The three new areas we have now been asked to review and will report on individually by December are:
Staffordshire
Leeds
Reading
We have also been asked to choose three local system areas, from those that we carried out in our programme of work in 2017/18, to follow up on progress made.
The three follow-up areas are:
Stoke-on-Trent
York
Oxfordshire
These resources are designed to support commissioners in improving the oral health of vulnerable older people in all settings.
The toolkit gives an overview of the impact of oral diseases in vulnerable older people and presents the evidence of what works to improve oral health to inform commissioning.
Falls and fall-related injuries are a serious cause of morbidity and cost to society. Environmental hazards are implicated as a major contributor to falls among older people. A recent Cochrane review found an environmental assessment, undertaken by an occupational therapist, to be an effective approach to reducing falls. However, none of the trials included a cost-effectiveness evaluation in the UK setting. This protocol describes a large multicentre trial investigating the clinical and cost-effectiveness of environmental assessment and modification within the home with the aim of preventing falls in older people. Open Access Article
Implications for practice and research
Fear of falling (FOF) is common, even in the absence of recent falls. Health professionals should assess older people who present with falls, near falls or unsteady gait for the presence of FOF, and if identified, exercise or cognitive–behavioural intervention should be considered.
Future research should evaluate the effectiveness of interventions to address FOF on preventing or minimising development of incident disability. To read the full article, log in using your MPFT NHS OpenAthens details
Open access. Comment. Self-harm and suicide among older adults is a worldwide population health issue.1 Risk factors for self-harm among older adults have been widely explored, including the influence of mental health conditions, physical illness, and psychosocial factors.1, 2 Self-harm research in older adults has largely focused on describing the incidence and identifying risk factors for self-harm with the use of emergency department presentation, hospital admission, registry, and mortality data. Research examining self-harm among older adults using primary care records is scarce.3
While loss of socioeconomic status (SES) has been linked to suicidal behavior, it is unclear whether this experience is merely a downstream effect of psychopathology (“downward drift”), a sign of hardship, or an independent psychological contributor to suicide risk. We examined the association between the subjective experience of status loss and suicidal behavior and ideation in old age, while accounting for potential confounders. We were also interested in whether status loss was associated with mere thoughts of suicide vs. suicidal behavior.. To read the full article, log in using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens details. 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 importance of staying active in older age is becoming increasingly clear, but many older people find it difficult to meet targets set for the wider population.
This study provides useful information about physical activity levels in a group of older men in the UK and how activity may be linked to length of life.
multi-morbidity is associated with poor outcomes and increased healthcare utilisation. We aim to identify multi-morbidity patterns and associations with potentially inappropriate prescribing (PIP), subsequent hospitalisation and mortality in octogenarians.. To read the full article, log in using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens details. 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 a common and serious complication of hospitalisation in older adults. It can lead to prolonged hospital stay, institutionalisation, and even death. However, it often remains unrecognised or is not managed adequately. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of an educational intervention for nursing staff on three aspects of clinical practice concerning delirium in older hospitalised patients: the frequency and correctness of screening for delirium using the 13-item Delirium Observation Screening score (DOS), and the frequency of geriatric consultations requested for older patients. The a priori expectations were that there would be an increase in all three of these outcomes.
Cognitive frailty is characterized by the presence of cognitive impairment in exclusion of dementia. In line with other frailty domains, cognitive frailty is associated with negative outcomes. The Comprehensive Frailty Assessment Instrument (CFAI) measures 4 domains of frailty, namely physical, psychological, social, and environmental frailty. The absence of cognitive frailty is a limitation.. To read the full article, log in using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens details. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
Exercise programmes with sufficient intensity should be delivered to older community-dwelling people to reduce injurious falls, and combined multifactorial strategies are also effective.
Tailored multifactorial interventions that may include calcium and vitamin D supplementation should be delivered with care to high-risk populations.
Effectiveness trials that investigate how to translate falls prevention evidence into practice are urgently required.
To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
The free morning of presentations and discussion will take place at Guildhall, UCS’s learning and research base in Frankwell Quay, from 9am to 1pm, on Tuesday 19 June 2018.
New research, funded by the MRC, found that older people with very low heart disease risks also have very little frailty, raising the possibility that frailty could be prevented.
Free access. Neuroimaging studies suggest that older adults may compensate for declines in cognitive function through neural compensation and reorganization of neural resources. While neural compensation as a key component of cognitive reserve is an important factor that mediates cognitive decline, the field lacks a quantitative measure of neural compensatory ability, and little is known about factors that may modify compensation, such as physical exercise.
Antipsychotic drugs are frequently prescribed to older adults, but they may be associated with serious adverse effects. The objective was to investigate the association between use of antipsychotics in older adults and the risk of urinary tract infections (UTIs).. MPFT staff can use the OVID link, or you can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
To explore the extent to which environmental factors are associated with resident thriving.. To read the full article, log in using your MPFT NHS OpenAthens details. SSOTP (legacy account) - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
To determine the effectiveness of exercise on fall prevention in nursing home residents.. To read the full article, log in using your MPFT NHS OpenAthens details. SSOTP (legacy account) - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
Falls pose a major threat to the well-being and quality of life of older people. Falls can result in fractures and other injuries, disability and fear and can trigger a decline in physical function and loss of autonomy. This article synthesises recent published findings on fall risk and mobility assessments and fall prevention interventions and considers how this field of research may evolve in the future.. To read the full article, log in using your MPFT NHS OpenAthens details. SSOTP (legacy account) - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.