Mentally healthy living after pandemic social distancing: a study of older Canadians reveals helpful anxiety reduction strategies.

BACKGROUND: Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, older Canadians were the most at risk of severe physical harm, including death, and their return to post-COVID life was expected to be especially anxiety-provoking. A study was conducted to obtain nationally representative evidence of older Canadians' self-perceived anxiety levels and their strategies to manage or mitigate it as public health restrictions were lifting. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study had a cross-sectional descriptive design. An e-survey was used to collect data from 1327 Canadians aged 60+ stratified by age, sex, and education to resemble the larger general population. Participants completed the Geriatric Anxiety Scale (GAS-10) and indicated which of the 16 Centre for Addictions and Mental Health's (2022) Coping with Stress and Anxiety strategies they were using to manage or mitigate their anxiety when social distancing was lifting. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analysis were used to explore the data. RESULTS: While, on average, older Canadians were mildly anxious, nearly one-quarter of responders rated their anxiety as severe. Age, sex, perceived health, were statistically significant correlates of anxiety. Six coping strategies were associated with significantly lower anxiety scores. Moreover, accepting some fear and anxiety as normal, challenging worries and anxious thoughts, and practising relaxation/meditation appeared to increase anxiety. CONCLUSION: Older Canadians used multiple strategies to manage or mitigate their anxiety, and seemingly, with more successful than detrimental tries. Practitioners have much to learn and understand about older people's mental health promotion efforts after social distancing, now and for future pandemics.

A longitudinal study of burden among spouse and non-spouse caregivers of older adults with stroke-induced-dependency.

OBJECTIVE: to assess the burden of spouse and non-spouse caregivers of older adults with stroke-induced-dependency after discharge from a university hospital's Specialized Care Stroke Unit in southern Brazil. METHODS: a longitudinal survey. The sample consisted of 48 consenting caregivers, among which 20 were spouse caregivers. Data were collected between May 2016 and July 2018. One week after discharge, caregivers completed a sociodemographic profile, the Functional Independence Measure, and the Caregiver Burden Scale. Burden was also measured two months after discharge. Data were analyzed using Multivariate Analyses of Variance. RESULTS: regarding time 1, non-spouse caregivers experienced greater burden with respect to social isolation (p = .01). Along with a persistently greater sense of isolation (p=.04), non-spouse caregivers felt far greater general strain (p =.01). CONCLUSION: statistically significant differences in burden over time highlight the importance of assessing caregiver burden after discharge and the need for a formal support program.

Quality of life in caregivers of aged stroke survivors in southern Brazil: Arandomized clinical trial / Qualidade de vida de cuidadores de idosos sobreviventes de AVC no sul do Brasil: Ensaio clínico randomizado / Calidad de vida en cuidadores de adultos mayores sobrevivientes de accidentes cerebrovasculares en el sur de Brasil: Ensayo clínico aleatorizado

Abstract Objective: to evaluate the effect of nursing home care interventions on the quality of life in family caregivers of aged stroke survivors. Method: a Randomized Clinical Trial, blinded for outcome evaluation. Forty-eighty family caregivers of aged stroke survivors participated in the study. The Intervention Group received three home visits by nurses one month after hospital discharge to provide stroke-related education (i.e., how to access health services and perform care activities) and emotional support. The Control Group received the usual guidance from the health services. Quality of life was assessed using the World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment (WHOQOL-BREF) instrument and the Old Module(WHOQOL-OLD) 1 week, 2 months, and 1 year after discharge. Results: the caregivers were mainly women, children, or spouses. The caregivers in the Intervention Group and Control Group did not significantly differ in terms of their Overall Quality of Life at baseline. There was no interaction effect between group allocation and Overall Quality of Life(p=0.625) over time. However, there was an interaction effect for Social Relations(p=0.019) and Autonomy (p=0.004). Conclusion: the intervention exerted a statistically significant effect on the quality of life of family caregivers with respect to social relationships and autonomy. Trial registration: NCT02807012.

