{"title":"Quality effects of home acquisitions in residential aged care","authors":"Nicole Sutton, Nelson Ma, Jin Sug Yang, Jiali Lin","doi":"10.1111/ajag.13268","DOIUrl":"10.1111/ajag.13268","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objective</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The recent consolidation of the Australian residential aged care market has raised concerns about the potential adverse effects of acquisition activity on quality of care (QoC). We examined changes in QoC outcomes within acquired homes and the influence of the acquiring providers' characteristics on these post-acquisition outcomes.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>A retrospective observational study was conducted using de-identified data sets obtained under the legal authority of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. Regression analysis was used to investigate post-acquisition changes in QoC outcomes for 225 Australian home acquisitions between 2015 and 2019. The outcomes were analysed for the first two full financial years before and after the acquisition.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>After controlling for other factors, we find acquired homes were associated with significantly worse QoC outcomes in the 2 years after acquisition, with higher rates of hospitalisations and reported complaints to the regulator. However, these results were driven by homes acquired by providers that were smaller in scale, for-profit or had comparatively poorer average quality across the other homes they operated.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Our finding that homes' QoC on average declines in the first 2 years following acquisition, are consistent with studies in other countries and points to the potential risks that consolidation poses to the care delivered to older people in Australia during that period.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":55431,"journal":{"name":"Australasian Journal on Ageing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ajag.13268","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139693575","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Katarzyna T. Bolsewicz, Kirrilly Thompson, Peter Murray, Megan Vidler, Joanne Taylor, David N. Durrheim
{"title":"Implementing recommended COVID-19 public health measures in the era of living with COVID-19: Experiences of residential aged care facility managers in New South Wales, Australia","authors":"Katarzyna T. Bolsewicz, Kirrilly Thompson, Peter Murray, Megan Vidler, Joanne Taylor, David N. Durrheim","doi":"10.1111/ajag.13285","DOIUrl":"10.1111/ajag.13285","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objectives</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>To understand residential aged care facility (the facility) managers' perspectives on implementing public health measures (the measures) in their facilities in terms of barriers, facilitators and suggestions for improvement, after three years of the COVID-19 pandemic.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Nine managers of the facilities without an active COVID-19 outbreak across New South Wales, Australia, representing metropolitan and rural locations, diverse facility size and star quality rating were interviewed (April–June 2023) and data qualitatively analysed.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Broader policy context, the need to balance the measures with resident well-being, facility-built infrastructure and mask fatigue were reported as barriers to implementation. Workplace policies, cultural embedding and local innovations were reported as facilitators. Suggested strategies included recommending the measures consistent with temporal COVID-19 risk; government agencies improving communication about the measures; mandatory staff vaccination; and simplified reporting requirements.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We recommend that relevant government agencies develop a single source of formalised, endorsed, up-to-date advice for the sector-specific COVID-19 information and communications; streamline outbreak notification and reporting requirements; and improve consultation with the sector.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":55431,"journal":{"name":"Australasian Journal on Ageing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ajag.13285","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139693574","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Emily Clarke, Ellie Newman, Madhu Dravid, Michael Ricciardello, Emma Jones, Katherine Caudle, Lucy Kilshaw, Samantha Hilmi, Leon Flicker
{"title":"Assessment and management of delirium in a tertiary hospital—Improvements in cognitive screening and use of non-pharmacological strategies with a multidisciplinary approach","authors":"Emily Clarke, Ellie Newman, Madhu Dravid, Michael Ricciardello, Emma Jones, Katherine Caudle, Lucy Kilshaw, Samantha Hilmi, Leon Flicker","doi":"10.1111/ajag.13266","DOIUrl":"10.1111/ajag.13266","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objective</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This series of audits aimed to determine current best practice in delirium management in a tertiary teaching hospital and to identify strategies to improve the quality of care in delirium with a focus on prevention.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We completed a series of audits following the formation of the Cognitive Impairment Reference Group, a multidisciplinary team that was created to implement delirium management guidelines and monitor compliance. Audit 1 focused on antipsychotic use in patients aged 66 years and older. Audit 2 reviewed delirium care in the Acute Medical Ward. Audit 3 included ethnographic data and investigated the use of non-pharmacological methods to prevent and manage delirium in the Geriatric Ward. Two years on, Audit 4 is a repeat of Audit 1.