Oral care provision for older adults with disabilities: Singapore dentists

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Janice Chuang
2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 599-599
Author(s):  
Tracy Mitzner ◽  
Anne Ordway

Abstract Technology research and development often exclude older adults with disabilities from participating in the design process. As a result, technologies may not be useful or usable by older adults with diverse abilities. This symposium, featuring projects at the TechSAge Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center, highlights ongoing efforts toward inclusive design, representing unique approaches to engage older adults with disabilities and their stakeholders in the research and development of technology supports. First, Mitzner et al., will describe the development of an online, group Tai Chi intervention, and the integral involvement of older adults with mobility disabilities, the exercise program developers, and technology partner in all steps of the process. Exploring the potential of voice-activated assistants, like Amazon Alexa, to support health management activities of older adults with mobility disabilities, Kadlyak et al. will present findings from a needs assessment of the target population and user testing in the lab and home environments. Koon et al. will present findings from a subject matter expert interview study with caregivers and medical professionals designed to identify the scope of activity challenges among people aging with long-term mobility and sensory disabilities that should be explored in more depth through our future interview study with the target population. Sanford et al., will describe a student design competition and hackathon that incorporates immersive experiences with people aging with disabilities to inspire innovative design concepts that respond to the needs of real people. NIDILRR Project Officer, Anne Ordway, will serve as the discussant.


Author(s):  
Oladele Atoyebi ◽  
Maude Beaudoin ◽  
François Routhier ◽  
Claudine Auger ◽  
Louise Demers ◽  
...  

Family carers of older adults with disability often both experience stress that may affect their ability to provide care, and find some caregiving activities differentially challenging. The objectives of this research are to identify the caregiving activities that are most problematic to carers and to explore the reasons why carers found these activities challenging. Participants were past or current carers aged 19 years and older. Using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach, data were collected through a survey and open-ended interviews. Thematic analysis revealed that an activity was likely to be more problematic if it had to be coordinated with other caregiving needs or where a care recipient’s disability was severe.


BMC Nursing ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sue Anne Bell ◽  
Sarah Dickey ◽  
Marie-Anne Rosemberg

Abstract Background Home based care is a vital, and growing, part of the health care system that allows individuals to remain in their homes while still receiving health care. During a disaster, when normal health care systems are disrupted, home based care remains a vital source of support for older adults. The purpose of this paper is to qualitatively understand the barriers and facilitators of both patients and providers that influence the provision of home based care activities in two hurricane affected communities. Methods Using qualitative inquiry informed by the social ecological model, five focus groups were conducted with home based care providers (n = 25) in two settings affected by Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Harvey. An open-source database of home health agencies participating in Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services programs was used to identify participants. Data were manually coded and larger themes were generated from recurring ideas and concepts using an abductive analysis approach. Results Twenty five participants were included in one of five focus groups. Of the 22 who responded to the demographic survey, 65 % were registered nurses, 20 % were Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVN), and 15 % were other types of health care providers. 12 % of the sample was male and 88 % was female. Five themes were identified in the analysis: barriers to implementing preparedness plans, adaptability of home based care providers, disasters exacerbate inequalities, perceived unreliability of government and corporations, and the balance between caring for self and family and caring for patients. Conclusions This study provides qualitative evidence on the factors that influence home based care provision in disaster-affected communities, including the barriers and facilitators faced by both patients and providers in preparing for, responding to and recovering from a disaster. While home based care providers faced multiple challenges to providing care during and after a disaster, the importance of community supports and holistic models of care in the immediate period after the disaster were emphasized. We recommend greater inclusion of home health agencies in the community planning process. This study informs the growing body of evidence on the value of home based care in promoting safety and well-being for older adults during a disaster.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S922-S922
Author(s):  
Safiyyah M Okoye ◽  
Nancy Perrin ◽  
Sarah Szanton ◽  
Adam P Spira

