200,000 homeless, older and vulnerable people have had ‘lessons’ to get online and contact their doctor reducing GP visits and costs to the NHS.
In the first two years of the NHS England pilot scheme ‘Widening Digital Participation’ 14,000 people registered with a GP and looked online first before contacting the doctor.
Half of those who would have gone to the GP or A&E said they would now use NHS Choices, 111 or a pharmacy first.
Run by the Tinder Foundation for NHS England, the scheme works with hardest-to-reach communities giving them the skills and confidence to access online health information.
Ageing—along with its associated physiological and pathological changes—places individuals at a higher risk of multimorbidity and treatment-related complications. Today, polypharmacy, a common and important problem related to drug use, occurs subsequent to this multimorbidity in the elderly in all populations. In recent decades, several scientific investigations have studied polypharmacy and its correlates, using different approaches and definitions, and their results have been inconclusive. Differences in definitions and approaches in these studies form a barrier against reaching a conclusion regarding the risk factors and consequences of polypharmacy. It is therefore imperative to establish an appropriate definition of polypharmacy. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details
Mobility is important to older people in nursing homes and residential facilities since it contributes to their health and quality of life. Many residents in such facilities require some form of assistance to move and accomplish activities of daily living. Therefore, nurses and healthcare assistants should have the knowledge and skills to provide effective mobility care. This article discusses three important aspects of mobility care: safety, mobility optimisation and person-centred approaches to care. Safety is important as residents and staff are at risk of injury during mobility care. Mobility optimisation is essential to ensure residents maintain their independence. Person-centred approaches to care are central to providing an integrated approach to mobility care. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details
The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS)-3A, a three-item subset of the GDS-15, is increasingly used as a measure for apathy in research settings to assess factors associating with this neuropsychiatric syndrome. We aimed to assess how accurately the GDS-3A discriminates between presence and absence of apathy in two populations of community-dwelling older persons, using the Apathy Scale as reference standard. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Few studies examined the association between perceived stress and cognitive function in older adults. This study will examine which aspects of perceived stress especially impact cognitive function. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
older people aged 80 and over are increasingly providing end-of-life care to spouses at home and often do so for long periods of time, while also trying to manage their own illnesses and disabilities. Little of the research on older spousal carers has focussed on the oldest carers; hence, the needs of this particular population are not fully known. Please contact the library to receive a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
To investigate whether psychotropics are associated with an increased risk of fall injuries, hospitalizations, and mortality in a large general population of older adults. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Cognitive training offers a promising way to mitigate cognitive deterioration in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). This randomized control pilot trial examined the effects of Gist Reasoning Training on cognition as compared with a training involving New Learning in a well-characterized MCI group. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Preserved social functioning is of utmost importance for older individuals living in the community to maintain independency. However, in patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, it remains unclear which factors influence social functioning in later life. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
To describe what characterizes residents with higher levels compared with those with lower levels of thriving in nursing homes using the Thriving of Older People Assessment Scale. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
To explore communicative challenges in encounters between nurse assistants and older persons during home care visits. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Low frequency of going outdoors (e.g. being homebound) is associated with depressive mood; however, the underlying neural mechanism of this association is unclear. We therefore investigated the neural substrate involved in the relationship between frequency of going outdoors and depressive mood using positron emission tomography (PET), focusing on the frontal lobe and the limbic system. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
To examine reciprocal relations of loneliness and cognitive function in older adults. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Ageing with mental illness is a neglected area of research and policy. People who grow older to later life with ongoing mental health problems may not have their needs well understood. This understanding is important if mental health services are to ensure direct or indirect age discrimination is avoided. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
American Psychologist71.4 (May-Jun 2016): 268-275.
Behavioral prevention strategies can help maintain high levels of cognition and functional integrity, and can reduce the social, medical, and economic burden associated with cognitive aging and age-associated neurodegenerative diseases. Interventions involving physical exercise and cognitive training have consistently shown positive effects on cognition in older adults. “Brain fitness” interventions have now been shown to have sustained effects lasting 10 years or more. A meta-analysis suggests these physical exercise and brain fitness exercises produce nearly identical impact on formal measures of cognitive function. Behavioral interventions developed and deployed by psychologists are key in supporting healthy cognitive aging.
American Psychologist71.4 (May-Jun 2016): 294-301.
The aging of the population, especially the increase in the “oldest old,” is a remarkable achievement that presents both opportunities and challenges for policymakers, researchers, and society. Although many older adults enjoy relatively good health into their later years, many have one or more chronic conditions or diseases and need help with disease management activities or activities important to independent living. Technology is playing an increasingly important role in the health care arena and is becoming ubiquitous in health management activities.
American Psychologist71.4 (May-Jun 2016): 302-311.
