General practitioners' provision of end-of-life care and associations with dying at home: a registry-based longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: General practitioners (GPs) may play an important role in providing end-of-life care to community-dwelling people. OBJECTIVE: To investigate patients' contacts with GPs, GPs' interdisciplinary collaboration, out-of-hours services and hospitalizations in the last 13 weeks of life and associations with dying at home. Second, investigate whether GP contacts were associated with fewer out-of-hours contacts or days hospitalized. METHODS: Individually linked data from the Norwegian Cause of Death Registry, Norwegian Patient Registry, Statistics Norway and Control and Payment of Reimbursement to Health Service Providers database for all 80 813 deceased people in Norway within 2012-13. Outcomes were analyzed with logistic regression and negative binomial multilevel mixed-effect models. RESULTS: Overall, 1% of people received GP home visits in Week 13 and 4.6% in the last week before death. During the last 4 weeks of life, 9.2% received one or more GP home visits. Altogether, 6.6% received one or more home visits when the GP had one or more interdisciplinary collaborations during the last 4 weeks, of which <3% died at home. GP office consultations decreased towards the end of life. The likelihood of home death versus another location increased in relation to GP home visits [one home visit odds ratio (OR) 1.92, confidence interval (CI) 1.71-2.15; two or more OR 3.49, CI 3.08-3.96] and GP interdisciplinary collaboration (one contact OR 1.76, CI 1.59-1.96; two or more OR 2.52, CI 2.32-2.74). CONCLUSIONS: GPs play a role in enabling people to die at home by performing home visits and collaborating with other health care personnel. Only a minority received such services in Norway.

Psychosis symptoms in nursing home residents with and without dementia-Cross-sectional analyses from the COSMOS study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the characteristics of nursing home residents with psychosis and the association with potential underlying factors, such as pain, sleep disturbances, and antipsychotic medication. METHOD: Five hundred forty-five residents with and without dementia from 67 Norwegian nursing home units were included in the cross-sectional analyses. Psychosis was the main outcome measure in our study; other outcome measures include quality of life (QoL), activities of daily living (ADL) function, cognitive function, pain, and antipsychotic medication. RESULTS: One hundred twelve residents had one or more symptoms of psychosis, and compared with residents without psychosis, they had lower QoL (p < 0.001), ADL function (p = 0.003), and cognitive functioning (p = 0.001). Adjusted logistic regression analyses showed that psychosis was associated with the prevalence of pain (OR: 3.19; 95% CI, 1.94-5.24), sleep disturbances (OR: 4.51; 95% CI, 2.91-6.99), and total number of medication (OR: 1.10; 95% CI, 1.03-1.17). Residents with psychosis but without antipsychotic medication had better QoL (p = 0.005) compared with residents receiving any antipsychotics. CONCLUSION: Psychosis in NH residents is associated with pain, sleep disturbances, and number of medications. Residents with psychosis have poor QoL, although better QoL was observed among those who did not use antipsychotic medication.

Opioid Prescription Use in Nursing Home Residents with Advanced Dementia.

Background: Although proper pain treatment may require opioids, discussion continues about possible undertreatment or overtreatment in persons with advanced dementia. Objective: To investigate the prevalence of pain, frequency of opioid prescription use, and factors associated with strong opioid prescription use in nursing homes. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting and Subjects: Eighteen Norwegian nursing homes; 327 persons with advanced dementia and behavioral disturbances participated. Methods: Potential factors associated with strong opioid prescription use were assessed: demographics (age, gender), medical conditions (comorbidity, number of medications), pain (Mobilization-Observation-Behaviour-Intensity-Dementia-2 Pain Scale ≥ 3, pain-related diagnoses, analgesic prescription use), functioning (activities of daily living, Mini-Mental State Examination) and behavior (Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Nursing Home version, Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory). Factors with P < 0.10, age, and gender were included in multivariate regression analysis. Results: The prevalence of moderate to severe pain was 62.1%. Of all participants, 19.3% (N = 63) were prescribed opioids, and of these, 79.4% (N = 50) were still in pain; 66.7% of the opioid prescriptions were less than or equal to the lowest dosage of fentanyl patches (12 mcg/h) or buprenorphine (5 or 10 mcg/h). Pain (odds ratio [OR] = 1.26, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.12-1.42), total number of pain-related diagnoses (OR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.14-1.90), and depression and anxiety (OR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.01-1.11) were positively associated with an opioid prescription. Stroke was negatively associated (OR = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.19-0.99). Conclusions: Strong opioid prescription use was mainly associated with pain. However, in this population, despite the relatively prevalent use of strong prescription opioids, pain was still prevalent. This emphasizes the challenge of proper pain treatment and need for regular evaluation of pain and pain management.

