Maintenance of Continuity in Older Adulthood: Concept Analysis.

PURPOSE: This article aims to define the concept of maintenance of continuity in older adulthood (MCOA) and assist nurses to better understand the concept of MCOA. METHODS: The method by Walker and Avant was used for this concept analysis. FINDINGS: In the literature, MCOA is defined as a psychosocial adaptation strategy by searching for preference and familiarity, making a sense of connection, and creating coherence. CONCLUSIONS: MCOA has potential to improve psychosocial adjustment to difficult life transitions as a coping mechanism. IMPLICATION FOR NURSING PRACTICE: Insights about MCOA in nursing may contribute to improved patient care outcomes by assisting nurses to understand the elderly's experience during age-related challenges from a life course perspective.

National study of the nutritional status of Korean older adults with dementia who are living in long-term care settings.

AIM: To evaluate the nutritional status of older adults with dementia who were living in long-term care settings. METHODS: As a secondary analysis, this study used the data from the Nationwide Survey on Dementia Care in Korea that was conducted between December 1, 2010, and August 31, 2011, which surveyed 3472 older adults with dementia, aged ≥60 years (mean age: 81.24 years), who were residing in 248 randomly selected long-term care settings in South Korea. Twenty-three different variables that related to the participants' demographics, diseases, and functional and nutritional characteristics were selected. The nutritional status was assessed by using the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA). Descriptive statistics, an ANOVA, and a chi-squared test were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: The mean MNA score of the participants was 17.90. The malnutrition rate was 38.4% (n = 1333), with 54.7% (n = 1900) of the participants at risk for malnutrition. The largest population with malnutrition resided in long-term care hospitals (47.9%), followed by nursing homes (34.1%), and group homes (25.9%). Being older and female, while exhibiting higher cognitive impairment, more neuropsychiatric symptoms, higher functional dependency, and a higher number of disabilities, were associated with poor nutritional status. CONCLUSION: The nutritional status of older adults with dementia who were living in long-term care settings in South Korea was poor and associated with multiple factors. Paying special attention to recognizing, assessing, preventing, and treating malnutrition in this population is necessary.