Best Practices for Care of Older Adults

Abstract Music interventions and music therapy have become more common globally as nonpharmacological treatment options for memory loss, pain management, reduction of behavioral and psychological symptoms, and increased quality of life. Knowledge of multiethnic interventions is important when creating evidence-based programs within culturally diverse countries, such as the U.S. The purpose of this systematic review is to analyze music interventions for older adults across the globe to better understand emerging best practices. A review of all trials registered at clinicaltrials.gov and registries in the WHO Registry Network containing the key words “music therapy” were included, regardless of intervention type. Of the 627 studies generated, 449 met the eligibility criteria, with 11% enrolling only older adults and 89% enrolling older adults along with other age groups. Studies were conducted in 6 continents, 48 countries (23% in the U.S.), and in 23 languages. Music interventions for specific medical conditions (64%) or medical procedures (24%) were the primary foci in studies. While studies crossed multiple continents, less than 2% referenced ethnicity or culture in the study details. Detailed data on intervention types, demographics, measures, settings, and methodology will be presented. Results suggest that best practices in music therapy are being developed world-wide for the multitude of health challenges faced by older adults and demonstrate the diversity of music interventions in both medical and community settings. Information from this review can be used to improve the implementation of music intervention programs and may be particularly beneficial in countries with diverse multicultural populations.

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LGBTQ Older Adults in Long-Term Care Settings: An Integrative Review to Inform Best Practices

Clinical Gerontologist ◽

10.1080/07317115.2021.1947428 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-16

Author(s):

Katherine Fasullo ◽

Erik McIntosh ◽

Susan W. Buchholz ◽

Todd Ruppar ◽

Sarah Ailey

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Best Practices ◽

Long Term Care ◽

Integrative Review ◽

Term Care

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Telehealth Competencies for Interprofessional Teams Caring for Older Adults and Care Partners

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.2886 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 796-796

Author(s):

Becky Powers ◽

Kathryn Nearing ◽

Studi Dang ◽

William Hung ◽

Hillary Lum

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Best Practices ◽

Veterans Health Administration ◽

Veterans Health ◽

Health Administration ◽

Delivery Of Care ◽

Face To Face ◽

Evaluation Measures ◽

Interprofessional Teams ◽

Care Partners

Abstract Providing interprofessional geriatric care via telehealth is a unique clinical skillset that differs from providing face-to-face care. The lack of clear guidance on telehealth best practices for providing care to older adults and their care partners has created a systems-based practice educational gap. For several years, GRECC Connect has provided interprofessional telehealth visits to older adults, frequently training interprofessional learners in the process. Using our interprofessional telehealth expertise, the GRECC Connect Education Workgroup created telehealth competencies for the delivery of care to older adults and care partners for interprofessional learners. Competencies incorporate key telehealth, interprofessional and geriatric domains, and were informed by diverse stakeholders within the Veterans Health Administration. During this symposium, comments will be solicited from attendees. Once finalized, these competencies will drive the development of robust curricula and evaluation measures aimed at training the next generation of interprofessional providers to expertly care for older adults via telehealth.

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Response to Letter to Editor: “Best Practices for Chiropractic Care for Older Adults: A Consensus Update”

Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics ◽

10.1016/j.jmpt.2017.06.002 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 40 (7) ◽

pp. 545 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Brian Gleberzon ◽

Cheryl Hawk ◽

Paul Dougherty ◽

Michael J. Schneider ◽

Mitchell Haas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Best Practices ◽

Chiropractic Care

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UTILIZING UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH TO INFORM COMMUNITY RESOURCES FOR OLDER ADULTS: A SERVICE-LEARNING PROJECT

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.1974 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S537-S538

Author(s):

Amanda E Barnett ◽

Sara Olinger

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Service Learning ◽

Best Practices ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Undergraduate Research ◽

