Does cognitive impairment moderate the relationship between social isolation and anxiety? A 5-year longitudinal study of a nationally representative sample of community residing older adults.

BACKGROUND: Anxiety is common in older adults and social isolation is one of the leading factors associated with their anxiety. However, what is unknown is how the relationship between social isolation and anxiety differs by cognitive status. Therefore, this study was conducted to (1) compare the level of social isolation and anxiety in older adults who developed probable dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to those who maintained normal cognitive function over 5 years; and (2) determine if cognitive impairment moderates the relationship between changes in social isolation and changes in anxiety over 5 years. METHODS: A secondary data analysis was conducted using the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP): Wave 2 (2010-2011) and Wave 3 (2015-2016). The participants were categorized into three groups: Participants who developed probable dementia over 5 years (4.3%), developed probable MCI (19.1%), or maintained normal cognitive function (76.6%). Weighted linear regression analyses with a group interaction were used to examine the moderating effect of cognitive impairment on the relationship between changes in social isolation and anxiety. RESULTS: At the 5-year follow up, there were statistically significant differences in social isolation between the three groups (p = 0.043). Regression analyses showed that increased social isolation over time was related to increased anxiety over 5 years regardless of cognitive status after controlling for covariates (p = 0.017). CONCLUSIONS: The relationship between social isolation and anxiety was a universal phenomenon regardless of cognitive status. Tailored interventions targeting both people with or without cognitive impairment are needed to lessen social isolation and anxiety.

Caregiving in the face of empathy loss in Frontotemporal Dementia: an integrative review.

OBJECTIVES: Frontotemporal Degeneration (FTD) is a common cause of early onset dementia with symptoms often presenting before 65 years of age and adding tremendous burden on caregivers. FTD caregiving research describes patient behavioral symptoms such as apathy and disinhibition as primary sources of poor caregiver psychological health; however, little attention has been paid to other common patient behaviors, such as loss of empathy. To better understand the relationship between empathy loss and FTD caregiver outcomes, this integrative review aimed to address the question: How does the loss of empathy in a person living with FTD (PLwFTD) impact the caregiver? METHOD: Quantitative and qualitative articles were found in PubMed, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and Scopus and were assessed for quality using the Crowe Critical Appraisal Tool (CCAT). Through constant comparative analysis, articles were assessed to abstract common themes in the literature. RESULTS: From 333 citations, 8 qualitative and 8 quantitative studies published between 2010 and 2022 were included. Three main themes were uncovered: 1) caregiver emotional reactions to the PLwFTD; 2) caregiver psychological distress; 3) changes in the relationship. CONCLUSION: This review emphasizes the detrimental impact of empathy loss on FTD caregivers. Understanding these underexplored consequences is critical in understanding the well-being of caregivers and promoting ways to support caregivers.

Feasibility, usability, and acceptability of psychoeducational videoconferencing interventions for informal caregivers: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials.

Psychoeducational videoconferencing interventions bypass traditional in-person barriers to attendance and are effective in improving caregiving skills, self-care, and wellness among informal caregivers. Information on their feasibility, usability, and acceptability from the caregivers' perspective is needed to inform future designs and developments. This systematic review follows PRISMA 2020 guidelines to integrate this information. Five databases were systematically searched for relevant randomized control trials published between January 2012 and December 2022. Reference lists were cross-checked for additional studies. Relevant studies were appraised and had their data extracted. This review contains 14 randomized controlled trials. Retention rates ranged from 55.56% to 100%, and major reasons for withdrawing include deteriorating patient health, lack of interest, and technical difficulties (feasibility). Caregivers found the videoconference technology usable, although participants in one intervention experienced poor connectivity and persistent technical issues (usability). Most caregivers were satisfied with videoconferencing interventions, found their content applicable to their situation, and appreciated their structure (acceptability). Those in videoconferencing group interventions were satisfied with small caregiver group sizes (acceptability). Adding respite care to interventions and incorporating short and regular videoconferencing sessions may improve feasibility. Ensuring small group sizes in videoconferencing group interventions and using participatory design may enhance acceptability. Advocacy is needed for employees identifying as informal caregivers to receive employer support and for quality connectivity within underserved areas. This may improve the feasibility and usability of interventions, allowing caregivers to receive the support they need. In future studies, power analyses and recruiting more caregivers may better assess feasibility.

