Barriers to primary care: perceptions of older adults utilizing the ED for nonurgent visits.

This purpose of this mixed methods study was to understand access to primary care among older adults who present to an inner city emergency department (ED) for nonurgent care. Questionnaires (N = 62) included demographic, illness characteristics, and health care utilization. Qualitative interviews (N = 20) were conducted. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, and qualitative methodology. More than half of the participants were female (60%), African American (57%) and pain was the presenting symptoms among 48% of the participants. Nearly all participants reported barriers to primary care; difficulty with phone systems and staff, and lack of available appointments resulting in an ED visit. Older adults face barriers accessing primary care and as a result, can turn to the ED for their primary care needs. Interventions to improve access for vulnerable older adults might have benefits not only for patient outcomes but also for health policy issues related to cost effective care and overcrowded EDs.

The impact of informal caregivers on depressive symptoms among older adults receiving formal home health care.

This study evaluated the association between presence and types of informal caregivers and the presence of depressive symptoms among older adults receiving formal home health care (HHC). A secondary analysis of data was conducted using a computerized patient care database, the Outcome and Assessment Information Set. Logistic regression analyses were used to examine the data of 8448 patients aged 65 years or older who had been admitted to an HHC agency from acute care hospitals between January 1, 2002 and June 30, 2002. The outcome variable was the presence of depressive symptoms. The primary predictor variable was the presence and types of informal caregivers. Covariates included demographic variables, health status, length of time enrolled in formal HHC, patient living arrangements, and the frequency and types of care received from informal caregivers. A lower percentage of older adults receiving care from both informal caregivers and a formal HHC agency (13.3%) had depressive symptoms than older adults receiving only formal HHC (14.9%) at the end of a 60-day episode in formal HHC. Older adults without an informal caregiver were more likely to experience depressive symptoms than those with an informal caregiver after a 60-day episode in HHC (odds ratio = 1.229, 95% confidence interval = 1.027-1.471). There was no significant association between the types of informal caregivers and the presence of depressive symptoms.

Living with cancer: perspectives on a five year journey.

This is a personal story of the lived experience of the authors, both nurses, who as partners face ovarian cancer. We describe the initial impact of such a diagnosis and its immediate life-changing consequences, treatment decisions and sequelae, remission and recurrence, and choices about living with a chronic illness and the ever-present specter of death. We recognize that our experience is uniquely ours, yet we believe it has meaning for all patients and caregivers, as well as the many health professionals who treat, care for, guide and comfort those who bear the burden of cancer.

Nurses' perspectives on feeding decisions for nursing home residents with advanced dementia.

AIM: To develop a broad understanding of nursing beliefs, knowledge and roles in feeding decisions for nursing home residents with advanced dementia. BACKGROUND: Concern is growing about the common use of feeding tubes in nursing home residents with advanced dementia. Nurses can play an important role in providing information and guiding family members through difficult feeding decisions. Little is known about nurses' perspectives on feeding decisions. DESIGN: Qualitative descriptive. METHODS: In-depth semi-structured interviews of 11 licensed nurses who were experienced in caring for nursing home residents with dementia. RESULTS: Analysis of the interview transcripts revealed three themes: insufficient empirical information, ambiguous role in feeding decisions and uncertainty about moral agency in decisions about the placement of feeding tubes. CONCLUSIONS: Despite views that family members would benefit from guidance in decisions regarding the placement of feeding tubes, nurses were, nevertheless, reluctant to become involved in these difficult decisions. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: If nurses are to guide family members in decisions about the use of feeding tubes, they need more education about evidence-based practice as well as support in exercising their nursing responsibilities.

The influence of nursing home culture on the use of feeding tubes.

