scholarly journals Health-Related Effects of the Elderly Care Program

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Young-Eun Kim ◽  
Seok-Won Hong
Keyword(s):  
Medical Care ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Elderly Care ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Care Utilization ◽  
Propensity Score Method ◽  
Medical Expenses ◽  
Hospitalization Costs ◽  
Health Related

Objectives. This study aimed to determine the health-related effects of elderly care through the elderly program (ECEP) compared to those who were put on standby. Methods. Analysis was conducted concerning the demographic characteristics and chronic disease prevalence status of 108,803 ECEP participants from 2007 to 2013 and 33,932 recipients of elderly care by the elderly (ECE) in 2013. A survey was conducted to determine the effects of emotional support on 508 elders who received ECE in 2014. To determine the effect of elderly care by participation, a comparative analysis was performed using the propensity score method and a differences-in-differences model. Statistical tests were performed on these study subjects’ medical expenses and utilization of medical care, while they participated in the ECEP. Results. ECEP participants incurred a lower total medical expense increase by US$431.94, US$75.54 lower copayment, US$357.60 lower insurance payment, and US$403.04 lower hospitalization costs, compared to the elders who were on standby. Furthermore, a significant decrease was observed in the number of days of hospitalization, even in the case of medical care utilization. Those who were receiving elderly care scored an average of 7.70 points on the Short Geriatric Depression Scale. 51% of these individuals showed a significantly high level of depression, with a score of 8 points or higher, which is a criterion for screening for depression. Conclusions. The present study showed differences in medical expenses and the utilization of medical care associated with ECEP.

scholarly journals Vocal range profile in elderly women with and without voice symptom

Revista CEFAC ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariana Rebeka Gomes Queiroz ◽  
Adriana de Oliveira Camargo Gomes ◽  
Jonia Alves Lucena
Keyword(s):  
Elderly Women ◽  
Profile Analysis ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Elderly Care ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Symptom Scale ◽  
Significance Level ◽  
Vocal Training ◽  
Range Profile ◽  
Voice Symptoms

ABSTRACT Purpose: to characterize and compare the vocal range profile in elderly women with and without voice symptoms. Methods: a total of 23 elderly women attending an elderly care public service participated in the study. They were divided into groups - with and without voice symptoms, according to the results of the Voice Symptom Scale (VoiSS). All participants were submitted to a vocal range profile analysis, by means of the Vocalgrama software. Appropriate statistical tests were applied, by adopting a significance level lower than 0.05. Results: the values for vocal range profile were 3.74% (±1.56) and 3.62% (±1.95) in the groups with and without symptoms, respectively. There were no differences between the groups in the various parameters of the vocal range profile. Conclusion: in the elderly women studied, the vocal range profile showed to be reduced, regardless of having or not voice symptoms. The importance of the elderly investing in the possibilities of vocal training is highlighted, with emphasis on vocal flexibility, aiming at increasing vocal range in this population.

Robotic Assistant for Elderly Care – Development and Evaluation

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 425-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natasa Koceska ◽  
◽  
Saso Koceski ◽  
Vasko Sazdovski ◽  
Domenico Ciambrone ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Interpersonal Communication ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Elderly Care ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Active Ageing ◽  
Control Paradigm ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Care Of Elderly ◽  
Robotic Assistant

Robots perform a variety of tasks and serve various purposes in the medical/health and social care sectors. Recently, interest has been growing in developing robotic assistants for health-related care of elderly people. These robotic systems can be used to improve the life of elderly, ensuring healthy and active ageing, thus extending the life expectancy of the elderly in their familiar home environments. In this paper, we present a low-cost telepresence robotic assistant that can assist elderly and professional caregivers in everyday activities. The robot can be operated manually or by using a shared control paradigm. The robot can also be used for interpersonal communication, thus favoring social integration. The developed robot and its navigation capabilities have been evaluated in simulations and experiments, and the evaluation results are reported.

scholarly journals A Randomized Clinical Trial of the Effect of Zinc Supplement on Depression and Anxiety in the Elderly

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 537-544
Author(s):  
Abolfazl Afzali ◽  
Zarichehr Vakili ◽  
Shahrbanoo Goli ◽  
Hossein Bagheri ◽  
Seyedmohammad Mirhosseini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trial ◽  
Randomized Clinical Trial ◽  
Zinc Supplementation ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Zinc Supplements

Background: Anxiety and depression in the elderly are considered important mental disorders. Objective: This study was designed to determine the effect of zinc Supplementation on depression and anxiety in the elderly. Methods: This study was a parallel randomized clinical trial. A total of 150 elderly aged 60 years and older were allocated into intervention and control groups by using the quadruple blocking method. The elderly in the intervention group received a daily dose of 30 mg zinc supplementation pill for 70 days and the elderly in the control group did not receive this supplement. Depression and anxiety in the elderly were measured using the Geriatric Depression Scale and the Beck Anxiety Inventory, respectively. A significance level of 0.05 was considered for all statistical tests. Results: After the intervention, the mean scores of depression and anxiety in the elderly were significantly decreased in the intervention group, as compared with the control group. Moreover, after the intervention, the serum zinc level in the elderly was significantly increased in the intervention group, as compared with the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion: The use of zinc supplements improved depression and anxiety in the elderly. Therefore, it is recommended to use zinc supplements as a new therapeutic strategy for the prevention and treatment of depression and anxiety in the elderly. Registration No: This research was registered in the Iranian clinical trial system with code IRCT2017071635110N1.

scholarly journals Health profile of family caregivers of the elderly and its association with variables of care: a rural study

