How do people living with chronic conditions and their informal caregivers experience primary care? A phenomenological-hermeneutical study.

Aims And Objectives: Gaining insight in how people living with chronic conditions experience primary healthcare within their informal network.

Background: The primary healthcare system is challenged by the increasing number of people living with chronic conditions. To strengthen chronic care management, literature and policy plans point to a person-centred approach of care (PCC).

Caring for a frail older person: the association between informal caregiver burden and being unsatisfied with support from family and friends.

Background/objective: although informal caregivers (ICG) find caring for a relative mainly satisfying, it can be difficult at times and it can lead to a state of subjective burden characterised by -among others- fatigue and stress. The objective of this study is to analyse the relationship between perceived social support and subjective burden in providing informal care to frail older people.

Methods: a descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using data from a large nationwide longitudinal effectiveness study.

Outcome Indicators on Interprofessional Collaboration Interventions for Elderly.

Background: Geriatric care increasingly needs more multidisciplinary health care services to deliver the necessary complex and continuous care. The aim of this study is to summarize indicators of effective interprofessional outcomes for this population.

Method: A systematic review is performed in the Cochrane Library, Pubmed (Medline), Embase, Cinahl and Psychinfo with a search until June 2014.

Understanding the experience of adult daughters caring for an ageing parent, a qualitative study.

Aims And Objectives: The objective of this study is to describe how adult daughters experience caring for a frail older parent at home.

Background: In the near future the ageing of the population will have a major impact on the demand for formal and informal long-term care. Relatives, especially spouses and adult children are the main providers of informal care.

Prevalence of 'being at risk of malnutrition' and associated factors in adult patients receiving nursing care at home in Belgium.

Malnutrition is a known problem in hospitals and nursing homes. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of being at risk of malnutrition in community living adults receiving homecare nursing and to determine factors independently associated with this risk of malnutrition. Furthermore, it also aimed to describe aspects of current nutritional nursing care.

Red yeast rice lowers cholesterol in physicians - a double blind, placebo controlled randomized trial.

Background: In recent years, red yeast rice (RYR) supplements have been marketed aggressively as a natural way to lower cholesterol; however, the large majority of commercially available products have not been studied according to current research standards.

Methods: In a double blind placebo controlled randomized trial, 52 physicians and their spouses with a total cholesterol level of > 200 mg/dL were randomly allocated to receive a RYR extract or placebo for 8 weeks. As a primary outcome measure, we compared the before-after difference in lipid levels between both groups.

The effect of caregiver support interventions for informal caregivers of community-dwelling frail elderly: a systematic review.

Introduction: Informal caregivers are important resources for community-dwelling frail elderly. But caring can be challenging. To be able to provide long-term care to the elderly, informal caregivers need to be supported as well.