scholarly journals Health Outcomes After Disaster for Older Adults With Chronic Disease: A Systematic Review

2019 ◽  
Vol 60 (7) ◽  
pp. e535-e547 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sue Anne Bell ◽  
Jennifer Horowitz ◽  
Theodore J Iwashyna

Abstract Background and Objectives This review synthesizes the current literature surrounding chronic disease outcomes after weather- and climate-related disasters among older adults. The associations between exposure of older adults to weather- and climate-related disasters and the primary outcomes of diabetes, end-stage renal disease (ESRD), congestive heart failure (CHF), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were examined. Research Design and Methods A systematic review of studies reporting on clinical outcomes of four chronic diseases after disaster exposure was performed. Under the direction of an informationist, the databases PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, and Web of Science (Science and Social Science Citation Index) were searched from inception to July 2019. Results Of 5,229 citations identified, 17 articles met the study criteria. Included articles were retrospective observational in nature and focused on earthquakes (24%, n = 4), hurricane (41%, n = 7), and wildfire (35%, n = 6) disasters. Outcome data by disease process included COPD (35%, n = 6), ESRD (41%, n = 7), CHF (24%, n = 4), and diabetes (29%, n = 5). Three main categories were identified: access to health care, postdisaster health care utilization, and study rigor. The age-stratified analyses reported in this review found multiple instances where disasters have limited or insignificant effects on older adults relative to younger populations. Discussion and Implications Disaster research faces unique methodological challenges, and there remains a need for data-driven conclusions on how best to care for older adults before, during, and after disasters. To encourage consistent dialogue among studies, we advocate for the use of rigorous and standardized scientific methodology to examine the health impacts of disasters on adults with chronic disease.

2018 ◽  
Vol 108 (4) ◽  
pp. e1-e10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole K. Valtorta ◽  
Danielle Collingridge Moore ◽  
Lynn Barron ◽  
Daniel Stow ◽  
Barbara Hanratty

2010 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sridhar Krishnamurti

Alzheimer's disease is neurodegenerative disorder which affects a growing number of older adults every year. With an understanding of auditory dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease, the speech-language pathologist working in the health care setting can provide better service to these individuals. The pathophysiology of the disease process in Alzheimer's disease increases the likelihood of specific types of auditory deficits as opposed to others. This article will discuss the auditory deficits in Alzheimer's disease, their implications, and the value of clinical protocols for individuals with this disease.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sakthivel Selvaraj ◽  
Anup K. Karan ◽  
Wenhui Mao ◽  
Habib Hasan ◽  
Ipchita Bharali ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Health policy interventions were expected to improve access to health care delivery, provide financial risk protection, besides reducing inequities that underlie geographic and socio-economic variation in population access to health care. This article examines whether health policy interventions and accelerated health investments in India during 2004–2018 could close the gap in inequity in health care utilization and access to public subsidy by different population groups. Did the poor and socio-economically vulnerable population gain from such government initiatives, compared to the rich and affluent sections of society? And whether the intended objective of improving equity between different regions of the country been achieved during the policy initiatives? This article attempts to assess and provide robust evidence in the Indian context. Methods Employing Benefit-Incidence Analysis (BIA) framework, this paper advances earlier evidence by highlighting estimates of health care utilization, concentration and government subsidy by broader provider categories (public versus private) and across service levels (outpatient, inpatient, maternal, pre-and post-natal services). We used 2 waves of household surveys conducted by the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) on health and morbidity. The period of analysis was chosen to represent policy interventions spanning 2004 (pre-policy) and 2018 (post-policy era). We present this evidence across three categories of Indian states, namely, high-focus states, high-focus north eastern states and non-focus states. Such categorization facilitates quantification of reform impact of policy level interventions across the three groups. Results Utilisation of healthcare services, except outpatient care visits, accelerated significantly in 2018 from 2004. The difference in utilisation rates between poor and rich (between poorest 20% and richest 20%) had significantly declined during the same period. As far as concentration of healthcare is concerned, the Concentrate Index (CI) underlying inpatient care in public sector fell from 0.07 in 2004 to 0.05 in 2018, implying less pro-rich distribution. The CI in relation to pre-natal, institutional delivery and postnatal services in government facilities were pro-poor both in 2004 and 2018 in all 3 groups of states. The distribution of public subsidy underscoring curative services (inpatient and outpatient) remained pro-rich in 2004 but turned less pro-rich in 2018, measured by CIs which declined sharply across all groups of states for both outpatient (from 0.21 in 2004 to 0.16 in 2018) and inpatient (from 0.24 in 2004 to 0.14 in 2018) respectively. The CI for subsidy on prenatal services declined from approximately 0.01 in 2004 to 0.12 in 2018. In respect to post-natal care, similar results were observed, implying the subsidy on prenatal and post-natal services was overwhelmingly received by poor. The CI underscoring subsidy for institutional delivery although remained positive both in 2018 and 2004, but slightly increased from 0.17 in 2004 to 0.28 in 2018. Conclusions Improvement in infrastructure and service provisioning through NHM route in the public facilities appears to have relatively benefited the poor. Yet they received a relatively smaller health subsidy than the rich when utilising inpatient and outpatient health services. Inequality continues to persist across all healthcare services in private health sector. Although the NHM remained committed to broader expansion of health care services, a singular focus on maternal and child health conditions especially in backward regions of the country has yielded desired results.


