Feasibility, Acceptability, and Preliminary Efficacy of the Taking Care of Us Intervention for Couples Living With Heart Failure.

Background And Objectives: Despite the significant impact of heart failure on both members of the care dyad, few interventions focus on optimizing the health of the dyad. The current study examined the feasibility and acceptability of the novel Taking Care of Us (TCU) program with mid-late-life couples living with heart failure and explored preliminary efficacy.

Research Design And Methods: This NIH Stage I study used a 2-arm randomized controlled trial with pretest-post-test design and an additional 5-month follow-up to compare TCU with an educational counseling attention-control condition.

A post-diagnosis information and support programme for dyads-People living with dementia or mild cognitive impairment and family carers: A feasibility study.

Aim: The aim of the study was to establish the feasibility of delivering a structured post-diagnosis information and support program to dyads (persons living with dementia or mild cognitive impairment and family carers) in two primary care settings.

Design: A two-phase explanatory mixed-method approach guided by the Bowen Feasibility Framework focused on acceptability, implementation, adaptation, integration and efficacy of a five-part programme. In phase 1, the quantitative impact of the programme on the dyadic programme recipients' self-efficacy, quality of life, dyadic relationship and volume of care was measured.

Training Senior Companion Volunteers to Identify and Report Adult Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation.

Elder abuse is a national public health challenge that can have dire consequences for the older adults who experience it in any form. The Senior Companion Program presents a unique opportunity to address this public health challenge. An in-person training for Senior Companion volunteers across Ohio on how to recognize and report elder abuse was developed, implemented, and evaluated prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dementia care navigation: Building toward a common definition, key principles, and outcomes.

Introduction: As the complexity of medical treatments and patient care systems have increased, the concept of patient navigation is growing in both popularity and breadth of application. Patient navigators are trained personnel whose role is not to provide clinical care, but to partner with patients to help them identify their needs and goals and then overcome modifiable patient-, provider-, and systems-level barriers. Due to its high incidence, duration, and medical-social complexity, dementia is an ideal candidate for a patient-centric health care delivery model such as care navigation.

Examining listeners' perception of spoken words with different face masks.

The COVID-19 pandemic made face masks part of daily life. While masks protect against the virus, it is important to understand the impact masks have on listeners' recognition of spoken words. We examined spoken word recognition under three different mask conditions (no mask; cloth mask; Kn95 mask) and in both easy (low density, high phonotactic probability) and hard (high density, low phonotactic probability) words in a lexical decision task.

Taking Care of Us© (TCU) study protocol: feasibility and acceptability of a dyadic intervention for couples living with heart failure.

Background: There are more than 1 million hospital admissions and 3 million emergency visits for heart failure in the USA annually. Although spouse/partners make substantial contributions to the management of heart failure and experience poor health and high levels of care strain, they are rarely the focus of heart failure interventions. This protocol describes a pilot randomized controlled trial that tests the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary change in outcomes of a seven-session couple-based intervention called Taking Care of Us© (TCU).

Pet ownership issues encountered by geriatric professionals: Preliminary findings from an interdisciplinary sample.

Pets often factor in older adults' health behaviors and decisions. However, the degree to which issues related to pet ownership are encountered or addressed by professionals working with this population remains unknown. The aim of this study was to identify specific issues stemming from pet ownership professionals had encountered in their work with older adults, people living with dementia, and care partners.

Transgender and Gender Diverse People's Fear of Seeking and Receiving Care in Later Life: A Multiple Method Analysis.

The purpose of the current research is to understand concerns about receiving care in a sample of transgender, gender nonbinary, and gender diverse (TGD) adults across the lifespan. A total of 829 participants, predominantly from the United States and Canada, aged 18-70, completed the (TMLS) section on caregiving and are included in this study. We found middle-aged adults, people of Color, and people living with a disability reported the highest level of concern for their ability to function independently because of financial resources, physical concerns, cognitive impairment, or a lack of someone to care for them.

Perceived Unmet Need and Need-Related Distress of People Living With Dementia.

The unmet needs of people living with dementia have been shown to be multidimensional and impact well-being. However, there are a lack of studies examining variability of unmet needs and need-related distress from the person living with dementia's perspective. The current study ( = 12) examined the self-reported unmet needs and need-related distress of people with mild to moderate dementia.

The Remote Assessment and Dynamic Response Program: Development of an In-Home Dementia-Related Care Needs Assessment to Improve Well-Being.

Background And Objectives: The Remote Assessment and Dynamic Response (READyR) Program was developed in order to address the current lack of early-stage dementia care planning programs that assess the care needs of persons with dementia. The goal was to create a program informed by care values and ongoing ecologically valid data. The objectives of this study are to describe the development and design process of the READyR Program, and to evaluate the utility of the READyR Program for identifying dementia-related care needs.

Using administrative data from adult protective services: opportunities and considerations.

As federal agencies support the development of data systems for adult protective services (APS), researchers and practitioners are increasingly using administrative data to study types of adult maltreatment, including self-neglect, and the systems that respond to them. To date, however, APS has worked with little guidance about how best to use these data. This situation has contributed to inconsistent findings and uneven quality of research.

Exploratory Study of Fecal Cortisol, Weight, and Behavior as Measures of Stress and Welfare in Shelter Cats During Assimilation Into Families of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Cats are a common companion animal (CA) in US households, and many live in families of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The prevalence of ASD is one in 54, and many children have behavior challenges as well as their diagnostic communication disorders. Benefits of CAs for children with ASD have been identified, but little is known about the welfare of CAs in these homes.

Self-Reported Behavioral Symptoms of People With Dementia: A Pilot Study Examining Individuals' Perceived Illness Experience.

