scholarly journals CARE DEPENDENCY: EXPERIENCES AND EXPECTATIONS OF COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER ADULTS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S624-S624
Author(s):  
Jan S Jukema ◽  
Sharon Oude Veldhuis ◽  
Jacqueline Van Alphen ◽  
Jopie Jorritsma ◽  
Frits De Lange

Abstract “Not to be a burden” is a common phrase used by community-dwelling older adults in discussing their dependency on others in care for their daily life. This attitude may lead to conflicts with relatives, neighbors, or professionals when in their opinion, care is necessary and, ultimately, may result in unmet care needs. The goal of this study is to gain a better understanding of how older adults experience their increased dependency on others and to contribute to the development of an ethic of care. Thirty-two participants of a larger research sample (n=64) from a descriptive qualitative research were purposefully selected, resulting in an equal distribution of the following variables: gender, living situation, living with or without partner, and having children or not. From a multiphase qualitative analysis with five researchers, including two senior citizens four themes emerged: (1) relationships in the context of care; (2) experiences with giving, receiving and asking for care; (3) future perspectives towards receiving and asking for care; and (4) actual practices of caregiving and receiving. Our study clarifies how community-dwelling older adults deal with the changes in their dependency on others. The study results highlight particular dynamics which appear, at least, partly in contrast with current policy regarding care at home. Moreover, it contributes to an empirical refinement of the concepts of dependency and interdependency in an ethic of care. Further studies are needed to clarify the influential factors on asking for care in diverse groups of older adults and the response from their network.

2021 ◽  
pp. 197140092110428
Author(s):  
Oscar H Del Brutto ◽  
Bettsy Y. Recalde ◽  
Robertino M Mera

Background and purpose Information on the association between anatomical variants of the Circle of Willis (CoW) and intracranial atherosclerotic disease (ICAD) is limited and results are controversial. In this population-based study, we aimed to assess whether an incomplete CoW is associated with high calcium content in carotid siphons (a reliable biomarker of ICAD) in community-dwelling older adults of Amerindian ancestry. Methods Individuals aged ≥60 years enrolled in the Three Villages Study received a head computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance angiogram (MRA) of intracranial vessels. The CoW was classified in complete or incomplete according to the presence or absence of one A1 segment of the anterior cerebral artery or one or both P1 segments of posterior cerebral arteries. Calcium content in carotid siphons was rated as low or high. A multivariate logistic model was fitted to assess the independent association between incompleteness of the CoW and high calcium content in carotid siphons, after adjusting for demographics and cardiovascular risk factors. Results A total of 581 individuals were enrolled (mean age: 71 ± 8.4 years; 57% women). MRA revealed an incomplete CoW in 227 (39%) individuals, and high-resolution CT disclosed high calcium content in carotid siphons in 185 (32%). A risk factor logistic regression model showed no independent association between incompleteness of the CoW and high calcium content in carotid siphons (odds ratio: 0.91; 95% confidence interval: 0.62–1.34; p = 0.631). Conclusion Study results disclosed no association between anatomical variants of the CoW and the presence of high calcium content in carotid siphons.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 215013272110477
Author(s):  
Oscar H. Del Brutto ◽  
Robertino M. Mera ◽  
Denisse A. Rumbea ◽  
Pedro Pérez ◽  
Bettsy Y. Recalde ◽  
...  

Background: Information on the body composition of inhabitants of remote communities during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is limited. Using a longitudinal population-based study design, we assessed the association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and changes in body composition. Methods: Community-dwelling older adults living in a rural Ecuadorian village received body composition determinations before and 1 year after the pandemic as well as serological tests for detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. The independent association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and abnormalities in body composition at follow-up was assessed by fitting linear mixed models for longitudinal data. Results: Of 327 enrolled individuals, 277 (85%) received baseline and follow-up body composition determinations, and 175 (63%) of them became SARS-CoV-2 seropositive. Overall, diet and physical activity deteriorated during the follow-up. Multivariate random-effects generalized least squares regression models that included the impact of time and seropositivity on follow-up body composition, showed that neither variable contributed to a worsening in body composition. Multivariate logistic regression models disclosed that the serological status at follow-up cannot be predicted by differences in body composition and other baseline covariates. Conclusions: Study results suggest no increased susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection among older adults with abnormal body composition and no significant changes as a result of worse physical activity and dietary habits or seropositivity during the length of the study. Together with a previous study in the same population that showed decrease in hand-grip strength after SARS-CoV-2, results confirm that dynapenia (and not sarcopenia) is associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection in older adults.