Geriatrics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
Silvia Mejia-Arango ◽  
Jaqueline Avila ◽  
Brian Downer ◽  
Marc A. Garcia ◽  
Alejandra Michaels-Obregon ◽  
...  

Sources of health disparities such as educational attainment, cardiovascular risk factors, and access to health care affect cognitive impairment among older adults. To examine the extent to which these counteracting changes affect cognitive aging over time among Mexican older adults, we examine how sociodemographic factors, cardiovascular diseases, and their treatment relate to changes in cognitive function of Mexican adults aged 60 and older between 2001 and 2015. Self and proxy respondents were classified as dementia, cognitive impairment no dementia (CIND), and normal cognition. We use logistic regression models to examine the trends in dementia and CIND for men and women aged 60 years or older using pooled national samples of 6822 individuals in 2001 and 10,219 in 2015, and sociodemographic and health variables as covariates. We found higher likelihood of dementia and a lower risk of CIND in 2015 compared to 2001. These results remain after adjusting for sociodemographic factors, cardiovascular diseases, and their treatment. The improvements in educational attainment, treatment of diabetes and hypertension, and better access to health care in 2015 compared to 2001 may not have been enough to counteract the combined effects of aging, rural residence disadvantage, and higher risks of cardiovascular disease among older Mexican adults.


2019 ◽  
Vol 109 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 705S-728S ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramkripa Raghavan ◽  
Carol Dreibelbis ◽  
Brittany L Kingshipp ◽  
Yat Ping Wong ◽  
Barbara Abrams ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Background Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are common maternal complications during pregnancy, with short- and long-term sequelae for both mothers and children. Objective Two systematic review questions were used to examine the relation between 1) dietary patterns before and during pregnancy, 2) HDP, and 3) GDM. Methods A search was conducted from January 1980 to January 2017 in 9 databases including PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane. Two analysts independently screened articles using a priori inclusion and exclusion criteria; data were extracted from included articles, and risk of bias was assessed. After qualitative synthesis, a conclusion statement was drafted for each question and the evidence supporting the conclusion was graded. Results Of the 9103 studies identified, 8 [representing 4 cohorts and 1 randomized controlled trial (RCT)] were included for HDP and 11 (representing 6 cohorts and 1 RCT) for GDM. Limited evidence in healthy Caucasian women with access to health care suggests dietary patterns before and during pregnancy that are higher in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, legumes, fish, and vegetable oils and lower in meat and refined grains are associated with reduced risk of HDP, including preeclampsia and gestational hypertension. Limited but consistent evidence suggests certain dietary patterns before pregnancy are associated with reduced risk of GDM. These protective dietary patterns are higher in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, legumes, and fish and lower in red and processed meats. Most of the research was conducted in healthy, Caucasian women with access to health care. Insufficient evidence exists on the associations between dietary patterns before and during pregnancy and risk of HDP in minority women and those of lower socioeconomic status, and dietary patterns during pregnancy and risk of GDM. Conclusions Although some conclusions were drawn from these systematic reviews, more research is needed to address gaps and limitations in the evidence.


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