scholarly journals Health literacy and use of healthcare services among community-dwelling older adults living with chronic conditions

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabelle Dufour ◽  
Anaϊs Lacasse ◽  
Maud-Christine Chouinard ◽  
Yohann Chiu ◽  
Sarah Lafontaine
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Chronic Conditions ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Correlation Study ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Adequate Health Literacy ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

Objective: Only 12% of the Canadian older adults have adequate health literacy (HL) to understand and handle health information sufficiently. A descriptive correlation study was conducted to describe HL and to examine its relationship with healthcare services use among community-dwelling older adults living with chronic conditions in a distant region of Quebec, Canada.Methods: Data was collected through self-report instruments including the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ), which assesses HL on nine dimensions.Results: Based on health characteristics of the nine HLQ dimensions, the results showed significant differences between subgroups of participants as well as a negative association between the HLQ dimension Appraisal of Health Information and the number of consultations with healthcare professionals (incidence rate ratio: 0.66; p = .027).Conclusions: The results highlight the need to improve older adults HL, in order to improve their health status and use of healthcare services.

scholarly journals Simple scoring algorithm to identify community-dwelling older adults with limited health literacy: a cross-sectional study in Taiwan

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. e045411
Author(s):  
Wen-Hsuan Hou ◽  
Ken N Kuo ◽  
Mu-Jean Chen ◽  
Yao-Mao Chang ◽  
Han-Wei Tsai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Scoring Algorithm ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

ObjectiveHealth literacy (HL) is the degree of individuals’ capacity to access, understand, appraise and apply health information and services required to make appropriate health decisions. This study aimed to establish a predictive algorithm for identifying community-dwelling older adults with a high risk of limited HL.DesignA cross-sectional study.SettingFour communities in northern, central and southern Taiwan.ParticipantsA total of 648 older adults were included. Moreover, 85% of the core data set was used to generate the prediction model for the scoring algorithm, and 15% was used to test the fitness of the model.Primary and secondary outcome measuresPearson’s χ2 test and multiple logistic regression were used to identify the significant factors associated with the HL level. An optimal cut-off point for the scoring algorithm was identified on the basis of the maximum sensitivity and specificity.ResultsA total of 350 (54.6%) patients were classified as having limited HL. We identified 24 variables that could significantly differentiate between sufficient and limited HL. Eight factors that could significantly predict limited HL were identified as follows: a socioenvironmental determinant (ie, dominant spoken dialect), a health service use factor (ie, having family doctors), a health cost factor (ie, self-paid vaccination), a heath behaviour factor (ie, searching online health information), two health outcomes (ie, difficulty in performing activities of daily living and requiring assistance while visiting doctors), a participation factor (ie, attending health classes) and an empowerment factor (ie, self-management during illness). The scoring algorithm yielded an area under the curve of 0.71, and an optimal cut-off value of 5 represented moderate sensitivity (62.0%) and satisfactory specificity (76.2%).ConclusionThis simple scoring algorithm can efficiently and effectively identify community-dwelling older adults with a high risk of limited HL.

Chronic conditions and major depression in community-dwelling older adults

2011 ◽  
Vol 131 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 172-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsten M. Fiest ◽  
Shawn R. Currie ◽  
Jeanne V.A. Williams ◽  
JianLi Wang
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Major Depression ◽  
Chronic Conditions ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

scholarly journals Can Virtual Assistants Perform Cognitive Assessment in Older Adults? A Review

Medicina ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 57 (12) ◽  
pp. 1310
Author(s):  
Carmen Moret-Tatay ◽  
Isabel Iborra-Marmolejo ◽  
María José Jorques-Infante ◽  
José Vicente Esteve-Rodrigo ◽  
Carla H. A. Schwanke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Cognitive Assessment ◽  
Chronic Conditions ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Screening Process ◽  
Digital Devices ◽  
The Given ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

Community-dwelling older adults have raised the scientific community’s interest during the COVID-19 era as their chronic conditions might be aggravated by the consequences of confinement. Digital devices in this field to monitor cognitive impairment are an emerging reality of an innovative nature. However, some groups may not have benefited from these developments as much as, for example, younger people. The aim of this manuscript is to carry out a review on the development of digital devices, and specifically virtual assistants, for the detection of cognitive impairment in older adults. After a screening process, eight studies were found under the given criteria, and this number was even smaller for those using virtual assistants. Given the opportunities offered by virtual assistants through techniques such as natural language processing, it seems imperative to take advantage of this opportunity for groups such as older adults.

Association between childhood socioeconomic status and subjective memory complaints among older adults: results from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study 2010

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (12) ◽  
pp. 1699-1707 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toshinori Nishizawa ◽  
Ayako Morita ◽  
Takeo Fujiwara ◽  
Katsunori Kondo
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Evaluation Study ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Subjective Memory Complaints ◽  
Subjective Memory ◽  
Memory Complaints ◽  
Childhood Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

ABSTRACTBackground:Subjective memory complaints (SMC) have been suggested as an early marker of mild cognitive impairment and dementia. However, there is a paucity of evidence on the effects of early life conditions on the development of SMC in old age. This study is aimed at investigating the association between childhood socioeconomic status (SES) and SMC in community-dwelling older adults.Methods:We used the data of the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study, a population-based cohort study of people aged 65 years or older enrolled from 28 municipalities across Japan. Childhood SES and SMC in everyday life were assessed from the self-report questionnaire administered in 2010 (n = 16,184). Poisson regression was performed to determine their association, adjusted for potential confounders and life-course mediators and examined cohort effects.Results:We identified SMC in 47.4% of the participants. After adjusting for sex, age, and number of siblings, low and middle childhood SES were associated with 29% (prevalence ratio [PR]: 1.29, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.22, 1.36) and 10% higher prevalence of SMC (PR: 1.10, 95%CI: 1.04, 1.17), respectively, compared with high childhood SES (p for trend <.001). The interaction terms between childhood SES and age groups were not statistically significant.Conclusion:Childhood SES is significantly associated with SMC among community-dwelling older adults. Efforts to minimize childhood poverty may diminish or delay the onset of SMC and dementia in later life.

