EFFECTIVENESS OF A COMPREHENSIVE GERIATRIC ASSESSMENT TO IMPROVE THE LIFE QUALITY OF THE ELDERLY AND TO EASE THE CAREGIVERS BURDEN

2021 ◽  
pp. 79-90
Author(s):  
Evgenia A. Gurianova ◽  
Enje E. Rechapova ◽  
Ekaterina S. Sidyakina

In the modern world, the number of elderly people with various diseases is growing, they need an appropriate care. Care implementation requires special knowledge, mental and economic expenditures. Ensuring a decent old age for the elderly is one of the problems of modern society. Comprehensive geriatric assessment is a multidimensional interdisciplinary diagnostic process for assessing the physical, psychological, functional and socio-economic problems of elderly people in order to develop a comprehensive individual plan for their treatment and rehabilitation. Comprehensive geriatric assessment benefits the elderly population, but the effectiveness of comprehensive geriatric assessment to improve the life quality of the elderly remains unclear. The article provides an overview of studies devoted to studying the effectiveness of using comprehensive geriatric assessment. The article discusses the influence of a comprehensive geriatric assessment on determining the life quality of the elderly, the duration of their stay in the hospital, and relieving the caregivers' burden. In addition, the influence of a comprehensive geriatric assessment on the ability to determine life expectancy, to conduct early diagnosis of major geriatric syndromes, the risk of morbidity and mortality in elderly patients is being considered. It is important that on the basis of a comprehensive geriatric assessment, appropriate rehabilitation programs can be drawn up, and technologies for rehabilitation can be determined.

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 1605-1614
Author(s):  
K Krisdiyanti ◽  
Dyah Putri Aryati

AbstractThe increasing number of the elderly population is a phenomenom that occurs today. The high level of dependence of the elderly causes the elderly to have the potential to be placed in care homes. The elderly are individuals who hane a high risk of isease and stressors. This, of course, requires efforts to ensure the life of the elderly, not only seen from fulfillment of the needs of the elderly but also the life quality of the eldely. The study aims to describe the quality of life of the elderly who live in care homes. The study used a literature review method by searching for articles in the Pubmed database, and google sholar. The search was conducted by combining keywords: “Elderly, “Elderly people”, “Quality of life”, “WHOQOL-BREF”, and “Nursing home” with the year 2011-2021. Participants in this study were 395 respondents of elderly living in care homes. The results of the literature review of 6 articles showed that there are 73 respondents (18,5%) with low category of life quality, 195 respondents (49,9%) with medium category of life quality, and 127 repondents (32,1%) high category of the life quality. From this study, it can be concluded that the quality of life of the elderly living in care homes is mostly (49,9%) in moderate category. The role of nurses is needed to improve the quality of life of the elderly who live in care homes.Keywords: care homes; elderly; quality of life; WHOQOL-BREF AbstrakTerjadinya peningkatan jumlah populasi lanjut usia merupakan fenomena yang terjadi saat ini. Tingkat ketergantungan lansia yang tinggi mengakibatkan lansia berpontesi untuk ditempatkan di panti sosial. Lansia merupakan individu yang memiliki resiko tinggi dan rentan terhadap penyakit serta stresor. Hal ini tentunya dibutuhkan upaya untuk menjamin hidup lansia, tidak hanya dilihat dari pemenuhan kebutuhan lansia namun juga dilihat dari kualitas hidup lansia. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui gambaran kualitas hidup lansia yang tinggal di panti sosial. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode literature review, untuk pencarian artikel dengan mengakses database Pubmed, dan googlescholar. Pencarian dilakukan dengan mengkombinasi kata kunci: “elderly”, “elderly people”, “Quality of life”, “WHOQOL-BREF”, “Nursing home” dengan batasan tahun 2011-2021. Partisipan pada studi ini adalah lansia yang tinggal di panti sosial dengan total 395 lansia. Hasil penelitian literature review dari 6 artikel menunjukan kualitas hidup lansia dengan kategori rendah 73 responden (18,5%), sedang 195 responden (49,9%) dan tinggi 127 responden (32,1%). Dari penelitian ini diketahui bahwa kualitas hidup lansia yang tinggal di panti sosial sebagian besar (49,9%) dalam kategori sedang. Perlu adanya peran perawat untuk meningkatkan kualitas hidup lansia yang tinggal di panti sosial.Kata kunci : kualitas hidup; lansia; panti sosial; WHOQOL-BREF


Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 3366
Author(s):  
Janusz Blasiak ◽  
Jan Chojnacki ◽  
Elzbieta Pawlowska ◽  
Joanna Szczepanska ◽  
Cezary Chojnacki

