SAR-Connect: A Socially Assistive Robotic System to Support Activity and Social Engagement of Older Adults.

Multi-domain activities that incorporate physical, cognitive, and social stimuli can enhance older adults' overall health and quality of life. Several robotic platforms have been developed to provide these therapies in a quantifiable manner to complement healthcare personnel in resource-strapped long-term care settings. However, these platforms are primarily limited to one-to-one human robot interaction (HRI) and thus do not enhance social interaction.

Field Testing of Ro-Tri, a Robot-Mediated Triadic Interaction for Older Adults.

Older adults residing in long term care (LTC) settings commonly experience apathy, a neuropsychiatric condition with adverse consequences of increased morbidity and mortality. Activities that combine social, physical and cognitive stimuli are most effective in engaging older adults with apathy but are time consuming and require significant staff resources. We present the results from an initial pilot field study of our socially assistive robotic (SAR) system, Ro-Tri, capable of multi-modal interventions to foster social interaction between pairs of older adults.

Socially Assistive Robots: Measuring Older Adults' Perceptions.

To address manpower shortages, health care leaders recommend technology, including robots, to facilitate and augment processes for delivery of efficient, safe care. Little is known regarding older adults' perceptions of socially assistive robots (SARs). Using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use Technology framework, a survey was developed and tested for capturing older adults' likelihood to use SARs.

Managing herpes zoster in older adults: Prescribing considerations.

NPs must be aware of special prescribing considerations for medication safety when managing the care of older adults with herpes zoster. Age-related physiologic changes of the body impact the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of antiviral and pain medications and can lead to potential adverse events.

A Robotic Coach Architecture for Elder Care (ROCARE) Based on Multi-User Engagement Models.

The aging population with its concomitant medical conditions, physical and cognitive impairments, at a time of strained resources, establishes the urgent need to explore advanced technologies that may enhance function and quality of life. Recently, robotic technology, especially socially assistive robotics has been investigated to address the physical, cognitive, and social needs of older adults. Most system to date have predominantly focused on one-on-one human robot interaction (HRI).

Navigating DNP Student Needs: Faculty Advising Competencies and Effective Strategies for Development and Support.

Doctor of nursing practice (DNP) faculty advisers help students navigate academic challenges, professional development, and leadership opportunities while earning a DNP degree. Student needs during DNP education are unique from other programs and require careful advising to address common challenges. This article links student needs with advising competencies and presents strategies for faculty development and support.

Depression Training in an Assisted Living Facility: A Pilot Study.

Depression in older adults residing in assisted living facilities (ALFs) is often not recognized. ALF staff who work with residents on a daily basis are the most likely individuals to recognize residents' depressive symptoms. The purpose of the current pilot study was to determine feasibility of a 4-week training program for 15 direct care staff to recognize any depression symptoms of 32 residents.

The value of resident choice during daily care: do staff and families differ?

Allowing long-term care (LTC) residents to make choices about their daily life activities is a central tenet of resident-centered care. This study examined whether staff and family rated care episodes involving choice differently from care episodes not involving choice. Seventeen nurse aide and 15 family participants were shown paired video vignettes of care interactions.

A controlled trial of an intervention to increase resident choice in long term care.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate an intervention to improve staff offers of choice to nursing home residents during morning care.

Design: A controlled trial with a delayed intervention design.

Setting: Four community, for-profit nursing homes.

Evaluation of two fatigability severity measures in elderly adults.

Objectives: To document the stability, concurrent validity, and clinical correlates of two fatigability severity measures as recommended by the American Geriatrics Society.

Design: Descriptive, cross-sectional.

Setting: Two independent living and one community senior centers.

Resident characteristics related to the lack of morning care provision in long-term care.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine usual long-term care (LTC) practices related to 3 aspects of morning care and determine if there were resident characteristics related to the lack of care.

Design And Methods: Participants were 169 long-stay residents in 4 community LTC facilities who required staff assistance with either transfer out of bed, dressing, and/or incontinence care and were able to respond to structured interview questions about their morning care preferences. Trained research staff conducted standardized observations during 4 consecutive morning hours once per week per participant for 3 consecutive months during usual LTC conditions and interviewed participants about their morning care preferences using a structured interview protocol once per month during this same time period.