Resumo Objetivo: avaliar o efeito de intervenção educativa domiciliar de enfermagem na qualidade de vida de cuidadores familiares de idosos sobreviventes de acidente vascular cerebral (AVC). Método: Ensaio Clínico Randomizado, cego para avaliação de resultados. Quarenta e oito cuidadores familiares de idosos sobreviventes de AVC participaram do estudo. O Grupo de Intervenção recebeu três visitas domiciliares de enfermeiros, um mês após a alta hospitalar, para fornecer educação relacionada ao AVC (como acessar os serviços de saúde e realizar atividades de cuidado) e apoio emocional. O Grupo Controle recebeu as orientações habituais dos serviços de saúde. A qualidade de vida foi avaliada usando o instrumento Avaliação da Qualidade de Vida da Organização Mundial da Saúde (WHOQOL-BREF) e o Módulo Old (WHOQOL-OLD) em 1 semana, 2 meses e 1 ano após a alta. Resultados: os cuidadores eram principalmente mulheres, filhos ou cônjuges. Os cuidadores do Grupo Intervenção e do Grupo Controle não diferiram significativamente em termos de Qualidade de Vida Geral no início do estudo. Não houve efeito de interação entre a alocação do grupo e a Qualidade de Vida Geral (p=0,625) ao longo do tempo. No entanto, houve efeito de interação para Relações Sociais (p=0,019) e Autonomia (p=0,004). Conclusão: a intervenção apresentou efeito estatisticamente significativo na qualidade de vida dos cuidadores familiares no que diz respeito às relações sociais e autonomia. Registro do ensaio clínico: NCT02807012.

Resumen Objetivo: evaluar el efecto de intervenciones de atención domiciliaria de enfermería sobre la calidad de vida en cuidadores familiares de adultos mayores sobrevivientes de accidentes cerebrovasculares. Método: Ensayo Clínico Aleatorizado, cegado para la evaluación de los desenlaces. Los participantes del estudio fueron 48cuidadores familiares de adultos mayores sobrevivientes de accidentes cerebrovasculares (ACV). El Grupo Intervención recibió tres visitas domiciliarias a cargo de enfermeros un mes después del alta hospitalaria, en las que se les ofreció instrucción relacionada con ACV (es decir, cómo acceder a los servicios de salud y realizar las actividades inherentes a los cuidados) y apoyo emocional. Al Grupo Control se le brindó la orientación habitual de los servicios de salud. La calidad de vida se evaluó mediante el instrumento World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment (WHOQOL-BREF) y el módulo Old(WHOQOL-OLD) 1semana, 2meses y 1año después del alta. Resultados: en su mayoría, los cuidadores fueron mujeres, hijos o cónyuges. Los cuidadores de los grupos Intervención y Control no presentaron diferencias significativas en términos de su Calidad de Vida general de base. La intervención no ejerció ningún efecto entre la asignación a los grupos y la Calidad de Vida general(p=0,625) con el transcurso del tiempo. Sin embargo, la intervención sí tuvo efecto sobre las Relaciones Sociales (p=0,019) y la Autonomía(p=0,004). Conclusión: la intervención ejerció un efecto estadísticamente significativo sobre la calidad de vida de los cuidadores familiares con respecto a las relaciones sociales y a la autonomía. Registro del ensayo: NCT02807012.

Internal structure validity and internal consistency reliability of the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire: a systematic review protocol.

INTRODUCTION: The Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) is one of the most used tools to measure health-related quality of life in heart failure. Despite extensive use in research, evidence on the MLHFQ's internal structure validity remains heterogeneous and inconclusive. There are no known reviews that systematically summarise the evidence related to the MLHFQ's factor structure (internal structure validity). This gap highlights a need to critically appraise, summarise and compare the available evidence on the internal structure and internal consistency reliability (ICR) of the MLHFQ. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The review will adhere to the reporting guidelines of the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis. We will systematically search eleven electronic databases/search engines (Medline, EMBASE, Cumulative Index for Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PsycINFO, Global Health, Health and Psychosocial Instruments, Scopus, Journals, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Dissertation and Theses Global) for quantitative studies assessing the MLHFQ's factor structure and ICR. Two reviewers will then independently screen studies for eligibility and assess the quality of included studies using the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement Instruments checklist. Throughout the review, discrepancies will be resolved through consensus or by the involvement of the third reviewer. We will analyse and present results using descriptive statistics (frequencies, proportions and ranges) and narrative synthesis. We will include all the relevant studies published within the timeframe covered by the database. We carried out the preliminary search in November 2022 except for Dissertation and Theses Global which was searched in September 2023; however, we will update the entire search right before the review completion in January 2024. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval is not required as no primary data is being collected from individuals. We intend to share the findings of the review at international conferences and publish manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42023346919.