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>There were improved rates of cognitive screening between Audits 2 and 3 from 65% <i>n</i> = 40 to 86% <i>n</i> = 102, respectively. Most patients had one form of non-pharmacological strategy in place to prevent delirium however few had a multicomponent approach. Fewer patients were prescribed benzodiazepines alongside antipsychotics 28.57% <i>n</i> = 35 in Audit 1 compared to Audit 4 12.5% <i>n</i> = 32.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Improved quality of care in delirium management is achievable via a co-ordinated multidisciplinary approach. These audits demonstrated improvements in both rates of cognitive screening, and use of non-pharmacological strategies prior to antipsychotic medication use and better adherence to guidelines for antipsychotic prescribing. Areas for further development in delirium prevention include the uptake of screening and individualised non-pharmacological strategies.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":55431,"journal":{"name":"Australasian Journal on Ageing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139693573","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rebecca Abey-Nesbit, Hans Ulrich Bergler, Sally Keeling, Deb Gillon, Irihapeti Bullmore, Philip J. Schluter, Hamish Jamieson
{"title":"A multistate transition model of changes in loneliness and carer stress among community-dwelling older adults in Aotearoa New Zealand","authors":"Rebecca Abey-Nesbit, Hans Ulrich Bergler, Sally Keeling, Deb Gillon, Irihapeti Bullmore, Philip J. Schluter, Hamish Jamieson","doi":"10.1111/ajag.13280","DOIUrl":"10.1111/ajag.13280","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objectives</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>To identify changes in loneliness and carer stress between two time points for older people of different ethnicities who had repeated interRAI home care assessments.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Participants consisted of community-dwelling older adults across New Zealand who received two interRAI-HC assessments between 5 July 2012 and 31 December 2019. Two multistate models were developed: the first model was not lonely versus lonely, and the second model was no carer stress versus carer stress. The one-year transition probabilities were calculated. Mean sojourn times were calculated for each state except death. Paired <i>t</i>-tests assessed the differences in transition probabilities between the different ethnic groups.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The mean age of the cohort was 82.5 years (SD 7.7 years). At first assessment, 14,646 (21%) older people stated they were lonely and 26,789 carers (38%) experienced stress. The most common first transition type was not lonely to not lonely: Māori 42%, Pacific 54%, Asian, 48% and Other 40%. The highest one-year transition probability in the loneliness model was living in aged residential care to death (0.79). The most common first transition type for the carer stress was no carer stress to no carer stress: Māori 35%, Pacific, 46%, Asian, 43% and Other 33%. The highest one-year transition probability in the carer stress model was living in aged residential care to death (0.80). The statuses not lonely and no carer stress had a mean sojourn time of approximately one year, and eight months to one year, respectively.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Loneliness can change over time due to circumstances and an individual's perception of loneliness at the time of assessment. Carer stress is enduring and has a low probability of improvement.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":55431,"journal":{"name":"Australasian Journal on Ageing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ajag.13280","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139693572","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Functional evaluation of physical performance, gait, balance and activities of daily living in older individuals with long COVID syndrome","authors":"Izzettin Kosel, Gamze Aydin, Laçin Naz Taşcilar Uyanik","doi":"10.1111/ajag.13274","DOIUrl":"10.1111/ajag.13274","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objective</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The aim of our study was to evaluate the physical performance, balance, gait and activities of daily living (ADL) of older individuals with long COVID syndrome (LCS).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>A total of 124 individuals (49% women) with a mean age of 71.8 ± 5.8 years were included in the study. Participants were divided into two groups, older individuals with LCS in the LCS group and older individuals who were not diagnosed with COVID-19 in the CON (control) group. Physical performance of participants was evaluated with the Alusti Test, balance and gait assessment was evaluated with the Tinetti Balance and Gait Assessment (TBGA), and ADL were evaluated with the Barthel Index (BI).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>In the evaluations between groups, the mean score of active muscular mobility of right and left upper extremities, transfer supine position to sitting, trunk in sitting position and standing, which are among the subparameters of the Alusti Test, were statistically significantly lower in LCS compared to CON (<i>p</i> < .05). TBGA total score and gait section mean score of TBGA were statistically significantly lower in LCS than in CON (<i>p</i> < .05). There was no significant difference between the groups in the balance section of the TBGA and the mean BI scores (<i>p</i> > .05).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>It was concluded that physical performance parameters related to active muscular mobility of the upper extremity, transfer supine position to sitting, trunk in sitting position and walking in LCS were negatively affected by the disease, but this did not affect the level of balance and independence in ADL.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":55431,"journal":{"name":"Australasian Journal on Ageing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139576569","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Monica O'Dwyer, Tabitha Porter, Nikolaus Rittinghausen, Lisa Tribuzio, Meg Polacsek