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 409-420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allan Gustavo Brigola ◽  
Bruna Moretti Luchesi ◽  
Estefani Serafim Rossetti ◽  
Eneida Mioshi ◽  
Keika Inouye ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Elderly Care ◽  
Elderly Person ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Vascular Diseases ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Systemic Hypertension ◽  
Health Complaints ◽  
Formal Schooling ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Care Recipients

Abstract Objective: to analyze the profile of a population of caregivers from a city in a rural area of the state of São Paulo, Brazil, and identify their health complaints and the characteristics of care provided. Method: a prospective cross-sectional study was performed based on a domicile survey of 99 caregivers and their elderly care recipients. Information about the profile, context of care and health complaints of the caregivers was collected. The caregivers responded to the Zarit Burden Inventory and the Geriatric Depression Scale-15 and the elderly underwent a cognition and functionality assessment. The chi-squared test with odds ratio (OR) was performed to test associations. Result: the majority of the caregivers were women (n=76), elderly (n=83), with a median age 65.8 (±10.4) years and 4.9 (±4.2) years of formal schooling. The most frequent health complaints were pain, systemic hypertension, insomnia, back problems and vision problems. The elderly care recipients were men (n=75), with an average age of 72.0 (±8.2) years. Analysis of associations revealed that caregivers who received emotional support had a lower chance of being highly overburdened (OR=0.37; CI95% 0.15-0.90). Caring for over five years was associated with arthritis (OR=2.50; CI95% 1.0-6.56). Caring of an elderly person with cognitive impairment was strongly associated with peripheral vascular diseases (OR=2.70; CI95% 1.11-6.85) and other diseases (OR=6.94; CI95% 1.43-33.63). Conclusion: A better understanding of the reality of care in rural and remote areas and the identification of factors related to the health care of caregivers provides better care management for the elderly and caregivers, who themselves are aging.

Pattern of Medical Care Services Utilization in Fiji

1990 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-24
Author(s):  
Tsutomu Tomari ◽  
Tsuguo Yanagihashi ◽  
Ichiro Wakisaka ◽  
Hiromichi Hatano ◽  
Virgilio de Asa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Medical Care ◽  
Discriminant Function ◽  
Modern Medicine ◽  
Care Utilization ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Services Utilization ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Medical Services Utilization

The present study was designed to analyze sociodemographic and health related factors that influence the utilization of medical care services in Fiji by using the method of discriminant function. Some sociodemographic and health related independent variables had significant effects on the two patterns of modern and traditional medical services utilization. Discriminant function coefficients for sex, age and race are large enough to suggest the importance of discriminating between two patterns of medical care utilization. This suggests that traditional medical service is coexistent with modern medicine in Fiji and might play an extremely important role in providing health care for rural communities in the same way as modern medicine.

scholarly journals The Ecology of Medical Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan: A Nationwide Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takuya Aoki ◽  
Masato Matsushima
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Drug Use ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Care Utilization ◽  
Office Visits ◽  
Clinical Factors ◽  
Health Seeking ◽  
Over The Counter ◽  
Health Related

Abstract Background. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a profound impact on health care utilization. However, the overall picture of shifts in health-seeking behaviors remains unclear. Objective. We assessed the ecology of medical care during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan and compared it with the results pre-pandemic. We also investigated the associations of sociodemographic and clinical factors with health-seeking behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design and Methods. We conducted a nationwide cross-sectional survey of a representative sample of the general Japanese adult population in May 2021. The main outcomes were health care use for symptoms or health-related events in the last month. We assessed sociodemographic and clinical factors, including age, sex, years of education, annual household income, social isolation, and the number of chronic conditions. Key Results. Data were analyzed from 1,747 respondents. Over-the-counter drug use, physician’s office visits, and hospital outpatient clinic visits decreased drastically during the COVID-19 pandemic compared with pre-pandemic levels. The decrease in the use of medical facilities was especially pronounced among the elderly. Sociodemographic and clinical factors were differently associated with health care utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social isolation and years of education were positively associated with over-the-counter drug use, while female sex was associated with increased over-the-counter drug use and physician’s office visits. In addition, the number of chronic conditions was associated with increased hospital visits. Conclusions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of medical facilities for health-related events decreased drastically, especially among the elderly. A pharmacy is an important source of health care in a population with social isolation. These findings may be useful to researchers and policymakers in rethinking health care systems during and after the pandemic.

Development of a Health Risk Appraisal for the Elderly (HRA-E)

1997 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 337-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lester Breslow ◽  
John C. Beck ◽  
Hal Morgenstern ◽  
Jonathan E. Fielding ◽  
Alison A. Moore ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Risk ◽  
Functional Decline ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Care Utilization ◽  
Behavior Changes ◽  
Risk Appraisal ◽  
Health Risk Appraisal ◽  
Evaluation Form ◽  
Medical Care Utilization ◽  
Health Related

The purpose of this project is to develop a health risk appraisal for the elderly (HRA-E) and test its application in both medical and nonmedical settings. The HRA-E system consists of a questionnaire and software for computer-generation of personalized reports to participants, 55 years and older, and their physicians. Items in the questionnaire cover a comprehensive range of content domains relevant to health promotion in the elderly. The goal of the HRA-E system is to prevent functional decline. Samples of eligible subjects from the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), a group practice, and a senior center were extended invitations to participate. Those responding affirmatively to the invitation were given a questionnaire and evaluation form. Each person who returned the questionnaire received his or her personal report and a second evaluation form. Four months after receiving their reports, respondents were questioned about behavior changes during the interim. Preliminary findings, based on 1895 respondents, indicate that nearly all participants found the questionnaire easy to complete and were pleased with its overall length. In addition, most participants read their reports, and many planned to take action, based on report recommendations. In the next phase of this project, the intent is to refine the questionnaire, extend the intervention protocols for longitudinal application, and evaluate its impact on health-related behaviors, medical care utilization, and functional decline.

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