Geriatric Nursing Commons^™

Advanced Practice Nurses Knowledge And Use Of Fall Prevention Guidelines, Katherine Hays

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Falls are a significant public health issue resulting in a significant economic and social burden on society. Specific strategies are available that can reduce the risk of falling for older adults age 65 and older; however, providers have failed to integrate these guidelines into clinical practice (Rubenstein, Solomon & Roth, 2004; Chou, Tinetti, King, Irwin, & Fortinsky, 2006; Jones, Ghosh, Horn, Smith, & Vogt, 2011). The CDC has published the STEADI toolkit, a healthcare resource for integrating fall prevention guidelines into clinical practice; but little information is available on the knowledge and use of the STEADI toolkit by Advance Practice …

Connecticut's Elderly Population: An In-Depth Analysis Of Current And Future Trends In Elder Care, With A Focus On Dementia And Cognitive Decline, Emily J. Snodgrass

Honors Scholar Theses

The aging population in Connecticut currently represents ~15% of the state’s population but is anticipated to rapidly increase over the next 20 years. My thesis is an examination of the types of interventions and programs currently available for elderly persons with memory impairment and cognitive decline, as well as the challenges associated with caring for a larger elderly population. Data collected from interviews with CT healthcare and research professionals representative of the diverse specialties of aging together with an analysis of current research literature are used to demonstrate the importance of continued research and expansion of appropriate and accessible services …

Medical Crises In Older People: Cohort Study Of Older People Attending Acute Medical Units, Developmental Work And Randomised Controlled Trial Of A Specialist Geriatric Medical Intervention For High-Risk Older People; Cohort Study Of Older People With Mental Health Problems Admitted To Hospital, Developmental Work And Randomised Controlled Trial Of A Specialist Medical And Mental Health Unit For General Hospital Patients With Delirium And Dementia; And Cohort Study Of Residents Of Care Homes And Interview Study Of Health-Care Provision To Residents Of Care Homes, John Gladman, Rowan Harwood, Simon Conroy, Pip Logan, Rachel Elliot, Rob Jones, Sarah Lewis, Jane Dyas, Justine Schneider, Davina Porock, Kristian Pollock, Sarah Goldberg, Judi Edmans, Adam Gordon, Lucy Bradshaw, Matthew Franklin, Katherine Whittamore, Isabella Robbins, Aidan Dunphy, Karen Spencer, Janet Darby, Lukasz Tanajewski, Vladislav Berdunov, Georgios Gkountouras, Pippa Foster, Nadia Frowd

Publications and Research

Background: This programme of research addressed shortcomings in the care of three groups of older patients: patients discharged from acute medical units (AMUs), patients with dementia and delirium admitted to general hospitals, and care home residents.

Methods: In the AMU workstream we undertook literature reviews, performed a cohort study of older people discharged from AMU (Acute Medical Unit Outcome Study; AMOS), developed an intervention (interface geriatricians) and evaluated the intervention in a randomised controlled trial (Acute Medical Unit Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment Intervention Study; AMIGOS). In the second workstream we undertook a cohort study of older people with mental health problems …

Use Of Dietary And Herbal Supplements In Older Adults With Osteoarthritis, Sharon Denise Mcdonald

Dissertations

Over the past several decades, older adults with Osteoarthritis (OA) have increasingly used more natural products in an effort to manage chronic pain. The theoretical framework for this study was the Lazarus and Folkman transactional theory of stress and coping. This framework was chosen based on the belief that older adults with OA are taking natural products as an active problem solving coping strategy to manage the pain, disability, and alterations they experience in their health related quality life including functional status, physical symptoms, emotional health, and social functioning. Older adults also take prescription medications for Osteoarthritis and a variety …

Search Strategies Used By Older Adults In A Virtual Reality Place Learning Task, Rebecca L. Davis, Catherine Weisbeck

Peer Reviewed Articles

Purpose of the study: Older adults often have problems finding their way in novel environments such as senior living residences and hospitals. The purpose of this study was to examine the types of self-reported search strategies and cues that older adults use to find their way in a virtual maze

Design and Methods: Healthy, independently living older adults (n = 129) aged 55–96 were tested in a virtual maze task over a period of 3 days in which they had to repeatedly find their way to a specified goal. They were interviewed about their strategies on days 1 and 3. …

Interprofessional Care Of Elders: Utilizing The Virtual Learning Environment, Mary Val Palumbo, Jennie De Gagne

College of Nursing and Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Video conferencing and a virtual environment was used for teaching interprofessional practice (IPP) when caring for the elderly with students from eight healthcare professions. Is this pedagogy perceived as effective by the students in Interprofessional Competency Domains¹?

Methods: Twenty interprofessional conferences (90 minutes in length) were conducted. Students from nursing, physical therapy, speech and language therapy, social work, nutrition, medicine, exercise science, and pharmacy collaboratively developed a plan of care for a frail elder.

Using the Interprofessional Competency Domains¹, an evaluation survey was developed which included 14 Likert-scaled, five open-ended, and demographic questions. Quantitative data …

Polypharmacy Practice Inquiry Project, Mary T. Skinner

DNP Projects

“The impending crisis, which has been foreseen for decades, is now upon us.The nation needs to act now to prepare the health care workforce to meet the care needs of older adults.” Institute of Medicine.

Given the rising tide of people over the age of 65, taking multiple medications or polypharmacy is a becoming more prevalent in older adults. Unfortunately, there are many negative consequences associated with polypharmacy. Specifically, this burden has been associated with greater health care costs and an increased risk of adverse drug events, drug-interactions, medication non-adherence, reduced functional capacity and multiple geriatric syndromes including cognitive impairment. …