Application of a Human Factors and Systems Engineering Approach to Explore Care Transitions of Sepsis Survivors From Hospital to Home Health Care.

STUDY AIM: This study aims to describe the transition-in-care work process for sepsis survivors going from hospitals to home health care (HHC) and identify facilitators and barriers to enable practice change and safe care transitions using a human factors and systems engineering approach. BACKGROUND: Despite high readmission risk for sepsis survivors, the transition-in-care work process from hospitals to HHC has not been described. METHODS: We analyzed semi-structured needs assessment interviews with 24 stakeholders involved in transitioning sepsis survivors from two hospitals and one affiliated HHC agency participating in the parent implementation science study, I-TRANSFER. The qualitative data analysis was guided by the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety (SEIPS) framework to describe the work process and identify work system elements. RESULTS: We identified 31 tasks characterized as decision making, patient education, communication, information, documentation, and scheduling tasks. Technological and organizational facilitators lacked in HHC compared to the hospitals. Person and organization elements in HHC had the most barriers but few facilitators. Additionally, we identified specific task barriers that could hinder sepsis information transfer from hospitals to HHC. CONCLUSION: This study explored the complex transition-in-care work processes for sepsis survivors going from hospitals to HHC. We identified barriers, facilitators, and critical areas for improvement to enable implementation and ensure safe care transitions. A key finding was the sepsis information transfer deficit, highlighting a critical issue for future study. APPLICATION: We recommend using the SEIPS framework to explore complex healthcare work processes before the implementation of evidence-based interventions.

Does self-care improve coping or does coping improve self-care? A structural equation modeling study.

BACKGROUND: Support interventions often address both self-care and coping. Different approaches are used to promote self-care and coping so clarifying the intervention effect can guide clinicians and researchers to provide interventions that achieve benefit. PURPOSE: To compare two models to determine whether self-care improves coping or coping improves self-care. METHODS: We used cross-sectional data from 248 caregivers obtained at enrollment into a randomized controlled trial testing the efficacy of a support intervention. Factor scores for scales measuring caregiver demand, self-care, coping, stress appraisal, and mental health were derived from exploratory factor analysis. Structural equation models were analyzed using the factor scores as estimates of each construct. To control possible spurious effects caregiver age, gender, relationship with the patient, and income adequacy were included. RESULTS: Both models were compatible with the data, but the self-care model was stronger than the coping model. That model had a non-significant chi square and an excellent fit to the data, χ2(4, N = 248) = 2.64, p = .62. The percentage of variance explained by the self-care model was 54 % for mental health, 42 % for stress appraisal, 10 % for avoidance coping, and 6 % for active coping. In the coping model the explained variance of stress appraisal dropped to 33 %, avoidance coping dropped to 0 %, and active coping dropped to 3 %. CONCLUSIONS: The self-care model was strongest, illustrating that self-care decreases stress, promotes coping, and improves mental health. These results suggest that promoting self-care may be more effective in improving mental health than interventions aimed at improving coping.

Psychometric Analysis of the Health Self-Care Neglect Scale.

OBJECTIVES: The Health Self-Care Neglect (HSCN) scale is a measure of self-care neglect developed for use in informal caregivers, where self-care is defined as behaviors undertaken to maintain health. There was no formal psychometric analysis of the scale, so we tested a 9-item, dichotomous-response version of the HSCN scale in a sample of 250 informal caregivers of adults with chronic heart failure. METHODS: As the indicators of self-care neglect were considered formative (influencing the latent variable directly) rather than reflective (influenced by the latent variable), we used a procedure for the specification of formative measurement models. First, maximally correlated composites of indicators were identified for the latent variable, and optimal scoring weights were developed. Then, the reflective factor was tested with confirmatory factor analysis, and longitudinal invariance of the factorial structure was tested by introducing model constraints. Reliability was assessed with composite reliability model-based estimates. Concurrent validity was assessed by correlating the HSCN scale total score with the maintenance scale score of the Self-Care Inventory. RESULTS: Strict invariance, the highest level possible, was achieved. Reliability was 0.81 at baseline. Concurrent validity was demonstrated (r = -0.475, P < .0001). CONCLUSION: The results of this analysis indicate that the HSCN scale is reliable, stable, and valid as a measure of health self-care neglect when tested in a sample of caregivers. The HSCN scale measures the successful performance of self-care, whereas existing measures of self-care reflect intention. Understanding both intention and behavior is useful, so we recommend using the HSCN scale in addition to existing measures of self-care.