Implementing a novel strategy for interprofessional medication review using collegial mentoring and systematic clinical evaluation in nursing homes (COSMOS).

BACKGROUND: Multimorbid patients in nursing homes are prescribed long lists of medication, often without sufficient clinical evaluations beforehand. This results in poor clinical effects of the prescribed medication and significant side-effects, especially in patients with impaired cognition. The aim of this paper is to describe the process, content and implementation of a clinical medication review encompassing clinical testing and collegial support to prescribers. METHODS: The implementation process of a novel approach to medication review in nursing homes was logged thoroughly by structured staff feedback. Staff experienced promotors and barriers to implementation also were collected. The study was part of a cluster randomized controlled trial, in which 36 long-term care units received the COSMOS intervention. Nurses and physicians randomized to the intervention group participated in educational programs, training in clinical evaluation of the patients, and interprofessional medication review with collegial mentoring. RESULTS: The intervention group contained 297 patients from 36 nursing home units. There were 105 staff attendees for the education program. The units were served by 21 different physicians. Clinical medication reviews were performed in all units and all patients were assessed prior to the medication reviews. Of the 240 patients with a logged intervention process, 220 (92%) underwent a medication review. The intervention generated enthusiasm and improved communication among nursing staff and between nursing staff and physicians. The interprofessional discussions helped to facilitate difficult decisions pertaining to treatment levels. Reported barriers were lack of time, low engagement of all nursing staff and physicians, and ethical dilemmas. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical medication reviews were implemented for almost all patients, and every patient was systematically assessed prior to the medication review. The physicians perceived collegial mentoring as an asset, learning from each other facilitated decision making in terms of difficult aspects of prescribing. Knowledge about barriers and promotors can improve implementation of similar interventions in other nursing homes. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov ( NCT02238652 ). Registered July 7th 2014.

Associations between home deaths and end-of-life nursing care trajectories for community-dwelling people: a population-based registry study.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have estimated planned home deaths compared to actual place of death in a general population or the longitudinal course of home nursing services and associations with place of death. We aimed to investigate trajectories of nursing services, potentially planned home deaths regardless of place of death; and associations of place of death with potentially planned home deaths and nursing service trajectories, by analyzing data from the last 90 days of life. METHODS: A retrospective longitudinal study with data from the Norwegian Cause of Death Registry and National registry for statistics on municipal healthcare services included all community-dwelling people who died in Norway 2012-2013 (n = 53,396). We used a group-based trajectory model to identify joint trajectories of home nursing (hours per week) and probability of a skilled nursing facility (SNF) stay, each of the 13 weeks leading up to death. An algorithm estimated potentially planned home deaths. We used a multinomial logistic regression model to estimate associations of place of death with potentially planned home deaths, trajectories of home nursing and short-term SNF. RESULTS: We identified four home nursing service trajectories: no (46.5%), accelerating (7.6%), decreasing (22.1%), and high (23.5%) home nursing; and four trajectories of the probability of a SNF stay: low (69.0%), intermediate (6.7%), escalating (15.9%), and increasing (8.4%) SNF. An estimated 24.0% of all deaths were potentially planned home deaths, of which a third occurred at home. Only high home nursing was associated with increased likelihood of a home death (adjusted relative risk ratio (aRRR) 1.29; CI 1.21-1.38). Following any trajectory with elevated probability of a SNF stay reduced the likelihood of a home death. CONCLUSIONS: We estimated few potentially planned home deaths. Trajectories of home nursing hours and probability of SNF stays indicated possible effective palliative home nursing for some, but also missed opportunities of staying at home longer at the end-of-life. Continuity of care seems to be an important factor in palliative home care and home death.