{"title":"Who speaks my language? Linguistic diversity among people living in Australian residential aged care facilities","authors":"Monica O'Dwyer, Tabitha Porter, Nikolaus Rittinghausen, Lisa Tribuzio, Meg Polacsek","doi":"10.1111/ajag.13275","DOIUrl":"10.1111/ajag.13275","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objectives</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Australia's migration programs mean that an increasing number of people living in residential aged care (RAC) were born in a non-main English-speaking country (NMESC) and have a preferred language other than English (LOTE). This study describes the number of such residents in aged care facilities in Australia and discusses the implications for their care.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This study presents a secondary analysis of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) National Aged Care Data Clearinghouse 2020–2021 to examine the country of birth and preferred language of people living in RAC in each state and territory and the number of residents who are lone speakers of their language in their facility.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Less than half (45 per cent) of the residents born in a NMESC had a preferred LOTE. Of those, 50 per cent spoke Italian, Greek or Cantonese. At least 60 other preferred languages were recorded, the majority with very few speakers. Australia-wide, more than one in five residents with a preferred top 20 LOTE are the lone speaker of their language in their facility. The proportion of lone speakers is highest in Tasmania, the ACT and Queensland.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Understanding the extent of language diversity, location and linguistic isolation of people living in RAC is essential for planning to ensure residents with a preferred LOTE receive high-quality, individualised care. There is a need for consistent and timely data collection about the diversity of aged care residents and workers in this sector.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":55431,"journal":{"name":"Australasian Journal on Ageing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-01-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ajag.13275","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139547673","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Morag E. Taylor, Niamh Ramsay, Rebecca Mitchell, Catherine McDougall, Ian A. Harris, Jamie Hallen, Nicola Ward, Sarah Hurring, Lara A. Harvey, Elizabeth Armstrong, Jacqueline C. T. Close
{"title":"Improving hip fracture care: A five-year review of the early contributors to the Australian and New Zealand Hip Fracture Registry","authors":"Morag E. Taylor, Niamh Ramsay, Rebecca Mitchell, Catherine McDougall, Ian A. Harris, Jamie Hallen, Nicola Ward, Sarah Hurring, Lara A. Harvey, Elizabeth Armstrong, Jacqueline C. T. Close","doi":"10.1111/ajag.13270","DOIUrl":"10.1111/ajag.13270","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objective</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The aim of this study was to examine temporal trends (2016–2020) in hip fracture care in Australian and New Zealand (ANZ) hospitals that started providing patient-level data to the ANZ Hip Fracture Registry (ANZHFR) on/before 1 January 2016 (early contributors).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Retrospective cohort study of early contributor hospitals (<i>n</i> = 24) to the ANZHFR. The study cohort included patients aged ≥50 years admitted with a low trauma hip fracture between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2020 (<i>n</i> = 26,937). Annual performance against 11 quality indicators and 30- and 365-day mortality were examined.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Compared to 2016/2017, year-on-year improvements were demonstrated for preoperative cognitive assessment (2020: OR 3.57, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 3.29–3.87) and nerve block use prior to surgery (2020: OR 4.62, 95% CI 4.17–5.11). Less consistent improvements over time from 2016/2017 were demonstrated for emergency department (ED) stay of <4 h (2017; 2020), pain assessment ≤30 min of ED presentation (2020), surgery ≤48 h (2020) and bone protection medication prescribed on discharge (2017–2020; 2020 OR 2.22, 95% CI 2.03–2.42). The odds of sustaining a hospital-acquired pressure injury increased in 2019–2020 compared to 2016. The odds of receiving an orthogeriatric model of care and being offered the opportunity to mobilise on Day 1 following surgery fluctuated. There was a reduction in 365-day mortality in 2020 compared to 2016 (OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.74–0.98), whereas 30-day mortality did not change.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Several quality indicators improved over time in early contributor hospitals. Indicators that did not improve may be targets for future care improvement activities, including considering incentivised hip fracture care, which has previously been shown to improve care/outcomes. COVID-19 and reporting practices may have impacted the study findings.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":55431,"journal":{"name":"Australasian Journal on Ageing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-01-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ajag.13270","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139547696","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Choice of formal and informal care among community-dwelling older people with or without dementia under a long-term care insurance pilot program in China","authors":"Cheng Shi, Wing-kit Chan, Jianwei Yang","doi":"10.1111/ajag.13277","DOIUrl":"10.1111/ajag.13277","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objective</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This study examines the use of publicly funded formal and informal care among community-dwelling long-term care insurance (LTCI) beneficiaries in China and how dementia differentiates the choice of care.