Caregiver Engagement Enhances Outcomes Among Randomized Control Trials of Transitional Care Interventions: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Fluctuations in health among chronically ill adults result in frequent health care transitions. Some interventions to improve patient outcomes after hospitalization include caregiver engagement as a core component, yet there is unclear evidence of the effects of this component on outcomes. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to synthesize evidence regarding the attention given to caregiver engagement in randomized control trials of transitional care interventions (TCIs), estimate the overall intervention effects, and assess caregiver engagement as a moderator of intervention effects. METHODS: Three databases were systematically searched for randomized control trials of TCIs targeting adults living with physical or emotional chronic diseases. For the meta-analysis, overall effects were computed using the relative risk (RR) effect size and inverse variance weighting. RESULTS: Fifty-four studies met criteria, representing 31,291 participants and 66 rehospitalizations effect sizes. Half (51%) the interventions lacked focus on caregiver engagement. The overall effect of TCIs on all-cause rehospitalizations was nonsignificant at 1 month (P=0.107, k=29), but significant at ≥2 months [RR=0.89; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.82, 0.97; P=0.007, k=27]. Caregiver engagement moderated intervention effects (P=0.05), where interventions with caregiver engagement reduced rehospitalizations (RR=0.83; 95% CI: 0.75, 0.92; P=0.001), and those without, did not (RR=0.97; 95% CI: 0.87, 1.08; P=0.550). Interventions with and without caregiver engagement did not differ in the average number of components utilized, however, interventions with caregiver engagement more commonly employed baseline needs assessments (P=0.032), discharge planning (P=0.006), and service coordination (P=0.035). DISCUSSION: Future TCIs must consistently incorporate the active participation of caregivers in design, delivery, and evaluation.

Improving transitions and outcomes of sepsis survivors (I-TRANSFER): a type 1 hybrid protocol.

BACKGROUND: This protocol is based on home health care (HHC) best practice evidence showing the value of coupling timely post-acute care visits by registered nurses and early outpatient provider follow-up for sepsis survivors. We found that 30-day rehospitalization rates were 7 percentage points lower (a 41% relative reduction) when sepsis survivors received a HHC nursing visit within 2 days of hospital discharge, at least 1 more nursing visit the first week, and an outpatient provider follow-up visit within 7 days compared to those without timely follow-up. However, nationwide, only 28% of sepsis survivors who transitioned to HHC received this timely visit protocol. The opportunity exists for many more sepsis survivors to benefit from timely home care and outpatient services. This protocol aims to achieve this goal.  METHODS: Guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research, this Type 1 hybrid pragmatic study will test the effectiveness of the Improving Transitions and Outcomes of Sepsis Survivors (I-TRANSFER) intervention compared to usual care on 30-day rehospitalization and emergency department use among sepsis survivors receiving HHC. The study design includes a baseline period with no intervention, a six-month start-up period followed by a one-year intervention period in partnership with five dyads of acute and HHC sites. In addition to the usual care/control periods from the dyad sites, additional survivors from national data will serve as control observations for comparison, weighted to produce covariate balance. The hypotheses will be tested using generalized mixed models with covariates guided by the Andersen Behavioral Model of Health Services. We will produce insights and generalizable knowledge regarding the context, processes, strategies, and determinants of I-TRANSFER implementation. DISCUSSION: As the largest HHC study of its kind and the first to transform this novel evidence through implementation science, this study has the potential to produce new knowledge about the impact of timely attention in HHC to alleviate symptoms and support sepsis survivor's recovery at home. If effective, the impact of this intervention could be widespread, improving the quality of life and health outcomes for a growing, vulnerable population of sepsis survivors. A national advisory group will assist with widespread results dissemination.

Medical Complexity Mediates Healthcare Resource Use in the Socially Vulnerable.

