Previous systematic reviews suggest that deprescribing may improve survival, particularly in frail older people. Evidence is rapidly accumulating, suggesting a need for an updated review of the literature. Open access article - no login required
This study explores the role of champions in implementing community-based interventions for older adults with chronic conditions. Open access article - no login required.
Frailty, a state of increased vulnerability to adverse health outcomes, has garnered significant attention in research and clinical practice. Existing constructs aggregate clinical features or health deficits into a single score. While simple and interpretable, this approach may overlook the complexity of frailty and not capture the full range of variation between individuals. Open access article - no login required.
The aims of this study were to explore reablement staff’s accounts of the ways adult children seek to assume control over their parents’ reablement, and how they manage such situations. Open access article - no login required.
This systematic review aimed to identify and evaluate the psychological factors that protect against suicidality in older age. Open access article - no login required.
This systematic review examines the effectiveness of community-based multidisciplinary integrated care strategies with general practitioner (GP) participation for community-dwelling older adults and describes the level of care integration in each study. Open access article - no login required.
This study compares the effects of two intranasal vitamin B12 dosage regimens in elderly vitamin B12-deficient patients. Open access article - no login required.
This review aimed to uncover PIM prevalence in individuals aged 65 years or older using health databases and emphasized the risk of underestimating PIM prevalence due to underutilization of detection tools. Open access article - no login required.
The aims of this study were to measure the prevalence of polypharmacy and describe the prescribing of selected medications known for overuse in older people with polypharmacy in primary care. Open access article - no login required.
The aim of this review study was to identify, categorize, and synthesize the interventions suggested to improve access and utilization of health services by the ageing population. Open access article - no login required.
Findings from this study support the importance and value of engaging with older people to assist with the development of community-based programs that are authentically designed to align with the expectations of older people, through a process of quality improvement. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
Physical activity (PA) has multiple benefits for older adults (≥70 years old). Despite this many older adults do not undertake the World Health Organisation guideline recommended amount of PA. This systematic review examines barriers and motivators to PA in adults aged ≥70 years.
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Community pharmacists’ knowledge deficits about frailty must be addressed and their communication skills enhanced so they may confidently initiate conversations about frailty and medicines use with older adults.
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In this narrative review we describe innovative methods in pharmacovigilance studies of medicines in older people that leverage the increasing availability of digital health technologies, electronic health records and real-world health data to identify and quantify medication related harms in older people. Open access article - no login required.
Our study investigated the association between patients’ willingness to have medications deprescribed and medication adherence. This longitudinal sub-study took place in Swiss primary care settings. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
This study aimed to classify people by MLTC and social care needs (SCN) into distinct clusters and quantify the association between derived clusters and care outcomes. It highlights those at risk of worse care outcomes, including nursing home admission. Open access article - no login required.
Why you should read this article:
To recognise how comorbidities in older people, including frailty, increase the risk of polypharmacy.
To increase your awareness of the burden of polypharmacy for patients and healthcare services.
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Resources to support dementia carers from ethnically diverse families are limited. We explored carers’ and service providers’ views on adapting the World Health Organization’s iSupport Lite messages to meet their needs.
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Caregivers expressed feelings of frustration, confusion and joy. Emerging themes included: (i) feeling like a ‘criminal’ amidst visitor restrictions and rules; (ii) experiencing uncertainty and disappointment in the quality of care of long-term care homes; (iii) going through burnout; and (iv) focusing on small joys and cherished memories.
Open Access Article
The aim of this study was to explore the lived experiences of a group of older adults involved in a range of occupational-focused leisure activities provided by the Weekday Wow Factor, a small social enterprise led by an occupational therapist to understand their perceptions of positive ageing and occupational participation. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
The aim of this study was to describe close relatives’ perspectives of the everyday activities of older adults who are repeatedly readmitted to hospital and discharged to home. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
Deprescribing aims to address the problem of medication overuse in older adults. We aimed to describe the categories of trials included in recent systematic reviews, and to make recommendations for future research. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
The Village model, most extensively developed in the USA, is an innovative response to ageing populations and older adults who wish to remain living independently within their community. The “Urban Villages” participatory action research study aimed to test the potential of the Village model to work with groups of older adults in two economically deprived, inner-city neighbourhoods in Manchester, UK.
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Results of this study suggest that people aged≥85 living at home with disability, visual and/or cognitive impairment will have difficulty taking their medications, regardless of how many they are prescribed. Therefore, healthcare professionals should routinely ask about, assess and address problems that these patient groups may have with taking their medicines, independent of the number of drugs taken. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
The aims of the study were to describe sleep quality among community-dwelling older people; determine the association between sleep quality (total and multidimensional), frailty and overall health; study frailty as a mediator in the association between sleep quality and overall health.
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The objective of this systematic review is to present older individuals’ views on the advance care planning (ACP) process and the factors affecting those opinions.
Open Access Article
Advance care planning is an effective and feasible strategy to facilitate frail elderly to express their healthcare wishes timely and improve their outcomes. This study could provide proof for a better understanding of the subject and help direct future clinical practice.
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Previous research has identified the critical role of primary care for suicide prevention. Although several suicide prevention resources for primary care already exist, it is unclear how many have been created specifically for older veterans. This environmental scan sought to assemble a compendium of suicide prevention resources to be utilized in primary care.