Fatigability as a function of physical activity energy expenditure in older adults.

Increased fatigue is a predictor of morbidity and mortality in older adults. Fatigability defines a change in performance or self-reported fatigue in response to physical activity (PA). However, the relationship of fatigability to PA-related energy expenditure (PAEE) is unknown.

Resident-directed long-term care: staff provision of choice during morning care.

Purpose: To develop an observational protocol to assess the quality of staff-resident communication relevant to choice and describe staff-resident interactions as preliminary evidence of the usefulness of the tool to assess current nursing home practices related to offering choice during morning care provision.

Design And Methods: This study included 73 long-stay residents in 2 facilities. Research staff conducted observations for 4 consecutive morning hours during targeted care activities (transfer out of bed, incontinence, dressing, and dining location).

The effect of tai chi on cognition in elders with cognitive impairment.

This one-arm pilot study investigated the effect of tai chi on cognition in elders with cognitive impairment. Although no significant difference existed between pre- and post-test performance on all cognition measures, a dose-response relationship was demonstrated between attendance and some cognition measures.

A controlled trial of an intervention to improve urinary and fecal incontinence and constipation.

Objectives: To evaluate effects of a multicomponent intervention on fecal incontinence (FI) and urinary incontinence (UI) outcomes.

Design: Randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Six nursing homes (NHs).

Challenges in conducting qualitative research with individuals with dementia.

Qualitative research can capture the meaningful experiences and life values of individuals with dementia not reported in quantitative studies. This article shares a personal experience of the challenges faced and the lessons learned while conducting a qualitative study of 15 people with early-stage Alzheimer's disease. The purpose of this article is to discuss the issues concerning determination of capacity to consent to research, consent/assent, communication challenges, and trustworthiness of data when conducting a qualitative study of people with dementia.

Prevalence of constipation symptoms in fecally incontinent nursing home residents.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of constipation symptoms and the effects of a brief toileting assistance trial on constipation in a sample of fecally incontinent nursing home (NH) residents.

Design: Observational study.

Setting: Five NHs.

The effect of tai chi on knee osteoarthritis pain in cognitively impaired elders: pilot study.

This article reports a pilot study of the effect of tai chi (TC), a pharmacological adjunct and mild aerobic exercise, on osteoarthritic knee pain in elders with cognitive impairment (CI). The TC program included a warm-up, 12-form Sun-style TC, and a cool-down period, for a total of 20-40 minutes per session, twice a week for 15 weeks. The results showed no significant differences in knee pain after the TC intervention in 7 elders with CI.

Using spirituality to cope with early-stage Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) robs persons living with the disease of their independence and self-esteem, which can lead to depression, anxiety, and loneliness. Understanding how people with early-stage AD cope is a critical step in enhancing their adaptive abilities and ultimately improving their quality of life. This qualitative study describes how individuals with early-stage AD use spirituality to cope with the losses of self-esteem, independence, and social interaction that they face.

The Feasibility of Implementing Tai Chi for Nursing Home Residents With Knee Osteoarthritis and Cognitive Impairment.

This paper addresses the feasibility of implementing Tai Chi (TC) as an intervention for nursing home residents with osteoarthritis knee and cognitive impairment (CI). Recruiting elderly residents to participate was difficult. Only 9 out of the 31 originally thought eligible meet study criteria and 8 of the 9 elders eventually completed the study.

A literature review of spirituality in coping with early-stage Alzheimer's disease.

Aims: This paper presents a literature review focusing on the use of spirituality in coping by older persons with early-stage Alzheimer's disease from their perspectives. The purpose of this literature review is to examine the existing body of knowledge about spirituality in coping with Alzheimer's disease and to apply a spiritual framework of coping in organizing the literature to identify themes and gaps in knowledge.

Background: Despite the abundance of Alzheimer's disease research, little is known about how older persons with this devastating disease cope with the consequential losses.