scholarly journals Factors associated with postural control in nursing home residents

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 104-107
Author(s):  
R.L. ErdŐs ◽  
I. Jónásné Sztruhár ◽  
A. Simon ◽  
É. Kovács
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Home ◽  
Muscle Strength ◽  
Older People ◽  
Postural Control ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
Reference Values ◽  
Nursing Home Residents ◽  
Functional Mobility ◽  
Specific Reference ◽  
Functional Tests

AbstractPurposeDecline of the sensory and motor systems in older people negatively affects postural control. This increases the risk of falls, which is dangerous for older people in long-term care. Being aware of the quality of postural control and the factors affecting it among elderly people, is crucial in implementing an effective fall-prevention program. This study aimed to measure postural control and the demographic, health-related, and functional factors presumed to be correlated with it among nursing home residents. Another aim was to find valid screening tools based on these factors.Materials and methodsSeventy one nursing home residents were included. Postural control was measured using the Berg Balance Scale. Grip strength, the 30-s chair stand test, and the Timed Up and Go test were used to measure global muscle strength, and functional mobility, respectively. The results of these functional tests were dichotomized using age-specific reference values.ResultsPostural control was significantly worse in those who did not reach the age-specific reference values in any of the three functional tests. Effect sizes were large for functional mobility and medium for muscle strength. Multimorbidity and gender had no effect on postural control in our sample.ConclusionsAmong nursing home residents, postural control is related to functional mobility and muscle strength. Thus, routine testing of these skills among elderly people is an important task of the physiotherapist.

The Role of Nursing Homes Architectural Design in Mitigating the Risk of COVID-19 Pandemics: The Case of Slovenia

2022 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-66
Author(s):  
Vesna Žegarac Leskovar ◽  
Vanja Skalicky Klemenčič
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Home ◽  
Nursing Homes ◽  
Older People ◽  
Architectural Design ◽  
Nursing Home Residents ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Evaluation Tool ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Disproportionate Number ◽  
Role Of Nursing

Currently, many older people live in institutions for various social and health reasons. In Slovenia, this proportion is almost 5% of the population aged 65 and over. In the COVID-19 pandemic, the elderly proved to be the most vulnerable social group, as they are exposed to a number of comorbidities that increase the risk of mortality. At that time, nursing homes represented one of the most critical types of housing, as seen from a disproportionate number of infections and deaths among nursing home residents worldwide, including Slovenia. During the emergency, a number of safety protocols had to be followed to prevent the spread of infection. Unfortunately, it turned out that while the safety measures protected the nursing home residents, they also had a negative effect on their mental health, mainly due to isolation and social distancing. It follows that especially in times of epidemics of infectious respiratory diseases, the quality of life in nursing homes requires special attention. In this context, it is also necessary to consider whether and how an appropriate architectural design can help mitigating the spread of infections, while at the same time enable older people to live in dignity and with a minimum of social exclusion. To this end, the present study examined 97 nursing homes in Slovenia, analysing the number of infections in nursing homes and their correlation with the degree of infection in the corresponding region in Slovenia. Additionally, 2 nursing homes were studied in more detail with the use of newly developed “Safe and Connected” evaluation tool, analysing the architectural features of each building. The advantages identified so far include living in smaller units, single rooms with balconies, the possibility of using green open spaces and the use of an adequate ventilation. Conclusions of this study are useful for further consideration of design of new nursing homes and the refurbishment of existing ones.

scholarly journals Restorative Virtual Environment Design for Augmenting Nursing Home Rehabilitation

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jon Ram Bruun-Pedersen ◽  
Stefania Serafin ◽  
Lise Busk Kofoed
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Nursing Home ◽  
Muscle Strength ◽  
Intrinsic Motivation ◽  
Virtual Environment ◽  
Nursing Home Residents ◽  
User Preferences ◽  
Environment Design ◽  
Design Considerations ◽  
Home Users