BACKGROUND: Nationwide, many nursing home (NH) residents with advanced cognitive impairment are tube fed, despite no demonstrable benefits of this intervention in this population. Studies suggest that organizational features of NHs are associated with this practice, but underlying reasons for these associations are poorly understood. METHODS: We conducted a focused ethnographic study of 2 NHs in South Carolina, 1 with a high tube-feeding rate (41.8%) in patients with advanced dementia, and 1 with a low rate (10.7%). Data were collected about physical environment, mealtime and decision-making processes, and explicit and implicit values using 80 hours of direct observation, semistructured interviews with 30 key facility personnel, and abstraction of publicly available material describing the facilities. Data were analyzed using qualitative methods. RESULTS: Striking variations in organizational culture were identified. The low-use NH had a homelike environment centered on food as an important component of daily life, mealtimes staffed with knowledgeable nursing assistants who valued hand feeding, and advance care planning that included family and palliative care options. In contrast, the high-use NH had an institutionlike environment, poorly staffed mealtimes, and staff attitudes favoring feeding tubes to avoid aspiration and to meet perceived regulatory compliance. CONCLUSIONS: The NH culture influences the approach to feeding in advanced cognitive impairment, whether by hand or placement of a feeding tube. Key features of NHs with a low rate of tube-feeding use include a physical environment that promotes the enjoyment of food, administrative support, and empowerment of staff to value hand feeding and shared decision-making processes involving family members.

A place called LIFE: exploring the advance care planning of African-American PACE enrollees.

The goals of this exploratory study were (a) to describe, among African-American PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) enrollees, verbalized preferences for end-of-life care as compared to preferences for care as documented in their medical record and (b) to explore the personal values that inform end-of-life decision making among these frail elders. Medical record review and semi-structured interviews generated descriptive and qualitative data for 18 African-American enrollees in a PACE program located in a large eastern city of the United States. Review of verbalized and documented preferences for end-of-life care among participants indicated that most preferred life-sustaining treatments. In addition, findings suggest that these PACE enrollees had limited information or understanding of the interventions and terminology associated with advance directives. Content analysis of interviews indicated that end-of-life decision making was influenced by the desire to maintain usual activities of daily living; to avoid burdening caregivers; and to remain in control of personal health care. Furthermore, these African-American elders relied on faith in God as central to medical decision making, believing ultimately that God controls the end of life. This research may enhance the ability of social workers, in collaboration with other members of PACE or similar interdisciplinary teams, to understand the values and attitudes associated with the preferences of older African Americans for care at the end of life. These findings suggest future research is needed to ensure advance care planning acknowledges and responds to the values and preferences of African-American PACE enrollees for the end of life.

Enhancing geriatric nursing competencies for RNs in nursing homes.

The purpose of this review was to determine the best method to deliver education that strengthens geriatric nursing competencies in RNs working in nursing homes to achieve excellent outcomes for a complex population. On the basis of the evidence reviewed, recommendations are made related to the kind of learning activities, structure of educational sessions, and instructor qualifications and consultation activities.

Symptoms of restless legs syndrome in older adults: outcomes on sleep quality, sleepiness, fatigue, depression, and quality of life.

OBJECTIVES: To compare differences in sleep quality, sleepiness, fatigue, depression, and quality of life according to severity of symptoms of restless legs syndrome (RLS) in older adults. DESIGN: Descriptive, comparative study; cross-sectional design. SETTING: Penn Sleep Center at the University of Pennsylvania and RLS support groups in Philadelphia. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-nine adults, aged 65 and older, diagnosed with RLS with symptoms at least 3 nights per week. Participants were stratified according to symptom severity based on scores from the RLS Symptom Severity Scale. Exclusion criteria were dementia, cognitive impairments, and sleep disorders other than RLS. MEASUREMENTS: Sleep quality, measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes were sleepiness, fatigue, depression, and quality of life measured using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), Center for Epidemiological Studies--Depression Scale (CES-D), and RLS Quality of Life Instrument (RLS-QLI), respectively. RESULTS: Significant differences were found in subjective sleep quality (P=.007) and sleep duration (P=.04), as well as in PSQI global score (P=.007). RLS-QLI sleep quality (beta=-0.12, 95% confidence interval (CI)=-0.18 to -0.06, P<.001) and sleepiness (beta=0.35, 95% CI=0.09-0.61, P=.01) were significantly related to PSQI global score. Subjects with severe symptoms were five times as likely to use medication to treat RLS (OR=5.3, 95% CI=1.2-22.2). CONCLUSION: The severity of RLS symptoms in older adults affects not only sleep quality but also many aspects of quality of life, including social functioning, daily functioning, and emotional well-being.

