Teaching older adults to self-manage medications: preventing adverse drug reactions.

Older adults use more prescription and OTC medications than any other age group. Because their medication regimens often are complicated by many medications and different doses, times, and administration methods, older adults are at high risk for medication mismanagement. The most common errors associated with medication mismanagement include mixing OTC and prescription medications, discontinuing prescriptions, taking wrong dosages, using incorrect techniques, and consuming inappropriate foods with specific medications.

Ethics committees in long-term care facilities.

Biomedical ethical dilemmas occur in long-term care facilities (LTCFs), particularly in the absence of residents' advance directives. Ethics committees are required in hospitals and long-term care facilities accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), but many LTCFs do not have JCAHO accreditation. A survey of LTCFs in one county in a Southwestern state found that only 29% of those LTCFs responding had an organized ethics committee.

Reduced and high molecular weight barley beta-glucans decrease plasma total and non-HDL-cholesterol in hypercholesterolemic Syrian golden hamsters.

Consumption of concentrated barley beta-glucan lowers plasma cholesterol because of its soluble dietary fiber nature. The role of molecular weight (MW) in lowering serum cholesterol is not well established. Prior studies showed that enzymatic degradation of beta-glucan eliminates the cholesterol-lowering activity; however, these studies did not evaluate the MW of the beta-glucan.

The role of intended use on actual use of home care: is race a factor?

Previous studies indicate that African American elders are less likely to use institutional long-term care than whites. The purpose of this study was to examine whether an individual's intention to use home care may mediate the effect of race on the actual use of home care. This study was a prospective, longitudinal study of 208 Connecticut residents over age 65.

Intended use of informal long-term care: the role of race and ethnicity.

Objective: To examine the role of race/ethnicity in the use of informal long-term care among African American and white elders, using an expanded Andersen model of health services use (Bradley et al., Health Services Research, vol. 37, pp.

Depression in later-life Puerto Rican primary care patients: the role of illness, stress, social integration, and religiosity.

Background: Older Puerto Ricans belong to two rapidly growing demographic groups known to have high rates of depression: the aging and Hispanic populations. Studies of depression in Puerto Ricans have primarily focused on the impact of demographic factors and health. This study expands previous research, examining the relationships between depression and social stressors, social support, and religiosity, for Puerto Rican primary care patients aged 50 and older.

Functional status in older women following hip fracture.

Background: Women aged 65 years and over are at high risk for a fractured hip because of osteoporosis. One of the devastating effects of a fracture is the loss of ability to live independently.

Aim: The major aim of this study was to describe the functional status, or ability to perform activities of daily living, of women aged 65 years and older who had experienced a fractured hip in the recent past and to explore possible differences in selected variables (e.

Expanding the Andersen model: the role of psychosocial factors in long-term care use.

Objective: To examine a prevailing conceptual model of health services use (Andersen 1995) and to suggest modifications that may enhance its explanatory power when applied to empirical studies of race/ethnicity and long-term care.

Study Setting: Twelve focus groups of African-American (five groups) and white (seven groups) individuals, aged 65 and older, residing in Connecticut during 2000.

Study Design: Using qualitative analysis, data were coded and analyzed in NUD-IST 4 software to facilitate the reporting of recurrent themes, supporting quotations, and links among the themes for developing the conceptual framework.

Population-based osteoporosis education for older women.

With an increased focus on wellness and health promotion, there is a need for community-based strategies to complement traditional strategies aimed at improving individual and aggregate health. An educational program on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of osteoporosis was provided for 188 women age 60 and older in three different community settings: churches, retirement homes, and senior citizen centers. The major purposes of the study were to determine whether a community-based program might (a) contribute to older women's knowledge about osteoporosis and (b) promote their intent to use this knowledge.

Improving patient care outcomes by teaching quality improvement to medical students in community-based practices.

Purpose: As part of the Undergraduate Medical Education for the 21st Century (UME-21) project, the University of Connecticut School of Medicine developed and implemented a quality improvement curriculum. This study examined its impact on educational outcomes and the effect of the students' continuous quality improvement (CQI) projects on the quality of care delivered at community practice sites.

Method: Seventy-seven second-year students working in groups of two to four conducted CQI projects on diabetes mellitus at 24 community-based primary care practices.

The effects of knowledge, attitudes, and significant others on decisions to enroll in a clinical trial on osteoporosis: implications for recruitment of older African-American women.

This preliminary study explored the roles of knowledge, attitudes, and significant others on decisions of older African-American women to enroll in a clinical trial involving estrogen and osteoporosis. Sixteen older African-American women (average age 75 years) participated in three focus groups. Twelve of the women had enrolled in the clinical trial and four, although eligible, refused to enroll.

Risk status related to knowledge of osteoporosis in older women.

Background: The objectives of this study were to: (1) identify common risk factors for osteoporosis, (2) relate risk factors to knowledge of osteoporosis, and (3) teach prevention, diagnosis, and treatment strategies for women at risk.

Methods: A descriptive exploratory design was used to assess the osteoporosis risk factors of 211 women age 60 and over living in the community in a large city in a southwestern state. Participants in 15 different sites completed a demographic data form, an osteoporosis Risk Factor Card, and a pre-test about osteoporosis.

Individualized care: perceptions of certified nurse's aides.

Despite substantial attention devoted to the development of individualized care in nursing homes during recent years, empirical research assessing progress is limited. Further, few studies have explored the experiences of certified nurse's aides (CNAs) in this regard. This survey examines the perceptions and experiences of CNAs in providing individualized care.

Medicaid estate planning: perceptions of morality and necessity.

Purpose: Although several studies have examined the magnitude and prevalence of Medicaid estate planning (MEP), little is known about factors that influence individual behaviors in this area. Normative data regarding public perceptions of and motivations for MEP are nonexistent. This study explored views about MEP among community-dwelling older adults and family caregivers.

The sequence of the human genome.

A 2.91-billion base pair (bp) consensus sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome was generated by the whole-genome shotgun sequencing method. The 14.

Preferences for CPR among the elderly: the influence of attitudes and values.

Objectives: While many older individuals wish to forgo cardiopulmonary resuscitation regardless of potential positive outcomes, others desire this intervention despite low chances of survival. This study examines the extent to which health, function, attitudes, and values influence preferences for cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Design: An in-person, physician-administered survey.

Mammography utilization in a skilled nursing facility.

Objective: To examine mammography utilization and subsequent clinical decisions in a skilled nursing facility in women aged 75 years and older with no history of breast cancer.

Methods: This study was a retrospective medical chart review of 95 women living in a skilled nursing facility aged 75 years and older who did not have a history of breast cancer.

Results: One-hundred seventy-nine mammograms were performed on 95 patients with an average of 1.