Hazardous Products in the Older Adult Home

Author(s):  
Timothy A. Nichols ◽  
Christopher B. Mayhorn ◽  
Justin D. Whittle ◽  
Holly E. Hancock ◽  
Wendy A. Rogers ◽  
...  

Older adults appear to be particularly susceptible to hazards in the home environment. While some studies have investigated the hazards associated with structural elements in the home environment or specific products such as throw rugs or major appliances, we used a focus group approach to investigate the full range of products with which older adults come in contact and the hazards associated with these products. We conducted six focus groups in the Atlanta area, with 6–8 older adults (age 65–80) in each group. The group discussions were guided by several key topics, including hazardous products in the home and associated hazards. Participants also completed a product usage questionnaire, establishing the representativeness of the sample, as well as providing measures of product hazard perception and product usage frequency. By assessing older adults' awareness and perceptions of hazards through a naturalistic methodology, we provide an initial step in learning how older adults adjust to hazards in the home.

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 770-770
Author(s):  
Bonnielin Swenor ◽  
Aleksandra Mihailovic ◽  
Pradeep Ramulu

Abstract The home environment and features of the home have been identified as important risk factors for falls, and may pose particular risk for older adults with visual impairments given difficulty with hazard perception. We used data from 245 participants in the Falls in Glaucoma Study [mean age: 71 years, mean follow-up: 31 months] with homes graded using our previously validated Home Environment Assessment for the Visually Impaired (HEAVI), which quantifies the number of in-home fall-related hazards and found that neither the number of hazards nor the percentage of hazardous items were associated falls/year. However, each 10-fold increase in lighting was associated with a 35% lower rate of falls/year (RR=0.65, 95%CI=0.46 to 0.92) and there was a 50% reduction in falls/year when lighting was at or above 30 footcandles (minimum lighting level recommended by the Engineering Society of North America) compared to lighting <30 footcandles (RR=0.50, 95%CI=0.26 to 0.96).


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
F Zastrow ◽  
K Neher ◽  
H Hassel

Abstract Background Healthy aging is one of the major challenges currently faced by an aging population. Food literacy (FL) refers to the ability to apply knowledge and practical skills regarding healthy and sustainable nutrition into everyday life. The project “GUSTO” is sponsored by the Bavarian State Ministry of Health and Care and aims to contribute to enjoyable aging by developing the nutritional skills of people aged 65 and over. This community-based program comprises independent working groups of older adults guided by peer moderators. The FL intervention is developed in cooperation with the target group. Methods The nutritional situation of older adults was first established through a literature research. The results of this research were compared to the “self-perceived food literacy scale” by Poelman et al. (2018) and the “nutritional framework for literacy courses” by Johannsen et al. (2019). The resulting data provided a basis for focus group discussions carried out in six municipalities, supported by local practice partners. In six guided focus group discussions, a number of recurring themes were identified and summarized. Results The focus groups consisted of a total of 44 people between 62 and 88 years of age (average age: 73.1 ± 6.1 years). 22.7 % were men. The group discussions revealed resources used and barriers encountered in terms of FL and interests of older adults. It was evident that, due to the high density of information available, the participants found it difficult to identify reliable information and to implement it in their everyday life. At the request of the focus groups, topics such as the best before date and the use of food waste were added to the intervention. Conclusions Older adults find it challenging to identify reliable nutritional information and implement it in their everyday life. With the help of the participatory approach outlined in this study, target group-related issues can be identified and taken into account in the intervention. Key messages Older adults can be involved in the development of an FL intervention. A participatory approach allows target group-related issues and specific needs to be taken into account in the intervention.


Author(s):  
Lina Lee ◽  
Mary Lou Maher

Smart environments and the use of interactive technology has the potential to improve the quality of life for the senior community as well as to support the connections among the senior community and the world outside their community. In addition to the increasing number of studies in the field of aging and technologies, research is needed to understand the practical issues of user focus, adoption, and engagement for older adults to accept interactive technologies in their lives. In this study, we use two commercial technological interventions (uDraw and GrandPad) to understand technology-related perceptions and behaviors of older adults. We present five case studies that emerge from empirical observations of initial engagement with technology through research methods such as focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, observations, and diary studies. The contributions of this study are identification of the key factors that influence the initial engagement with interactive technology for older adults.


