Senior Health Clinic for 75-year-old home-dwelling Finns - study design, clinic protocol and non-response analysis.

BACKGROUND: In the Finnish policy on older people preventive activities, which maintain functional capacity and independent living, are emphasized. The Turku Senior Health Clinic, aimed at maintaining independent coping of all home-dwelling 75-year-old citizens in the city of Turku, was founded in the beginning of 2020. The aim of this paper is to describe design and protocol of the Turku Senior Health Clinic Study (TSHeC) and provide results of the non-response analysis. METHODS: The non-response analysis used data from 1296 participants (71% of those eligible) and 164 non-participants of the study. Sociodemographic, health status, psychosocial and physical functional ability indicators were included in the analysis. Participants and non-participants were also compared in respect to their neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage. Differences between participants and non-participants were tested using the Chi squared or Fisher´s exact test for categorical variables and t-test for continuous variable. RESULTS: The proportions of women (43% vs. 61%) and of those with only satisfying, poor or very poor self-rated financial status (38% vs. 49%) were significantly lower in non-participants than in participants. Comparison of the non-participants and participants in respect to their neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage showed no differences. The prevalence of hypertension (66% vs. 54%), chronic lung disease (20% vs. 11%), and kidney failure (6% vs. 3%) were higher among non-participants compared to participants. Feelings of loneliness were less frequent among non-participants (14%) compared to participants (32%). The proportions of those using assistive mobility devices (18% vs. 8%) as well as those having previous falls (12% vs. 5%) were higher in non-participants than in participants. CONCLUSIONS: The participation rate of TSHeC was high. No neighborhood differences in participation were found. Health status and physical functioning of non-participants seemed to be slightly worse than those of the participants, and more women than men participated. These differences may weaken the generalizability of the findings of the study. The differences have to be taken into account when recommendation for the content and implementation of preventive nurse-managed health clinic in primary health care in Finland is going to be given. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05634239; registration date; 1st of December 2022. Retrospectively registered.

The Association of the Brief Dementia Risk Index and Incident Dementia among Finnish 70-Year-Olds: A 5-Year Follow-Up Study.

BACKGROUND: An accurate identification of older individuals at increased risk of developing dementia is very important. Various dementia risk prediction models have been developed, but not all models are applicable among older population. OBJECTIVES: To examine the association of the Brief Dementia Risk Index (BDRI) and incidence of dementia among community-dwelling Finnish older adults. METHODS: Participants were community-dwelling nondemented 70-year-olds examined in 2011 (n = 943). Cox regression model with death as a competing risk was used to analyze the association of BDRI and incident dementia (ICD-10 codes F00-03 and G30) during the 5-year follow-up (n = 883). RESULTS: The rate of dementia incidence was 4.9% during the follow-up. Having at least moderate risk according to BDRI significantly predicted incident dementia (hazard ratio 3.18, 95% confidence interval: 1.71-5.92, p < 0.001), also after adjustment with education level (2.93, 1.52-5.64, p = 0.001). No interaction between gender and BDRI was found. CONCLUSION: BDRI could be an applicable tool for identification of older individuals at increased risk of developing dementia in clinical settings.

Factors associated with institutionalization among home-dwelling patients of Urgent Geriatric Outpatient Clinic: a 3-year follow-up study.

PURPOSE: To examine the effect of predictive factors on institutionalization among older patients. METHODS: The participants were older (aged 75 years or older) home-dwelling citizens evaluated at Urgent Geriatric Outpatient Clinic (UrGeriC) for the first time between the 1st of September 2013 and the 1st of September 2014 (n = 1300). They were followed up for institutionalization for 3 years. Death was used as a competing risk in Cox regression analyses. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 85.1 years (standard deviation [SD] 5.5, range 75-103 years), and 74% were female. The rates of institutionalization and mortality were 29.9% and 46.1%, respectively. The mean age for institutionalization was 86.1 (SD 5.6) years. According to multivariate Cox regression analyses, the use of home care (hazard ratio 2.43, 95% confidence interval 1.80-3.27, p < 0.001), dementia (2.38, 1.90-2.99, p < 0.001), higher age (≥ 95 vs. 75-84; 1.65, 1.03-2.62, p = 0.036), and falls during the previous 12 months (≥ 2 vs. no falls; 1.54, 1.10-2.16, p = 0.012) significantly predicted institutionalization during the 3-year follow-up. CONCLUSION: Cognitive and/or functional impairment mainly predicted institutionalization among older patients of UrGeriC having health problems and acute difficulties in managing at home.

Secular changes in dementia risk indices among 70-year-olds: a comparison of two Finnish cohorts born 20 years apart.

AIMS: To compare dementia risk indices among two separate cohorts of 70-year-olds born 20 year apart. METHODS: Community-dwelling 70-year-old Finns were examined with similar examinations in 1991 (n = 1032) and in 2011 (n = 960). Dementia risk was assessed with the CAIDE Dementia Risk Score (CAIDE) (n = 1516), the Brief Dementia Risk Index (BDRI) (n = 1598) and the Dementia Screening Indicator (DSI) (n = 1462). RESULTS: The proportion of subjects with moderate or high risk for dementia was significantly higher in earlier than in later born cohort according to CAIDE (99% and 94%, respectively, p < 0.001) and BDRI (41% and 15%, p < 0.001), but not according to DSI (5% and 6%, p = 0.184). The total scores of the earlier born cohort were significantly higher than those of the later born cohort according to all three indices. CONCLUSIONS: According to dementia risk indices, it seems that dementia risk has decreased among community-dwelling 70-year-old subjects during the last decades in Finland.

