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Optimising quality sleep among older people in the community and care homes: Some key findings from a four-year collaborative research project
- Authors:
- VENN Susan, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Generations Review, 20(4), October 2010, Online only
- Publisher:
- British Society of Gerontology
The SomnIA (Sleep in Ageing) project aimed to undertake a range of studies relating to understanding poor sleep in later life. SomnIA is a four year NDA Collaborative Research Project which comprises eight workpackages aimed at (a) understanding poor sleep in later life in the community and in care homes, (b) devising interventions to help with poor sleep in the community and in care homes, and (c) dissemination through academic and practitioner conferences and workshops, briefing papers and journal articles, and through the creation of a module on ‘Sleep problems in Later Life’ for the Healthtalkonline website. Key findings are presented.
Does age at onset have clinical significance in older adults with bipolar disorder?
- Authors:
- CHU David, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 25(12), December 2010, pp.1266-1271.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Using data from the Bipolar Disorder Center for Pennsylvanians Study, a randomised controlled study of people with bipolar disorder, this analysis looked at factors including demographics, psychopathology and treatment response to examine the effects of age at onset in bipolar disorder in older adults. The analysis covered 61 subjects aged 60 years and older, grouped by early (less than 40 years) or late (more than 40 years) age at onset. The groups were compared on psychiatric comorbidity, medical burden, and percentage of days well during study participation. The results showed that patients with early and late onset experienced similar percentages of days well, while those with early onset had a slightly higher percentage of days depressed than those with late onset. The researchers concluded that distinguishing older adults with bipolar disorder by early or late age at onset has limited clinical usefulness.
Opening doors evaluation: the story so far
- Authors:
- PHILLIPS Mike, KNOCKER Sally
- Publisher:
- Age Concern
- Publication year:
- 2010
- Pagination:
- 117p.
- Place of publication:
- London
The evaluation report explores the impact of a three year Big Lottery funded project Opening Doors in Central London, working with older lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) older people 2008-2010. The evaluation was conducted over a six month period July-December 2009; at a half-way point in the project’s activities to enable recommendations to inform the third year of the project. Large numbers of older LGBT people have experienced high levels of isolation, discrimination and mental health issues related to their sexuality and the service was established because there are no other older LGBT services in the five boroughs and many care services do not even acknowledge the existence of service users who are not heterosexual. Key findings from the evaluation revealed that 70% of those surveyed said they didn’t feel safe in their community. Also, 75% of those surveyed reported fear of moving into sheltered housing or a care home for fear of discrimination and many chose not to be open about their sexuality with anyone other than close friends. The evaluation recommended that Opening Doors be extended across London, and should consider running more events.
Opening doors evaluation: the story so far: executive summary
- Authors:
- PHILLIPS Mike, KNOCKER Sally
- Publisher:
- Age Concern
- Publication year:
- 2010
- Pagination:
- 8p.
- Place of publication:
- London
The evaluation report explores the impact of a three year Big Lottery funded project Opening Doors in Central London, working with older lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) older people 2008-2010. The evaluation was conducted over a six month period July-December 2009; at a half-way point in the project’s activities to enable recommendations to inform the third year of the project. Large numbers of older LGBT people have experienced high levels of isolation, discrimination and mental health issues related to their sexuality and the service was established because there are no other older LGBT services in the five boroughs and many care services do not even acknowledge the existence of service users who are not heterosexual. Key findings from the evaluation revealed that 70% of those surveyed said they didn’t feel safe in their community. Also, 75% of those surveyed reported fear of moving into sheltered housing or a care home for fear of discrimination and many chose not to be open about their sexuality with anyone other than close friends. The evaluation recommended that Opening Doors be extended across London, and should consider running more events.
Generational conflict, consumption and the ageing welfare state in the United Kingdom
- Authors:
- HIGGS Paul, GILLEARD Chris
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 30(8), November 2010, pp.1439-1451.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
In the UK, the welfare state is now over 60 years old. Those born into, grown up with, and now growing old within its influence are a unique group. These people benefit from healthier childhoods and better education than previous generations. Whilst it is accepted that they have done well under the welfare state, some critics have argued that these advantages are at the expense of younger cohorts. The very success of this welfare generation is perceived as undermining the future viability of the welfare state, and some argue that the current levels of income and wealth enjoyed by older cohorts can only be sustained by cutbacks in entitlements for younger cohorts. This will lead to a growing ‘generational fracture’ over welfare policy. This article challenges this position, and argues that both younger and older groups find themselves working out their circumstances in conditions determined more by the contingencies of the market than by social policy.