GOAL: The objective of this retrospective, observational study was to assess the mediating effect of medical complexity on the relationship between social vulnerability and four acute care resource use outcomes-number of hospitalizations, emergency department (ED) visits, observation stays, and total visits. Such information may help healthcare managers better anticipate the effects of interventions targeted to the socially vulnerable in their patient population. METHODS: Electronic health records of 147,496 adults served by 27 primary care practices in one large health system from 2015 to 2017 were used. Descriptive statistics were applied to characterize patients and the primary care practices included in the study. Causal mediation analyses using a modified Baron and Kenny approach were performed. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Causal mediation analyses demonstrated that increased social vulnerability was associated with increased medical complexity (incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 1.57) and increased numbers of hospitalizations (IRR = 1.63), ED visits (IRR = 2.14), observation stays (IRR = 1.94), and total visits (IRR = 2.04). Effects remained significant, though attenuated, after adjusting for medical complexity (mediator), demographics, and medications (hospitalizations IRR = 1.44, ED visits IRR = 2.02, observation stays IRR = 1.74, total visits IRR = 1.86). Social vulnerability, given medical complexity, explained between 8% (ED visits) and 26% (hospitalizations) of the variation in outcomes. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: These findings reinforce the need to modify interventions for medically complex adults to address their social needs and, consequently, reduce costly health services. Health systems seeking to reduce costly care can use these results to estimate savings in the treatment of patients with high social vulnerability-before they get chronic conditions and later as they seek care.

Older Adult and Family Caregiver Perspectives on Engagement in Primary Care.

The purpose of the current in-depth qualitative study was to explore the experiences of older adults and family caregivers in primary care. Twenty patients and caregivers from six Comprehensive Primary Care Plus (CPC+) practices' Patient and Family Advisory Councils within a large academic health system participated in telephone interviews from December 2018 to May 2019. Participants were mostly women (60%), with an average age of 71 years and nine chronic conditions. Transcripts were coded using conventional content analysis. Two key themes emerged related to person-centered care (PCC): Engagement in Health Care and Patient-Provider Relationship. Engagement in health care was defined by participants as: being proactive, centering on patient goals in treatment discussions, adherence, and self-triaging. Approximately all participants discussed the importance of the relationship and interactions with their provider as influencing their engagement. The identified themes offer recommendations for further improvement of primary PCC. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 48(11), 7-13.].

Predictors of change over time in satisfaction with outdoor activities ratings among long-term care services and supports recipients.

OBJECTIVES: To identify predictors of change in older adults' satisfaction with outdoor activities ratings over the first two years of enrollment in long-term services and supports (LTSS). METHODS: Self-rated satisfaction with outdoor activities (not at all satisfied to extremely satisfied) was the primary outcome of this secondary data analysis. Mixed-effects linear regression modeling with a backward elimination process was used for analyses. RESULTS: In the final model (N = 453) older LTSS recipients at baseline had lower ratings of satisfaction with outdoor activities over time, whereas younger recipients had higher ratings over time. Those who moved into a residential facility at baseline had an increase in outdoor activity satisfaction ratings over time compared to older adults who received home and community-based services that had a decrease. DISCUSSION: LTSS clinicians can use these findings to support older adults with decision-making around enrollment into LTSS, address preferences, and develop person-centered care interventions for outdoor activity.

Development and psychometric properties of surveys to assess provider perspectives on the barriers and facilitators of effective care transitions.