Advance directives at end-of-life: nursing home resident preferences for artificial nutrition.

OBJECTIVE: Nursing homes are increasingly the place where many Americans die. Thus, advance directives are critical to the preservation of the autonomous wishes at end-of-life. The purpose of this paper is to determine if preferences for artificial nutrition, as stated in the advance directives of nursing home residents, are honored in the last 2 months of life. DESIGN: Secondary analysis. SETTING: Six Maryland community nursing homes. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty-seven consented residents (age 62 to 98) from the parent study who died during the study period. MEASUREMENTS: Retrospective document review including advance directives and clinical care provided in the last 2 months of life. RESULTS: Most of the nursing home residents in this sample refused feeding tubes, and these preferences were honored during the last 2 months of life (93%), despite some (17% to 26%) with documented weight loss. A small percentage (8.8%) of residents received feeding tubes at end-of-life and, of those, only 1 was consistent with advance directive preferences. Most advance directives in this study included feeding tube preferences. CONCLUSION: In this nursing home sample, advance directives were significant documents guiding decisions on artificial nutrition, and feeding tubes were in fact uncommon at the end of life. The study suggests that advance care planning, quality palliative care training, and administrative support are necessary for the honoring of preferences. Future research is needed to examine more broadly tube-feeding practices and prevalence in nursing homes.

Delirium in older patients in surgical intensive care units.

PURPOSE: To examine the frequency and course of delirium in older adults admitted to a surgical intensive care unit (SICU). DESIGN AND METHODS: Prospective, observational cohort study of 114 English-speaking participants and their surrogates, aged 65 and older, admitted to an SICU, and managed by a surgical critical care service. Chart reviews and surrogate interviews were conducted within 24 hours of SICU admission to collect information regarding evidence of dementia using the short form of the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly. Participants were also screened for delirium daily throughout their hospitalization with either the Confusion Assessment Method-ICU (CAM-ICU) while in the SICU or the CAM while on medical/surgical units. RESULTS: In this population of older adults, 18.4% had evidence of dementia on admission to the SICU. Few older adults (2.6%) were admitted to the hospital with evidence of preexisting delirium, but 28.3% developed delirium in the SICU and 22.7% during the post-SICU period. A total of 52 of 114 (45.6%) participants were delirious sometime during their hospital stay or 24 hours before hospital admission. Episodes of deep sedation and nonarousal were uncommon, occurring in only 9.7% of the sample. CONCLUSIONS: Older adults admitted to SICUs were at high risk for developing delirium during hospitalization. Further research is needed to elucidate the risk factors for, and outcomes of, delirium in this uniquely vulnerable population.

Improving cognition and function through exercise intervention in Alzheimer's disease.

PURPOSE: To analyze the effects of cognition on function and to explore the potential of aerobic exercise for promoting cognitive and functional capacities. DESIGN: Integrative review of literature. METHODS: Studies were selected based on an extensive search of electronic databases and manual cross-referencing for 1980 to 2006, using the combination of key words: Alzheimer's disease (AD), dementia, or cognitive impairment with function or activities of daily living. FINDINGS: Three broad themes were identified from the literature analysis. First, global cognition has mainly been used to examine the effect of cognition on function, indicating an assumption that functional decline progresses in a hierarchical manner in AD. Second, specific cognitive domains affect functional decline in different ways. Executive functioning might have more effect on function than does memory. Third, aerobic exercise might promote cognitive and functional capacities in people with AD by modifying neuropathological changes in the brain. CONCLUSIONS: Specific cognitive domains such as executive functioning are important for understanding function in people with AD and are potentially modifiable by aerobic exercise.

Psychometric properties of the Post-Fall Index.

