Systematic voiding programme in adults with urinary incontinence following acute stroke: the ICONS-II RCT.

Background: Urinary incontinence affects around half of stroke survivors in the acute phase, and it often presents as a new problem after stroke or, if pre-existing, worsens significantly, adding to the disability and helplessness caused by neurological deficits. New management programmes after stroke are needed to address urinary incontinence early and effectively.

Objective: The Identifying Continence OptioNs after Stroke (ICONS)-II trial aimed to evaluate the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a systematic voiding programme for urinary incontinence after stroke in hospital.

Dementia Early-Stage Cognitive Aids New Trial (DESCANT) of memory aids and guidance for people with dementia: randomised controlled trial.

Background: Common memory aids for people with dementia at home are recommended. However, rigorous evaluation is lacking, particularly what guidance or support is valued.

Objective: To investigate effects of memory aids and guidance by dementia support practitioners (DSPs) for people in early-stage dementia through a pragmatic, randomised controlled trial.

Hospital admissions and place of death of residents of care homes receiving specialist healthcare services: A systematic review without meta-analysis.

Aim: To synthesize evidence on the ability of specialist care home support services to prevent hospital admission of older care home residents, including at end of life.

Design: Systematic review, without meta-analysis, with vote counting based on direction of effect.

Data Sources: Fourteen electronic databases were searched from January 2010 to January 2019.

The specification, acceptability and effectiveness of respite care and short breaks for young adults with complex healthcare needs: protocol for a mixed-methods systematic review.

Introduction: The number of young adults with complex healthcare needs due to life-limiting conditions/complex physical disability has risen significantly as children with complex conditions survive into adulthood. Respite care and short breaks are an essential service, however, needs often go unmet after the transition to adult services, leading to a significant impact on the life expectancy and quality of life for this population. We aim to identify, appraise and synthesise relevant evidence to explore respite care and short breaks provision for this population, and to develop a conceptual framework for understanding service models.

Evaluation of wrist and hip sedentary behaviour and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity raw acceleration cutpoints in older adults.

Wrist-based accelerometers are now common in assessing physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) in population-based studies, but there is a scarcity of raw acceleration cutpoints in older adults. The study aimed to determine and evaluate wrist-based GENEActiv (GA) and hip-based ActiGraph GT3X+ (AG) raw acceleration cutpoints for SB and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) in older adults ≥60 years of age. A laboratory-based calibration analyses of 34 healthy older adults involved receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves to determine raw acceleration cutpoints for SB and MVPA.

Hospital admissions and place of death of residents of care homes receiving specialist healthcare services: Protocol for a systematic review.

Aim: To synthesize the evidence relating to the ability of specialist care home support services to prevent the hospital admission of older care home residents, including hospital admission at the end-of-life.

Design: Systematic review and narrative synthesis.

Methods: Ten electronic databases will be searched from 2010 - 31 December 2018 using predetermined search terms.

Systematic review of the impact of arts for health activities on health, wellbeing and quality of life of older people living in care homes.

Care home populations frequently feature older people who often experience poor physical health and cognitive difficulties, along with vulnerability to psychological and social stressors. To date there has been no systematic review which focuses on the impact of arts for health activities to the care home population. Evidence was sourced from several databases and 71 studies were deemed eligible for inclusion in this review.

Using formative research with older adults to inform a community physical activity programme: Get Healthy, Get Active.

Aim: The purpose of this formative study was to explore current knowledge and attitudes towards physical activity, as well as perceived barriers, facilitators and opportunities for physical activity participation among older adults living in the community. The findings have subsequently informed the design, delivery and recruitment strategies of a local community physical activity intervention programme which forms part of Sport England's national Get Healthy, Get Active initiative.

Background: There is a growing public health concern regarding the amount of time spent in sedentary and physical activity behaviours within the older adult population.

Systematic review: Effective home support in dementia care, components and impacts - Stage 2, effectiveness of home support interventions.

Aim: The aim of this study was to explicate the outcomes of home support interventions for older people with dementia and/or their carers to inform clinical practice, policy and research.

Background: Most people with dementia receive support at home. However, components and effectiveness of home support interventions have been little explored.

What Works to Improve and Manage Fecal Incontinence in Care Home Residents Living With Dementia? A Realist Synthesis of the Evidence.

The prevalence of fecal incontinence (FI) in care homes is estimated to range from 30% to 50%. There is limited evidence of what is effective in the reduction and management of FI in care homes. Using realist synthesis, 6 potential program theories of what should work were identified.

Using the patients concerns inventory for distress screening in post-treatment head and neck cancer survivors.