Effects of pain treatment on sleep in nursing home patients with dementia and depression: A multicenter placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of pain treatment on sleep in nursing home (NH) patients with dementia and depression. METHODS: A multicenter, 2-armed, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial conducted between August 2014 and September 2016. One hundred six long-term patients from 47 NHs in Norway with dementia and depression according to the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia were included. Patients received stepwise pain treatment in which those who did not use analgesics were randomized to receive either paracetamol (3 g/day) or placebo tablets; those who already used pain treatment were allocated to buprenorphine transdermal system (max. 10 µg/h/7 days) or placebo transdermal patches. Sleep was assessed continuously for 14 days by actigraphy, 1 week of baseline measurement, and 1 week of ongoing treatment. The following sleep parameters were evaluated: total sleep time, sleep efficiency (SE), sleep onset latency (SOL), wake after sleep onset, early morning awakening (EMA), and number of wake bouts. RESULTS: In the intervention group (paracetamol/buprenorphine), SE (70%-72%), SOL (32-24 min), and EMA (50-40 min) improved compared with the control group (SE, 70%-67%; SOL, 47-60 min; EMA, 31-35 min). Treatment effects were significant (P < .01, P < .05, and P < .05, respectively). CONCLUSION: Compared with placebo, pain treatment improved sleep as measured with actigraphy. This implies that sleep, pain, and depression in NH patients should be critically evaluated and that pain treatment should be considered to be a potentially beneficial treatment.

Description of an advance care planning intervention in nursing homes: outcomes of the process evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Advance Care Planning (ACP) is the repeated communication and decision-making process between the patient, family, and healthcare professionals. This study describes an ACP intervention in nursing homes and evaluates the outcomes of the implementation process. METHODS: The ACP intervention was part of a 4-month complex, cluster randomized controlled trial (COSMOS). 37 Norwegian nursing homes with 72 units (1 cluster = 1 unit) and 765 patients were invited to participate and eligible units were randomised to the intervention group or control. Nursing home staff in the intervention group was offered a standardized education programme to learn early and repeated communication with patients and families and to implement ACP in their units. We used a train-the-trainer approach to educate staff in the units, supported by regular telephone calls and a midway seminar after two months. Individual patient logs consisting of different communication deliverables were used to evaluate the implementation process. Supported by Qualitative Content Analyses, we identified facilitators and barriers of the ACP implementation based on feedback during midway seminars and individual patient logs. RESULTS: The ACP intervention was conducted in 36 NH units (n = 297); 105 healthcare providers participated at the education seminar prior to the study, and 3-4 employees from each unit participated in the midway seminar. NH staff reported the educational material relevant for the implementation strategy. The patient logs showed that ACP was successfully implemented in 62% (n = 183) of the patients using our predefined implementation criteria. The staff emphasized the clear communication of the relevance of ACP addressed to leaders and staff as important facilitators, along with the clearly defined routines, roles and responsibilities. Identified barriers included lack of competence, perceived lack of time, and conflicting culture and staff opinions. CONCLUSION: Monthly communication with the family was the most frequently conducted communication, and the predefined criteria of successfully implemented ACP were largely achieved. Nursing home routines and engagement of leaders and staff were crucial facilitators, whereas lack of time and competence reduced the implementation success. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The COSMOS-trial was registered in the ClinicalTrials.gov ( NCT02238652 ) July 7th, 2014.

Comparing unplanned and potentially planned home deaths: a population-based cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: There is little research on number of planned home deaths. We need information about factors associated with home deaths, but also differences between planned and unplanned home deaths to improve end-of-life-care at home and make home deaths a feasible alternative. Our aim was to investigate factors associated with home deaths, estimate number of potentially planned home deaths, and differences in individual characteristics between people with and without a potentially planned home death. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of all decedents in Norway in 2012 and 2013, using data from the Norwegian Cause of Death Registry and National registry for statistics on municipal health and care services. We defined planned home death by an indirect algorithm-based method using domiciliary care and diagnosis. We used logistic regressions models to evaluate factors associated with home death compared with nursing home and hospital; and to compare unplanned home deaths and potentially planned home deaths. RESULTS: Among 80,908 deaths, 12,156 (15.0%) were home deaths. A home death was most frequent in 'Circulatory diseases' and 'Cancer', and associated with male sex, younger age, receiving domiciliary care and living alone. Only 2.3% of home deaths were from 'Dementia'. In total, 41.9% of home deaths and 6.3% of all deaths were potentially planned home deaths. Potentially planned home deaths were associated with higher age, but declined in ages above 80 years for people who had municipal care. Living together with someone was associated with more potentially planned home deaths for people with municipal care. CONCLUSION: There are few home deaths in Norway. Our estimations indicate that even fewer people than anticipated have a potentially planned home death.