Evaluation and prevention of falls begin with a thorough understanding of their occurrence. Post-fall assessment (PFA) tools should be available to sufficiently guide nursing staff in identification of all possible causes. Absence of empirically tested PFA tools led to the development of the Post-Fall Index (PFI). Developed and validated in three phases, a 76-item PFI was first tested for content validity by national experts. Next, it was tested for feasibility with registered nurses practicing in nursing homes. Last, it was piloted with a sample of 30 falls by older residents of a skilled nursing unit in a continuing care retirement community. Review of data from these 30 falls provided the item analysis. Reflective of evidenced-based guidelines, a 30-item PFI emerged, containing essential items causing falls. Although lengthier than incident reports, its comprehensiveness was deemed of higher value. Large absolute agreement of items (70%-100%) indicates good interrater reliability. The PFI is valid, reliable, and feasible and has clinical utility for the secondary prevention of falls.

A feasibility study of methodological issues and short-term outcomes in seriously injured older adults.

BACKGROUND: For any given traumatic injury, older adults experience a longer hospitalization, more complications, and higher mortality than do younger patients. OBJECTIVES: To prospectively identify problems in designing follow-up studies in seriously injured older adults without head injury and to examine outcomes after serious trauma in older adults who were sent to a level I trauma center. METHODS: A short-term descriptive follow-up design was used in which each patient served as his or her baseline. Eligible patients had injuries that required admission to an intensive care unit, a hospital length of stay longer than 72 hours, or surgery. Patients with isolated hip fractures, central nervous system injuries, and burn injuries were excluded. Data were collected by using standardized instruments during the acute hospital stay and 3 months after discharge from the hospital. RESULTS: During a representative 2-month period, 21% of a potential 77 subjects died in the hospital, 44% had cognitive impairment that precluded participation, and 17% declined to participate. Twenty older adults (mean age 73.5 years) who were injured in motor vehicle crashes (45%), falls (35%), or pedestrian accidents (15%) or who had gunshot wounds (5%) were enrolled. Ten percent died after discharge. Levels of physical disability at 3 months after discharge were higher than those before the injury (score on Sickness Impact Profile physical subscale 24.5 vs 10.9, P = .02), and psychological distress (Impact of Event Scale score 20.9) remained elevated. CONCLUSION: Mortality, disability, and posttraumatic psychological distress after discharge are problems in seriously injured older adults.

The cancer pain experience of Israeli adults 65 years and older: the influence of pain interference, symptom severity, and knowledge and attitudes on pain and pain control.

GOALS: Little is known about Israeli elders' cancer pain experience. The purpose of this study was to explore the cancer pain experience, including pain intensity, pain management index, pain interference, symptom severity, and knowledge and attitudes toward pain and pain control. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Descriptive cross-sectional methods were used to obtain data with four instruments. The patients were 39 Israelis 65 years and older who were receiving outpatient treatment for cancer in a major hospital center in Israel. RESULTS: Results showed that over half (56.7%) reported severe worst pain and had negative pain management indexes (56.4%). In addition, knowledge and attitudes toward pain and pain control were poor (54.55%). There were no significant relationships between pain intensity and other variables. However, pain interference demonstrated a significant positive relationship with symptom severity. Post hoc analysis revealed that Ashkenazi Jewish and more educated patients reported significantly less pain interference than Sephardic Jewish patients. CONCLUSION: Larger samples representative of the cultural differences in Israel are needed to more definitively identify elements of the cancer pain experience in Israeli elders that can be addressed to improve pain management.

Current approaches to postfall assessment in nursing homes.