Frailty and mortality: an 18-year follow-up study among Finnish community-dwelling older people.

BACKGROUND: There is a lack of agreement about applicable instrument to screen frailty in clinical settings. AIMS: To analyze the association between frailty and mortality in Finnish community-dwelling older people. METHODS: This was a prospective study with 10- and 18-year follow-ups. Frailty was assessed using FRAIL scale (FS) (n = 1152), Rockwood's frailty index (FI) (n = 1126), and PRISMA-7 (n = 1124). To analyze the association between frailty and mortality, Cox regression model was used. RESULTS: Prevalence of frailty varied from 2 to 24% based on the index used. In unadjusted models, frailty was associated with higher mortality according to FS (hazard ratio 7.96 [95% confidence interval 5.10-12.41] in 10-year follow-up, and 6.32 [4.17-9.57] in 18-year follow-up) and FI (5.97 [4.13-8.64], and 3.95 [3.16-4.94], respectively) in both follow-ups. Also being pre-frail was associated with higher mortality according to both indexes in both follow-ups (FS 2.19 [1.78-2.69], and 1.69 [1.46-1.96]; FI 1.81[1.25-2.62], and 1.31 [1.07-1.61], respectively). Associations persisted even after adjustments. Also according to PRISMA-7, a binary index (robust or frail), frailty was associated with higher mortality in 10- (4.41 [3.55-5.34]) and 18-year follow-ups (3.78 [3.19-4.49]). DISCUSSION: Frailty was associated with higher mortality risk according to all three frailty screening instrument used. Simple and fast frailty indexes, FS and PRISMA-7, seemed to be comparable with a multidimensional time-consuming FI in predicting mortality among community-dwelling Finnish older people. CONCLUSIONS: FS and PRISMA-7 are applicable frailty screening instruments in clinical setting among community-dwelling Finnish older people.

Can Practical Nurses Identify Older Home Care Clients at Risk of Drug-Related Problems-Geriatricians' Appraisal of Their Risk Screenings: A Pilot Study.

Background: Home care (HC) clients are increasingly older, have many chronic diseases, and use multiple medicines and thus are at high risk for drug-related problems (DRPs). Objective: Establish the sensitivity of practical nurse (PN) administered DRP risk assessment tool (DRP-RAT) compared with geriatrician's assessment of the medical record. Identify the clinically most significant DRPs needing action. Methods: Twenty-six PNs working in HC of Härkätie Health Center in Lieto, Finland, 46 HC clients (≥65 years), and a geriatrician participated in this pilot study. The geriatrician reviewed HC clients' medications using 3 different methods. The reviews were based on the following: (1) the PN's risk screening (ie, PN-completed DRP-RAT) and medication list, (2) health center's medical records, and (3) methods 1 and 2 together. The main outcome was the number of "at-risk patients" (ie, the patient is at risk of clinically significant DRPs) by using each review method. Secondary outcomes were clinically most significant DRP-risk predicting factors identified by the geriatrician. Results: The geriatrician reviewed 45 clients' medications using all 3 methods. Based on PN-completed DRP-RAT and medication list, 93% (42/45) of the clients were classified as "at-risk patients." Two other review methods resulted in 45/45 (100%) "at-risk patients." Symptoms suggestive of adverse drug reactions were the most significant risk predicting factors. Small sample size limits the generalizability of the results. Conclusions: The PN-completed DRP-RAT was able to provide clinically important timely patient information for clinical decision making. DRP-RAT could make it possible to more effectively involve PNs in medication risk management among older HC clients.

Prediction of the Future Need for Institutional Care in Finnish Older People: A Comparison of Two Birth Cohorts.

BACKGROUND: More recent birth cohorts of older people have better physical and cognitive status than earlier cohorts. As such, this could be expected to diminish the need for institutional care. The prediction of the future need for institutional care provides essential information for the planning and delivery of future care and social services as well as the resources needed. OBJECTIVE: To predict the future need for institutional care among older Finnish people born in 1940. METHODS: Representative samples of home-dwelling 70-year-olds from Turku, Finland were examined with similar methods in 1991 (those born in 1920) (n = 1,032) and in 2011 (those born in 1940) (n = 956). Predictors of institutionalization rates from the earlier 1920 cohort, together with data of sociodemographic factors, health, psychosocial and physical status, the need for help, and health behavior, were used to predict the future institutionalization rate among the 1940 cohort in this study using Cox regression models. RESULTS: Health as well as psychosocial and physical status were significantly better in the 1940 cohort compared to the earlier cohort. In the 1940 cohort, the predicted rates of institutionalization were 1.8, 10.4, and 26.0% at the ages of 80 (year 2020), 85 (year 2025), and 90 years (year 2030), respectively. At every age (80, 85, and 90 years), the predicted rates of institutionalization by Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) were about two-fold among those with MMSE scores 18-26 (3.0-38.8%) compared to those with scores 27-30 (1.6-23.7%) and those with a body mass index (BMI) <25 (2.5-34.3%) compared to those with a BMI of 25-29.9 (1.4-20.9%), and about three-fold among participants with several falls (5.3-57.0%) compared to participants with no falls (1.5-23.1%). CONCLUSIONS: The 1940 cohort performed better in health as well as psychosocial and physical status than the 1920 cohort. Nevertheless, the predicted rates of future need for institutional care were high, especially at the ages of 85 and 90 years, among those with a lowered cognitive or physical status.