High prevalence of insomnia and hypnotic use in patients visiting their general practitioner.

BACKGROUND: Sleep problems are common in the general population, but there are few prevalence studies among patients visiting their GP. Since sleep problems frequently co-occur with existing psychological and somatic conditions, the prevalence is likely to be higher in patients visiting their GPs compared to the prevalence in the general population. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the prevalence of insomnia [based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental disorders (DSM)-version IV] and hypnotic use among patients in general practice and to evaluate whether the prevalence depended on sex and age. METHODS: Questionnaire data were collected by 66 medical students while deployed in different general practices during their last year of school. A total of 1346 (response rate 74%) consecutive and unselected patients visiting their GPs answered the validated Bergen Insomnia Scale (BIS) and single questions on self-reported sleep problems and hypnotic use. RESULTS: The prevalence of insomnia according to BIS was 53.6%. Sleep problems (based on the single question) were self-reported by 55.8%, with 18.0% reporting to experience sleep problems a lot/very much. Hypnotic use was reported by 16.2% (daily use by 5.5%). Insomnia and hypnotic use were all more prevalent in females compared with males. Hypnotic use increased with age, whereas the prevalence of insomnia was highest in the younger age groups. CONCLUSIONS: Insomnia and hypnotic use were very prevalent among patients visiting their GPs. As insomnia can be effectively treated, we maintain that the diagnosis has a high pay-off and should earn greater awareness in GP's diagnostic evaluation and management.

Clinically significant discrepancies between sleep problems assessed by standard clinical tools and actigraphy.

BACKGROUND: Sleep disturbances are widespread among nursing home (NH) patients and associated with numerous negative consequences. Identifying and treating them should therefore be of high clinical priority. No prior studies have investigated the degree to which sleep disturbances as detected by actigraphy and by the sleep-related items in the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD) and the Neuropsychiatric Inventory - Nursing Home version (NPI-NH) provide comparable results. Such knowledge is highly needed, since both questionnaires are used in clinical settings and studies use the NPI-NH sleep item to measure sleep disturbances. For this reason, insight into their relative (dis)advantages is valuable. METHOD: Cross-sectional study of 83 NH patients. Sleep was objectively measured with actigraphy for 7 days, and rated by NH staff with the sleep items in the CSDD and the NPI-NH, and results were compared. McNemar's tests were conducted to investigate whether there were significant differences between the pairs of relevant measures. Cohen's Kappa tests were used to investigate the degree of agreement between the pairs of relevant actigraphy, NPI-NH and CSDD measures. Sensitivity and specificity analyses were conducted for each of the pairs, and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves were designed as a plot of the true positive rate against the false positive rate for the diagnostic test. RESULTS: Proxy-raters reported sleep disturbances in 20.5% of patients assessed with NPI-NH and 18.1% (difficulty falling asleep), 43.4% (multiple awakenings) and 3.6% (early morning awakenings) of patients had sleep disturbances assessed with CSDD. Our results showed significant differences (p<0.001) between actigraphy measures and proxy-rated sleep by the NPI-NH and CSDD. Sensitivity and specificity analyses supported these results. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to actigraphy, proxy-raters clearly underreported NH patients' sleep disturbances as assessed by sleep items in NPI-NH and CSDD. The results suggest that the usefulness of proxy-rater measures of sleep may be questionable and further research is needed into their clinical value. The results highlight the need for NH staff to acquire and act on knowledge about sleep and sleep challenges among NH patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov (registration number NCT02238652 ) on July 7th 2014 (6 months after study initiation).

The Liverpool Care Pathway: discarded in cancer patients but good enough for dying nursing home patients? A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP) is an interdisciplinary protocol, aiming to ensure that dying patients receive dignified and individualized treatment and care at the end-of-life. LCP was originally developed in 1997 in the United Kingdom from a model of cancer care successfully established in hospices. It has since been introduced in many countries, including Norway. The method was withdrawn in the UK in 2013. This review investigates whether LCP has been adapted and validated for use in nursing homes and for dying people with dementia. METHODS: This systematic review is based on a systematic literature search of MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, and Web of Science. RESULTS: The search identified 12 studies, but none describing an evidence-based adaption of LCP to nursing home patients and people with dementia. No studies described the LCP implementation procedure, including strategies for discontinuation of medications, procedures for nutrition and hydration, or the testing of such procedures in nursing homes. No effect studies addressing the assessment and treatment of pain and symptoms that include dying nursing home patients and people with dementia are available. CONCLUSION: LCP has not been adapted to nursing home patients and people with dementia. Current evidence, i.e. studies investigating the validity and reliability in clinically relevant settings, is too limited for the LCP procedure to be recommended for the population at hand. There is a need to develop good practice in palliative medicine, Advance Care Planning, and disease-specific recommendations for people with dementia.