Elder abuse is a growing societal concern, affecting at least 1 in 10 older Americans. Researchers and practitioners alike consistently assert that a dramatic discrepancy exists between the prevalence rates of elder abuse and the number of elder abuse cases reported. As a field of study, recognition and understanding of elder abuse is still emerging. Comparing findings of a small, but growing, body of literature on perceived and substantiated cases of elder abuse is challenging because there is no uniform term or agreed-upon definition used among state governments, researchers, health care and service providers, and advocates. This article summarizes current understanding of elder abuse, including what constitutes elder abuse, risk factors for elder abuse, perpetrators of elder abuse, and outcomes of elder abuse. Issues associated with the detection of elder abuse and intervention strategies for victims of abuse are addressed. In the final section, potential roles and contributions of psychologists for advancing elder abuse research, professional practice, and policy development are highlighted
To follow the symptom trajectory of community-dwelling older people with multimorbidity and to explore the effect on symptom burden from an ambulatory geriatric care unit, based on comprehensive geriatric assessment. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Psychological Services (May 19, 2016).
Interest in animal assisted interventions (AAI) has grown over the years, but acceptance of AAI by the clinical and research community has been hampered by safety, hygiene, and logistical concerns. Advances in the field of social robotics have provided a promising route to deliver AAI while avoiding these aforementioned obstacles. Although there has been promising initial research on social robotics in older adults, to date there has been no such research conducted with a veteran population. The present pilot study followed 23 veteran residents of a Veterans Affairs (VA) geropsychiatric long-term care facility over the span of approximately a year and a half. It was found that use of Paro, a social robot, resulted in increased observed positive affective and behavioral indicators, with concomitant decreases observed in negative affective and behavioral indicators. The authors concluded that Paro is likely an effective nonpharmacological approach for managing dementia-related mood and behavior problems with veterans in VA long term care facilities. They additionally observed that Paro is best presented to residents who are relatively calm and approachable, as opposed to actively exhibiting behavior or mood problems. Future research directions are discussed in light of both the positive results noted and the inherent limitations of our pilot study.
To examine the influence of specific chronic somatic diseases and overall somatic diseases burden on the course of depression in older persons. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens details for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
Scant evidence is available on the discordance between loneliness and social isolation among older adults. We aimed to investigate this discordance and any health implications that it may have. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens details for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
The “Internal Struggle Hypothesis” (Kovacs and Beck, 1977) suggests that suicidal persons may have both a wish to live (WTL) and a wish to die (WTD). The current study investigates whether the three-group typology – “WTL”, “ambivalent (AMB)”, and “WTD” – is determined by common correlates of suicidality and whether these groups can be ordinally ranked. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens details for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical effectiveness (improvement in health status and/or functioning and use of health services) of transdiagnostic health management interventions for people aged 65 years and older. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens details for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
Use of anticholinergic drugs in older people is associated with increased risk of cognitive decline and of dementia and death. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
the ‘triad of impairment’ phenomenon describes the co-occurrence of age-related cognitive, emotional and physical functioning deficits. We investigated how occupational profile and childhood intelligence contribute to the triad of impairment in late life. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
delirium and dementia are common in the general hospital, being present in nearly 50% of older unselected admissions to hospital. Cognitive impairment is a risk factor for delirium, but the prevalence of previously undiagnosed cognitive impairment (dementia or mild cognitive impairment) in patients with delirium is unknown. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
post-hospitalisation functional decline is a widely described phenomenon, yet factors related to new disability in instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) in previously independently functioning older adults are rarely studied. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
delirium and dementia co-exist commonly in hospital. Older people with delirium have high rates of undiagnosed dementia, but delirium affects the use of cognitive testing in dementia diagnosis. Novel methods to detect dementia in delirium are needed. The purpose of the study was to investigate the diagnostic test accuracy of informant tools to detect dementia in hospitalised older people with delirium. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
delirium is under-recognised in comparison to other common and serious acute disorders. A 2006 survey of UK junior doctors (not undertaking specialist training) identified poor knowledge of the diagnostic criteria and treatment of delirium. We hypothesised that increased prominence accorded to delirium in the form of national initiatives and guidelines may have had an impact on understanding among junior doctors. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
essential aspects of independence in community mobility among older people concern the control over where, when and how to participate (perceived autonomy), and actual mobility (life-space mobility; frequency, distance and need of assistance). We studied relationships between frailty and life-space mobility and perceived autonomy in participation outdoors among community-dwelling 75–90 years old people. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
depression is common in people with poor physical health, particularly within the acute medical in-patient setting. Co-morbid depression contributes to poor outcomes, and screening for depression in acute medical in-patients has been advocated. The Edinburgh Depression Scale (EDS) has been validated in a variety of general hospital patient groups, but not previously in older acute medical in-patients. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
identification of older individuals at risk for health-related adverse outcomes (HRAO) is necessary for population-based preventive interventions. Aim of this study was to improve a previously validated postal screening questionnaire for frailty in non-disabled older subjects and to test its prognostic validity in a vast sample of older community-dwellers. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
The aim of the study was to explore associations between memory function and the personality constructs mastery, self-efficacy, and neuroticism in a large cohort of older adults over a 14-year period. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
The French regulatory agency published in 2006 practice guidelines related to the management of depressive and anxiety disorders. The main objective of the study was to assess their impact regarding use and monitoring of antidepressant drug treatment in older patients. The secondary objective was to identify factors associated with compliance with practice guidelines. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
Characteristics of older people with and without dementia who are hospitalised following self-harm remains largely unexplored. This research compares the characteristics of older people with and without dementia who self-harm, compares associations of mental health-related diagnoses with those hospitalised for a self-harm and a non-self-harm injury and examines mortality by injury intent. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
Cognitive tests are used repeatedly to assess the treatment response or progression of cognitive disorders. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is a valid screening test for mild cognitive impairment. The aim of our study was to establish 90% reliable change indices (RCI) for the MoCA together with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) in cognitively healthy older adults. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
A recent study by Mirza et al (2016) published in The Lancet Psychiatry with an accompany editorial (Reppermund, 2016) suggests that older people whose depression symptoms increase over time are at increased risk of developing dementia. According to the authors of this study, they come closer to establishing whether depression is a risk factor for dementia, or vice versa, because they follow a group of people with depressive symptoms over time, rather than assessing them at one time point.