2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (7) ◽  
pp. 1332-1342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malin Eneslätt ◽  
Gert Helgesson ◽  
Carol Tishelman

Abstract Background and Objectives There is a substantial body of research on advance care planning (ACP), often originating from English-speaking countries and focused on health care settings. However, studies of content of ACP conversations in community settings remain scarce. We therefore explore community-dwelling, older adults’ reasoning about end-of-life (EoL) values and preferences in ACP conversations. Research Design and Methods In this participatory action research project, planned and conducted in collaboration with national community-based organizations, we interviewed 65 older adults without known EoL care needs, about their values and preferences for future EoL care. Conversations were stimulated by sorting and ranking statements in a Swedish version of GoWish cards, called the DöBra cards, and verbatim transcripts were analyzed inductively. Results While participants shared some common preferences about EoL care, there was great variation among individuals in how they reasoned. Although EoL preferences and prioritizations could be identical, different individuals explained these choices very differently. We exemplify this variation using data from four participants who discussed their respective EoL preferences by focusing on either physical, social, existential, or practical implications. Discussion and Implications A previously undocumented benefit of the GoWish/DöBra cards is how the flexibility of the card statements support substantial discussion of an individual’s EoL preferences and underlying values. Such in-depth descriptions of participants’ reasoning and considerations are important for understanding the very individual nature of prioritizing EoL preferences. We suggest future users of the DöBra/GoWish cards consider the underlying reasoning of individuals’ prioritizations to strengthen person-centeredness in EoL conversations and care provision.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aihong Liu ◽  
Yingjie Peng ◽  
Wenli Zhu ◽  
Yanling Zhang ◽  
Shihui Ge ◽  
...  

Objectives: This study aimed to identify the independent factors associated with depression in community-dwelling older adults in Wuhan, China.Methods: Four hundred and seventy older adults (aged ≥65 years) from four communities dwelling on Junshan Street in Wuhan, China were included in this study. Participants completed a questionnaire that asked questions pertaining to age, gender, educational level, income, living situation, care situation, social support, and social engagement. The 30-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-30), the Fried frailty phenotype scale, the activities of daily living (ADL) scale, the mini nutritional assessment scale-short form (MNA-SF), and the Mini-cog scale were used to assess depression, frailty, self-care ability, malnutritional risk, and cognitive dysfunction, respectively. Differences in age, gender, educational level, income, living situation, care situation, social support, social engagement, ADL score, risk of malnutrition, frailty, and cognitive dysfunction between the non-depression (GDS-30 score <10 points) and depression groups (GDS-30 score ≥10 points) were compared using a chi-square test. Moreover, correlations between factors and depression were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation. Then, significant variables (p < 0.05) from the chi-square test were included in a multivariable logistic regression model to identify the independent factors associated with depression.Results: The incidence of depression among the participants was 14.04%. Age (p < 0.001), educational level (p < 0.001), living situation (p < 0.001), social support (p = 0.001), ADL score (p = 0.023), frailty (p < 0.001), and cognitive dysfunction (p < 0.001) were all significantly associated with depression, in which age, poor social support, frailty, and cognitive dysfunction were identified as independent factors.Conclusion: Improving social support and effective interventions for frailty and cognitive dysfunction may help relieve depression in community-dwelling older adults.


BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. e032443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ju Chan Kim ◽  
Shi-Uk Lee ◽  
Se Hee Jung ◽  
Jae-Young Lim ◽  
Dong Hyun Kim ◽  
...  

