Implementation and outcomes of a dementia-friendly training program in five hospitals.

Background: Hospitalized patients living with dementia (PLWD) age 65+ generally experience poor outcomes. This study's purpose was to implement dementia-friendly training with staff, track patient outcomes, and implement sustainable system changes.

Methods: We conducted a prospective study in five hospitals.

A comparison of dementia diagnoses and cognitive function measures in Medicare claims and the Minimum Data Set.

Background: Gold standard dementia assessments are rarely available in large real-world datasets, leaving researchers to choose among methods with imperfect but acceptable accuracy to identify nursing home (NH) residents with dementia. In healthcare claims, options include claims-based diagnosis algorithms, diagnosis indicators, and cognitive function measures in the Minimum Data Set (MDS), but few studies have compared these. We evaluated the proportion of NH residents identified with possible dementia and concordance of these three.

Deprescribing bisphosphonates for older adults with dementia: perspectives of caregivers.

Unlabelled: Little is known about caregivers' perspectives on deprescribing bisphosphonates for older adults with dementia. Caregivers agreed that fracture prevention was important for maintaining functional independence but acknowledged that changing goals of care may justify deprescribing. Conversations grounded in "what matters most" can align fracture prevention treatment with goals of care.

Patient Perceptions of Opioids and Benzodiazepines and Attitudes Toward Deprescribing.

Background: Opioids and benzodiazepines (BZDs) pose a public health problem. Older adults are especially susceptible to adverse events from opioids and BZDs owing to an increased usage of opioids and BZDs, multiple comorbidities, and polypharmacy. Deprescribing is a possible, yet challenging, solution to reducing opioid and BZD use.

Prescriber Perspectives and Experiences with Deprescribing Versus Continuing Bisphosphonates in Older Nursing Home Residents with Dementia.

Background: Few guidelines address fracture prevention medication use in nursing home (NH) residents with dementia.

Objective: We sought to identify factors that influence prescriber decision-making for deprescribing of bisphosphonates for older NH residents with dementia.

Methods: We conducted 12 semi-structured interviews with prescribers who care for older adults with dementia in NHs.

Primary-Care Prescribers' Perspectives on Deprescribing Opioids and Benzodiazepines in Older Adults.

Purpose: Opioids and benzodiazepines (BZDs) are frequently implicated as contributing to falls in older adults. Deprescribing of these medications continues to be challenging. This study evaluated primary-care prescribers' confidence in and perceptions of deprescribing opioids and BZDs for older adults.

Addressing hesitancy to COVID-19 vaccines in healthcare assistants.

COVID-19 vaccination rates have been suboptimal in frontline healthcare assistants (HCAs). We sought to characterize contributors to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among HCAs. We conducted an analysis of online survey responses from members of the National Association of Health Care Assistants from December 2020-January 2021.

Associations between farmers' market shopping behaviours and objectively measured and self-reported fruit and vegetable intake in a diverse sample of farmers' market shoppers: a cross-sectional study in New York City and rural North Carolina.

Objective: To examine cross-sectional associations between farmers' market shopping behaviours and objectively measured and self-reported fruit and vegetable (FV) intake among rural North Carolina (NC) and New York City (NYC) shoppers.

Design: Cross-sectional intercept surveys were used to assess self-reported FV intake and three measures of farmers' market shopping behaviour: (1) frequency of purchasing FV; (2) variety of FV purchased and (3) dollars spent on FV. Skin carotenoids, a non-invasive biomarker for FV intake, were objectively measured using pressure-mediated reflection spectroscopy.

Perceived barriers and facilitators to participating in the North Carolina Healthy Food Small Retailer Program: a mixed-methods examination considering investment effectiveness.

Objective: The North Carolina Legislature appropriated funds in 2016-2019 for the Healthy Food Small Retailer Program (HFSRP), providing small retailers located in food deserts with equipment to stock nutrient-dense foods and beverages. The study aimed to: (1) examine factors facilitating and constraining implementation of, and participation in, the HFSRP from the perspective of storeowners and (2) measure and evaluate the impact and effectiveness of investment in the HFSRP.

Design: The current analysis uses both qualitative and quantitative assessments of storeowner perceptions and store outcomes, as well as two innovative measures of policy investment effectiveness.

Patterns of oral bisphosphonate deprescribing in older nursing home residents with dementia.

Unlabelled: In a national sample of Medicare nursing home residents with dementia treated with bisphosphonates, 20% had bisphosphonates deprescribed. Residents with clinical characteristics representing decreased likelihood for long-term benefit were more likely to have bisphosphonates deprescribed. Future studies are needed to evaluate outcomes of deprescribing bisphosphonates in this population.

Perceptions of COVID-19 vaccines among healthcare assistants: A national survey.

Background: Limited COVID-19 vaccination acceptance among healthcare assistants (HCAs) may adversely impact older adults, who are at increased risk for severe COVID-19 infections. Our study objective was to evaluate the perceptions of COVID-19 vaccine safety and efficacy in a sample of frontline HCAs, overall and by race and ethnicity.

Methods: An online survey was conducted from December 2020 to January 2021 through national e-mail listserv and private Facebook page for the National Association of Health Care Assistants.

Pharmacist interventions to deprescribe opioids and benzodiazepines in older adults: A rapid review.

Background: Many older adults are prescribed opioids and benzodiazepines (BZDs), despite increased susceptibility to adverse events. Challenges of deprescribing include fragmented care and lack of knowledge or time. Pharmacists are well-positioned to overcome these challenges and facilitate deprescribing of these medications.

Transitioning Focus Group Research to a Videoconferencing Environment: A Descriptive Analysis of Interactivity.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted face-to-face interactions in healthcare research, with many studies shifting to video-based data collection for qualitative research. This study describes the interactivity achieved in a videoconferencing focus group of seven primary care providers discussing deprescribing opioids and benzodiazepines. Researchers reviewed video footage of a focus group conducted via Zoom and assessed interactivity using Morgan's framework for focus group communication processes.