The continuous increase in life expectancy results in a steady increase of cancer risk, which consequently increases the population of older adults with cancer. Older adults have their age-related nutritional needs and often suffer from comorbidities that may affect cancer therapy. They frequently are malnourished and present advanced-stage cancer. Therefore, this group of patients requires a special multidisciplinary approach to optimize their therapy and increase quality of life impaired by aging, cancer, and the side effects of therapy. Evaluation strategies, taking advantage of comprehensive geriatric assessment tools, including the comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA), can help individualize treatment. As epigenetics, an emerging element of the regulation of gene expression, is involved in both aging and cancer and the epigenetic profile can be modulated by the diet, it seems to be a candidate to assist with planning a nutritional intervention in elderly populations with cancer. In this review, we present problems associated with the diet and nutrition in the elderly undergoing active cancer therapy and provide some information on epigenetic aspects of aging and cancer transformation. Nutritional interventions modulating the epigenetic profile, including caloric restriction and basal diet with modifications (elimination diet, supplementary diet) are discussed as the ways to improve the efficacy of cancer therapy and maintain the quality of life of older adults with cancer.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
VIDA Kardanmoghadam ◽  
Leila Vali ◽  
Narges Khanjani ◽  
Mohammadreza Amiresmaili ◽  
Kourosh Rajabkhah

Abstract Background: Disability induced by severe diseases reduces life quality among elders, and leads to increased use of medications and increase in drug misuse. This study was done to determine the relation between the number of inappropriate medications used and life quality of elderly people living in Kerman during 2014.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 107 elderly people in Kerman, Iran. The participants were selected by simple random sampling. The elderly health assessment questionnaire and Beers Criteria were used for data collection. Data were analyzed using SPSS (version 16) and running test, Fischer’s Exact test, and logistic regression. The model fitness was evaluated by the Hosmer and Lemeshow Test.Results: The risk of low life quality in elders using 3 to 4 inappropriate medications was 9.98 times more than elders using no unauthorized medication. The most frequent inappropriate medications were Aspirin and Alprazolam. A significant relation was observed between low life quality and number of inappropriate medications used by elders; that is, taking a higher number of inappropriate medications was associated with lower life quality.Conclusions: Many elderly people use inappropriate medications, which can have a serious adverse impact on their quality of life


Cancers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 635
Author(s):  
Aurore Goineau ◽  
Loïc Campion ◽  
Jean-Marie Commer ◽  
Brigitte Vié ◽  
Agnès Ghesquière ◽  
...  

Curative radiotherapy for prostate cancer is common in the elderly. However, concerns about potential toxicity have inhibited access to radiotherapy for this population, for whom preserving quality of life (QoL) is crucial. The primary endpoint was to identify predictors of impaired QoL in men aged 75 years or older treated with curative intent radiotherapy with or without androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for localized prostate cancer. We prospectively performed comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) and administered QoL questionnaires to 208 elderly (>75 years) patients prior to, plus two and six months after, radiotherapy (NCT 02876237). The median age of the patients was 77 years (range 75–89). At the start of the study, comorbidities were highlighted in 65% of patients: 23% were depressed, 23% had cognitive impairment, and 16% had reduced independence. At six months, 9% of patients had a consistently decreased QoL (>20 points), and a further 16% had a more moderate reduction (10 to 20 points) in QoL. None of the parameters studied (tumor characteristic, treatment, or oncogeriatric parameters) were predictive of a reduced QoL following radiotherapy. Though co-existing geriatric impairment was common, QoL was maintained for 75% of patients six months after radiotherapy. CGA was poorly predictive of tolerance of prostatic radiotherapy. Geriatric assessments dedicated to quality of life following radiotherapy need to be developed.


Salmand ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 300-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maysam Ghazi Mohseni ◽  
Ali Akbar Soleimanian ◽  
Ahmad Heidarnia

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e23013-e23013
Author(s):  
Sanketh Kotne ◽  
Bharadwaj Ponnada ◽  
Arun Philip ◽  
Pavithran Keechilat

e23013 Background: Treatment of cancer in elderly is challenging. Majority of the elderly cancer patients are offered chemotherapy based on their performance scale and geriatric assessment tools are not routinely employed in clinical practice as they are time consuming and cumbersome. Aim: The primary objective was to estimate the incidence of chemotherapy related adverse events in newly diagnosed elderly cancer patients above 65 years of age treated at a tertiary cancer institute in southern India. The secondary objective was to predict and assess the factors associated with chemotherapy related toxicities in the elderly patients using the Cancer and Aging Research Group's (CARG) scoring tool and to study the quality of life and to assess the nutritional status and the mental status in elderly cancer patients above 65 years of age. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was done among 179 patients with age ≥ 65 years, a solid organ cancer (any type or stage) from February 2017 to August 2018. Prechemotherapy comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) with Older People’s Quality of Life Questionnaire (OPQOL-35), Mini Nutritional assessment (MNA) and Folstein’s Mini Mental status examination (MMSE) was done at baseline, 2 months and 6 months. CARG tool was used to predict the risk of chemotherapy toxicity with the standard and modified dose. Results: The mean age was 68.53 years. Majority of the patients had breast cancer 29.60%. The proportion of lung cancer, prostate cancer, stomach cancer, colorectal and ovarian cancers were 21.80%,10.60%, 9.50%, 14.5% and 7.30% respectively. Other cancers were seen in 5 patients (2.79%). 40 (22.30%) patients had received anthracycline based chemotherapy. 143 (79.90%) had received standard dosing chemotherapy.118 (65.90%) & 125 (69.80%) out of 179 patients had developed hematological toxicities and non- hematological toxicities respectively. According to the ROC curve for the CARG tool risk of toxicity with standard & modified dosing and hematological & non- hematological toxicities, the accuracy of the test is 60.89% indicating its poor predictive validity. There is a decline in the CGA at 2 months follow-up, but there was an improvement after assessment at 6 months. Conclusions: Comprehensive geriatric assessment at base line is required to adequately analyse patient’s risk of chemotherapy related toxicities. In our study, the patients have tolerated the chemotherapy well in spite of receiving standard dosing.


