Overview and development situation of acute care of the elderly unit / 中国实用护理杂志

This paper introduced the basic concept, development background, development situation and pattern of acute care of the elderly unit, so as to improve the public cognition and development of acute care of the elderly unit.The practices of acute care of the elderly unit could improve the hospital outcome of elderly patients and enhance the quality of life.

Autocuidado do cuidador e o cuidado de idosos / Caregiver self-care and care of the elderly

Este artigo objetiva discutir sobre a tarefa de cuidar de idosos e as implicações para familiares e profissionais. Na primeira parte, discutiremos a necessidade de capacitação adequada do cuidador. Na segunda parte, apresentaremos atividades para o autocuidado do cuidador e outras baseadas na Política Nacional de Práticas Integrativas e Complementares. Por fim, exporemos atividades que o cuidador pode desenvolver para o cuidado de idosos. Espera-se que essas atividades possam contribuir com a qualidade de vida de cuidadores, bem como com um melhor desempenho de sua função.

This article aims to discuss on the task of caring for the elderly and the implications for families and professionals. In the first part we will discuss the need for adequate caregiver training. In the second part we will present activities for the caregiver self-care and other based on the National Integrative and Complementary Practices Policy. Finally, we will expose activities that the caregiver can develop for care of the elderly. It is expected that these activities may contribute to the quality of life of caregivers, as well as a better performance of its function.

Current state of Long-term Elderly Care of the Elderly in Japan, and factors affecting the burdens on those giving that care in Japanese communities / 日本プライマリ・ケア連合学会誌

Purpose<br> Long-term elderly care of the elderly (Jap. “Ro-ro Kaigo”) is a serious problem in Japan. The purpose of this study is to reveal the current state of Ro-ro Kaigo and to evaluate the factors affecting the burden on elderly caregivers. <br>Method<br> Ninety-three households of elderly subjects participated in this study. We conducted semi-structured interviews concerning the life styles of caregivers, the burden on caregivers and the condition of elderly subjects requiring long-term care. <br>Results<br> Eighty percent or more of the caregivers were spouses, and about 40 percent of the households were not supported by family members living separately. <br>Moreover, the burden of care borne by the caregivers was correlated with "hours spent daily providing care", "ADL of elderly requiring long-term care" (p<0.001), "hours of sleep" (p<0.01), "subjective feeling of wellbeing", "support from family living separately", and "behavioral disorders of dementia" (p<0.05). <br>Conclusion<br> These data suggest that supporting "health promotion", "reduction of hours of caregiving", "reduction of amount of assistance with toilet activity of care recipients", and "securing enough hours of sleep" were important for maintaining home care in Ro-ro kaigo.

The multi-center study of the comprehensive geriatric assessment in the Korean elderly

BACKGROUND: Comprehensive geriatric assessment is identified as a dynamic process responsive to the changes on health status that occurs over time in the context of extremely increasing trend in the numbers of the elderly people, their office visit, and the medical cost universally. We completed the comprehensive geriatric assessment and applied it to the Korean elderly through the multi-center trials. METHODS: We performed studies variables using questionnaires, with interviewing, physical examination to the number of total 312 elderly people who visited the department of family medicine or physical medicine and rehabilitation of the 11 university hospital or general hospital in Korea from July 1, 1999 through October 31, 1999. We, the geriatrician, met and discussed 3 times to complete the comprehensive geriatric assessment through the consensus panel. RESULTS: We found the sex ratio of 312 subjects was 1 to 2 (104 males and 208 females) and the average age was 73.2 years old. The orders of more frequency of self-reported health status of the respondents were hypertension, arthritis, cataract, gastrointestinal disturbance, diabetes mellitus, urinary/fecal incontinence, depression, cerebrovascular accident, anemia, and heart disease. Nearly 15% of those showed depression, 41.6% of those were in the status of socially isolation. We found 43.1% of those showed hypertension, 3.7% isolated systolic hypertension, and 20.2% orthostatic hypotension. Of those, cognitive impairment were measured in 37.1%, gait disturbance 13.0%, and the risk of malnutrition 39.6%. Geriatrician spent 21.1 minutes per person during the process of comprehensive geriatric assessment. CONCLUSION: We realized we could diagnose and intervene effectively certain hidden conditions/diseases, particularly urinary incontinence, falls, visual impairment, hearing impairment, pain, depression, social isolation, cognitive impairment, and orthostatic hypotension, with using the comprehensive geriatric assessment. These results reflected the fact that the comprehensive geriatric assessment might be necessary for the care of the elderly.