BACKGROUND: The quality of the discharge process and effective care transitions between settings of care are critical to minimize gaps in patient care and reduce hospital readmissions. Few studies have explored which care transition components and strategies are most valuable to patients and providers. This study describes the development, pilot testing, and psychometric analysis of surveys designed to gain providers' perspectives on current practices in delivering transitional care services. METHODS: We underwent a comprehensive process to develop items measuring unique aspects of care transitions from the perspectives of the three types of providers (downstream, ambulatory, and hospital providers). The process involved 1) an environmental scan, 2) provider interviews, 3) survey cognitive testing, 4) pilot testing, 5) a Stakeholder Advisory Group, 6) a Scientific Advisory Council, and 7) a collaborative Project ACHIEVE (Achieving Patient-Centered Care and Optimized Health in Care Transitions by Evaluating the Value of Evidence) research team. Three surveys were developed and fielded to providers affiliated with 43 hospitals participating in Project ACHIEVE. Web-based survey administration resulted in 948 provider respondents. We assessed response variability and response missingness. To evaluate the composites' psychometric properties, we examined intercorrelations of survey items, item factor loadings, model fit indices, internal consistency reliability, and intercorrelations between the composite measures and overall rating items. RESULTS: Results from psychometric analyses of the three surveys provided support for five composite measures: 1) Effort in Coordinating Patient Care, 2) Quality of Patient Information Received, 3) Organizational Support for Transitional Care, 4) Access to Community Resources, and 5) Strength of Relationships Among Community Providers. All factor loadings and reliability estimates were acceptable (loadings ≥ 0.40, α ≥ 0.70), and the fit indices showed a good model fit. All composite measures positively and significantly correlated with the overall ratings (0.13 ≤ r ≤ 0.71). CONCLUSIONS: We determined that the items and composite measures assessing the barriers and facilitators to care transitions within this survey are reliable and demonstrate satisfactory psychometric properties. The instruments may be useful to healthcare organizations and researchers to assess the quality of care transitions and target areas of improvement across different provider settings.

Development and psychometric properties of surveys to assess patient and family caregiver experience with care transitions.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to develop and administer surveys that assess patient and family caregiver experiences with care transitions and examine the psychometric properties of the surveys. The surveys were designed to ask about 1) the transitional care services that matter most to patients and their caregivers and 2) care outcomes, including the overall quality of transitional care they received, patient self-reported health, and caregiver effort/stress. METHODS: Survey items were developed based on a review of the literature, existing surveys, focus groups, site visits, stakeholder and expert input, and patient and caregiver cognitive interviews. We administered mail surveys with telephone follow up to patients recently discharged from 43 U.S. hospitals. Patients identified the caregivers who helped them during their hospital stay (Time 1 caregiver) and when they were home (Time 2 caregiver). Time 1 and Time 2 caregivers were surveyed by telephone only. The psychometric properties of the survey items and outcome composite measures were examined for each of the three surveys. Items that performed poorly across multiple analyses, including those with low variability and/or a high missing data, were dropped except when they were conceptually important. RESULTS: The analysis datasets included responses from 9282 patients, 1245 Time 1 caregivers and 1749 Time 2 caregivers. The construct validity of the three proposed outcome composite measures-Overall Quality of Transitional Care (patient and caregiver surveys), Patient Overall Health (patient survey) and Caregiver Effort/Stress (caregiver surveys) -was supported by acceptable exploratory factor analysis results and acceptable internal consistency reliability. Site-level reliability was acceptable for the two patient outcome composite measures, but was low for Caregiver Effort/Stress (< 0.70). In all surveys, the Overall Quality of Transitional Care outcome composite measure was significantly correlated with other outcome composite measures and most of the single-item measures. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the final patient and caregiver surveys are psychometrically sound and can be used by health systems, hospitals, and researchers to assess the quality of care transitions and related outcomes. Results from these surveys can be used to improve care transitions, focusing on what matters most to patients and their family caregivers.

Lessons learned from the implementation of a video health coaching technology intervention to improve self-care of family caregivers of adults with heart failure.

Individuals with heart failure (HF) typically live in the community and are cared for at home by family caregivers. These caregivers often lack supportive services and the time to access those services when available. Technology can play a role in conveniently bringing needed support to these caregivers. The purpose of this article is to describe the implementation of a virtual health coaching intervention with caregivers of HF patients ("Virtual Caregiver Coach for You"-ViCCY). A randomized controlled trial is currently in progress to test the efficacy of the intervention to improve self-care. In this trial, 250 caregivers will be randomly assigned to receive health information via a tablet computer (hereafter, tablet) plus 10 live health coaching sessions delivered virtually (intervention group; n = 125) or health information via a tablet only (control group; n = 125). Each tablet has specific health information websites preloaded. To inform others embarking on similar technology projects, here we highlight the technology challenges encountered with the first 15 caregivers who received the ViCCY intervention and the solutions used to overcome those challenges. Several adaptations to the implementation of ViCCY were needed to address hardware, software, and network connectivity challenges. Even with a well-designed research implementation plan, it is important to re-examine strategies at every step to solve implementation barriers and maximize fidelity to the intervention. Researcher and interventionist flexibility in adapting to new strategies is essential when implementing a technology-based virtual health coaching intervention.