Background And Objectives: Persons with dementia experience behavioral symptoms, such as agitation and repeating questions, which have been reported as one of the most burdensome and stressful aspects of providing care by dementia caregivers. However, no published studies have assessed the subjective experience of behavioral symptoms and distress from people with dementia.

Research Design And Methods: The current pilot study examined the feasibility of people with dementia providing self-reported behaviors and behavioral-related distress.

Owner quality of life, caregiver burden and anticipatory grief: How they differ, why it matters.

Background: Understanding client perspective is important for veterinary communications, particularly during problem visits. Key client experiences of caregiver burden, anticipatory grief and quality of life (QoL) have been previously examined in this context, but never simultaneously considered.

Methods: A sample of 393 owners of an elderly or seriously ill companion animal was recruited online to complete cross-sectional measures of psychosocial function, companion animal presentation and demographics.

Evaluating Nursing Home Resident and Staff Experiences With a Life Story Program.

Life story programs hold promise for improving person-centered care and relationships between nursing home residents and staff. A pilot life story intervention study in 16 nursing homes provided residents with complimentary biographical life story books and summaries, and staff with action plans to enhance care planning. Trained volunteers and program staff collected life stories, and researchers interviewed 170 residents at three points in time.

Experiences of Military Veterans in a Therapeutic Horseback Riding Program.

Posttraumatic stress disorder commonly occurs among U.S. military veterans.

The effects of facility dogs on burnout, job-related well-being, and mental health in paediatric hospital professionals.

Aims And Objectives: To examine the effect of working with a facility dog on paediatric healthcare professionals' work-related burnout, job perceptions and mental health.

Background: Due to their roles caring for ill children and distressed families, paediatric healthcare professionals often experience substantial depression and burnout. According to prior research, facility dogs in children's hospitals may provide significant benefits to paediatric patients.

Exploratory Study of Cat Adoption in Families of Children with Autism: Impact on Children's Social Skills and Anxiety.

Purpose: The diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) occurs in one in 54 children and companion animals (CA) are common in families of children with ASD. Despite evidence of CA ownership benefits for children with ASD, little is known about cats. The purpose was to explore the impact of shelter cat adoption by families of children with ASD.

D-CARE: The Dementia Care Study: Design of a Pragmatic Trial of the Effectiveness and Cost Effectiveness of Health System-Based Versus Community-Based Dementia Care Versus Usual Dementia Care.

Background/objectives: Although several approaches have been developed to provide comprehensive care for persons living with dementia (PWD) and their family or friend caregivers, the relative effectiveness and cost effectiveness of community-based dementia care (CBDC) versus health system-based dementia care (CBDC) and the effectiveness of both approaches compared with usual care (UC) are unknown.

Design: Pragmatic randomized three-arm superiority trial. The unit of randomization is the PWD/caregiver dyad.

Neighborhood Engagement, Dogs, and Life Satisfaction in Older Adulthood.

Objectives: This study examined the relationships between dog ownership, dog walking, and the emotional bond with a dog to neighborhood engagement and life satisfaction among those over age 50.

Method: Using data from the Health and Retirement Study ( = 476), two path analysis models were conducted to test the research hypotheses.

Results: Findings indicated that dog ownership did not have a direct or indirect relationship on life satisfaction.

A dyadic perspective on assessment in Alzheimer's dementia: Supporting both care partners across the disease continuum.

Written from a dyadic strength-based perspective, this article first provides a brief overview of the Education, Information, and Support section of the 2018 Alzheimer's Disease Dementia Care Practice Recommendations. Subsequent sections present a comprehensive overview of available valid and reliable psychosocial measures that assess a selection of important domains for dementia care planning that can be used by families from early stage until end-of-life. Measures selected for the purposes of this article will focus on concepts that are strength-based and most relevant to care dyads as they navigate the difficult disease trajectory: readiness, knowledge, coping, dyadic relationship, care values and preferences.

Patterns of Dyadic Appraisal of Decision-Making Involvement of African American Persons Living With Dementia.

Background And Objectives: Greater everyday decision-making involvement by persons living with dementia (PLWD) and congruent appraisal between PLWDs and their caregivers have been associated with a better quality of life (QOL) for both members of the dyad. However, no study has examined the association between the appraisals of everyday decision-making involvement of PLWDs and their QOL among African Americans.

Research Design And Methods: A secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from 62 African American dementia dyads was conducted.

The ResidentialCare Transition Module: a single-blinded randomized controlled evaluation of a telehealth support intervention for family caregivers of persons with dementia living in residential long-term care.

Background: Families do not fully disengage from care responsibilities following relatives' admissions to residential long-term (RLTC) care settings such as nursing homes. Caregiver stress, depression, or other key outcomes remain stable or sometimes increase following a relative's RLTC entry. Some interventions have attempted to increase family involvement after institutionalization, but few rigorous studies have demonstrated whether these interventions are effective in helping families navigate the potential emotional and psychological upheaval presented by relatives' transitions to RLTC environments.

A Novel Intervention to Identify and Report Suspected Abuse in Older, Primary Care Patients.

Background: Previous research has identified several barriers faced by clinicians in detecting and reporting elder abuse, such as lack of knowledge about the process to report suspected cases of abuse and lack of access to experts to consult with. A novel intervention was designed and tested that embedded two Adult Protective Services (APS) specialists in a healthcare system operating primary care clinics serving a large Medicare population.

Objectives: To examine the types of roles the APS specialists played in the healthcare system and the number and types of cases of suspected abuse among older patients that clinicians consulted them about and reported to APS.