The invisible gap: Older adults' communication with health care providers about concomitant use of alcohol and medications.

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of a new educational intervention, Communicating with your Health Care Providers, which was designed to assist older adults in communicating with their physicians and other health care providers and improving their knowledge about concomitant alcohol and medication risks. A randomized control trial was conducted in older adult centers in an urban community. Participants were assigned to either the intervention group or a control group that received traditional services. The intervention group received educational material about health, physical and other aging changes, medication use and possible adverse interactions between alcohol and medications, as well as strategies to initiate communication with physicians and other health care providers. The outcomes measured were: (1) interest in communicating with physicians and health care providers; (2) perception of the importance of communication; and (3) knowledge about concomitant alcohol and medication use. MANCOVA tests indicated that the intervention group had greater knowledge about the risks of combining alcohol with prescription medications than the control group, as well as greater interest in having health care discussions with their physicians and other health care providers. These findings may be translated into future educational programming for community centers.

Effect of a Robotic Pet on Social and Physical Frailty in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

The current randomized controlled trial investigated the effect of a robotic pet on social and physical frailty in community-dwelling older adults. The intervention group (n = 107) received a robotic pet and the control group (n = 113) received usual care following hospital discharge. Social and physical frailty were measured using the Questionnaire to Define Social Frailty Status and the FRAIL questionnaire. Cognitive function and depression were assessed using the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire and Geriatric Depression Scale, respectively. Continuous outcomes were compared between groups using t tests or Wilcoxon rank sum tests, as appropriate. Categorical outcomes were compared between groups using chi-square tests or Fisher's exact tests, as appropriate. Main findings showed the robotic pet positively impacted cognitive status in participants who reported they enjoyed engaging with their pet. This finding supported the theoretical premise of the current study that greater engagement with the robotic pet would yield greater improvement in study outcomes. [Research in Gerontological Nursing, 15(5), 229-237.].

A Protocol-Driven, Bedside Digital Conversational Agent to Support Nurse Teams and Mitigate Risks of Hospitalization in Older Adults: Case Control Pre-Post Study.

BACKGROUND: Hospitalized older adults often experience isolation and disorientation while receiving care, placing them at risk for many inpatient complications, including loneliness, depression, delirium, and falls. Embodied conversational agents (ECAs) are technological entities that can interact with people through spoken conversation. Some ECAs are also relational agents, which build and maintain socioemotional relationships with people across multiple interactions. This study utilized a novel form of relational ECA, provided by Care Coach (care.coach, inc): an animated animal avatar on a tablet device, monitored and controlled by live health advocates. The ECA implemented algorithm-based clinical protocols for hospitalized older adults, such as reorienting patients to mitigate delirium risk, eliciting toileting needs to prevent falls, and engaging patients in social interaction to facilitate social engagement. Previous pilot studies of the Care Coach avatar have demonstrated the ECA's usability and efficacy in home-dwelling older adults. Further study among hospitalized older adults in a larger experimental trial is needed to demonstrate its effectiveness. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to examine the effect of a human-in-the-loop, protocol-driven relational ECA on loneliness, depression, delirium, and falls among diverse hospitalized older adults. METHODS: This was a clinical trial of 95 adults over the age of 65 years, hospitalized at an inner-city community hospital. Intervention participants received an avatar for the duration of their hospital stay; participants on a control unit received a daily 15-min visit from a nursing student. Measures of loneliness (3-item University of California, Los Angeles Loneliness Scale), depression (15-item Geriatric Depression Scale), and delirium (confusion assessment method) were administered upon study enrollment and before discharge. RESULTS: Participants who received the avatar during hospitalization had lower frequency of delirium at discharge (P<.001), reported fewer symptoms of loneliness (P=.01), and experienced fewer falls than control participants. There were no significant differences in self-reported depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The study findings validate the use of human-in-the-loop, relational ECAs among diverse hospitalized older adults.

Yoga therapy for breast cancer patients: a prospective cohort study.

We sought to study the impact of yoga therapy on anxiety, depression and physical health in breast cancer patients. Stage I-III post-operative breast cancer patients were recruited with twelve 1-h weekly yoga sessions completed with an experienced yoga instructor. Before and after each module completion, assessments were obtained with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HADS), the Dallas pain scale and shoulder flexibility measurements. Fourteen patients completed the entire yoga session with 42.8% having a total mastectomy and 15.4% having breast reconstruction. Both right and left shoulder abduction flexibility significantly improved (p = 0.004; p = 0.015 respectively) as well as left shoulder flexion (p = 0.046). An improvement trend in scores for the HADS and Dallas questionnaires pre- and post-intervention was found, although it was not statistically significant. Our data indicates an improvement in physical function in addition to a consistent amelioration in anxiety, depression and pain symptoms after a yoga intervention.

