The role of acculturation in health status and utilization of health services among the iranian elderly in metropolitan Sydney.

The present study explores the impact of acculturation on health status and use of health and community aged care services among elderly Iranian-born immigrants to Australia. Three hundred two Iranian immigrants aged 65 years and over who had lived in the Sydney Metropolitan area for at least six months participated. Data were collected using a written survey instrument, face-to-face interviews, and telephone interviews.

Worry in older community-residing adults.

With rising longevity, increasing numbers of older people are experiencing changes in their everyday family and social life, changes in their financial status, and a greater number of chronic conditions affecting their health. We took the opportunity to explore these relationships with worry in a group of volunteer community-living elderly (n = 310). Findings showed that that those people under 75 years of age had a higher risk of worrying (OR = 1.

Pre- and postoccupancy evaluation of new dementia care cottages.

Concerns about negative outcomes associated with relocating residents are common. Fifty-five residents of a traditional high-care nursing home moved to new, purpose-built, dementia-specific cottages; 35 additional residents moved into the cottages within the first 8 months of operation. Direct-care staff participated in workshops on engaging residents in life-skill activities.

Participation of older adults in cyberspace: how Australian older adults use the Internet.

Aim: The present study explores how Australian older adults use the Internet.

Method: Older adults were recruited online to complete an online survey.

Results: Participants primarily used the Internet for interpersonal communication, followed by information seeking, commerce and entertainment.

Internet use as a predictor of sense of community in older people.

The Internet opens new options for communication and may change the extent to which older people use other modes of communication. The importance of older adults' participation in cyberspace has increased as Internet use for commerce and communication has increased. The present study explores how older adults' Internet use affects their sense of community.

Internet use and loneliness in older adults.

Use of the Internet by seniors as a communication technology may lead to changes in older adult social relationships. This study used an online questionnaire to survey 222 Australians over 55 years of age on Internet use. Respondents primarily used the Internet for communication, seeking information, and commercial purposes.

Staff-administered functional analysis and treatment of aggression by an elder with dementia.

In the current study, nursing home staff were taught to administer functional analyses to determine the variables maintaining aggression by an elder with dementia. The results indicated that aggression was evoked during bathroom routines and that escape maintained aggression. Staff then reduced aggression to near-zero levels with noncontingent escape.

Primary sclerosing cholangitis in children: a histologic follow-up study.

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is rare in the pediatric population. Little information exists on the progression of the disease in children. This study evaluated the experience with PSC at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia over the past 20 years, with an emphasis on the histologic features at presentation, during disease progression, and after liver transplantation.

Assessment of active music participation as an indication of subsequent music making engagement for persons with midstage dementia.

Persons with midstage dementia and in special care (N = 45) were assessed in groups by a music therapy practitioner to determine the level of engagement in a 15-minute protocol that included a five-minute segment for each of three music activity types--rhythm playing, exercising with music, and singing. Activity staff with little to no formal music training who were employed by the facility were taught to use the protocol to conduct eight subsequent activity sessions for small groups from which activity engagement data were collected for each subject. Results indicated the protocol was accessible and successful for indigenous activity staff, initial assessments were strong predictors of subsequent engagement, and participation levels were stable over time and across each of the three activities.

Facilitating resident information seeking regarding meals in a special care unit: an environmental design intervention.

Repetitive questions and requests for information are common in older adults with dementia. The purpose of this environmental design intervention was to provide residents continuous access to information about common mealtime questions with the intent of decreasing agitation around mealtimes and facilitating more pleasant patient-staff and patient-patient interactions. A special care unit for residents with dementia of the Alzheimer's type was the setting.

Brief training to promote the use of less intrusive prompts by nursing assistants in a dementia care unit.

We evaluated the efficacy of a brief staff-training procedure to increase the use of graduated prompting by 2 certified nursing assistants (CNAs) while they helped to dress 3 persons with dementia in a seven-bed dementia care unit. The multiple baseline design across participants showed that CNAs dressed residents with minimal resident involvement during baseline observations. Following brief in-service training, CNAs provided graduated prompts and praise appropriately, suggesting that CNAs can promote active involvement in personal care routines by older adults with dementia.

Using family-style meals to increase participation and communication in persons with dementia.

Although researchers stress the importance of encouraging independent behavior in persons with dementia, institutional practices often foster dependence. This study took place in a six-resident locked dementia care unit that followed the common institutional practice of serving meals on prepared plates. The purpose of this study was to examine if changing the mode of meal delivery to "family-style," where residents were presented with serving bowls and empty plates, would increase resident communication and participation in mealtime tasks.

Finding a practical method to increase engagement of residents on a dementia care unit.

Previous research has shown that it is possible to increase the engagement of residents with dementia in daily activities by making changes in institutional care practices. However, these changes often require expensive and cumbersome staff training programs that long-term care facilities may be unlikely to adopt and maintain. This study evaluates a simple, inexpensive recording and feedback procedure to increase resident engagement in a way that may be more amenable to adoption by long-term care facilities.

Restoring dressing independence in persons with Alzheimer's disease: a pilot study.

Purpose: Well meaning nursing facility staff may compromise the independence of older adults with dementia by performing activities of daily living for residents. We assessed the impact of teaching certified nursing assistants (CNAs) to use a graduated prompting procedure to increase dressing independence of persons with dementia.

Design And Methods: This study was conducted in a seven-bed dementia care unit.