IntroductionSarcopenia in the lumbar paraspinal muscles is receiving renewed attention as a cause of spinal degeneration. However, there are few studies on the precise concept and diagnostic criteria for spinal sarcopenia. Here, we develop the concept of spinal sarcopenia in community-dwelling older adults. In addition, we aim to observe the natural ageing process of paraspinal and back muscle strength and investigate the association between conventional sarcopenic indices and spinal sarcopenia.Methods and analysisThis is a prospective observational cohort study with 120 healthy community-dwelling older adults over 4 years. All subjects will be recruited in no sarcopenia, possible sarcopenia or sarcopenia groups. The primary outcomes of this study are isokinetic back muscle strength and lumbar paraspinal muscle quantity and quality evaluated using lumbar spine MRI. Conventional sarcopenic indices and spine specific outcomes such as spinal sagittal balance, back performance scale and Sorenson test will also be assessed.Ethics and disseminationBefore screening, all participants will be provided with oral and written information. Ethical approval has already been obtained from all participating hospitals. The study results will be disseminated in peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.Trial registration numberNCT03962530


2015 ◽  
Vol 61 (12) ◽  
pp. 1807-1814 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra S. Chaves ◽  
Alejandro Pérez ◽  
Lisa Miller ◽  
Nancy M. Bennett ◽  
Ananda Bandyopadhyay ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S746-S746
Author(s):  
Daniel S Gardner ◽  
Meredith Doherty

Abstract Despite the growth and recognized benefits of palliative care for people with serious illness and their families, there are significant racial and ethnic disparities in access to and utilization of services, particularly among older adults living in impoverished, medically-underserved communities. This paper presents preliminary findings from a mixed-method, CBPR study exploring the experiences, supportive care needs, and service use of diverse older adults living with serious illness in an urban, medically-underserved community in the U.S. Systematic analyses of focused, semi-structured interviews with 45 older adults identified cultural, environmental, financial, and structural barriers to palliative care, and identified the critical importance of familial, social, spiritual, and formal networks of support in coping with serious illness and associated symptoms. The investigators describe implications for practice and policy that addresses palliative care disparities, and strategies for engaging with communities to extend culturally-sensitive palliative care to diverse, community-dwelling older adults and their social networks.


2008 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 342-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maarten Stiggelbout ◽  
Marijke Hopman-Rock ◽  
Willem van Mechelen

This study reports entry correlates and motivations of older adults participating in organized exercise programs in the Netherlands, as determined in a descriptive explorative study (N= 2,350, response rate 86%). Participants were community-dwelling older adults (50+ years) who enrolled and started in 10 different exercise programs. Entry features were analyzed for differences in age, sex, marital status, education, living situation, body-mass index, lifestyle, and health status. Motivations for entering an exercise program were determined using homogeneity analyses. More Exercise for Seniors (MBvO) attracted relatively older seniors, whereas organized sports mainly attracted younger ones. Walking, MBvO, and gymnastics attracted more women, whereas skating and table tennis were reported to attract more male participants. Badminton and cycling attracted relatively higher educated participants, whereas MBvO attracted relatively lower educated participants. Three distinct motivational constructs were found: relax and enjoy, care and cure, and competition. Public health and recruitment implications of these findings are discussed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (Supplement_4) ◽  
pp. iv18-iv27
Author(s):  
Jing Wen Goh ◽  
Devinder Kaur Ajit Singh ◽  
Suzana Shahar

Abstract Introduction Early falls screening among community dwelling older adults is important as a part of falls prevention strategy. Falls Screening Mobile Application (FallSA) was demonstrated to be accepted, reliable and valid to be used for self-risk assessment among community dwelling older adults in an earlier study. However, its discriminative ability is unknown. We aimed to examine the discriminative ability of FallSA in classifying fallers and non-fallers among community dwelling older adults. Methodology A total of 182 community dwelling older adults with mean age of 71.42 ± 5.1 participated in this cross sectional study. Participants demographic and falls history data were obtained. Participants with one or more falls were categorized as fallers. FallSA was used to identify participants falls risk. Independent t-test was used to compare falls risk score among fallers and non-fallers for its discriminative ability. Results Approximately 20% participants were categorized as fallers. Majority of the fallers were females (66.7%), had lower physical activity level and higher scores of geriatric depression scales compared to non-fallers. There was a significant (p< 0.01) different in the FallSA score between fallers (7.33±1.77) and non-fallers (4.34±1.72). Conclusion Our study results showed that FallSA could be used to discriminate fallers and non-fallers in community dwelling older adults. Further studies are in progress to determine the predictive validity of FallSA.


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