A Scoping Review on Nurse's Pain Management of Older Patients with Dementia in a Hospital Environment.

OBJECTIVES: Hospitalized persons living with dementia often experience unrelieved pain. Unmanaged pain during hospitalization has a significant negative effect on quality of life for persons living with dementia. Despite the central role of nurses in pain management, little is known about how nurses manage pain in this patient population in the hospital environment. DESIGN: A scoping review explored the nurses' pain management practices when caring for persons living with dementia in a hospital setting. DATA SOURCES AND REVIEW/ANALYSIS METHODS: After an extensive search for all available evidence on how nurses manage pain in hospitalized persons living with dementia, data were extracted on pain management methods that included assessment, intervention, effectiveness of pain management, and the barriers nurses encountered when managing pain. A descriptive content analysis was used to extract data from qualitative studies. RESULTS: Six articles published between 2016 and 2021 met the inclusion criteria; four utilized qualitative methods, and the others used mixed-methods and quantitative study designs. A narrative description of the findings was summarized after data were categorized into pain management data elements and barriers nurses encountered when managing pain. Barriers were grouped into the subcategories of communication challenges (nurse to patient), information sharing (nurse to nurse), lack of knowledge, time constraints, and nursing stressors. CONCLUSION: We identified six articles that met our inclusion criteria, highlighting a noticeable gap in the literature. Managing pain in this population is complex and lacks organizational support. Review findings indicate that pain management methods lack consistency and standardization, making it difficult to assess their effectiveness. Nurses also described knowledge deficits resulting in practice gaps that, when combined with barriers and challenges, result in underrecognized and undermanaged pain.

Suitability of the Attitudes to Aging Questionnaire Short Form for Use among Adults in Their 50s: A Cross-Sectional e-Survey Study.

This cross-sectional e-survey study examines the suitability (reliability and validity) of the 12-item Attitudes to Aging Questionnaire Short Form (AAQ-SF) for use among adults in their 50s. The AAQ-SF instrument was originally designed to capture subjective perceptions of physical change, psychosocial loss, and psychological growth by asking people aged 60 and beyond how they feel about growing older. Our sample comprised 517 people residing in three Canadian provinces. Respondents completed the Attitudes to Aging Questionnaire Short Form, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and a short sociodemographic profile. Our findings replicate the original AAQ-SF structure for physical change, psychosocial loss, and psychological growth, with a promising internal consistency range for the third subscale. In our sample, psychological growth is best represented as 'Self' and 'Generativity', with a particularly greater capacity to explain variations in scores for item 18 and item 21. Physical change and psychosocial loss scores strongly differed based on perceived health and chronic illness presence. Psychosocial loss and psychological growth were moderately correlated with two aspects of self-esteem. We relate these patterns of findings within the context of prevailing growth and development theory and their perceived implications within the context of COVID-19 and post-pandemic life.

Quality of life in caregivers of aged stroke survivors in southern Brazil: Arandomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: to evaluate the effect of nursing home care interventions on the quality of life in family caregivers of aged stroke survivors. METHOD: a Randomized Clinical Trial, blinded for outcome evaluation. Forty-eighty family caregivers of aged stroke survivors participated in the study. The Intervention Group received three home visits by nurses one month after hospital discharge to provide stroke-related education (i.e., how to access health services and perform care activities) and emotional support. The Control Group received the usual guidance from the health services. Quality of life was assessed using the World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment (WHOQOL-BREF) instrument and the Old Module(WHOQOL-OLD) 1 week, 2 months, and 1 year after discharge. RESULTS: the caregivers were mainly women, children, or spouses. The caregivers in the Intervention Group and Control Group did not significantly differ in terms of their Overall Quality of Life at baseline. There was no interaction effect between group allocation and Overall Quality of Life(p=0.625) over time. However, there was an interaction effect for Social Relations(p=0.019) and Autonomy (p=0.004). CONCLUSION: the intervention exerted a statistically significant effect on the quality of life of family caregivers with respect to social relationships and autonomy. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02807012.