Multi-psychotropic drug prescription and the association to neuropsychiatric symptoms in three Norwegian nursing home cohorts between 2004 and 2011.

BACKGROUND: Neuropsychiatric symptoms, such as affective symptoms, psychosis, agitation, and apathy are common among nursing home patients with and without dementia. Treatment with one or more psychotropic drug is often without explicit clinical indication, despite low treatment efficacy, and potential side effects. We aim to investigate the multi-psychotropic drug use to identify factors and patient characteristics associated with multi-use. METHODS: We analysed three cohorts from 129 Norwegian nursing homes, collected between 2004 and 2011. Patients (N = 4739) were assessed with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory - Nursing Home version (NPI-NH), Clinical Dementia Rating scale, and Physical Self Maintenance Scale. We used ordinal logistic regression to analyse associations between psychotropics (antidepressants, antipsychotics, anxiolytics, hypnotics, and anti-dementia drugs), patient characteristics, and neuropsychiatric symptoms. RESULTS: Patients used on average 6.6 drugs; 27 % used no psychotropics, 32 % one, and 41 % multiple psychotropic drugs (24 % two, 17 % ≥3). Thirty-nine percent were prescribed antidepressants, 30 % sedatives, 24 % anxiolytics, and 20 % antipsychotics. The total NPI-NH score was associated with multi-use (OR 1.02, 95 % CI 1.02-1.03), and increased from a mean of 13.5 (SD 16.3) for patients using none, to 25.5 (21.8) for patients using ≥3 psychotropics. Affective symptoms (depression and anxiety) were most strongly associated with multi-psychotropic drug use (OR 1.10, 95 % CI: 1.09-1.12). Female gender, independency in daily living, younger age, dementia, and many regular drugs were also associated with multi-use. CONCLUSION: Forty-one percent were exposed to multi-psychotropic drug prescriptions. Contrary to current evidence and guidelines, there is an extensive use of multiple psychotropic drugs in patients with severe NPS and dementia.

The importance of pain management in older people with dementia.

INTRODUCTION: Pain is common in people with dementia, representing a critical aspect of treatment and care. However, there remain considerable gaps in evidence to support pain assessment and treatment. SOURCES OF DATA: An updated literature search focussing on systematic reviews and randomized controlled trials. AREAS OF AGREEMENT: There are key areas of consistency around the prevalence, causes and current treatment trends for pain in dementia, the impact of untreated pain and the need for an accurate, fully validated assessment tool. AREAS OF CONTROVERSY: Accurate assessment due to inherent issues in dementia is a critical challenge. There is also a lack of evidence around alternative treatment options. GROWING POINTS: New pain predictors are being identified, including physical function, depression and specific pain types, which should inform assessment methodology. AREAS TIMELY FOR DEVELOPING RESEARCH: Future research should focus on developing integrated pain management approaches with optimized assessment and evidence-based treatment guidance.

Short rest periods between work shifts predict sleep and health problems in nurses at 1-year follow-up.

OBJECTIVES: We investigated whether the number of work shifts separated by less than 11 hours (quick returns) at baseline (T1) could predict health problems in nurses at 1-year follow-up (T2). METHODS: 1224 nurses responded to a questionnaire-based survey in 2009 (T1) and 2010 (T2). Crude and adjusted logistic regression analyses were completed to assess the association between annual number of quick returns at T1 and the following outcome variables at T2: shift work disorder (SWD), excessive sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale), pathological fatigue (Chalder Fatigue Scale) and anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), while controlling for age, gender, the corresponding outcome variable at T1, number of night shifts at T1, change in number of quick returns and number of night shifts from T1 to T2. RESULTS: The adjusted analyses showed that the annual number of quick returns at T1 predicted the occurrence of SWD (OR=1.01, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.01) and pathological fatigue (OR=1.01, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.01) at T2. A decreased number of quick returns from T1 to T2 entailed a reduced risk of pathological fatigue (OR=0.67, 95% CI 0.45 to 0.99) at T2. There was no association between quick returns at T1 and excessive sleepiness, anxiety or depression at T2 in the adjusted analyses. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first longitudinal study investigating the associations between quick returns and future health problems. Quick returns increased the risk of SWD and pathological fatigue at 1-year follow-up. Reducing the number of quick returns from 1 year to the next was related to reduced risk of developing pathological fatigue.

