A Biopsychosocial-Ecological Framework for Family-Framed Dementia Care.

The biopsychosocial model has been applied through collaborative care dementia models to the diagnosis, symptom management, and treatment of dementia with a focus specifically on the person with dementia. Because individuals with dementia are increasingly dependent upon others particularly as the illness advances, dementia care requires the involvement and commitment of others, usually family, along with support from community-based resources. Hence, the quality and effectiveness of a person's dementia care are shaped in large part by the foundation of family relationships and the social and community networks in which they are embedded.

Strategies to Promote Social Connections Among Older Adults During "Social Distancing" Restrictions.

Older age and medical comorbidity are factors associated with more severe illness and risk of death due to COVID-19 infection. Social distancing is an important public health strategy for controlling the spread of the virus and minimizing its impact on the older adult population. It comes at a cost, however.

Research on caregiver stress: time for integration and application.

Over the past two decades, caregiver stress has been the subject of scientific inquiry by investigators around the world representing a variety of disciplines. The knowledge base is extensive and growing, particularly as it relates to the phenomenology and correlates of caregiver stress. The six papers published here represent a snapshot of prevailing lines of inquiry and enhance our knowledge regarding: predictors of psychological distress for dementia family caregivers in Japan (Shikimoto et al.

The association between higher social support and lower depressive symptoms among aging services clients is attenuated at higher levels of functional impairment.

Objective: Adults seeking services from the Aging Services Provider Network (ASPN) are at risk for depression. ASPN clients also have high prevalence of both functional impairments and social morbidities. Study of the relationships between these factors may inform the development of interventions for depression in this service setting.

Depression and its correlates among older adults accessing aging services.

Objectives: : To define the prevalence and correlates of depression among older adults receiving assessments by nonmedical community-based care managers at the point of entry to care and thus prior to provision of aging services. Our long-term goal is to inform development of collaborative care models for late life depression that incorporate Aging Services Providers.

Methods: : Aging Services Provider Network (ASPN) clients receiving in-home assessments were administered the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR (SCID) module for affective disorders and measures of depression symptom severity, alcohol use, physical health, functional status, social support, stressful life events, and religiosity.

Developing an outcome-based assessment for family therapy training: the Rochester Objective Structured Clinical Evaluation (ROSCE).

This paper addresses a growing need for cost-effective, outcome-based assessment in family therapy training. We describe the ROSCE, a structured, evidence-informed, learner-centered approach to the assessment of clinical skills developed at the University of Rochester Medical Center. The ROSCE emphasizes direct observation of trainees demonstrating clinical competencies.

Screening depression aging services clients.

Objectives: To establish the psychometric characteristics of the Patient Heath Questionnaire (PHQ) (PHQ-2, -9, and their sequential administration) in older adults who use community-based, social service care management.

Design: Comparison of screening tools with criterion standard diagnostic interview.

Setting: A community-based aging services agency.

Mental distress and service utilization among help-seeking, community-dwelling older adults.

Background: This study aimed to characterize healthcare and human services utilization among mentally distressed and non-distressed clients receiving in-home care management assessment by aging services provider network (ASPN) agencies in the U.S.A.

The patients' perspective: Results of a survey assessing knowledge about and attitudes toward depression in PD.

We report results of a survey assessing patients' knowledge about and attitudes towards depression in Parkinson's disease (PD). 345 patients from 8 tertiary care centers responded (43% response rate). Overall, patients were relatively knowledgeable about depression and its occurrence in PD.

Prescribing exercise for older adults: A needs assessment comparing primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants.

To inform the development of educational programming designed to teach providers appropriate methods of exercise prescription for older adults, the authors conducted a survey of 177 physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners (39% response rate). The survey was designed to better understand the prevalence of exercise prescriptions, attitudes, barriers, and educational needs of primary care practitioners toward older adults. Forty-seven percent of primary care providers report not prescribing exercise for older adults; 85% of the sample report having no formal training in exercise prescription.

Physical activity intervention for older adults with intellectual disability: report on a pilot project.

A 12-week pilot project on physical activity was introduced in a day habilitation setting to a group of 12 older adults with intellectual disability and a variety of physical and behavioral conditions. Our purpose was to determine whether (a) this intervention would positively impact physical function in this population, (b) consumers would choose to participate in physical activity sessions, and (c) day habilitation staff could sustain this program beyond the intervention period. Findings indicate that 92% of participants experienced improvement in at least one domain of physical function, physical activity sessions remained a popular activity choice for consumers, and many participants sustained functional gains 1 year after habilitation staff assumed responsibility for sessions.

Attitudes toward giving smoking cessation advice among nursing staff at a long-term residential care facility.

The objective of this study was to provide a first assessment of (a) long-term care staffs' prevalence of and attitudes toward giving smoking cessation advice to residents and (b) predictors of advice giving. Results of a survey (N = 115) found that 54.8% of licensed nurses and 34.

Smoking history, knowledge, and attitudes among older residents of a long-term care facility.

In the absence of empirical literature from the resident perspective, this study provided a first assessment of smoking history, knowledge of the risks of smoking, the risks of environmental tobacco exposure, and the benefits of quitting among older (age 50+) nursing home unit residents, as well as readiness to quit, barriers to quitting, frequency of cessation advice by healthcare givers, and quit-attempt history of residents who smoke. Subjects were 25 smokers and 70 non-smokers housed on long-term nursing home units in a county hospital. Results indicated that smoking status for the majority of residents was similar to when they were admitted, although smokers smoked fewer cigarettes (M = 11.

Dementia consults: predictors of compliance by primary care physicians.

This study was designed to determine rates of primary care physician compliance with recommendations made by physician-consultants at an Alzheimer's disease center. A mail survey was sent to primary care physicians, who were asked to indicate which recommendations had been implemented and to select reasons for lack of adherence. The response rate was 53 percent (49/92).