Predictors of change over time in subjective daytime sleepiness among older adult recipients of long-term services and supports.

OBJECTIVES: Daytime sleepiness is associated with multiple negative outcomes in older adults receiving long-term services and supports (LTSS) including reduced cognitive performance, need for greater assistance with activities of daily living and decreased social engagement. The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of change in subjective daytime sleepiness among older adults during their first 2 years of receiving LTSS. DESIGN AND SETTING: Secondary analysis of data from a prospective longitudinal study of older adults who received LTSS in their homes, assisted living communities or nursing homes interviewed at baseline and every 3 months for 24 months. PARTICIPANTS: 470 older adults (60 years and older) newly enrolled in LTSS (mean = 81, SD = 8.7; range 60-98; 71% women). MEASUREMENTS: Subjective daytime sleepiness was assessed every 3 months through 2 years using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Multiple validated measures were used to capture health-related quality of life characteristics of enrollees and their environment, including symptom status (Symptom Bother Scale), cognition (Mini Mental Status Exam), physical function (Basic Activities of Daily Living), physical and mental general health, quality of life (Dementia Quality of Life, D-QoL), depressive symptoms (Geriatric Depression Scale) and social support (Medical Outcomes Survey-Social Support). RESULTS: Longitudinal mixed effects modeling was used to examine the relationship between independent variables and continuous measure of daytime sleepiness. Increased feelings of belonging, subscale of the D-QoL (effect size = -0.006, 95% CI: -0.013 to -0.0001, p = 0.045) and higher number of depressive symptoms (effect size = -0.002, 95% CI: -0.004 to -0.001, p = 0.001) at baseline were associated with slower rates of increase in daytime sleepiness over time. CONCLUSIONS: Comprehensive baseline and longitudinal screening for changes in daytime sleepiness along with depression and perceived quality of life should be used to inform interventions aimed at reducing daytime sleepiness among older adults receiving LTSS.

Adapting Andersen's expanded behavioral model of health services use to include older adults receiving long-term services and supports.

BACKGROUND: Andersen's Expanded Behavioral Model of Health Services Use describes factors associated with the use of long-term services and supports (LTSS). This model, however, has only been tested on the intent to use such services among African-American and White older adults and not the actual use. Given the increasing diversity of older adults in the U.S., the ability to conceptualize factors associated with actual use of LTSS across racial/ethnic groups is critical. METHODS: We applied Andersen's Expanded model in the analysis of 2006-2010 qualitative data using multiple methods to understand both the relevancy of factors for older adults who currently use LTSS vs. those who intend to use LTSS (as described in Andersen's original exploration). We additionally explored differences in these factors across racial/ethnic groups and included Hispanic older adults in our analyses. RESULTS: Four additional constructs linked with actual LTSS use emerged: losses and changes, tangible support, capability to provide informal support, and accessibility of informal support. Racial differences were seen in level of participation in decisions to use nursing home services (Not involved: 45% African-Americans vs. 24% Whites). Reports of LTSS use to avoid burdening one's family were greater among White older adults compared to African-American older adults. CONCLUSIONS: Findings around decision-making and burden along with other constructs enhance our understanding of determinants that influence actual LTSS use and require targeted interventions.

Predictors of psychological distress and sleep quality in former family caregivers of people with dementia.