Improving health literacy and medication compliance through comic books: a quasi-experimental study of Chinese community-dwelling older adults

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 67-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Y. M. Leung ◽  
Isaac S. H. Leung ◽  
Justina Y. W. Liu ◽  
Sylvia Ting ◽  
Selina Lo
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Experimental Study ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Comic Books ◽  
Medication Compliance ◽  
Comic Book ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults ◽  
Post Assessment

Background: This study aims to investigate the effect of two interventions (verbal advice and comic books) on health literacy and medication compliance among older adults living in 15 public estates in Hong Kong. Methods: This is a two-phase multi-site quasi-experimental study with a pre-and-post design with four measurement points (T1–T4). In both phases, the two interventions were conducted by trained medical/nursing/pharmacy students. Two home visits were carried out in each phase. After the baseline measurement at Time 1 (T1), students verbally advised the older adult participants on how to read, understand, and interpret information on drug labels and how to store drugs properly. A post-assessment was conducted at T2. One year later, another pre-assessment was conducted at T3, and then students used a comic book to educate the older adults. A post-assessment was carried out at T4 after the use of the comic book. Health literacy was measured using the 24-item Chinese Health Literacy Scale for Chronic Care and medication compliance was measured using the Medication Compliance, Knowledge and Storage scale. Generalised Linear Mixed Models were used. Results: A total of 165 subjects were included. The majority (60.6%) were female, aged from 67 to 96. About half (47.3%) had received no formal education. Controlling for age and cognition, there was a significant increase in health literacy after the use of the comic book (coefficient = 2.742, p = 0.001). There was also a significant improvement in medication compliance (total score) (coefficient = −1.018, p < 0.001), reduced knowledge deficiency (coefficient = −0.236, p < 0.05), and reduced storage problems (coefficient = −0.293, p = 0.001) after using comic books. Conclusion: Comic books are a good strategy to improve the health literacy level and medication compliance of community-dwelling older adults.

scholarly journals The Relationship between Subjective Cognitive Decline and Health Literacy in Healthy Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Healthcare ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 567
Author(s):  
Akio Goda ◽  
Shin Murata ◽  
Hideki Nakano ◽  
Koji Nonaka ◽  
Hiroaki Iwase ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Subjective Cognitive Decline ◽  
Healthy Community ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults ◽  
The Relationship

Few studies have examined the effects of health literacy on people at risk of developing dementia; its effects on the pathogenesis of subjective cognitive decline (SCD) are particularly unclear. This study aimed to clarify the relationship between health literacy and SCD in a population of healthy community-dwelling older adults. SCD status was assessed using the Cognitive Function domain of the Kihon Checklist (KCL-CF). Health literacy, in turn, was evaluated using the Communicative and Critical Health Literacy (CCHL) scale. Global cognitive function and depressive symptoms were evaluated using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and a five-item version of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-5), respectively. Participants who were suspected of having SCD were significantly older than their non-SCD peers, and scored significantly worse on the CCHL, MMSE, and GDS-5. In addition, SCD status was found to be associated with CCHL and GDS-5 scores, as well as age, according to a logistic regression analysis. These findings suggest that low health literacy is linked to SCD morbidity in healthy community-dwelling older adults and should prove useful in the planning of dementia prevention and intervention programs for this population.

scholarly journals The Modified Gait Efficacy Scale: Establishing the Psychometric Properties in Older Adults

2012 ◽  
Vol 92 (2) ◽  
pp. 318-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alaina M. Newell ◽  
Jessie M. VanSwearingen ◽  
Elizabeth Hile ◽  
Jennifer S. Brach
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Correlation Coefficient ◽  
Internal Consistency ◽  
Intraclass Correlation ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Retest Reliability ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Test Retest Reliability ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

BackgroundPerceived ability or confidence plays an important role in determining function and behavior. The modified Gait Efficacy Scale (mGES) is a 10-item self-report measure used to assess walking confidence under challenging everyday circumstances.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to determine the reliability, internal consistency, and validity of the mGES as a measure of gait in older adults.DesignThis was a cross-sectional study.MethodsParticipants were 102 community-dwelling older adults (mean [±SD] age=78.6±6.1 years) who were independent in ambulation with or without an assistive device. Participants were assessed using the mGES and measures of confidence and fear, measures of function and disability, and performance-based measures of mobility. In a subsample (n=26), the mGES was administered twice within a 1-month period to establish test-retest reliability through the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC [2,1]). The standard error of measure (SEM) was determined from the ICC and standard deviation. The Cronbach α value was calculated to determine internal consistency. To establish the validity of the mGES, the Spearman rank order correlation coefficient was used to examine the association with measures of confidence, fear, gait, and physical function and disability.ResultsThe mGES demonstrated test-retest reliability within the 1-month period (ICC=.93, 95% confidence interval=.85, .97). The SEM of the mGES was 5.23. The mGES was internally consistent across the 10 items (Cronbach α=.94). The mGES was related to measures of confidence and fear (r=.54–.88), function and disability (Late-Life Function and Disability Instrument, r=.32–.88), and performance-based mobility (r=.38–.64).LimitationsThis study examined only community-dwelling older adults. The results, therefore, should not be generalized to other patient populations.ConclusionThe mGES is a reliable and valid measure of confidence in walking among community-dwelling older adults.

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