Assessment of validity and comparison of two Spanish versions of the Geriatric Depression Scale.

Introduction: The Geriatric Depression Scale is an instrument used to identify depression in people of an older age. The original English version of this scale has been translated into Spanish (GDS-VE); two shorter versions of 5- (GDS-5) and 15-items (GDS-15) have been developed. Aim of the study: To assess the validity and compare the 5- and 15-item Spanish versions of the GDS among the Spanish population. Materials and methods: 573 Galicia residents aged >50 years participated in this study. The following instruments were applied: the 19-item Control, Autonomy, Self-Realization and Pleasure scale, the Subjective Memory Complaints Questionnaire, the Mini-Mental State Examination test, the GDS-5, and the GDS-15. Results: We found differences in total score between GDS-5 and GDS-15 regarding the variable sex. Internal reliability for GDS-5 and GDS-15 was 0.495 and 0.715, respectively. Sensitivity and specificity for GDS-5 - with a cut-off value of 1 - was 0.517 and 0.650, respectively; for GDS-15 - with a cut-off value of 3 points - sensitivity was 0.755 and specificity 0.668. GDS-5 has a ROC curve of 0.617 and GDS-15 of 0.764. Conclusion: GDS-15, and to a greater extent GDS-5, should be revised or even reformulated to improve their diagnostic usefulness by choosing higher discriminative ability items or even include new items with greater sensitivity that consider currently prevailing psychosocial factors.

A systematic review evaluating loneliness assessment instruments in older adults.

Introduction and objectives: The experiences and changes that come along with old age may lead to a feeling of loneliness, usually followed by negative physical and mental manifestations. In this systematic review, we evaluated the existing tools to assess loneliness in older adults. Methods: We performed a literature search in the Web of Science, Medline, and PsycINFO, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. After, we examined the psychometric properties of the instruments with a focus on reliability, validity, and main conclusions. Results: We included 27 articles published between 1996 and 2021. Conclusion: To date, there are few instruments to assess loneliness in older adults. In general, they present adequate psychometric properties, although it is true that some scales show somewhat low levels of reliability and validity.

Neuropsychiatric Symptoms after Liver Transplantation in a 65-Year-Old Male Patient.

The development of immunosuppressants has been key for the advancement of solid organ transplant surgery. Specifically, cyclosporine, tacrolimus, or everolimus have significantly increased the survival rate of patients by reducing the risk of a rejection of the transplanted organ and limiting graft-versus-host disease. We report the case of a 65-year-old man who, after undergoing a liver transplantation and receiving an immunosuppressive treatment with cyclosporine and everolimus, presented severe obsessive, psychotic, and behavioral symptoms over the past three years, and describe the pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions implemented against these symptoms. In this case, the immunosuppressants used have been cyclosporine and, preferably, everolimus. On the other hand, potential adverse reactions to the treatment have been observed, including neuropsychiatric symptoms such as tremor, anxiety, dysthymia, psychosis, and behavioral disorders, which make it necessary to use corrective psychoactive drugs such as benzodiazepines, antidepressants, and antipsychotics, combined with non-pharmacological interventions. A transversal approach, from the medical and psychosocial disciplines, facilitates success in managing neuropsychiatric symptoms after soft organ transplants.

Types of love as a function of satisfaction and age.

Research studies on love have focused on the study of typologies, among which Sternberg's triangular theory of love and the typology of Hendrick and Hendrick deriving from that of Sternberg have been the most common and empirically verified. Love types have been linked to all types of sociodemographic and psychological variables. However, these studies possess shortcomings: When the data are analyzed according to age, only a few ranges are studied; with respect to other variables such as satisfaction, typically only two levels are studied, and no continuous study is conducted. This study attempts to overcome these limitations. It analyzes types of love according to the two systems noted earlier and based on two variables: age and satisfaction. For satisfaction, the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) by Diener et al. was used, and 439 subjects aged 15 to 89 years participated in the study. The results show that both of the variables-age and satisfaction-explain that love types occur in varying degrees; however, satisfaction is more predictive than is age. Possibilities for future research are discussed.

