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What's in a name? Views on psychiatric services for older people
- Authors:
- KELLY Fionnuala, REIDY Julianne, SWANWICK Gregory
- Journal article citation:
- Psychiatric Bulletin, 30(3), March 2006, pp.97-100.
- Publisher:
- Royal College of Psychiatrists
The aim of this study was to provide a name for a psychiatric service for older people in Dublin. A total of 296 individuals (167 doctors, 129 workshop attendees) were surveyed regarding their views on a name for the service. ‘Age-related psychiatry’ was a universally popular term. It was chosen by 43% of general practitioners, 56% of hospital doctors and 44% of the workshop attendees, as one of their top three choices. ‘Psychiatry of old age’, ‘geriatric psychiatry ‘and ‘psychogeriatrics’ were unpopular with all three groups. Names can gradually become stigmatising over time. This applies to the terms for ‘old ‘and ‘psychiatry’. In this survey all groups surveyed rejected some of the terms in widespread clinical use.
Co-morbid and socio-demographic factors associated with cognitive performance in an elderly community dwelling Irish population
- Authors:
- CHIN Ai-Vyrn, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 21(12), December 2006, pp.1150-1155.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Epidemiological studies suggest an association between health factors and dementia. The impact of these factors on the cognitive performance of the elderly population is unclear. Possible correlates of poor cognitive performance in a community dwelling elderly Irish population were examined. Subjects were from a sample of individuals over 65 years agreeable to interview using the Geriatric Mental State (GMS)-Automated Geriatric Examination for Computed Assisted Taxonomy (AGECAT) package conducted at the subject's home. Associations between patient profiles and Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) score were investigated in amultivariate model. There were 793 subjects, 528 (66.6%) female with mean (s.d.) age 74.8 (6.7) yrs. Mean MMSE score was 26.5 (3.3). 169 (21.3%) were current smokers, 198 (25%) ex-smokers. Two hundred and twenty-four (28.3%) had a history of hypertension, 85 (10.7%) case level anxiety or depression, 51 (6.4%) stroke, ten (1.3%) epilepsy, nine (1.1%) Parkinson's disease and 29 (3.7%) dementia. Two hundred and fifty-five (32.2%) subjects were on psychotropic medications. Factors associated with MMSE score included age (p 0.0001), diagnosis of dementia (p 0.0001), socioeconomic group (p 0.0001), education (p 0.0001), previous stroke (p = 0.0013) and use of psychotropic medication (p = 0.03). Case level anxiety or depression (p = 0.99), Parkinson's disease (p = 0.52), epilepsy (p = 0.26), smoking status (p = 0.99) and hypertension (p = 0.34) were not found to be associated with cognitive performance. Factors associated with cognitive performance included age, socioeconomic group, education, previous stroke and use of psychotropic medication. These factors should be adjusted for in studies assessing cognition in this population. Stroke prevention strategies and avoidance of psychotropic medication may benefit cognitive performance.
An economic and social evaluation of the Senior Help Line in Ireland
- Author:
- O'SHEA Eamon
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 26(2), March 2006, pp.267-284.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
The Senior Help Line in Ireland provides a confidential telephone listening service for socially-excluded older people and is operated by older volunteers. This paper provides a systematic examination and assessment of the service, from the perspectives of costs, outcomes and best practice. The study uses personal interviews, focus groups and postal questionnaires to elicit information about the service and its impact on volunteers and callers. The Senior Help Line has made a significant contribution to the health and wellbeing of older people in Ireland at relatively low cost. The service demonstrates the positive effects of volunteering for older people, and the value and effectiveness of peer-to-peer communication for vulnerable callers. The help-line is a model project in terms of accountability and best practice, but requires additional resources, particularly for publicity and training. It needs to become a branded national service for vulnerable older people to meet the level of need for a service of this kind. The help-line also needs to be linked more formally to existing health and social care provision for older people, to become part of a holistic model of healthy ageing for older people. For the service to reach its manifest potential, the efforts of the volunteers need to be supported by higher and sustained levels of public spending, through more widespread and substantial public-voluntary partnership arrangements.