A longitudinal study of burden among spouse and non-spouse caregivers of older adults with stroke-induced-dependency / Sobrecarga entre cuidadores cônjuges e não cônjuges de idosos dependentes por AVC: estudo longitudinal / La carga entre cuidadores conyugales y no conyugales de ancianos con dependencia inducida por ictus: estudio longitudinal

ABSTRACT Objective: to assess the burden of spouse and non-spouse caregivers of older adults with stroke-induced-dependency after discharge from a university hospital's Specialized Care Stroke Unit in southern Brazil. Methods: a longitudinal survey. The sample consisted of 48 consenting caregivers, among which 20 were spouse caregivers. Data were collected between May 2016 and July 2018. One week after discharge, caregivers completed a sociodemographic profile, the Functional Independence Measure, and the Caregiver Burden Scale. Burden was also measured two months after discharge. Data were analyzed using Multivariate Analyses of Variance. Results: regarding time 1, non-spouse caregivers experienced greater burden with respect to social isolation (p = .01). Along with a persistently greater sense of isolation (p=.04), non-spouse caregivers felt far greater general strain (p =.01). Conclusion: statistically significant differences in burden over time highlight the importance of assessing caregiver burden after discharge and the need for a formal support program.

RESUMO Objetivo: avaliar sobrecarga de cuidadores cônjuges e não cônjuges de idosos dependentes por AVC pós-alta da Unidade de Atendimento Especializado em AVC de um hospital do sul do Brasil. Método: pesquisa longitudinal. Amostra foi composta por 48 cuidadores, sendo 20 cuidadores cônjuges. Dados foram coletados entre maio/2016 e julho/2018. Uma semana pós-alta, verificou-se a capacidade funcional dos idosos pela Medida de Independência Funcional, o perfil sociodemográfico dos cuidadores e a sobrecarga com a Caregiver Burden Scale. A sobrecarga também foi medida dois meses pós-alta. Dados foram analisados por meio de Análise Multivariada de Variância. Resultados: no tempo 1, não cônjuges apresentaram maior sobrecarga em relação ao isolamento social (p=0,01). Juntamente com isolamento (p=0,04), não cônjuges sentiram tensão geral muito maior (p=0,01). Conclusão: diferenças estatisticamente significativas na sobrecarga ao longo do tempo destacam a importância de avaliar a sobrecarga do cuidador pós-alta e a necessidade de um programa formal de apoio.

RESUMEN Objetivo: evaluar la carga de los cuidadores conyugales y no conyugales de ancianos con dependencia inducida por ictus después del alta de la Unidad de Atención Especializada en Ictus de un hospital del sur de Brasil. Métodos: una encuesta longitudinal, con 48 cuidadores (20 cónyuges). Datos fueron recolectados entre mayo/2016 y julio/2018. Una semana después del alta, se aplicó la Medida de Independencia Funcional a los ancianos y la Caregiver Burden Scale a los cuidadores. Los datos se analizaron mediante análisis multivariado de varianza. Resultados: en tiempo 1, los cónyuges experimentaron mayor carga en relación al aislamiento social (p=0,01). Los cónyuges sintieron una tensión general y sensación de aislamiento mucho mayor (p=0,01; p=0,04). Conclusión: las diferencias estadísticamente significativas en la carga a lo largo del tiempo resaltan la importancia de evaluar la carga del cuidador después del alta y la necesidad de un programa de apoyo formal.

The Upside of Negative Emotions: How Do Older Adults From Different Cultures Challenge Their Self-Growth During the COVID-19 Pandemic?

Background and Objective: The outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has raised increased challenges for older adults' personal growth in diverse cultural settings. The aim of this study was to analyze negative emotions and their role on older adults' self-growth in Mexico, Italy, Portugal, and Spain, during the COVID-19 pandemic. For this purpose, a cross-national qualitative research was carried out. Methods: Data were collected from 338 community-dwelling participants aged 65 years and older, using a semi-structured interview protocol. Older adults were asked about negative emotions that significantly contribute to their self-growth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Content analysis was used to identify key themes. Results: Seven main negative emotions (fear, sadness, anger, grief, boredom, loneliness, and shame) significantly contributed to seven themes of self-growth, across the samples: sharing difficult experiences with others, supportive partner, spiritual practices, engagement with life, generativity, volunteering activities, and intimacy and sexual satisfaction. Sharing difficult experiences with others was most pertinent to Mexican (13.9%) and to Italian (3.0%) participants, and a supportive partner to Portuguese (12.1%), and to Spanish participants (6.5%). Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that negative emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to their older adults' self-growth. This study highlighted the cultural diversity of experiences during the pandemics and underlined the upside of negative emotions and its relation to older adults' self-growth during this period.

