Evaluating the feasibility of "Friends in Nature," a complex nature-based social intervention to address loneliness and quality of life in six cities worldwide.

Background: Loneliness, a major public health concern, could be alleviated through social interventions with nature contact as a primary component. "Friends in Nature" is a complex nature-based social intervention designed to be implemented as part of "Reimagining Environments for Connection and Engagement: Testing Actions for Social Prescribing in Natural Spaces" (RECETAS). This project aims to alleviate loneliness and promote health-related quality of life in six different geographic areas worldwide.

What Do We Know About the Validity and Reliability of Mindfulness Self-Report Measures in Persons with Dementia? A Critical Narrative Review.

Objectives: Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) for persons with dementia (PwD) have yielded mixed results, possibly attributable to the fact that little is known about the validity and reliability of trait mindfulness self-report measures in PwD. This narrative review sought to identify studies involving self-reported trait mindfulness and other clinical measures that may hold information on the convergent validity and reliability of these measures in PwD.

Methods: Scientific databases were searched for studies involving PwD and mindfulness assessments.

Care of Older Adults with Mental Illness in Long-Term Care Residential Facility: A Scoping Review.

Objectives: Mental illness affects approximately 1 in 8 people globally, with approximately 15% of adults aged 60 years and older experiencing a mental disorder. With the aging population, there is a growing demand for long-term care. This scoping review focuses on older adults with non-neurocognitive and non-neurodevelopmental mental illnesses (NNNDMIs) in nursing homes, exploring how the care is provided.

Adherence and Retention Rates to Home-Based Video Exercise Programs in Older Adults-Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate adherence and retention rates to home-based video exercise programs and identify key factors associated with these rates in older adults to understand the effectiveness of home-based video exercise interventions. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus for articles addressing adherence to and retention of home-based video exercise programs. The study was conducted following PRISMA recommendations.

Future policy and research for advance care planning in dementia: consensus recommendations from an international Delphi panel of the European Association for Palliative Care.

Advance care planning (ACP) is increasingly recognised in the global agenda for dementia care. The European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) Taskforce on ACP in Dementia aimed to provide recommendations for policy initiatives and future research. We conducted a four-round Delphi study with a 33-country panel of 107 experts between September, 2021, and June, 2022, that was approved by the EAPC Board.

Nature-based social interventions to address loneliness among vulnerable populations: a common study protocol for three related randomized controlled trials in Barcelona, Helsinki, and Prague within the RECETAS European project.

Background: The negative effects of loneliness on population health and wellbeing requires interventions that transcend the medical system and leverage social, cultural, and public health system resources. Group-based social interventions are a potential method to alleviate loneliness. Moreover, nature, as part of our social and health infrastructure, may be an important part of the solutions that are needed to address loneliness.

Consensus definition of advance care planning in dementia: A 33-country Delphi study.

Introduction: Existing advance care planning (ACP) definitional frameworks apply to individuals with decision-making capacity. We aimed to conceptualize ACP for dementia in terms of its definition and issues that deserve particular attention.

Methods: Delphi study with phases: (A) adaptation of a generic ACP framework by a task force of the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC); (B) four online surveys by 107 experts from 33 countries, September 2021 to June 2022; (C) approval by the EAPC board.

COVID-19 pandemic and mortality in nursing homes across USA and Europe up to October 2021.

Purpose: We compared the prevalence of COVID-19 and related mortality in nursing homes (NHs) in 14 countries until October 2021. We explored the relationship between COVID-19 mortality in NHs with the average size of NHs and with the COVID-19 deaths at a population level.

Methods: The total number of COVID-19 cases and COVID-19-related deaths in all NHs as well as the total number of NHs and NH beds were provided by representatives of 14 countries.

Geriatric Depression and Inappropriate Medication: Benefits of Interprofessional Team Cooperation in Nursing Homes.

An investigation of inappropriate medication use in treatment of depressivity in institutionalized older adults, based on a nurse-led evaluation of functional status and depressive symptoms in nursing home residents. A cross-sectional multicenter study was performed using records from 1087 residents cared for in fifteen nursing homes (NHs) in the Czech Republic. Inclusion criteria were being a permanent resident of one of the facilities, being 60 years of age or older, having a Geriatric Depression Scale score of 6 or more, and having a Mini Mental State examination score 10 or more.

The experiences and needs of frail older people receiving home health care: A qualitative study.

Background: Due to the rapid ageing of the population, there is increasing demand for long-term care in the people's home environment. Such care aims to allow the people to stay at home and avoid hospitalisation or other institutional care. In home health care, care must be provided at the highest possible quality, with the focus on the people's needs and experiences.

Financial balance of home nursing care providers in the Czech Republic.

Background: To enable people to live in old age in their own homes often requires specialised home care services. Despite the high importance of these services, the finance of home nursing care (HNC) is still under-investigated in many countries. The aim of this paper was to describe the finance of HNC in the Czech Republic.

Psychosocial care in dementia in European higher education: Evidence from the SiDECar ("Skills in DEmentia Care") project.

In dementia care, psychosocial interventions can increase people's quality of life with dementia and their caregivers. Despite their effectiveness, their translation into practice lacks the desirable systematicity. Systematic educational programs on psychosocial interventions in dementia will improve this translation, as it prepares professionals to face the complexity of dementia care.

The Integration of Psychosocial Care into National Dementia Strategies across Europe: Evidence from the Skills in DEmentia Care (SiDECar) Project.

