassetto ◽

Catherine Hill ◽

Kyeana Martone ◽

Niamh Butler

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Older Adults ◽

Visual Performance ◽

Task Lighting ◽

The Impact

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The Impact of Adverse Events on Functional Capacity and Quality of Life After HeartWare Ventricular Assist Device Implantation

ASAIO Journal ◽

10.1097/mat.0000000000001378 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol Publish Ahead of Print ◽

Author(s):

Marc D. Samsky ◽

Carmelo A. Milano ◽

Salpy Pamboukian ◽

Mark S. Slaughter ◽

Emma Birks ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Adverse Events ◽

Functional Capacity ◽

Ventricular Assist Device ◽

Assist Device ◽

Ventricular Assist ◽

Device Implantation ◽

The Impact

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Management of Oral Anti-Coagulation in Patients with Heart Failure—Insights from the ThrombEVAL Study

Thrombosis and Haemostasis ◽

10.1055/s-0038-1673380 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 118 (11) ◽

pp. 1930-1939

Author(s):

Sebastian Göbel ◽

Jürgen Prochaska ◽

Lisa Eggebrecht ◽

Ronja Schmitz ◽

Claus Jünger ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heart Failure ◽

Adverse Events ◽

Vitamin K Antagonists ◽

Plasma Concentrations ◽

Regular Care ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Patients With Heart Failure ◽

Specialized Care ◽

The Impact

AbstractPatients with heart failure (HF) are frequently anti-coagulated with vitamin K-antagonists (VKAs). The use of long-acting VKA may be preferable for HF patients due to higher stability of plasma concentrations. However, evidence on phenprocoumon-based oral anti-coagulation (OAC) therapy in HF is scarce. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the presence of HF on quality of phenprocoumon-based OAC and the subsequent clinical outcome. Quality of OAC therapy and the incidence of adverse events were analysed in a cohort of regular care (n = 2,011) from the multi-centre thrombEVAL study program (NCT01809015) stratified by the presence of HF. To assess the modifiability of outcome, results were compared with data from individuals receiving specialized care for anti-coagulation (n = 760). Overall, the sample comprised of 813 individuals with HF and 1,160 subjects without HF in the regular care cohort. Quality of OAC assessed by time in therapeutic range (TTR) was 66.1% (47.8%/82.8%) for patients with HF and 70.6% (52.1%/85.9%) for those without HF (p = 0.0046). Stratification for New York Heart Classification (NYHA)-class demonstrated a lower TTR with higher NYHA classes: TTRNYHA-I 69.6% (49.4%/85.6%), TTRNYHA-II 66.5% (50.1%/82.9%) and TTRNYHA-≥III 61.8% (43.1%/79.9%). This translated into a worse net clinical benefit outcome for HF (hazard ratio [HR] 1.63 [1.31/2.02]; p < 0.0001) and an increased risk of bleeding (HR 1.40 [1.04/1.89]; p = 0.028). Management in a specialized coagulation service resulted in an improvement of all, TTR (∆+12.5% points), anti-coagulation-specific and non-specific outcome of HF individuals. In conclusion, HF is an independent risk factor for low quality of OAC therapy translating into an increased risk for adverse events, which can be mitigated by specialized care.

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The psychosocial benefits of providing non-kin childcare in older adults: A longitudinal study with older New Zealanders

10.26686/wgtn.12702854.v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Á Szabó ◽

Eva Neely ◽

C Stephens

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Older Adults ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Well Being ◽

Grandparental Childcare ◽

Psychosocial Benefits ◽

The Impact ◽

Over Time ◽

New Zealanders

© The Author(s) 2019. Community grandparenting may promote the well-being of older adults. We examined the impact of non-kin and grandparental childcare on quality of life and loneliness using longitudinal data from 2653 older New Zealanders collected over 2 years. Providing both non-kin and grandparental childcare predicted greater self-realisation for women only and was associated with reduced levels of control and autonomy for men. Non-kin childcare was also associated with reduced social loneliness over time independent of gender. Findings suggest that non-kin grandparenting has psychosocial benefits for older adults. Surrogate grandparenting offers promising avenues for those without grandchildren to experience the benefits of grandparenting.