OBJECTIVE: Falls in nursing homes occur among a large percentage of residents. Their onset necessitates a postfall assessment (PFA) be performed by clinical staff to determine likely etiology. The absence of an empirically validated comprehensive postfall assessment tool has led to considerable variability in the types of PFAs performed. The purpose of this study was to examine the types of PFA tools available, their content, and to compare this with national recommendations for fall assessment in geriatric practice. SETTING: A convenience sample of 379 long-term care facilities, with a cumulative census of over 40,000 residents, in New Jersey were solicited to return to the Director of Long-Term Care Surveys at the NJ Department of Health and Senior Services a copy of any PFA tools used in practice. METHODS: A review of the types of assessment tools used in each of the responding facilities were tabulated and coded as belonging to one of five categories: (1) fall-risk assessment short form, (2) fall-risk assessment long form, (3) fall prevention protocols such as fall programs and postfall assessment forms, (4) incident reports, and (5) other. A subset of 20 facilities used a specific PFA. This content was further analyzed and compared with national and professional recommendations for PFA that included five domains: (1) history of the fall, (2) environmental issues, (3) physical examination, (4) functional assessment, and (5) laboratory and other diagnostics. RESULTS: Of 379 facilities solicited, 149 responded (40%) to reveal a wide array of tools used for the purpose of PFA. These included: risk assessment tools, fall prevention programs, policies and procedures for fall management, and incident reports. Overall, most facilities used fall-risk assessment tools in place of PFA (63.7%; n=95). Many of the nationally recommended guidelines for PFA were not included in the tools included in this sample, with the exception of environmental questions that were evident in all PFAs surveyed (100%). Other fall circumstances related to time, mobility, and footwear were included less often (70% n=14) as were use of diuretics (55%;=11), mental status and ambulation ability (45%; n=9) of the falling older adult. CONCLUSION: Despite recommendations in the geriatric literature, comprehensive postfall assessment tools were unavailable for use by nursing home staff. When a PFA was performed, there was no consistency among facilities sampled. Data collected was minimal and unlikely to reveal the full range of possible underlying etiologies. Improved, validated PFA tools are needed to aid clinical staff in evaluating older adults who have fallen.

Organizational characteristics and restraint use for hospitalized nursing home residents.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the effect of organizational characteristics on physical restraint use for hospitalized nursing home residents. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of data obtained between 1994 to 1997 in a prospective phase lag design experiment using an advanced practice nurse (APN) intervention aimed at reducing physical restraint for a group of hospitalized nursing home residents. SETTING: Eleven medical and surgical units in one 600-bed teaching hospital. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred seventy-four nursing home residents aged 61 to 100, hospitalized for a total of 1,085 days. MEASUREMENTS: Physical restraint use, APN intervention, age, perceived fall risk, behavioral phenomena, perceived treatment interference, mental state, severity of illness, day of week, patient-registered nurse (RN) ratio, patient-total nursing staff ratio, and skill mix. RESULTS: Controlling for the APN intervention, age, and patient behavioral characteristics (all of which increased the likelihood of restraint use), weekend days as an organizational characteristic significantly increased the odds of restraint (weekend day and patient-RN ratio on physical restraint use: odds ratio (OR) = 1.92, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.38-2.68, P <.001; weekend day and patient-total staff ratio on physical restraint use: OR = 1.91, 95% CI = 1.37-2.66, P <.001; weekend day and skill mix on physical restraint use: OR = 1.91, 95% CI = 1.37-2.67, P <.001). CONCLUSION: Key findings suggest that organization of hospital care on weekends and patient characteristics that affect communication ability, such as severely impaired mental state, English as a second language, sedation, and sensory-perceptual losses, may be overlooked variables in restraint use.

A psychometric evaluation of the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia in a frail, nursing home population.

OBJECTIVE: The authors conducted a psychometric evaluation of the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD) through factor analysis and assessment of criterion validity in an older, frail nursing home population, with a secondary analysis of pre-intervention data from a longitudinal clinical trial aimed at reducing restraints in nursing homes. METHODS: The sample for the present study was 642 nursing home residents (mean [SD] age 84.3 [7.6] years; range: 61-105; 82% women) with completed CSDD scores, who were interviewed immediately before the intervention. Nursing home residents' scores from the 19-item CSDD were subjected to exploratory factor analysis and criterion-validity analysis. RESULTS: The factor analysis resulted in four distinct clinically interpretable domains: Depression, Somatic/Vegetative, Disturbed Sleep, and Anxiety. Sixteen items were retained in these domains, and summated score indices and a global score were constructed. The global score and the four indices demonstrated adequate internal consistency and reliability. The indices generated by the factor analysis correlated as expected with criterion variables. CONCLUSION: Results suggest that in frail, institutionalized older adults with high rates of dementia, medical illness, and functional disability, depression measurement methods that are less dependent on items highly sensitive to comorbid conditions and not necessarily associated with depression may be more appropriate. Authors recommend further validity testing of the CSDD with similar populations of frail, institutionalized older adults.