2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nesreen Fathi Mahmoud ◽  
Huda Zahran ◽  
Sherif Abdelmonam

Abstract Background This study focuses on the self-perception of the voice in the elderly as assessed by the Voice-Related Quality of Life (V-RQOL) questionnaire. This work aimed to compare differences in the voice-related quality of life outcomes between (1) elderly with and without voice disorders, (2) female and male elderly with voice disorders, and (3) different types of voice disorders, and to explore the correlation between the V-RQOL and perceptual analysis done by the clinician. Forty-three dysphonic and 44 non-dysphonic elderly filled out the Voice-Related Quality of Life (V-RQOL) protocol that analyzes the impact of dysphonia on life quality. Vocal perceptual assessment of each subject with dysphonia was made by three voice therapists, followed by a flexible nasofibrolaryngoscope. Results A significant statistical difference was found between the means of total V-RQOL scores and its subdomains for each group (dysphonic and non-dysphonic). No significant differences were found between male and female elderly with dysphonia. The statistical analysis showed a significant correlation with the vocal assessment made by the clinicians and the V-RQOL self-assessment made by the subjects. Conclusions This study provides valuable information regarding the risk factors that contribute to vocal quality in the elderly population. Our results revealed that different types of voice disorders are common among the elderly population with significant negative effects on quality of life. It was observed that the poorest score on the V-RQOL was for functional voice disorders, followed by neoplastic lesions, whereas MAPLs had the best score on the V-RQOL.


2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 123-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Kapała

AbstractMy paper presents the results of a research study on the relationship between existential/spiritual resources, that is, spiritual sensitivity (a disposition to experience spirituality, manifested in the embracement of the nature of things in the transcendent and final perspective, in moral sensitivity, and the ability to find meaning in paradoxical and limiting situations), spiritual sensitivity components and subjective quality of life (a generalized attitude to one’s own life mode, in the four existential dimensions: psychophysical, psycho-social, subjective, and metaphysical). Study subjects were older adults (60+, n = 522) living in the current, dynamic, uncertain and fluid modern world conditions. The study had two phases – quantitative and qualitative (narrative interviews). To measure the phenomena, the Spiritual Sensitivity Inventory (Straś-Romanowska, Kowal, & Kapała, 2013) and the Quality of Life Questionnaire (Straś-Romanowska, Oleszkowicz, & Frąckowiak, 2004) were used. The results obtained confirmed a strong mutual relationship between spiritual resources and quality of life, also providing an answer to some questions about the nature of spiritual sensitivity, and its integrating, pro-development and pro-health role in the elderly adults’ life in the post-modern era.


2021 ◽  
pp. 270-278
Author(s):  
Tatyana Borisovna Berestok

This article deals with the issue of self-preservation of elderly people when learning to work on a computer from the point of view of information and psychological security. The necessity of solving new socio-psychological problems is indicated: to develop the ability to give a correct assessment of a specific information threat, to prevent the negative impact of the information environment, to resist negative factors, and to contribute to improving the quality of life. The purpose of counseling elderly people is to develop their ability to understand the problem of the negative impact of the information environment on psychological and physiological health, to be able to apply methods to ensure information and psychological security. Consulting and educational work with the elderly and employees of social institutions engaged in professional activities directly related to the above category should be aimed at preventing cases of fraudulent activities. Consulting work with them should not only meet the general principles of building psychological contact, but also cause an understanding of the importance of compliance with security in the digital sphere. Elderly people develop the ability to assess correctly a specific information threat and prevent the negative impact of the information environment by providing adequate resistance to negative factors and contributing to improving their quality of life. It is increasingly difficult for older people to navigate threats, unmotivated anxiety increases, depressiveness appears and becomes fixed, and asocial personality traits are formed. At the present time, it is necessary to consider the formation of information and computer literacy as a mechanism to counteract the negative impact of the information environment and a necessary condition for developing an effective strategy for the social adaptation of elderly people.


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