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Immunosuppression-lipid Metabolism Interplay and Medicinal Plants in Atherosclerosis: A Review

Current Pharmaceutical Design ◽

10.2174/1381612824666180829105309 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 24 (24) ◽

pp. 2789-2793 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Fahimeh Moradi ◽

Robert D.E Sewell ◽

Zahra Lorigooini ◽

Mahmoud Rafieian-Kopaei

Keyword(s):

Critical Role ◽

Arterial Disease ◽

Toxic Substances ◽

Synthetic Drugs ◽

Related Quality ◽

Health Related ◽

Negative Side Effects ◽

Atherosclerosis Development ◽

The Impact

Atherosclerosis is a chronic arterial disease responsible for the majority of vascular-related deaths throughout the world. Immune cells and inflammation in conjunction with hyperlipidemia play a key role in atherosclerosis development. Regarding the low efficacy of the synthetic drugs and also the associated negative side effects which can adversely influence health-related quality of life, looking for natural, affordable and non-toxic substances seem necessary. Plant-derived natural products play a critical role in the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis. In this review, we aimed to outline the most important medicinal herbs effective for atherosclerosis through the impact on immune system.

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Feasibility of an 8-week Yoga Intervention among Middle-aged and Older Adults

10.21926/obm.geriatr.2004137 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (4) ◽

Author(s):

Neha P. Gothe ◽

Emily Erlenbach ◽

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Adverse Events ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Critical Role ◽

Feasibility Studies ◽

Target Population ◽

Control Group ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Yoga Intervention ◽

Enrollment Rates

Feasibility studies play a critical role in determining whether the target population is likely to engage with larger scale efficacy and effectiveness trials. Feasibility data for yoga interventions designed and conducted with older adults is limited. In this paper we present feasibility and acceptability data from an 8-week randomized controlled trial (RCT) conducted with middle aged and older adults. Participants n=118 (Mean age: 62.0 years) were randomized to either a Hatha yoga or Stretching Control group with hour long group exercise classes held 3x/week for 8 weeks. Herein we report feasibility and acceptability, including enrollment rates, attendance, attrition and adverse events, participant feedback and satisfaction data. Of the 265 adults screened, 118 were eligible and randomized. Session attendance was high for both groups (80.82 to 81.29 %) and only 10 people were lost to follow-up. Program satisfaction for both groups was high (4.8 and 4.86 out of 5) and no adverse events were reported. Participants’ feedback regarding most and least helpful aspects of the program as well as suggestions for future yoga interventions are summarized. Overall, the yoga intervention was highly feasible and acceptable. The feasibility parameters from this trial can aid researchers in estimating desired sample sizes to successfully recruit, randomize and retain older adults in short- and long-term yoga based RCTs.

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An assessment of scoping review reporting within paramedicine: A scoping review

Australasian Journal of Paramedicine ◽

10.33151/ajp.17.834 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 ◽

Author(s):

Brett Williams ◽

Bronwyn Beovich

Keyword(s):

Scoping Review ◽

Literature Search ◽

Methodological Approach ◽

Grey Literature ◽

Specific Information ◽

Emergency Medical Service Personnel ◽

Scoping Reviews ◽

Scoping Studies ◽

Full Text Screening

Aim This study aimed to examine the quality of published paramedic scoping reviews against pre-existing frameworks to assess the extent to which they fulfil the requirements of this methodological approach. Subsequently, recommendations will be presented regarding improvements for future paramedic scoping reviews. Methods A scoping review was conducted guided by the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews. A literature search was performed in six electronic databases as well as the grey literature to identify previous scoping reviews that focussed on paramedic or emergency medical service personnel. Relevant data were extracted from included articles and presented in narrative and tabular formats. Results The literature search initially identified 475 articles, of which 20 remained after title/abstract and full-text screening. There was a general increase in the number of studies published over time, the majority of articles (80%) had conducted their scoping review utilising published frameworks, and 75% of first authors were paramedics. Although many areas of these reports comply with published guidelines, there was an overall lack of consistency in the specific information included, the level of detail of that information, and the location of information within the reports. Conclusion All paramedic scoping studies should be reported with the use of a published framework to enable standardisation in the reporting, thus facilitating understanding, reproducibility, and utility. The PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews provides a checklist and thorough explanations of each step in the reporting process and is recommended for use with all future paramedic scoping reviews.

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