Patients with thoughts of death or with thoughts of suicide were more severely depressed at baseline and follow-up, with the highest risk of being depressed at follow-up for patients with thoughts of suicide. These associations could be explained by baseline depression severity. The results suggest that thoughts of death and thoughts of suicide are important risk markers in predicting the course of depression. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
Neuropsychology30.5 (Jul 2016): 591-599.
Objective: To test the hypothesis that different forms of neurodegeneration are differentially related to longitudinal cognitive trajectories in old age. Please contact the library to request a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Neuropsychology30.5 (Jul 2016): 543-557.
Objective: Stimulating environments foster cognitive vitality in older age. However, it is not known whether and how geographical and physical characteristics of lived environments contribute to cognitive aging. Evidence of higher prevalence of dementia in rural rather than urban contexts suggests that urban environments may be more stimulating either cognitively, socially, or in terms of lifestyle. The present study explored urban/rural differences in cognition for healthy community-dwelling older people while controlling for a comprehensive spectrum of confounding factors. Please contact the library to request a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
The randomized phase (phase 2) of the Prolonging Remission in Depressed Elderly (PRIDE) study evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of continuation ECT plus medication compared with medication alone in depressed geriatric patients after a successful course of ECT (phase 1). Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
Care home residents in England have variable access to health care services. There is currently no coherent policy or consensus about the best arrangements to meet these needs. The purpose of this review was to explore the evidence for how different service delivery models for care home residents support and/or improve wellbeing and health-related outcomes in older people living and dying in care homes.
A proportion of older individuals report subjective memory complaints (SMCs), which can predict the development of cognitive impairment and dementia. Previous studies based on secondary care suggest that SMC is also associated with other adverse health consequences, including falls, fractures and increased healthcare utilization. In this study, we aimed to establish whether similar findings are observed in the wider population. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
The goal of this article was to test a companion robot supporting older adults in their home environments. SSSFT - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
A recent study into the quality of care homes which has sparked a much wider legal investigation has been called 'a manifestation of our buckling social care system' by Age UK.
From the summer of 2015, myself and my two colleagues facilitated 19 peer-support groups for people aged over 55 across London. By bringing people together and lending our ears we were granted a rare and privileged insight into the lives of people who had come to live in extra care or retirement housing.
We found that too many older people are never granted the opportunity to reminisce about the person they have been and to reflect on what life means to them today. Facilitating these conversations unearthed a wealth of invaluable experience once forgotten.
To describe and interpret how older adults who have returned home to recover from a hip fracture cope with life in a health promoting perspective.. To read the full article, log in using your MPFT NHS OpenAthens details.
R. Gudur, A. Blackler, D. Mahar, и V. Popovic. In Proceedings of 22nd Annual Conference on the Australian Computer-Human Interaction Special Interest Group : Design - Interaction - Participation, 22-26 November 2010, Brisbane, Queensland, Queensland University of Technology, (2010)
R. Cornejo, N. Weibel, M. Tentori, и J. Favela. Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Pervasive Computing Technologies for Healthcare, стр. 209--212. ICST, Brussels, Belgium, Belgium, ICST (Institute for Computer Sciences, Social-Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering), (2015)Poster.
A. Piper, N. Weibel, и J. Hollan. Proceedings of the 12th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility, стр. 203--210. New York, NY, USA, ACM, (2010)
A. Piper, N. Weibel, и J. Hollan. Proceedings of the 2013 Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work, стр. 215--224. New York, NY, USA, ACM, (2013)