Community Resources ◽

Home Visitor ◽

Aging Societies ◽

Theory Research ◽

The Impact

Abstract Engaging undergraduate students with aging-focused community resources is critical for preparing students to work with older adults and make positive contributions to aging societies. During the fall, 2018 semester, undergraduate students in a human development course on middle and late adulthood partnered with a county aging and disability resource center (ADRC) in Wisconsin to evaluate and update several of their existing programs and resources using empirical research. Upon completion of this project, students synthesized course material to meet all course learning objectives such as: (1) critically analyze physical, psychological, and sociological processes of aging across categories of difference (e.g. cultural, ethnic, class); (2) evaluate social policies and their multigenerational implications for midlife and older adults; and (3) construct a personal position on aging that integrates theory, research, and policy to demonstrate a sensitive and competent approach to working with midlife and older adults. Students researched, wrote reports, and presented to ADRC staff on the impact of social isolation on older adults, best practices for home visitor and transportation programs serving older adults, cognitive competency tools and best practices for utilizing memory assessments, grief supports and groups for family caregivers, and best practices for supporting veterans as they age. The outcome of these projects are research-based recommendations for any ADRC to consider when developing and implementing related programs. All stakeholders (students, professor, and ADRC staff) were satisfied with the process and outcomes of the project. Strengths and challenges of carrying out such a collaborative project will be reviewed.

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Telehealth music therapy for persons with dementia and/or caregivers

Music and Medicine ◽

10.47513/mmd.v13i3.821 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 206-210

Author(s):

Amy Clements-Cortés ◽

Melissa Mercadal-Brotons ◽

Tereza Raquel Alcântara Silva ◽

Shirlene Vianna Moreira

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Social Interaction ◽

Best Practices ◽

Music Therapy ◽

Music Therapists ◽

Starting Point ◽

And Training ◽

Practical Recommendations

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed many restrictions on social interaction. Although these restrictions are challenging for everyone, they are particularly difficult for older adults who are often isolated. While telehealth has been around for a number of years, it had not been practiced to any great extent by music therapists until COVID-19. Telehealth will continue to prove valuable even when the pandemic ends, and as a result, it is timely to assess the benefits and recommendations for best practices. This paper provides a starting point of reflection for telehealth for persons with dementia, offering practical recommendations and implications for planning and training.

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Validity of Two Awake Wear-Time Classification Algorithms for activPAL in Youth, Adults, and Older Adults

Journal for the Measurement of Physical Behaviour ◽

10.1123/jmpb.2020-0045 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-12

Author(s):

Jordan A. Carlson ◽

Fatima Tuz-Zahra ◽

John Bellettiere ◽

Nicola D. Ridgers ◽

Chelsea Steel ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

United Kingdom ◽

Best Practices ◽

Age Groups ◽

Classification Algorithms ◽

Wear Time ◽

Self Rated Health ◽

The Mean ◽

Automated Algorithms ◽

Multiple Assessment

Background: The authors assessed agreement between participant diaries and two automated algorithms applied to activPAL (PAL Technologies Ltd, Glasgow, United Kingdom) data for classifying awake wear time in three age groups. Methods: Study 1 involved 20 youth and 23 adults who, by protocol, removed the activPAL occasionally to create nonwear periods. Study 2 involved 744 older adults who wore the activPAL continuously. Both studies involved multiple assessment days. In-bed, out-of-bed, and nonwear times were recorded in the participant diaries. The CREA (in PAL processing suite) and ProcessingPAL (secondary application) algorithms estimated out-of-bed wear time. Second- and day-level agreement between the algorithms and diary was investigated, as were associations of sedentary variables with self-rated health. Results: The overall accuracy for classifying out-of-bed wear time as compared with the diary was 89.7% (Study 1) to 95% (Study 2) for CREA and 89.4% (Study 1) to 93% (Study 2) for ProcessingPAL. Over 90% of the nonwear time occurring in nonwear periods >165 min was detected by both algorithms, while <11% occurring in periods ≤165 min was detected. For the daily variables, the mean absolute errors for each algorithm were generally within 0–15% of the diary mean. Most Spearman correlations were very large (≥.81). The mean absolute errors and correlations were less favorable for days on which any nonwear time had occurred. The associations between sedentary variables and self-rated health were similar across processing methods. Conclusion: The automated awake wear-time classification algorithms performed similarly to the diary information on days without short (≤2.5–2.75 hr) nonwear periods. Because both diary and algorithm data can have inaccuracies, best practices likely involve integrating diary and algorithm output.

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