Shift-related sleep problems vary according to work schedule.

OBJECTIVES: Shift-related sleep and sleepiness problems may be due to characteristics of both shifts (ie, day, evening and night shifts) and work schedules (ie, permanent vs rotational schedules). The Bergen Shift Work Sleep Questionnaire (BSWSQ) was used to investigate associations between shift-related sleep problems and work schedules. METHODS: 1586 nurses completed the BSWSQ. Participants who, in relation to a shift, 'often' or 'always' experienced both a sleep problem and a tiredness/sleepiness problem were defined as having shift-related insomnia (separate for day, evening and night shifts and rest-days). Logistic regression analyses were conducted for day, evening, night, and rest-day insomnia with participants on both permanent and rotational schedules. RESULTS: Shift-related insomnia differed between the work schedules. The evening shift insomnia was more prevalent in the two-shift rotation schedule than the three-shift rotation schedule (29.8% and 19.8%, respectively). Night shift insomnia showed higher frequencies among three-shift rotation workers compared with permanent night workers (67.7% and 41.7%, respectively). Rest-day insomnia was more prevalent among permanent night workers compared with two- and three-shift rotations (11.4% compared with 4.2% and 3.6%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalences of shift-related insomnia differed between the work schedules with higher frequencies for three-shift rotations and night shifts. However, sleep problems were present in all shifts and schedules. This suggests that both shifts and work schedules should be considered in the study of shift work-related sleep problems.

Light interventions and sleep, circadian, behavioral, and psychological disturbances in dementia: A systematic review of methods and outcomes.

Dementia is a devastating disease with a global impact, and there is an urgent need for effective interventions to alleviate the accompanying disturbances in behavior, mood, sleep, and circadian rhythms. Bright light treatment (BLT) is a promising non-pharmacological intervention; however, studies have yielded conflicting results. This systematic review provides a comprehensive overview of the effect of BLT in dementia, with a specific focus on how study characteristics might have affected the available results. The included studies were small and comprised time-limited interventions and follow-ups. Light values, adherence to treatment, and time of year were not consistently reported. Varying designs, methods, and population characteristics such as age, gender, dementia diagnosis, circadian phase, and baseline symptoms may have moderated the outcomes and affected review results. The use of crossover designs and too high illumination as placebo lights might have nullified positive effects of BLT. Because some studies had negative outcomes after ambient BLT with high amounts of short wavelengths, more modest light levels should be further investigated. Employing rigorous designs and detailed reporting of intervention characteristics, i.e., the illumination, correlated color temperature, timing, and duration of light utilized, are of utmost importance to establish the optimal treatment approach in this population. Systematic review registration number: PROSPERO CRD42017051004.

An Actigraphy-Based Validation Study of the Sleep Disorder Inventory in the Nursing Home.

Background: Disrupted sleep is common among nursing home patients with dementia and is associated with increased agitation, depression, and cognitive impairment. Detecting and treating sleep problems in this population are therefore of great importance, albeit challenging. Systematic observation and objective recordings of sleep are time-consuming and resource intensive and self-report is often unreliable. Commonly used proxy-rated scales contain few sleep items, which affects the reliability of the raters' reports. The present study aimed to adapt the proxy-rated Sleep Disorder Inventory (SDI) to a nursing home context and validate it against actigraphy. Methods: Cross-sectional study of 69 nursing home patients, 68% women, mean age 83.5 (SD 7.1). Sleep was assessed with the SDI, completed by nursing home staff, and with actigraphy (Actiwatch II, Philips Respironics). The SDI evaluates the frequency, severity, and distress of seven sleep-related behaviors. Internal consistency of the SDI was evaluated by Cronbach's alpha. Spearman correlations were used to evaluate the convergent validity between actigraphy and the SDI. Test performance was assessed by calculating the sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values, and by ROC curve analyses. The Youden's Index was used to determine the most appropriate cut-off against objectively measured sleep disturbance defined as <6 h nocturnal total sleep time (TST) during 8 h nocturnal bed rest (corresponding to SE <75%). Results: The SDI had high internal consistency and convergent validity. Three SDI summary scores correlated moderately and significantly with actigraphically measured TST and wake-after-sleep-onset. A cut-off score of five or more on the SDI summed product score (sum of the products of the frequency and severity of each item) yielded the best sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, and Youden's Index. Conclusion: We suggest a clinical cut-off for the presence of disturbed sleep in institutionalized dementia patients to be a SDI summed product score of five or more. The results suggest that the SDI can be clinically useful for the identification of disrupted sleep when administered by daytime staff in a nursing home context. Clinical Trial Registration: www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT03357328.