With increasing age, muscle strength decreases excessively rapidly if physical activity is not maintained. However, physical activity is increasingly difficult with aging. This is due to balance, strength or coordination difficulties, arthritis, etc. Moreover, many nursing home residents become unable to experience natural surroundings. Augmenting a conventional biking exercise with a recreational virtual environment (RVE) has shown to serve as an intrinsic motivation contributor to exercise for nursing home residents. RVEs might be able to provide some of the health benefits that regular nature experiences do. More studies on content of proper custom designs for RVEs are necessary. This paper reviews the background for RVE design, describes four custom RVE designs for recreational VE exploration and presents user preferences among nursing home users concerning content and other pivotal design considerations.

scholarly journals Effects of Combined exergame and conventional exercise to reduce and prevent fall risk among elderly people: A Hypothesis

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 80-84
Author(s):  
Hassan Sadeghi ◽  
Saidon Bin Amri ◽  
Mohsen Razeghi ◽  
Tengku Aizan Hamid ◽  
Mohammad Nazrul Hakim Abdollah
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
Physical Therapists ◽  
Functional Mobility ◽  
Population Loss ◽  
Balance Exercise ◽  
Balance Intervention ◽  
Reduce Risk ◽  
Risk Of Fall ◽  
And Performance

Background: Falling among old individuals has provoked ceaseless discussion among gerontologists and physical therapists and it is still one of the greatest issues among this population. Loss of the balance and functional mobility is the main reason of falling. There have been numerous studies conducting the effect of the conventional balance exercise and exergame independently on balance and functional mobility of elderly. Previous studies lacked dealing with the effect of combined exergame and conventional exercise on the balance and functional mobility. Combined exercises are enjoyable and may have more effective to improve balance and performance to reduce risk of fall among elderly people. This package would be preferable for older people. Objective: We hypothesize that while conventional balance exercise and exergame improve balance and functional mobility, combined both types of exercise would superior improvements in elderly performance. Conclusion: Ultimately we expect that this hypothesis will provide a useful framework for facilitating combined exergame and conventional balance intervention in older people.

scholarly journals 299 A Retrospective Review of Unscheduled Hospital Admissions of Nursing Home Residents Over a Two Year Period

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. iii17-iii65
Author(s):  
Aoife McFeely ◽  
Cliona Small ◽  
Susie Hyland ◽  
Jonathan O'Keeffe ◽  
Graham Hughes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Home ◽  
Older People ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Nursing Home Residents ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Care Team ◽  
Similar Data ◽  
Readmission Rates ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
One Year

Abstract Background Older people living in Nursing Homes (NHs) represent a frail and vulnerable group. With multiple co-morbidities they are at increased risk of acute health deterioration prompting urgent hospital transfer. Our aim was to examine the outcomes for nursing home residents following unscheduled hospital attendances. Methods A prospective database was collected between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2017. This recorded all emergency admissions of older people from NHs. The data was retrospectively analysed. Outcomes assessed included: length of stay (LOS), 30-day readmission rates, number of readmissions within one year and mortality. We compared these results to similar data collected in 2012-13. Results Over a two-year period, there were 1435 hospital admissions; a 7% increase from 1015 in 2012. 60% were female and 40% male with a mean age of 84.7 years. The average LOS was 9.58 days (vs 11.2 days in 2012-13). The 30-day readmission rate was 9.8% (vs 14% in 2012-13). 30.45% of all patients went on to have 2 or more readmissions within one year, an increase from 21.1% in 2012-13. The total in-hospital mortality was 14%. Conclusion An increase in the number of NH residents presenting to an acute hospital over the past 5 years was observed. Despite this, we have seen reductions in average LOS and 30 day readmission rates. There is, however, an increasing number of recurrent admissions (≥ 2) to the hospital within one year. These results highlight the importance of an integrated approach to patient care; from the primary care team, hospital team, palliative and community care services. We believe the continued development of Nursing Home Outreach Programmes and community liaison services, combined with the evolving role of the in-hospital Geriatric ANP and liaison palliative care team, will help reduce inappropriate ED referrals and encourage advanced care planning.