Health Service Accessibility, Mental Health, and Changes in Behavior during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study of Older Adults.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the access of older adults to health services. The two objectives of this study are understanding the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on older adults' access to health services and exploring how health service accessibility during the pandemic influenced older adults' mental health and self-reported changes in behavior. This study included 346 older adults. Content analysis produced five themes: (1) decreased physical accessibility to health care providers (78%); (2) increased use of online health services and other virtual health care (69%); (3) growth in the online prescription of medication (67%); (4) difficulty obtaining information and accessing non-communicable disease and mental health indicators (65%); and (5) postponement of medical specialist consultations (51%). Regarding mental health, three themes emerged: (1) increased symptoms of anxiety, distress, and depression (89%); (2) the experience of traumatic situations (61%); and (3) the augmented use of alcohol or drugs (56%). Finally, the following changes in behavior were indicated: (1) frustrated behavior (92%); (2) emotional explosions (79%); and (3) changes in sleeping and eating behaviors (43%). Access to health services may have influenced the mental health and behavior of older adults, hence interventions in a pandemic must address their interactions with health services, their needs, and their well-being.

How Do Older Portuguese and Mexican Adults Experience Their Sexual Well-Being? A Cross-Cultural Qualitative Study.

Sexual well-being (SWB) refers to the subjective emotional and cognitive evaluation of the quality of the individual's sexuality. SWB plays a relevant role in quality of life and health promotion on old age and has cross-cultural implications. In addition to the scarcity of in-depth qualitative studies in this area and studies with cross-cultural samples, no studies have compared perceptions of SWB among Portuguese and Mexican older adults. The aim of this study was to comparatively analyze perspectives on SWB among older adults residing in Portugal and Mexico. Data were collected from 86 Portuguese and 80 Mexican community-dwelling participants aged 65 years and older, using a semi-structured interview protocol. Older adults were asked about factors that significantly contribute to their SWB. Sociodemographic data were also gathered. Content analysis was used to identify key themes. Eight themes were identified across both studied samples: eroticism, supportive relationship, positive self-concept, health and self-care, romance, active life, tenderness and care, and no pain and no pregnancy restrictions. Eroticism was most pertinent to Portuguese participants (31.4%). Health and self-care was most frequently reported by Mexican participants (26.5%). The findings of this study indicate that SWB is strongly influenced by sociocultural and psychosocial values. Cross-cultural comparisons between older Portuguese and Mexican people provide a broader understanding of SWB in older age and suggest a scenario for future culture-adapted interventions and comprehensive policies.

Psychometric properties of the falls efficacy scale-international and validating the short version among older Brazilians.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to: (1) confirm the reliability and validity of a single factor structure for the 16-item FES-I within a Brazilian context; and (2) confirm the reliability and validity of the abbreviated Short FES-I (7 items) within a Brazilian context. METHODS: We compared the reliability and construct validity of the unidimensional FES-I and the Short FES-I among older Brazilians. Our analyses included confirmatory factor analyses, and discriminatory validity and internal reliability consistency comparisons. RESULTS: The unidimensional FES-I (α = 0.94; CFI = 0.98; RMSEA = 0.08) and the Short FES-I (α = 0.87; CFI = 0.98; RMSEA = 0.07) are equally valid and reliable measures. CONCLUSION: The FES-I is best represented as a unifactorial structure yielding a total Fear of Falling score. Researchers and healthcare professionals can also use the equally robust Short-FES-I to best minimize responder burden.

A Study to Understand the Impact of Bereavement Grief on the Workplace.

Although most employees and business owners or operators will likely experience the death of one or more loved ones over their work lives, attention has not focused on how bereavement grief impacts the workplace. A study was conducted for foundational information. Data on the annual incidence of bereavement leaves and related matters were collected from a relatively representative sample of small, medium, and large Canadian organizations. Two of every three organizations had 1+ employees take a bereavement leave last year, with 3.2% of all employees taking a bereavement leave consisting of 2.5 days on average and often with additional travel and accommodation days. The findings suggest that more should be done by organizations to prepare for bereavement leaves and assisted work returns. This preparation is essential for the tsunami of bereavement grief in the years ahead as deaths increase rapidly in number with population aging.