Purpose: Cancer patients can experience significant distress during their cancer trajectory, which impacts upon clinical outcomes and quality of life. Screening for distress using holistic assessments can help identify and address unmet concerns/needs. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between concerns and distress, and the impact of distress on clinic outcomes in post-treatment head and neck cancer patients.

Managing Faecal INcontinence in people with advanced dementia resident in Care Homes (FINCH) study: a realist synthesis of the evidence.

Background: Eighty per cent of care home residents in the UK are living with dementia. The prevalence of faecal incontinence (FI) in care homes is estimated to range from 30% to 50%. There is limited evidence of what is effective in the reduction and management of FI in care homes.

Overview of systematic reviews: Effective home support in dementia care, components and impacts-Stage 1, psychosocial interventions for dementia.

Aim: To synthesize evidence to identify the components of effective psychosocial interventions in dementia care to inform clinical practice, policy and research.

Background: With population ageing, dementia represents a significant care challenge with 60% of people with dementia living at home.

Design: Overview of systematic reviews with narrative summary.

Screening for distress using the distress thermometer and the University of Washington Quality of Life in post-treatment head and neck cancer survivors.

The primary aim was to determine the efficacy of the Distress Thermometer (DT) in screening for anxiety and mood problems against the University of Washington Quality of Life, version 4 (UWQOL). Secondary aims were to evaluate the association between demographic, clinical and health-related QOL variables with significant distress. Two hundred and sixty one disease-free HNC ambulatory patients attending routine follow-up clinics were prospectively recruited.

Effective public involvement in the HoST-D Programme for dementia home care support: From proposal and design to methods of data collection (innovative practice).

Public involvement is an important element in health and social care research. However, it is little evaluated in research. This paper discusses the utility and impact of public involvement of carers and people with dementia in a five-year programme on effective home support in dementia, from proposal and design to methods of data collection, and provides a useful guide for future research on how to effectively involve the public.

"Falls prevention among older people and care providers: protocol for an integrative review".

Aim: To review the evidence about the role of care providers in fall prevention in older adults aged ≥ 65 years, this includes their views, strategies, and approaches on falls prevention and effectiveness of nursing interventions.

Background: Some fall prevention programmes are successfully implemented and led by nurses and it is acknowledged the vital role they play in developing plans for fall prevention. Nevertheless, there has not been a systematic review of the literature that describes this role and care providers' views on fall's prevention initiatives.

Evaluating the delivery, impact, costs and benefits of an active lives programme for older people living in the community.

Unlabelled: Aim Age UK Lancashire received Big Lottery funding to deliver an active lives programme from January 2012 to December 2014 to the population of West Lancashire aged over 50 years. The overall aims of the associated evaluation were to measure older people's experiences of participating in the programme, identify the impacts on their health and well-being and their suggestions for services development, and establish the costs and benefits of the programme.

Background: The World Health Organisation recommends older people should be able to achieve physical, social and mental well-being throughout their lives, and that international, national and local policies should be developed to support older adults, promote their independence and well-being, and encourage physical exercise.

Client and clinical staff perceptions of barriers to and enablers of the uptake and delivery of behavioural interventions for urinary incontinence: qualitative evidence synthesis.

Aim: To evaluate factors influencing uptake and delivery of behavioural interventions for urinary incontinence from the perspective of clients and clinical staff.

Background: Behavioural interventions are recommended as first-line therapy for the management of urinary incontinence. Barriers to and enablers of uptake and delivery of behavioural interventions have not been reviewed.

Improving end of life care in care homes; an evaluation of the six steps to success programme.

Background: There are approximately 426,000 people residing within care homes in the UK. Residents often have complex trajectories of dying, which make it difficult for staff to manage their end-of-life care. There is growing recognition for the need to support care homes staff in the care of these residents with increased educational initiatives.

Implementing a Systematic Voiding Program for Patients With Urinary Incontinence After Stroke.

We explored health professionals' views of implementing a systematic voiding program (SVP) in a multi-site qualitative process evaluation in stroke services recruited to the intervention arms of a cluster randomized controlled feasibility trial during 2011-2013. We conducted semi-structured group or individual interviews with 38 purposively selected nursing, managerial, and care staff involved in delivering the SVP. Content analysis of transcripts used normalization process theory (NPT) as a pre-specified organization-level exploratory framework.

Formal support for informal caregivers to older persons with dementia through the course of the disease: an exploratory, cross-sectional study.

Background: In European countries, knowledge about availability and utilization of support for informal caregivers caring for older persons (≥65 years) with dementia (PwD) is lacking. To be able to evaluate and develop the dementia support system for informal caregivers to PwD, a survey of European support systems and professionals involved is needed. The aim of this study was to explore support for informal caregivers to PwD in European countries.