2007 ◽  
Vol 86 (9) ◽  
pp. 852-856 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.T. John ◽  
W. Micheelis ◽  
J.G. Steele

Depression is associated with impaired health outcomes. This study investigated whether there is a significant association between depression and dissatisfaction with dentures in older adults. In a population-based study (1180 adults aged 65–74 yrs), depression was measured by an abbreviated Geriatric Depression Scale. Denture dissatisfaction was assessed with a five-point Likert-type question ("very dissatisfied" to "very satisfied"). The depression-denture dissatisfaction association was analyzed with simple (dissatisfied vs. not dissatisfied outcome) and ordinal logistic regression (based on outcome’s full range). For each unit increase on the 15-point depression scale, the probability of denture dissatisfaction increased by 24% [95% confidence interval, 15–34%, P < 0.001 (simple logistic regression)] and the probability for higher levels on the five-point dissatisfaction scale increased by 16% [95% CI, 11–22%, P < 0.001 (ordinal logistic regression)], adjusted for potential confounding variables. The likely causal association in older adults has major implications for the evaluation of treatment effects and the demand for prosthodontic therapy.


2010 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 514-522 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liat Ayalon ◽  
Daniela Fialová ◽  
Patricia A. Areán ◽  
Graziano Onder

ABSTRACTBackground: Home care for older adults is a common phenomenon worldwide because it allows older adults to remain in their home environment. Research has shown that depression is frequently found in older recipients of home care services. Nonetheless, it is often poorly recognized and treated. Untreated or poorly treated depression in older home care recipients has been associated with a variety of negative outcomes, including increased morbidity and mortality, greater likelihood of nursing home institutionalization and higher caregiver distress.Methods: The present review outlines some of the challenges associated with appropriate recognition and treatment of depression in older home care recipients.Results: Our review demonstrates that more aggressive management of depressive symptoms and the employment of an interdiciplinary team can result in beneficial outcomes.Conclusions: Further research is needed, especially in the area of psychotherapeutic interventions as these should be flexible enough to meet the unique and evolving needs of this frail population of older adults.


2020 ◽  
Vol 77 (4) ◽  
pp. 1389-1396
Author(s):  
Yi Wang ◽  
Liyu Li ◽  
Shuangyue Tian ◽  
Jie Wu ◽  
Zhiwen Wang

Background: Home environment is a core domain in the care of community-dwelling older adults with dementia, but there is no suitable instrument to measure it in China. Objective: To develop and psychometrically test the home environment assessment checklist for community-dwelling older adults with dementia. Methods: A three-step process was performed to develop and test this instrument: 1) based on the evidence-based theory, the checklist was summarized as the main points of evidence from living environment settings among older adults with dementia, 2) the draft tool was assigned to an iterative process of evaluation by a panel of examiners consisting of experts from treatment, nursing and caring, people with dementia and their caregivers, 3) inter-rater reliability and internal consistency were calculated with a sample of 348 caregivers of the older adults with dementia. Results: The HEAC consisted of 71 items in domains addressing safety, stability and familiarity, visual cues, and sensory stimulation. Psychometric evaluation showed that this tool demonstrated sound reliability and validity. Content validity was 0.969 which was established by a panel of experts (n = 10). Inter-rater reliability of two researchers was 0.978, and 0.848 for researchers and caregivers. Test-retest reliability was excellent (ICC = 0.757–0.877) in community-dwelling older adults with dementia 2 week apart. Conclusion: The HEAC is a new tool to help collect the reliable information on the barriers and facilitators of home environment for community-dwelling older adults with dementia and to precipitate the home modification process to improve the quality of care for people with dementia and their caregivers in daily life.


2018 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 315-333 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Russell ◽  
Mia R. Oberlink ◽  
Nicole Onorato ◽  
Jodi L. Feinberg ◽  
Kathryn H. Bowles ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Gregory P. Sarkisian ◽  
Anne-Sophie Melenhorst ◽  
Wendy A. Rogers ◽  
Arthur D. Fisk

Author(s):  
Holly E. Hancock ◽  
Arthur D. Fisk ◽  
Wendy A. Rogers

Successful comprehension of warning text necessitates an ability to understand both explicitly stated safety information, as well as information about hazards and safe product usage that may be implied. Comprehension level for this type of text may vary across age groups as a function of normal age-related changes that may be experienced in memory and text comprehension in general. To date, there has been no comprehensive investigation of how well younger and older adults understand explicit and implicit information associated with actual product warnings. In the current study, 43 older and 42 younger adults read text from consumer product warnings and then rated the truth/falsity of statements containing information that was either explicitly stated or implied by the warnings. The results suggest both older and younger adults are able to recognize information that is explicitly associated with an actual product warning. However, they are less able to recognize information that can be inferred from warnings. These data also suggest that older adults perceive themselves to understand consumer warnings fairly well.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document