The Ruby Red Slipper Program: an interdisciplinary fall management program in a community academic medical center.

Falls are a common, yet serious complication for hospitalized patients. The Ruby Red Slipper Program is an interdisciplinary fall management program that includes development and education of unit-based fall management teams. Initial outcomes demonstrated significant reductions in falls.

Certification and education: do they affect pressure ulcer knowledge in nursing?

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether wound care certification and education affect nursing knowledge. This study examined pressure ulcer knowledge among registered nurses who were (1) certified in wound care, (2) certified in specialty areas other than wound care, or (3) not certified in any specialty area. DESIGN: A convenience sample of 460 nurses, located in both urban and rural areas, provided demographic information and completed a standardized pressure ulcer knowledge test using (Pieper Pressure Ulcer Knowledge Tool). RESULTS: The mean standardized test score for the total sample was 78%, with nurses certified in wound care scoring 89%, nurses certified in specialties other than wound care scoring 78%, and nurses receiving no certification scoring 76.5%. CONCLUSION: Wound care certification and education significantly affect nursing knowledge.

A guide to web-based resources on care of older adults for nursing educators, students, and clinicians.

Numerous web-based resources are available to improve the knowledge of undergraduate students in assessing and providing care to older adults. These resources can be helpful to nurse educators regardless of the learning environment and to students and nurses who are working with older adults. This article describes some of the widely available online resources for teaching geriatric content to students and how to use them. The purpose of this article is to promote use of websites as teaching tools for nurse educators and as a resource to students and nurse clinicians.

Life satisfaction, self-esteem, and perceived health status among elder Korean women: focus on living arrangements.

The purpose of this study was to examine whether living arrangements significantly affect life satisfaction, self-esteem, and perceived health status of elder Korean women. A total of 121 women aged 65 to 89 was interviewed in an urban community senior center in Korea. The convenience sample was obtained by face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire. Life satisfaction, self-esteem, and perceived health status were strongly correlated with each other. Living arrangements significantly affected life satisfaction, self-esteem, and perceived health status. Women who live with their married son had the highest life satisfaction and self-esteem and perceived themselves to be healthier in comparison to their counterparts. Therefore, government programs need to be developed to assist children in caring for their parents to improve their overall well-being.

Certification and education: do they affect pressure ulcer knowledge in nursing?

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether wound care certification and education affect nursing knowledge. This study examined pressure ulcer knowledge among registered nurses who were (1) certified in wound care, (2) certified in specialty areas other than wound care, or (3) not certified in any specialty area. DESIGN: A convenience sample of 460 nurses, located in both urban and rural areas, provided demographic information and completed a standardized pressure ulcer knowledge test using (Pieper Pressure Ulcer Knowledge Tool). RESULTS: The mean standardized test score for the total sample was 78%, with nurses certified in wound care scoring 89%, nurses certified in specialties other than wound care scoring 78%, and nurses receiving no certification scoring 76.5%. CONCLUSION: Wound care certification and education significantly affect nursing knowledge.

The transition of elderly patients between hospitals and nursing homes. Improving nurse-to-nurse communication.

Lack of patient information is a particular problem when a patient is transferred from one health care facility to another. The lack of information needed to develop a timely and effective plan of care for an older adult transferred to the nursing home facility may exacerbate disruptions in the older adult's care. Also, adjustment or readjustment to the nursing home or hospital environment may be prolonged. Persistence of problems or difficulty in adjustment may then lead to exacerbation of the disease processes and, ultimately, hospital readmissions. Evidence suggests that elderly patients discharged from the hospital have high readmission rates. Although the patient is most affected by a breakdown in communication, everyone in the nursing home involved in the resident's care is also affected. All staff who provide care to the resident, including nursing, medicine, nutrition, pharmacy, social work, and physical therapy staff members, must be cognizant of issues related to communication for patients being transferred. In this article, the authors discuss the development, implementation, and results of a model designed to increase the communication surrounding the transition of elderly patients from an inpatient unit to and from nursing homes.