The Effect of Cyberspace-Based Education on the Well-Being of Caregivers of Elderly People with Dementia.

INTRODUCTION: One of the consequences of aging is the prevalence of chronic and age-related diseases, such as dementia. Caring for patients with dementia has a negative impact on the caregiver's well-being. This study aimed to examine the impact of cyberspace-based education on the well-being of caregivers of demented elderly people. METHODS: This experimental study was done on a sample of 86 caregivers of the elderly with dementia in 2018. The study sample was selected from the memory clinic of Taleghani Hospital and randomly assigned into groups (intervention n = 43, control n = 43 groups). The well-being was measured using the World Health Organization - Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5) before and two months after the intervention. The cyberspace-based educational intervention was conducted for one month. The SPSS software version 23 was employed in data analysis. RESULTS: The mean age of the caregivers in the intervention and control groups were M = 51.95, SD = 10.90 and M = 51.36, SD = 15.12 respectively. No significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of age, gender, and level of education. The results of the analysis showed that while the well-being of the intervention group was significantly increased (t (38) = -11.38, P<0.001), the well-being in the control group was significantly reduced (t(36) =4.71, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: The findings showed that cyberspace-based education could improve the well-being of caregivers of the elderly with dementia.

The prevalence and predictors of diabetes distress in elderly with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

AIMS: Diabetes distress (DD) leads to damaging consequences in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Few studies have been carried out on the DD among elderly in Iran. The aim of the current study was to investigate the prevalence of DD and some of its related factors on the elderly living in Qom, Iran. METHODS: This study was cross-sectional, in design. It lasted for three months (December to February 2018). 519 community dwelling(aged 60 and over) participated in the study. Participants' distress measured by diabetes distress scale (DDS). The cut of 3(≥3) was considered as the presence of distress. In addition, socio-demographic information was assessed. In order to determine predictors factors of DD, the logistic regression analysis was applied. RESULTS: The mean age (±SD) of the participants was 68.38 (SD:6.78) with the majority being female (53.6%). Among them, 48.6% were identified with DD. A multi-variable logistic regression analysis showed that being female (OR = 1.94, [ 1.30-2.31]), sedentary lifestyle (OR = 3.59, [1.43-9.03]), complications (OR = 3.10, [2.06-4.67]), body mass index (BMI) of 25 or more (OR = 2.46, [1.54-3.94]), duration of disease below 10 years (OR = 2.60, [ 1.56-4.31]), two comorbidity (OR = 2.07, [ 1.19-3.61]) and three or more comorbidity (OR = 3.51, [ 1.20-10.27]) are the predictors of DD. CONCLUSIONS: DD is notably prevalent among the elderly with T2DM. Attention to psychological aspects of diabetes is a health priority, especially among women and other high-risk groups.

Prevalence of Dementia and Associated Factors among Older Adults in Iran: National Elderly Health Survey (NEHS).

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of cognitive impairment and dementia is increasing in Iran and the world. There is no study available on the prevalence of dementia at the national level in Iran. This study aimed to report the rate of dementia at the national level in Iran. METHODS: The National Elderly Health Survey (NEHS) was a cross-sectional study with multistage cluster random sampling on people aged ≥ 60 years in Iran. Dementia was diagnosed by trained general practitioners using Brief Cognitive Assessment Tool (BCAT). In this study, the dementia diagnosis rate was considered as the ratio of individuals previously diagnosed with dementia to individuals considered as dementia. Analyses were carried out using survey analysis method. The provincial rates were standardized based on the Iranian population in 2011 and the national rate was standardized based on WHO standard populations. Association between risk factors and dementia was assessed using a multivariable logistic regression model. RESULTS: The overall crude prevalence of dementia among people aged ≥ 60 years was 7.9% (8.7% in women and 6.9% in men) and age standardized dementia prevalence rate in Iran based on WHO standard population was 8.1% (9.6% in women and 6.5% in men). The prevalence of dementia was observed as 3.7% among people aged 60-64 years, 6.2% in the age-group 65-69 years, 10.4% in the age-group 70-74 years, 14.4% in the age-group 75-79 years, and 13.0% in the age-group ≥ 80 years. West Azerbaijan had the lowest and North Khorasan had the highest age-sex adjusted prevalence rate of dementia. Our results indicated that only 21.2% of subjects with dementia were diagnosed. We observed that diabetes mellitus, depressed mood, illiteracy, and increased age were associated with dementia. CONCLUSION: It seems that dementia is more common in Iran than many other countries. However, the rate of dementia diagnosis is much lower than that in developed countries.

Influenza vaccination uptake and its socioeconomic determinants in the older adult Iranian population: A national study.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between socioeconomic status and influenza vaccine uptake has a different pattern in different societies. The objective of this study was to assess the socioeconomic factors influencing influenza vaccination uptake in the older adult Iranian population. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 1,350 Iranian adults aged ≥60 years were selected using a multistage sampling method. Self-report questionnaires were administered to collect information on the status of influenza vaccine uptake within the last year. RESULTS: Overall, 10.4% of the older adult Iranian population had received influenza vaccinations within the last year. Several determinants were associated with influenza vaccination uptake, such as current occupation, education level, ethnicity, source of income, financial support from relatives, satisfaction with income, type of health insurance, and having complementary health insurance for outpatient services. Other factors, such as age, sex, marital status, residential area, and having health insurance, had no influence on the probability of vaccine uptake. After adjusting for desired variables, we found that having an occupation (odds ratio [OR] = 2.08; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.08-4.02) and having complementary health insurance for outpatient services (OR = 1.65; 95% CI, 1.06-2.56) remained associated with higher influenza vaccine uptake. CONCLUSIONS: The influenza vaccination rate in older adult Iranians was found to be low. Occupation and having complementary health insurance were associated with influenza vaccination uptake among Iranian older adults. Considering the mentioned variables in future studies is advised.

The prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) type II among Iranian elderly population and its association with other age-related diseases, 2012.

DM type II is one of the most common chronic diseases. The objective of this study is to investigate the prevalence of DM and its association with other age-related diseases in Iran, 2012. In this cross-sectional study, people aged 60 years and over were selected using multistage sampling method. Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA), Activity of Daily Living (ADL), and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15 items) questionnaires were used. History of common disorders was taken through self-report, medical records and the results of clinical examinations. A total of 1350 old people were studied. DM type II was found in 297 (22.0%) subjects and 371 (27.5%) of subjects were not aware of their DM status. Hypertension (55.6%), high serum cholesterol (51.8%), malnutrition (40.1%), Alzheimer's disease (16.9%), weight loss within past year (16.1%), weight gain within past year (11.7%), frailty (64.6%), insomnia (50.1%), and vision problems (62.6%) were significantly more common in diabetics. Those who were not aware of their status of DM either were between diabetics and non-diabetics or more similar to non-diabetics. Considering high prevalence of age-related diseases among Iranian elderly people, in particular women and those with DM type II, preventive measures are recommended so as to decrease and control DM type II and its consequent complications.