Smart technology and the meaning in life of older adults during the Covid-19 public health emergency period: a cross-cultural qualitative study.

The exponential increase of the older segment of the population is coinciding with the growing challenges of a digital society in different socio-cultural contexts. This exploratory study aims to analyze older adult perspectives of how smart technology influenced their meaning in life during the Covid-19 Public Health Emergency period, using qualitative research at a cross-national level. Three hundred and fifty-one community-dwelling older participants aged 65-87 years were included in the study. Participants were Italian, Mexican, Portuguese and Spanish. All the narratives went through a process of content analysis. Findings of content analysis produced six themes: Meaningful relations, rewarding activities, spirituality, health and safety-related support, self-growth, and physical activity. Smart technology was important in promoting significant relations for Mexican older adults (71.3%), rewarding activities for Portuguese older adults (57.1%), spirituality for Spanish older participants (71.6%), and physical activity for Italian older adults (29.5%). This study indicated that smart technology during the Health Emergency period was important for the meaning in life of older populations, mostly by facilitating meaningful relations, rewarding activities and spirituality. Future interventions with older adults during pandemic periods should consider the diversity of themes associated with increasing older adult well-being, from a cross-cultural perspective.

The potential impact of bereavement grief on workers, work, careers, and the workplace.

Bereavement grief is typically very painful and often highly consequential. People who are working could be significantly impacted by the death of someone they care about. A qualitative study sought an understanding of the lived experience of bereavement on the mourner's ability to work and their work-related experiences following the death of a loved one. Three themes emerged: (a) grief is universal but individually impactful, (b) accommodation is needed to assist the return to work and to regain work abilities, and (c) there are many impediments to working again. These themes highlight the potential for bereavement grief to substantially effect mourners and thus their work, careers, and the workplace. Older workers could be particularly disadvantaged because of workplace ageism. Societal and other changes appear to be needed for the health and wellbeing of mourning workers, and to address related work and bereavement issues. Bereavement grief is highly relevant to the social work profession, given its involvement in providing information, developing supportive services, and making referrals.

A structural equation model of health-related quality of life among Thai men with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

AIM AND OBJECTIVES: To identify physiological, psychological and socioenvironmental factors that affect the health-related quality of life of Thai men living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The vast majority of Thai persons living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are men. BACKGROUND: Little is known about the health-related quality of life of Thai people living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or about the physiological and psychosocial factors that most affect it. Applying a prevailing theoretical model of health-related quality of life, we explored how physiological, psychological and socioenvironmental factors simultaneously affect the health-related quality of life of Thai men with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study design was used, together with the STROBE checklist. METHODS: In this study, 290 Thai male outpatients at a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease specialist clinic near Bangkok were recruited using purposive sampling. The participants completed the Satisfaction With Life Scale, the St. George Respiratory Questionnaire, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, the Short Form Health Survey Version 2, the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Self-Efficacy Scale and the Social Support Questionnaire. A structural equation model was used to examine the relationships between the assessed variables. RESULTS: Biological function (FEV-1, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations), symptoms (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and depression), functional status, general health perceptions and individual characteristics (age and self-efficacy to control dyspnoea) accounted for 56.9% of the variance in health-related quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: Symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and depression were the main factors with statistically significant direct and indirect effects on the health-related quality of life of the Thai men in this study. The effects of both symptoms included an indirect effect on health-related quality of life through functional status and general health perceptions. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The study findings may help nurses to better understand factors affecting health-related quality of life among men with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Preventing or minimising symptom exacerbations could be important in nursing practice. Cognitive-behavioural interventions addressing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease symptom management, depression screening and smoking cessation may improve health-related quality of life among Thai men with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Identifying contemporary early retirement factors and strategies to encourage and enable longer working lives: A scoping review.