There is evidence supporting the use of psychosocial interventions in dementia care. Due to the role of policy in clinical practice, the present study investigates whether and how the issue of psychosocial care and interventions has been addressed in the national dementia plans and strategies across Europe. A total of 26 national documents were found.

Plasma levels of adipokines in patients with Alzheimer's disease - where is the "breaking point" in Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis?

Peripheral insulin resistance is associated with decreasing adiponectin and increasing leptin plasma levels, and also with cognitive decline. The effects of adipokines on brain function have been published from both animal and human studies. In particular, the influence of leptin and adiponectin on the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been extensively investigated.

The needs of older patients in hospital care: a scoping review.

Background: Research into care for older patients in the hospital environment has become an increasingly valuable source of information, as it gives feedback on the quality of hospital care provided. The aim of this study is to provide a comprehensive overview of the self-reported needs of older people in hospital care.

Methods: The scoping review was conducted by searching the following databases: Medline, Web of Science, ProQuest Central, Scopus, Cinahl, PsycINFO and Summon.

Regulated upon activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) levels in the peripheral blood of patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia, but it is very difficult to diagnose with certainty, so many AD studies have attempted to find early and relevant diagnostic markers. Regulated upon activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES, also known as C-C chemokine ligand) is a chemokine involved in the migration of T cells and other lymphoid cells. Changes in RANTES levels and its expression in blood or in cerebrospinal fluid have been reported in some neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis, but also in metabolic diseases in which inflammation plays a role.

Staff perspectives on the usability of electronic patient records for planning and delivering dementia care in nursing homes: a multiple case study.

Background: The electronic patient record (EPR) has been introduced into nursing homes in order to facilitate documentation practices such as assessment and care planning, which play an integral role in the provision of dementia care. However, little is known about how the EPR facilitates or hinders these practices from the end-user's perspective. Therefore, the objective of this qualitative study was to explore the usability issues associated with the EPR for assessment and care planning for people with dementia in nursing homes from a staff perspective.

COVID-19 highlights the need for universal adoption of standards of medical care for physicians in nursing homes in Europe.

The nursing home sector has seen a disproportionately high number of deaths as part of the COVID-19 pandemic. This reflects, in part, the frailty and vulnerability of older people living in care homes but has also, in part, been a consequence of the failure to include care homes in the systematic planning of a response to COVID, as well as a measure of neglect of standards and quality improvement in the sector. In response, the EUGMS published a set of medical standards of care developed in consultation with experts across its member national societies in 2015.

The needs of older people receiving home care: a scoping review.

Background: Most people in a state of illness or reduced self-sufficiency wish to remain in their home environment. Their physiological needs, and their psychological, social, and environmental needs, must be fully met when providing care in their home environment. The aim of this study is to provide an overview of the self-perceived needs of older people living with illness or reduced self-sufficiency and receiving professional home care.

Demographic and Lifestyle Factors and Memory in European Older People.

Objectives: To investigate associations between demographic and lifestyle factors and memory performance in European people aged ≥60 years.

Methods: Data from 23,641 people with a mean age of 70.2 (95 % CI 70.

Bridging the divide between biomedical and psychosocial approaches in dementia research: the 2019 INTERDEM manifesto.

Objective: To provide a new perspective on integrated biomedical and psychosocial dementia research.

Background: Dementia is being recognized as a multifactorial syndrome, but there is little interaction between biomedical and psychosocial approaches. A way to improve scientific knowledge is to seek better understanding of the mechanisms underlying the interaction between biomedical and psychosocial paradigms.

Dementia care in the Danube Region. A multi-national expert survey.

Background: Dementia is a particularly severe societal challenge in several countries of the Danube Region due to higher-than-average increment in population longevity, disproportionate increase of the old-age dependency ratio, and selective outward migration of health care professionals. A survey was conducted among dementia experts to obtain a deeper understanding of the dementia care structures and services in this geographical area, and to identify the educational needs of health care professionals, and the availability of assistive technology.

Subjects And Methods: A standardized questionnaire was sent out to 15 leading dementia experts/clinicians in 10 Danube Region countries inquiring about professional groups involved in dementia care, availability and reimbursement of services, inclusion of dementia in professional education and training, acceptability of Internet-based education, and availability of assistive technology.

Data of a sub-analysis of the DEMDATA study: characteristics of Austrian and Czech nursing homes residents.

Objectives: The aim of this data paper is to provide the data set of a sub-analysis of the DEMDATA study data. In the DEMDATA study, epidemiological data on the prevalence and severity of dementia, as well as functioning, behavioral problems and other health related factors in residents living in Austrian and Czech nursing homes were collected. The DEMDATA project further provides information on relatives' perception of the life Quality of residents, care team burden as well as environmental factors.

Self-reported needs and experiences of people with dementia living in nursing homes: a scoping review.

With rates of dementia continuing to rise, the impetus on improving care for people with dementia is growing. Unmet needs of people with dementia living in nursing homes have been linked with worsening neuropsychiatric symptoms, higher levels of depression, and reduced quality of life. Furthermore, proxy accounts exploring the needs of people with dementia have frequently been shown to be unreliable.

Who are the main medical care providers of European nursing home residents? An EuGMS survey.

Introduction: Nursing home residents are complex, vulnerable and have been historically neglected. The EuGMS is committed to improving their care, and is currently developing a curriculum of core competencies. Integral to these efforts is identifying the physicians, for whom, education in these competencies needs to be directed.