Forgiveness in late life
- Authors:
- HANTMAN Shira, COHEN Orna
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 53(7), October 2010, pp.613-630.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Using a sample of 225 older adults in Israel, this study examined the association between stressful life events and perceived meaning in life and forgiveness in late life. Participants aged 60 years or older were individually interviewed, and information was gathered using the Enright Forgiveness Inventory, the Reker Meaning in Life Scale, and a questionnaire on demographic and other background information including traumatic life events. The results supported the researchers' assumption that meaning in life correlates with forgiveness on all its dimensions. The results also indicated that the older the respondents and the longer the time elapsed from the event, the less likely they are to forgive, that women tend to forgive more than men, and that there is a tendency to forgive family members more readily than non-family members and people who are still alive more readily than those who have died.
Ambulatory actigraphy correlates with apathy in mild Alzheimer’s disease
- Authors:
- DAVID Renaud, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Dementia: the International Journal of Social Research and Practice, 9(4), November 2010, pp.509-516.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Research has revealed apathy as one of the most common behavioural symptoms in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This study examined the relationship between apathy and locomotor activity in mild AD. Thirty AD subjects and fifteen healthy controls were recruited from the Nice Memory Center, France. Apathy was assessed with the Apathy Inventory (AI). Patients with a score greater than three on the AI caregiver version are considered in this report as having apathy. Locomotor activity was assessed using a wrist-worn actigraph for 75 minutes, during which a neuropsychological and behavioural examination were performed followed by 15 minutes of free activity. Findings revealed that AD patients shown lower motor activity than healthy subjects. AD patients with apathy had lower motor activity than AD patients without apathy. Apathy total score correlated negatively with mean motor activity. Most of the total score correlation was accounted for by correlations between the apathy dimensions lack of initiative and lack of interest, with mean motor activity. It is suggested that ambulatory actigraphy could be a simple technique to assess apathy objectively as part of routine assessment of Alzheimer’s disease patients.
The effectiveness of the Talking Mats framework in helping people with dementia to express their views on well-being
- Authors:
- MURPHY Joan, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Dementia: the International Journal of Social Research and Practice, 9(4), November 2010, pp.454-472.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Thirty one people at different stages of dementia were interviewed them about their well-being using Talking Mats, a low-tech communication framework, and usual communication methods. The communication effectiveness of each method was compared. Findings revealed that the Talking Mats framework was associated with better communication at all stages of dementia when compared to usual communication methods. Better communication effectiveness was evident in the participants’ understanding, engagement, keeping on-track and ability to make their views understood. There was also less repetitive behaviour and less distractibility when using the Talking Mats framework. The authors conclude that the Talking Mats framework can play an important role in improving communication by providing an accessible, low cost tool which family and staff can use with people with dementia to help them express their views.
Self-report measure of financial exploitation of older adults
- Authors:
- CONRAD Kendon J., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 50(6), December 2010, pp.758-773.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
This study was designed to improve the measurement of financial exploitation by testing psychometric properties of the older adult financial exploitation measure (OAFEM), a client self-report instrument. Rasch item response theory and traditional validation approaches were used. Questionnaires were administered by 22 adult protective services investigators from 7 agencies in Illinois to 227 substantiated abuse clients. Analyses included tests for dimensionality, model fit, and additional construct validation. Results from the OAFEM were also compared with the substantiation decision of abuse and with investigators’ assessments of financial exploitation using a staff report version. Hypotheses were generated to test hypothesised relationships. The results demonstrated that the OAFEM, including the original 79-, 54-, and 30-item measures, met stringent Rasch analysis fit and unidimensionality criteria and had high internal consistency and item reliability. The validation results were supportive, while leading to reconsideration of aspects of the hypothesised theoretical hierarchy. Thresholds were suggested to demonstrate levels of severity. The article concludes that the measure should help in the assessment of financial exploitation of older adults by both clinicians and researchers.
Suicide ideation in older adults: relationship to mental health problems and service use
- Authors:
- CORNA Laurie M., CAIRNEY John, STREINER David L.
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 50(6), December 2010, pp.785-797.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of suicide ideation among community-dwelling older adults and the relationship between suicide ideation, major psychiatric disorder, and mental health service use. Data from the Canadian Community Health Survey 1.2: Mental Health and Well-being (CCHS 1.2) for all adults aged 55 years and over was used to estimate the prevalence of suicide ideation and the prevalence of major psychiatric disorder and service use among ideators versus nonideators. Using multivariate models, the study considered the sociodemographic, social, and mental health correlates of suicide ideation and mental health care use. The results showed that more than 2% of older adults reported suicide ideation in the past year and more than two thirds of these respondents did not meet the criteria for any of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders assessed in the CCHS 1.2. In multivariate models, being male, younger, or widowed, reporting lower social support and higher psychological distress increased the likelihood of suicide ideation. More than 50% of the respondents who reported suicidal thoughts did not access any type of mental health care use. The article concludes that, although suicide ideation is associated with depression and anxiety disorders, many older adults with suicidal thoughts do not meet the criteria for these clinical disorders.