AIM: Accelerating population ageing is raising concern in many countries now in relation to the availability of workers for essential work roles and responsibilities. A scoping research literature review was done to identify factors currently associated with early retirement and contemporary strategies to encourage and support longer working lives. METHODS: Using the PRISMA-ScR Checklist, we searched the Directory of Open Access Journals and EBSCO Discovery Service for published 2013-2018 research articles using the keyword/MeSH term "early retirement"; 54 English-language articles in peer-review journals were reviewed. RESULTS: Seven early retirement factors were revealed: Ill health, good health, workplace issues, the work itself, ageism, social norms and having achieved personal financial or pension requirement criteria. Six suggested solutions, none proven effective, were identified: Occupational health programmes, workplace enhancements, work adjustments, addressing ageism, changing social norms and pension changes. CONCLUSIONS: The evidence base on early retirement prevention is not strong, with qualitative investigations needed for in-depth understandings of early retirement influences and mixed-methods studies needed to test early retirement prevention solutions for their effects. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Until more evidence is available, every organisation should perform an early retirement risk assessment and identify current versus needed policies and programmes to encourage and enable more middle-aged and older people to work longer.

Relationship between elderly stroke patient caregivers scale and nursing diagnoses.

OBJECTIVE: To describe relationships between the ECPICID-AVC scale factors and the NANDA-I domains, classes, and Nursing Diagnoses (NDs). METHOD: Cross-mapping study between the NANDA-I taxonomy and ECPICID-AVC scale was constructed based on the eight ECPICID-AVC scale factors and the 13 NANDA-I domains. A descriptive analysis was performed to present the mapped elements. RESULTS: Areas of similarity and intersection were found between the eight ECPICID-AVC factors and nine NANDA-I domains, 19 classes, and 72 NDs. All scale factors were mapped with the Domain 1/Health Promotion, Class 2/Health Management and the ND "Frail elderly syndrome". FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: The ECPICID-AVC scale factors were mapped with nine domains, their classes and diagnoses. This study demonstrates the importance of identifying nursing diagnoses and their relationship with factors that evaluate caregiving capacity. The ECPICID-AVC can help nurses generate nursing diagnoses regarding the caregiver's needs and their capacities related to care to focus such needs.

Quality of life perceptions of family caregivers of older adults stroke survivors: A longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: There are few formal outreach and out-patient support services to help family caring for older adults who have had a stroke in developing countries. Family caregivers experience negative changes in their quality of life. AIM: To assess quality of life perceptions of spouse and non-spouse caregivers of older adult stroke survivors. METHODS: A longitudinal survey study. A convenience sample of forty-eight family caregivers was recruited from the Special Care Stroke Unit at a University Hospital in South Brazil. Quality of life was measured using the World Health Organization's Quality of Life BREF survey upon discharge from the hospital (Time 1) and two months after (Time 2). RESULTS: Non-spouse caregivers had the lowest Social Relationship scores at Time 1 (p < .001) and at Time 2 (p = .005), both in terms of personal relationship, the quality of their sex lives and support received from others. CONCLUSION: Unfortunately, formal community support programs for family caregivers in Brazil are lacking. Post-stroke caregiving is largely a family affair. Quality of Life assessments among family caregivers of older adult stroke survivors are crucial, particularly after discharge.

Fear of falling among Brazilian and Portuguese older adults.

BACKGROUND: Falling is the leading cause of physical disability, mortality and social exclusion in older adults. In Brazil and Portugal, falls cause thousands of hospitalisations every year. Fear of falling (FOF) causes loss of confidence in accomplishing daily tasks, restriction in social activities and increased dependence. AIM: To compare the prevalence of FOF between Brazilian and Portuguese community-dwelling older adults and the factors associated with FOF. METHODS: A secondary analysis of cross-sectional survey data collected from older adults residing in Brazil (n = 170; M age=70.44 years) and Portugal (n = 170; M age=73.56 years). RESULTS: The prevalence of FOF was significantly higher (p = 0.015) among Portuguese (n = 133, 54.1%) versus Brazilian (n = 113, 45.9%) older adults. FOF among Brazilian older adults was associated with being 76 + years of age and female. Among Portuguese older adults, factors associated with FOF were intake of daily medications, having fallen within the past year, and visual difficulties. CONCLUSIONS: Fear of falling is linked with modifiable and non-modifiable factors. Timely assessments of FOF and factors associated with FOF are essential. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Primary care nurses should assess and address FOF in older people with interdisciplinary practitioners.