Participant Satisfaction and Perceptions About Program Impact in the Medicaid Incentives for Prevention of Chronic Disease Pilot Program.

Purpose: Evaluate the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Incentives for Prevention of Chronic Diseases (MIPCD) program in terms of participant satisfaction and self-reported program impact.

Design: Participant survey (mail/telephone follow-up), English and Spanish (N = 2274).

Settings: Ten states in MIPCD program.

Health care quality improvement publication trends.

To analyze the extent of academic interest in quality improvement (QI) initiatives in medical practice, annual publication trends for the most well-known QI methodologies being used in health care settings were analyzed. A total of 10 key medical- and business-oriented library databases were examined: PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ISI Web of Science, Scopus, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, ABI/INFORM, and Business Source Complete. A total of 13 057 articles were identified that discuss at least 1 of 10 well-known QI concepts used in health care contexts, 8645 (66.

"One of my fears is that physically or mentally, the time will come where I'll be unable to drive anymore. and I'm not looking forward to that": a mixed methods feasibility study to assess older driver's risk impairment.

Sixty-seven older adults were assessed using multiple validated tools. The current study aimed to identify high-, medium-, and low-risk impairment among older drivers and to explore high-risk drivers' reactions to being told their results. Of 67 adults screened from a convenience sample of older drivers, nine high-risk participants, four completed in-depth follow-up qualitative interviews.

Enhancing older driver safety: A driving survey and evaluation of the CarFit program.

Objective: To evaluate CarFit, an educational program designed to promote optimal alignment of driver with vehicle.

Methods: A driving activity survey was sent to 727 randomly selected participants living in retirement communities. Drivers (n=195) were assigned randomly to CarFit intervention (n=83, M age=78.

Health and medical services use: a matched case comparison between CCRC residents and national health and retirement study samples.

Little is known about the health status of adults living in continuing care retirement communities (CCRC). Using matched-case control, 458 adults from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) or a CCRC-based sample were compared on total comorbidity, self-rated health, home health services use, and hospitalizations. At year 2, the CCRC sample reported more comorbidities (96%) but significantly better self-rated health (96% good/excellent) than the HRS sample (93% comorbidity, 73% good/excellent; p < .

The memory fitness program: cognitive effects of a healthy aging intervention.

Context: Age-related memory decline affects a large proportion of older adults. Cognitive training, physical exercise, and other lifestyle habits may help to minimize self-perception of memory loss and a decline in objective memory performance.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether a 6-week educational program on memory training, physical activity, stress reduction, and healthy diet led to improved memory performance in older adults.

The role of spiritual experiences and activities in the relationship between chronic illness and psychological well-being.

Our research explores the correlates of spiritual experiences over a 2-year period in a sample of older adults (N = 164; mean age 81.9 years) living in a continuing care retirement community. Utilizing responses to the Daily Spiritual Experiences Scale, scores were analyzed for changes over time and for their hypothesized moderating effect in the relationship between chronic illness impact and markers of psychological well-being (as measured by the Geriatric Depression and Life Satisfaction scales).

Older men's knowledge about osteoporosis and educational interventions to increase osteoporosis knowledge in older men: a systematic review.

Objective: The prevalence of osteoporosis and low bone density in men over the age of 65 is approximately 45%. The public health response to a disease affecting almost half of a given population includes assessment of knowledge and design of educational interventions in order to improve screening and prevention. The aim of this systematic review is two fold.

The effect of the addition of osteoporosis education to a bone health screening program for older adults.

Osteoporosis affects approximately 26% of women and 4% of men after the age of 65 years. However, the diffusion of knowledge about osteoporosis risk factors, prevention and treatment remains low. The purpose of this longitudinal study was to investigate the value of adding initial and refresher osteoporosis education classes to a bone health screening program.

Validation of the male osteoporosis knowledge quiz.

The purpose of this study was to validate the six-item Men's Osteoporosis Knowledge Quiz (MOKQ). The MOKQ asks questions about risk factors that are pertinent to men, such as the risk for developing low bone mass related to hormone treatment for prostate cancer and the importance of testosterone for bone mass. A survey was sent to 242 men with a mean age of 83.