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Implications for practice and research
-While virtual wards are now an accepted model of care delivery for older people further research and evaluation of this model specifically focused on patient selection, the use of technology, impact on carers, and patient and carer satisfaction is needed.
-The use of virtual modalities of care for older people can be a viable alternative to face to face assessment and care.
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This study aimed to investigate the associations between inappropriate prescribing and number of medications identified at discharge from geriatric rehabilitation with subsequent post-discharge health outcomes. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
Implications for practice and research:
-Increasing light exposure in care facilities improves mood and behaviour in older adults with intellectual disability (ID).
-Light exposure protocols should be implemented and investigated to determine the optimal intervention parameters.
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Whilst guidelines for frailty management usually entails lifestyle modifications (e.g. physical exercise, diet), the mediating role of lifestyle on the excess mortality associated with frailty is unclear. This study estimates the death risk due to frailty that could be avoided with a healthy lifestyle in older adults.
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our findings supported a causal relationship between genetically predicted depression and frailty in both directions.
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Welfare commissioners conduct individual visits to provide psychological support for older people who are housebound, including those who refuse to participate in group settings. Our findings highlight the need to revive the community structure that previously existed in Japan, in which residents of all ages are acquainted with each other, and to assist in efforts to support older people through mutual aid among residents.
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This collaborative project aimed to understand and enhance the knowledge, confidence and capability of community nurses to manage frailty in a community setting. A person-centred coaching and educational programme was co-developed with community nurse participants to strengthen their leadership role in managing frailty within interprofessional teams.
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Frailty corresponds to individual-level changes in adaptation to a living environment and the loss of ability to evolve or react in that environment. Therefore, we suggest that by considering the geriatric notion of frailty as a particular form of relational vulnerability, healthcare professionals could better understand the specific needs of frail, older people—and thus provide more appropriate care.
Open Access Article
To provide post-hoc analyses of a clinical trial that reported beneficial effects of medication reviews on health-related quality of life. Specifically, to describe the medication changes with a focus on deprescribing, and to explore patient- and medication-related factors that may identify patients most likely to benefit from medication reviews. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
The paper provides a review of recent and current developments in relation to the human rights of older people and some discussion of these issues. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
Aim: To determine the feasibility of a nurse-led, primary care-based comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) intervention.
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Hospital-associated deconditioning can be reduced or prevented through mobilisation strategies such as those promoted by the #EndPJparalysis campaign. This article explains the importance of reducing or preventing hospital-associated deconditioning and nurses’ role in this.
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Commentary on: Solis-Navarro L, Gismero A, Fernández-Jané C, Torres-Castro R, Solá-Madurell M, Bergé C, Pérez LM, Ars J, Martín-Borràs C, Vilaró J, Sitjà-Rabert M. Effectiveness of home-based exercise delivered by digital health in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Age and Ageing. 2022 Nov 2;51(11):afac243. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afac243
Implications for practice and research
As the available evidence supports the effectiveness of digitally delivered and home-based physical exercises (DHE) to promote healthy ageing, healthcare practitioners (eg, family doctors and nurses) should encourage older adults to use such digital tools.
Further research is necessary to gain a more nuanced understanding of factors that influences the effectiveness of DHE.
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Extract: The Centre for Ageing Better (2021a) have asserted that from 30 years of age, the health status of different ethnic groups diverge so that the differences in the health status of older people from ethnic minorities and those of White populations are pronounced and that these differences have persisted for over 20 years
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Loneliness at older ages has been associated with higher morbidity and mortality. One of the risk factors for loneliness may be age-related decline in skeletal muscle strength, which may limit the possibilities for engagement in usual social activities and maintaining relationships. We aimed to identify if decrease in grip strength is an independent determinant of subsequent change in loneliness. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
In response to the COVID pandemic when new robust discharge criteria were introduced to facilitate early discharge to optimise hospital capacity, Virtual Frailty Ward (VFW) was established. VFW provides nurse-led telephone follow-up for patients discharged primarily from the Emergency Department (ED) and the Acute Frailty unit (AFU). To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
Medication-related harm (MRH) events are increasing among older adults especially in the 8-weeks after hospital discharge. The Discharge Medical Service (DMS), a UK initiative, aims to reduce post-discharge MRH. In this study, we will compare the clinical, economic, and service outcomes of the DMS. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
Among the elderly the availability of tool assessing psychosomatic syndromes is limited. The present study aims at testing inter-rater reliability and concurrent validity of the semi-structured interview for the Diagnostic Criteria for Psychosomatic Research (DCPR-R-SSI) in the elderly of the general population.
The aim of this study is 1) to identify older patients’ risk factors for drug-related readmissions and 2) to assess the preventability of older patients’ drug-related revisits. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
The vast majority of older adults who are chronically ill rely on informal caregivers for support. Caregivers often require additional support to facilitate their role. Using existing research, this scoping review provides a comprehensive picture of what caregivers have indicated as priorities for support. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
The objective of the present study is to measure the impact of the intervention of combining a medication review with an integrated care approach on potentially inappropriate medications and hospital readmissions in frail older adults. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
This scoping review aimed to locate interventions that support couples to maintain their relationship satisfaction when living with dementia. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.