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Using administrative data from a LTCI pilot scheme in Guangzhou (<i>n</i> = 2043), we conducted a multinomial logistic regression to examine the association between dementia and the choice of family members (informal unpaid care), domestic helpers (informal paid care) and care workers (formal care), controlling for demographics, living environment and intensity of paid care hours.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Most LTCI beneficiaries chose a family member (65%), followed by a domestic helper (21%) and a care worker (14%). After controlling for covariates, LTCI beneficiaries with dementia were more likely than their counterparts without dementia to choose care provided by a care worker (RRR: 1.73) or a living-in helper (RRR: 1.43) than a family member.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>A preference for informal care was observed among LTCI beneficiaries in China. Those with dementia were more likely than those without dementia to use care provided by non-family caregivers. The pilot scheme findings provide further insight into care recipients' preferences for service utilisation and how dementia impacts these preferences, which should be considered in future policy and service provision.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":55431,"journal":{"name":"Australasian Journal on Ageing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-01-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139547693","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Laura Falland, Tim Henwood, Justin W. L. Keogh, Kade Davison
{"title":"Prioritising restorative care programs in light of current age care reform","authors":"Laura Falland, Tim Henwood, Justin W. L. Keogh, Kade Davison","doi":"10.1111/ajag.13265","DOIUrl":"10.1111/ajag.13265","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Background</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Short-term restorative care (STRC) aims to reduce the demand for long-term aged care services through 8 weeks of intensive, multidisciplinary services designed to enhance the independence of community-dwelling older Australians at risk of functional decline. Evidence surrounding the effectiveness and feasibility of STRC is limited.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objective</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of an existing exercise-based STRC model and help inform successful service delivery to maximise participant outcomes nationally.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>An observational cohort study was conducted to evaluate the potential benefits accrued by community-dwelling older adults accessing Southern Cross Care's current exercise-based STRC model in Adelaide, South Australia. Program effectiveness was determined via improvements in outcome measures specific to functional decline risk factors from baseline (Week 0) to discharge (Week 8).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Results demonstrated significant improvements (<i>p</i> < 0.001) in participants' (<i>n</i> = 62) lower extremity function (44.9%), depressive symptoms (52.4%), anxiety (45.8%), frailty stage (57.9%), independence in activities of daily living (17.3%) and health-related quality of life (24.0%). No significant change was found for grip strength or BMI post-intervention. The most frequent services were exercise-based (54.3% of total services), with participants receiving an average of two to three exercise services per week.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>An exercise-based STRC model is an effective mechanism to reverse functional decline and associated risk factors among community-dwelling older Australians. Adoption of multidisciplinary intervention as a standardised STRC service model could help improve client outcomes nationally and offset expected increases in community and long-term aged care demand.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":55431,"journal":{"name":"Australasian Journal on Ageing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-01-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ajag.13265","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139547699","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Leanne Greene, Maria Crotty, Craig Whitehead, Miia Rahja, Javaria Murad, Kwok Dang, Andrew Partington, Kate Laver
{"title":"Assessing the reach and safety of an innovative urgent care service tailored to older adults","authors":"Leanne Greene, Maria Crotty, Craig Whitehead, Miia Rahja, Javaria Murad, Kwok Dang, Andrew Partington, Kate Laver","doi":"10.1111/ajag.13267","DOIUrl":"10.1111/ajag.13267","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Traditional emergency departments (EDs) are overcrowded and sometimes not suitable for older adults with complex needs. Specialised geriatric urgent care pathways for selected patients can alleviate ED demand and improve patient experience. To address urgent care needs for older adults in Southern Adelaide, the Complex And RestorativE (CARE) service was established. CARE offers alternative, geriatrician-led treatment pathways consisting of a ward-based treatment centre and an in-home visiting team called Eyes on Scene (EoS). Both pathways offer medical, nursing and allied health treatment. Routinely collected clinical data were analysed to explore the reach of the service and the incidence and nature of adverse events. Between September 2021 and March 2023, the CARE service attended to 5324 older adults requiring urgent care. A significant proportion of patients were discharged to or remained in their regular place of residence, with few requiring inpatient admissions or referrals to other facilities. A total of 7% of patients required transfer to ED and adverse events were rare. The CARE service demonstrates a feasible and safe alternative model of urgent care for older Australians.</p>","PeriodicalId":55431,"journal":{"name":"Australasian Journal on Ageing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-01-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ajag.13267","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139547601","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}