Cuidados paliativos gerontológicos: influencia de las condiciones laborales y burnout en el personal de enfermería / Gerontological palliative care: influence of working conditions and burnout in nursing

Objetivos: Debido al envejecimiento de la población, existe un incremento de personas mayores de 65 años que necesitan cuidados paliativos. El personal de enfermería está en contacto continuo con este tipo de pacientes. La satisfacción laboral y los distintos factores laborales pueden alterar la manera de llevar a cabo su trabajo, influyendo directamente sobre el paciente. El objetivo principal del estudio es observar si el grado de satisfacción laboral influye en el grado de estrés laboral del personal de enfermería que trabaja en unidades de cuidados paliativos con pacientes gerontológicos terminales. Metodología: Se autoadministró a 162 profesionales de enfermería de las unidades de cuidados paliativos del Servicio Público Gallego de Salud, del Servicio Canario de Salud y centros gerontológicos residenciales gallegos, un instrumento de evaluación constituido por un cuestionario de datos sociodemográficos y el Maslach Burnout Inventory, formado por tres dimensiones (cansancio emocional, despersonalización y realización personal reducida). Resultados: Al aumentar el grado de satisfacción laboral en el puesto de trabajo, existirá una reducción del cansancio emocional de los trabajadores. El hecho de disminuir el grado de satisfacción en relación con la capacidad de conciliación del trabajo con la vida familiar hace que el grado de cansancio emocional del trabajador se vea incrementado. Conclusiones: Existe cansancio emocional y despersonalización en el personal de enfermería de las unidades de cuidados paliativos que trabajan con pacientes gerontológicos terminales. Se ha creado un perfil laboral ideal para poder trabajar en estas unidades sin manifestar un grado de estrés laboral elevado (AU)

Objectives: Due to the aging population, there is an increase in people over 65 who need palliative care. The nursing staff is in continuous contact with these patients. Job satisfaction and laboral factors that surround the worker can alter the way of carrying out their work directly influencing the patient. The main objective of the study is to see if the degree of job satisfaction influences the degree of job stress of nurses working in palliative care units with geriatric patients terminals. Methodology: A questionnaire was administered to 162 nurses from the palliative care units of the Galician Public Health Service, the Canary Islands Health Service and Galician residential gerontology centers; an assessment instrument consists of a questionnaire of sociodemographic data and the Maslach Burnout Inventory, formed by three dimensions (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment). Results: By increasing the degree of job satisfaction in the workplace, there will be a reduction of emotional exhaustion workers. By decreasing the degree of satisfaction in relation to the ability of reconciling work and family life, it makes the degree of worker looks emotional exhaustion increased. Conclusions: emotional exhaustion and depersonalization exist in the nursing staff of the palliative care units working with geriatric terminal patients. It has created an ideal to work in these units without showing a high degree of work stress job profile (AU)

La calidad de vida de los sujetos usuarios de un centro social de personas mayores / The quality of life of the users of a community center for elderly

En esta investigación hemos intentado comprobar si la asistencia a los centros sociales de personas mayores es un medio eficaz para la mejora de la calidad de vida de las personas mayores, es decir, si los usuarios de dichos centros tienen una mejor calidad de vida que aquellos que no acuden a ellos. Para ello, hemos contado con un grupo experimental y un grupo control. A continuación ambos grupos han pasado dos pruebas: una que valora la calidad de vida y otra, el deterioro cognitivo. Una vez pasadas las pruebas y obtenidas las puntuaciones, hemos concluido que los usuarios del centro social tienen una mayor calidad de vida que los sujetos que no acuden a él

In this investigation we have tried to verify if the assistance to the community centers of major persons is an effective way for the improvement of the major persons's quality of life, that is to say, if the users of the above mentioned centers have a better quality of life that those that do not come to them. For it, we have possessed an experimental group and a group control. Later we have gone on to them to both groups two tests: one that values the quality of life and other one the cognitive deterioration. Once spent the tests and obtained the punctuations we have concluded that the users of the community center have a major quality of life that the subjects that do not come to it