Scoping Review: Intergenerational Resource Transfer and Possible Enabling Factors.

We explore the intergenerational pattern of resource transfer and possible associated factors. A scoping review was conducted of quantitative, peer-reviewed, English-language studies related to intergenerational transfer or interaction. We searched AgeLine, PsycINFO, Social Work Abstracts, and Sociological Abstracts for articles published between Jane 2008 and December 2018. Seventy-five studies from 25 countries met the inclusion criteria. The scoping review categorised resource transfers into three types: financial, instrumental, and emotional support. Using an intergenerational solidarity framework, factors associated with intergenerational transfer were placed in four categories: (1) demographic factors (e.g., age, gender, marital status, education, and ethno-cultural background); (2) needs and opportunities factors, including health, financial resources, and employment status; (3) family structures, namely, family composition, family relationship, and earlier family events; and (4) cultural-contextual structures, including state policies and social norms. Those factors were connected to the direction of resource transfer between generations. Downward transfers from senior to junior generations occur more frequently than upward transfers in many developed countries. Women dominate instrumental transfers, perhaps influenced by traditional gender roles. Overall, the pattern of resource transfer between generations is shown, and the impact of social norms and social policy on intergenerational transfers is highlighted. Policymakers should recognise the complicated interplay of each factor with different cultural contexts. The findings could inform policies that strengthen intergenerational solidarity and support.

The Effect of a Multicomponent Intervention on Quality of Life in Residents of Nursing Homes: A Randomized Controlled Trial (COSMOS).

OBJECTIVES: To investigate if the multicomponent intervention of the COSMOS trial, combining communication, systematic pain management, medication review, and activities, improved quality of life (QoL) in nursing home patients with complex needs. DESIGN: Multicenter, cluster-randomized, single-blinded, controlled trial. SETTING: Thirty-three nursing homes with 67 units (clusters) from 8 Norwegian municipalities. PARTICIPANTS: Seven hundred twenty-three patients with and without dementia (≥65 years) were cluster randomized to usual care or intervention in which health care staff received standardized education and on-site training for 4 months with follow-up at month 9. MEASUREMENTS: Primary outcome was change in QoL as measured by QUALIDEM (QoL dementia scale); QUALID (QoL late-stage dementia scale), and EQ-VAS (European QoL-visual analog scale) from baseline to month 4. Secondary outcomes were activities of daily living (ADL), total medication, staff distress, and clinical global impressions of change (CGIC). RESULTS: During the active intervention, all 3 QoL measures worsened, 2 significantly (QUALID P = .04; QUALIDEM P = .002). However, follow-up analysis from month 4 to 9 showed an intervention effect for EQ-VAS (P = .003) and QUALIDEM total score (P = .01; care relationship P = .02; positive affect P = .04, social relations P = .01). The secondary outcomes of ADL function, reduction of medication (including psychotropics) and staff distress, improved significantly from baseline to month 4. Intervention effects were also demonstrated for CGIC at month 4 (P = .023) and 9 (P = .009), mainly because of deterioration in the control group. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Temporarily, the QoL decreased in the intervention group, leading to our hypothesis that health care staff may be overwhelmed by the work-intensive COSMOS intervention period. However, the decrease reversed significantly during follow-up, indicating a potential learning effect. Further, the intervention group improved in ADL function and received less medication, and staff reported less distress and judged COSMOS as able to bring about clinically relevant change. This suggests that nonpharmacologic multicomponent interventions require long follow-up to ensure uptake and beneficial effects.