Objectives: The stress-related psychological symptoms experienced by informal family caregivers do not always improve or resolve after the death of the care recipient. The purpose of this study was to explore the independent associations of sociodemographic variables, personality and coping, environmental variables, and caregiver guilt with the sleep quality and psychological distress of former family caregivers of individuals with dementia following care recipient's death.Method: A cross-sectional, correlational study was conducted with a sample of 171 former family caregivers of people with dementia. Participants completed an online survey comprised of six instruments and demographic items. Caregiver personal variables (e.g. personality and coping), environmental variables, guilt, psychological distress (depressive and anxiety symptoms), and sleep quality were evaluated using psychometrically validated measures.Results: In bivariate analysis, post-caregiving guilt was significantly associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms (p < 0.01). After controlling for covariates, dysfunctional coping and neuroticism explained 32% of the variance in depressive symptoms (R2 = .52, ΔR2 = .32, F(5, 165) = 36.24, p < .001) and 24% of the variance in anxiety symptoms (R2 = .41, ΔR2 = .24, F(5, 165) = 22.65, p < .001), while dysfunctional coping, pre-loss depression, and extraversion accounted for 16% of the variance in sleep quality (R2 = .30, ΔR2 = .16, F(6, 164) = 11.44, p < .001).Conclusion: This study demonstrates the critical role of personal variables, including personality traits, coping strategies, and pre-loss depression, in explaining psychological distress and sleep quality in this sample of former dementia caregivers.

The Perfect Storm: Stakeholder Perspectives on Factors Contributing to Hospital Admissions for Patients Undergoing Maintenance Hemodialysis.

Patients living with end stage renal disease (ESRD) who are undergoing hemodialysis experience frequent hospitalizations associated with complications of care and exacerbations of illness. Efforts to reduce hospitalizations have had limited success. The purpose of this study was to explore why hospitalizations occur from the perspectives of patients undergoing hemodialysis treatment, their caregivers, and health care providers. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with 21 patients living with ESRD, 10 caregivers, and three focus groups with health care professionals. Findings are discussed under four main themes: Graft site/Catheter/Access issues, "My resistance is low," "I could not breathe,"" and "The perfect storm." Results highlight the complexity of care and vulnerability of patients with ESRD. Further interprofessional research is needed to improve transitional care and care delivery for patient populations receiving hemodialysis.

Meeting the Transitional Care Needs of Older Adults with COVID-19.

Older adults with COVID-19 who survive hospitalizations and return to their homes confront substantial health challenges and an unpredictable future. While understanding of the unique needs of COVID-19 survivors is developing, components of the evidence-based Transitional Care Model provide a framework for taking a more immediate, holistic response to caring for these individuals as they moved back into the community. These components include: increasing screening, building trusting relationships, improving patient engagement, promoting collaboration across care teams, undertaking symptom management, increasing family caregiver care/education, coordinating health and social services, and improving care continuity. Evidence generated from rigorous testing of these components reveal the need for federal and state policy solutions to support the following: employment/redeployment of nurses, social workers, and community health workers; training and reimbursement of family caregivers; widespread access to research-based transitional care tools; and coordinated local efforts to address structural barriers to effective transitions. Immediate action on these policy options is necessary to more effectively address the complex issues facing these older adults and their family caregivers who are counting on our care system for essential support.

Policy Flight Simulators: Accelerating Decisions to Adopt Evidence-Based Health Interventions.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: In this study, the authors used simulation to explore factors that might influence hospitals' decisions to adopt evidence-based interventions. Specifically, they developed a simulation model to examine the extent to which hospitals would benefit economically from the transitional care model (TCM). The TCM is designed to transition high-risk older adults from hospitals back to communities using interventions focused on preventing readmissions.The authors used qualitative methods to identify and validate simulation facets. Four simulation experiments explored the economic impact of the TCM on more than 3,000 U.S. hospitals: (1) magnitude of readmission penalty, (2) application to specific diagnosis-related groups, (3) level of cost sharing between payer and provider, and (4) capitated versus fee-for-service payments. The simulator projected hospital-specific economic effects. The authors used Monte Carlo methods for the simulations, which were parameterized with public data sets from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and TCM data from randomized controlled trials and comparative effectiveness studies.Under current conditions, the simulation indicated that only 10 of more than 3,000 Medicare-certified hospitals would benefit financially from the TCM. If current readmission penalties were doubled, the number of hospitals projected to benefit would increase to 300. Targeting selected diagnosis cohorts would also increase the number of hospitals to 300. If payers reimbursed providers for 100% of the TCM costs, 2,000 hospitals would benefit financially. Under a capitated payment model, 1,500 hospitals would benefit from the TCM.Current CMS penalties-or reasonable increases-have little economic effect on the TCM. In the current environment, two strategies are likely to facilitate adoption: (1) persuading payers to reimburse TCM costs and (2) focusing on hospitals with higher bed occupancies and higher revenue patients.