Abstract Sleep disturbances are linked to poor health, loss of independence and mortality in older adults. Rates of poor sleep are higher among socioeconomically disadvantaged older adults. Understanding how environmental factors may affect sleep in this population could lead to interventions to improve sleep-related health outcomes. We determined cross-sectional associations of home and neighborhood conditions with sleep parameters, measured by wrist actigraphy, in 136 low-income, predominantly African-American older adults with disabilities. Primary predictors were third-party-rated objective indicators of disrepair or disorder based on: 1) inside-home conditions (e.g., evidence of pests, tripping hazards, clutter); 2) outside-home conditions (e.g., broken windows, crumbling foundation); and 3) neighborhood conditions (e.g., litter, graffiti, vacant buildings). Outcomes were actigraphic total sleep time (TST; total number of minutes in bed spent asleep), wake time after sleep onset (WASO; total number of minutes spent awake after initially falling asleep), and sleep efficiency (SE; % of time in bed spent asleep). Presence of one or more outside-home conditions indicating disrepair or disorder was associated with 36.3-minutes shorter TST, 18.1-minutes more WASO, and 4.7% lower SE (all p <0.05). Conditions inside the home and of the neighborhood were not associated with sleep. These preliminary findings suggest that among low-income older adults with disabilities, external-home disrepair is associated with objectively measured WASO, TST, and SE. External-home disrepair may affect sleep through physical, psychosocial and behavioral pathways. Further research should examine longitudinal associations between external-home conditions and objectively measured sleep in socioeconomically disadvantaged older adults.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 233339361983166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sine Lykke ◽  
Charlotte Handberg

This study aimed to describe and interpret perspectives of older adults with disabilities and their health care professionals (HCPs) on experienced loneliness during home-based rehabilitation. The interpretive description methodology guided the study. Data included semistructured individual interviews with seven older adults and a focus group interview with three HCPs. The analysis revealed four main findings that symbolized experienced loneliness. “Unspoken pain” and “gatekeeping emotions” concerning experienced loneliness as a taboo and stigma during rehabilitation were closely connected. “Resignation” and “awaiting company” signified the consequences of experienced loneliness when not addressed. Unspoken pain, gatekeeping emotions, resignation, and awaiting company were dominating experiences in the lives of the older adults during a home-based rehabilitation program following disability. This had restrained them from verbalizing and coping with loneliness during rehabilitation and life in general. The HCPs’ attempt to provide support for the older adults in coping with loneliness appeared to be characterized by gatekeeping emotions and keeping hidden agendas.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1357633X2096541
Author(s):  
Georgia Betkus ◽  
Shannon Freeman ◽  
Melinda Martin-Khan ◽  
Shell Lau ◽  
Frank Flood ◽  
...  

Introduction Telehealth has the potential to support the care of older adults and their desire to age at home by providing a videoconferencing connection to specialist geriatric care. However, more information is needed to determine how telehealth services affect the care of older adults, and how telehealth services for older adults compare to traditional in-person methods of care provision. The aim of this study was to compare telegeriatric and in-person geriatric consultation methods with respect to outcomes and costs. Methods This was a retrospective chart analysis of consultation letters from patients’ first follow-up appointment with a geriatric specialist during the 2017/2018 fiscal year ( N = 95) in a health jurisdiction of a Western Canadian province. Results Patients seen through telehealth and in person were similar in mean age ( M = 79.1 and 78.1 years, respectively) and were predominately female. Telegeriatric consultations resulted in more requests for further testing and screening ( p = 0.003), new diagnoses ( p = 0.002), medication changes ( p = 0.009) and requests for follow-up ( p = 0.03) compared to in-person consultations. An average one-day clinic with one geriatric specialist providing consultations through telehealth cost Can$1684–$1859 less than an equivalent in-person clinic. Discussion Although additional research is needed to explain the differences in outcomes further between telehealth and in-person consultations found in this work, telehealth consultations cost substantially less than in-person consultations and are a promising way to improve access to geriatric care for older adults in underserved areas.


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