Choosing to live in a nursing home: a culturally and linguistically diverse perspective

2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 239
Author(s):  
Cecilia A. Yeboah
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Home ◽  
Nursing Homes ◽  
Older People ◽  
Cultural History ◽  
Nursing Home Residents ◽  
Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Culturally And Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Cultural Origins ◽  
Diverse Perspective

As part of the findings of a study on culturally and linguistically diverse older people relocating to a nursing home, this paper contributes to our understanding of how older people draw on their cultural history to explain their decisions to relocate. Family reciprocity was identified by most participants as central to their decisions, regardless of their specific cultural origins. Using the grounded theory methodology, data were collected through progressive, semi-structured, repeated, in-person, individual interviews with 20 residents of four nursing homes in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) older people, regardless of specific cultural origin, make relocation decisions based on the importance and meaning of reciprocity within families. Understanding their decisions as reflecting a culturally valued reciprocity offered a sense of cultural continuity to the relocation and was comforting to the older adults involved in the study. This study also suggests that culturally and linguistically diverse older people are much more active participants in the decision to relocate to a nursing home than is commonly recognised. The four nursing homes in the northern suburbs of Melbourne and the 20 participants studied constitute only a small proportion of all culturally and linguistically diverse older nursing home residents in Australia. Therefore, the findings may not be pertinent to other culturally and linguistically diverse elderly. Nonetheless, this study makes an important contribution to future discussions regarding cultural diversity in the nursing home relocation of culturally and linguistically diverse older Australians. The study findings provide some insight into the conditions and contexts that impact nursing home relocation.

scholarly journals Physical performance trajectories and mortality among nursing home residents: results of the SENIOR cohort

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (5) ◽  
pp. 800-806 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexia Charles ◽  
Johann Detilleux ◽  
Fanny Buckinx ◽  
Jean-Yves Reginster ◽  
Bastien Gruslin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Home ◽  
Older People ◽  
Physical Performance ◽  
Nursing Home Residents ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Growth Curve Analysis ◽  
Risk Of Mortality ◽  
Slow Decline ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Fast Decline

Abstract Background Previous studies have shown that older people can experience a considerable change in their physical performance (PP) over time. Objectives To identify PP trajectories and their association with mortality among nursing home residents who were followed up for 3 years. Design Three-year longitudinal observational study. Setting Subjects of the SENIOR cohort. Subjects Six hundred and four nursing home residents with a mean age of 82.9 ± 9.1 years. Methods Baseline characteristics and the date of death were collected from the medical records. PP was assessed annually by the short physical performance battery (SPPB) test. Multiple imputations were performed to manage the missing data. PP trajectory groups were estimated using latent growth curve analysis. Cox proportional hazard regression models were applied to examine the risk of mortality according to the PP trajectory groups. Results Three PP trajectory groups were identified: slow decline (N = 96), moderate decline (N = 234) and fast decline (N = 274). After adjustments for potential confounding variables and the baseline SPPB scores, the residents in the fast decline and moderate decline trajectory groups had an increased risk of mortality compared to those in the slow decline trajectory group, with hazard ratio values of 1.78 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.34–2.26) and 1.37 (95% CI = 1.10–1.66), respectively. Conclusions PP trajectories provide value-added information to baseline geriatric assessments and could be used for predicting 3-year mortality among nursing home residents. It may be important to regularly monitor the SPPB score and signal an alert when a fast decline in PP is detected in older people.

P-201: Impact of the frailty status on muscle mass and muscle strength of nursing home residents

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. S85
Author(s):  
F. Buckinx ◽  
J.-L. Croisier ◽  
J.-Y. Reginster ◽  
J. Petermans ◽  
O. Bruyère
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Home ◽  
Muscle Strength ◽  
Muscle Mass ◽  
Nursing Home Residents ◽  
Frailty Status
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