Older men's knowledge of osteoporosis and the prevalence of risk factors.

It has been estimated that up to 45% of men in the United States have low bone density. Yet, only a few studies have examined men's knowledge of bone health and disease. Men's knowledge of sex-specific issues related to osteoporosis is especially not well understood.

Associations of back and leg pain with health status and functional capacity of older adults: findings from the retirement community back pain study.

Objective: Low back pain (LBP) is the most frequently reported musculoskeletal problem in older adults, but its impact on health status is not well understood. Our objective was to determine whether LBP and concurrent leg pain are associated with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and function in a cohort of older adults, and to examine care-seeking behaviors related to LBP.

Methods: This was a population-based, cross-sectional survey study of 522 community-dwelling men and women (67.

Using step activity monitoring to characterize ambulatory activity in community-dwelling older adults.

Objectives: To explore the potential of using step activity monitoring to detect differences in ambulatory activity associated with advancing age and declining function in community-dwelling seniors.

Design: Cross-sectional pilot study.

Setting: General communities of Seattle, Washington; Catonsville, Maryland; and Durham, North Carolina.

Testing the reliability and validity of computer-mediated social support measures among older adults: a pilot study.

With the increasing number of older adult online users, the Internet and e-mail are becoming a new source of social support for older adults. To assess this computer-mediated social support, two traditional social support measures were modified: (1) the Lubben Social Network Scale and (2) the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey. The purpose of this pilot study was to test the reliability and validity of these modified measures.

The effect of neuromuscular electrical stimulation on arthritis knee pain in older adults with osteoarthritis of the knee.

The objective of this study was to examine the short- and long-term effects of a home-based, 12-week neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) of the quadriceps femoris to decrease arthritis knee pain in older adults with osteoarthritis of the knee. The study sample (N = 38) was randomly assigned to the NMES treatment plus education group or the arthritis education-only group. Pain was measured in both groups with the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) at baseline, during the intervention at weeks 4, 8, 12, and at follow-up and with the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scale 2-Pain Subscale (AIMS2-PS) at baseline and week 12.

A home-based protocol of electrical muscle stimulation for quadriceps muscle strength in older adults with osteoarthritis of the knee.

Objective: To determine whether home-based neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) applied to the quadriceps femoris (QF) muscle increases strength, physical activity, and physical performance in older adults with knee osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods: Thirty-four adults (> 60 yrs) with radiographically confirmed symptomatic knee OA were randomized to NMES plus education or education only (EDU). The primary outcome was isometric QF peak torque (PTIso), with secondary outcomes of daily step counts, total activity vector magnitude, 100-foot walk-turn-walk, timed stair climb, chair rise, and pain.

A home-based pedometer-driven walking program to increase physical activity in older adults with osteoarthritis of the knee: a preliminary study.

Objectives: To determine whether a home-based pedometer-driven walking program with arthritis self-management education (Walk +) would increase physical activity, muscle strength, and functional performance in older adults with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee as opposed to arthritis self-management education alone (EDU).

Design: A randomized two-by-three (group-by-time) design with participants assigned to Walk + (n = 17, mean age +/- standard deviation = 69.6 +/- 6.

Uniting to improve end-of-life care.

Survey results measure the impact of a national invitational nursing conference on end-of-life care.

The relationship of arthritis self-efficacy to functional performance in older men and women with osteoarthritis of the knee.

The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between arthritis self-efficacy (ie, the confidence a person has in the ability to perform a specific task) and self-reported functional performance among older men and women with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. The findings suggest that the relationship between arthritis self-efficacy and functional performance varies with gender. An older woman's confidence in her ability to perform tasks affects her perceived functional performance.

Skeletal muscle damage and recovery.

Muscular strength is essential for recovery after an acute illness. Disuse atrophy of muscle begins within 4 hours of the start of bed rest resulting in decreases in muscle mass, muscle cell diameter, and the number of muscle fibers. Strenuous exercise of atrophic muscle can lead to muscle damage including sarcolemmal disruption, distortion of the myofibrils' contractile components, and cytoskeletal damage.