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Perspectives of Aged Care: Home, Community and Society

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Care Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2024) | Viewed by 8205

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Guest Editor
Institute of Family Medicine, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Luebeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Luebeck, Germany
Interests: health services research; elderly care; innovative healthcare concepts; primary care
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A key challenge for healthcare systems is to provide adequate healthcare for elderly people. Thus, aged care plays an integral role in care in an aging society. Aged care, or elderly care, is the term for daily living and nursing care services provided to older people who either need some help at home or can no longer live independently. Various institutions and different organizational forms are important in providing aged care and could have an impact on relevant patient outcomes, such as maintaining independence or ensuring quality of life.

This Special Issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH) focuses on the current state of knowledge on the perspectives of aged care and should consider different levels, such as the micro (home), meso (community), and macro level (society).

Healthcare concepts which provide an innovative approach on perspectives of aged care performed by advanced research methods, such as prospective longitudinal designs, random controlled trials, meta-analyses, innovative technologies, and the application of these methods and technologies, are invited for this Special Issue, especially those combining a high academic standard with a practical focus on providing optimal care in an aging society. Manuscripts from different disciplines are welcome so we can achieve a broad perspective of aged care.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Healthcare.

Prof. Dr. Katja Goetz
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • caregiver
  • care management
  • chronic care
  • community health
  • elderly care
  • home care
  • interprofessional cooperation
  • organization of care
  • outpatient care

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 551 KiB  
Article
Predictors of Unmet Needs in Chilean Older People with Dependency: A Cross-Sectional Study
by Raffaela Carvacho, Marcela Carrasco, María Beatriz Fernández and Claudia Miranda-Castillo
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(20), 6928; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20206928 - 16 Oct 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1825
Abstract
Approximately one in five Chilean older adults has some degree of dependency. Limited evidence is available on self-perceived needs in Latin-American older people. The main aim of this study was to identify predictors of unmet needs of dependent older persons without cognitive impairment, [...] Read more.
Approximately one in five Chilean older adults has some degree of dependency. Limited evidence is available on self-perceived needs in Latin-American older people. The main aim of this study was to identify predictors of unmet needs of dependent older persons without cognitive impairment, considering personal and primary informal caregivers’ factors. This cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 77 dyads of older people with dependency and their caregivers. A survey was administered, evaluating sociodemographic characteristics, anxious and depressive symptomatology, health-related quality of life, and social support. Older people’s self-reported met and unmet needs and caregivers’ burden and self-efficacy were also assessed. To determine predictors of unmet needs, a multiple regression analysis was carried out. Most participants had mild to moderate levels of dependency. The most frequent unmet needs were “daytime activities” (33.8%), “company” (23.4%), “benefits” (23.4%), and “psychological distress” (24.7%). Older people’s higher level of dependency and anxious symptomatology were predictors of a higher number of unmet needs, with a model whose predictive value was 31%. The high prevalence of anxious symptomatology and its relationship with the presence of unmet needs highlight the importance of making older people’s psychological and social needs visible and addressing them promptly. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Perspectives of Aged Care: Home, Community and Society)
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13 pages, 562 KiB  
Article
Direct Oral Anticoagulants versus Vitamin K Antagonists in Individuals Aged 80 Years and Older: An Overview in 2021
by Chana Azzoug, Gilles Nuémi, Didier Menu, Emmanuel De Maistre, Mathieu Boulin, Alain Putot and Patrick Manckoundia
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(2), 1448; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20021448 - 13 Jan 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2066
Abstract
Two main types of oral anticoagulants are available in France: vitamin K antagonists (VKA) and, more recently, direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC). The benefit–risk profile appears to be favorable for DOAC, which is as effective as VKA but safer (fewer cases of severe and [...] Read more.
Two main types of oral anticoagulants are available in France: vitamin K antagonists (VKA) and, more recently, direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC). The benefit–risk profile appears to be favorable for DOAC, which is as effective as VKA but safer (fewer cases of severe and cerebral bleeding). In a study in 2017, we observed that older adults did not seem to receive the same modalities of oral anticoagulants as younger individuals for various reasons. To assess anticoagulation prescribing practices over time, we repeated this cross-sectional study by comparing very old individuals taking DOAC to those taking VKA. Ambulatory individuals aged 80 years and older were included. They were affiliated with the Mutualité Sociale Agricole of Burgundy and were refunded for a medical prescription of oral anticoagulation in March 2021. The demographic characteristics, registered chronic diseases (RCD), number and types of prescribed drugs, and mortality of the DOAC group and the VKA group were compared. A total of 4275 subjects were included in the study: 67.44% (2883) received DOAC and 32.56% (1392) received VKA. The two groups were similar in age. In the DOAC group, there were more women (54.98% vs. 46.98%) (p < 0.001), fewer RCD (91.47% vs. 93.68%) (p = 0.014), and lower rates of venous thromboembolism (2.53% vs. 6.75%) (p < 0.001), severe heart failure (56.50% vs. 68.03%) (p < 0.001), and severe kidney diseases (1.38% vs. 3.59%) (p < 0.001), but there were more subjects with Alzheimer’s disease (7.49% vs. 4.31%) (p = 0.001). Individuals in the DOAC group had fewer prescriptions of furosemide (48.53% vs. 55.75%) (p < 0.001) and fibrates (2.32% vs. 3.88%) (p = 0.044). They also had more prescriptions of proton pump inhibitors (43.95% vs. 39.44%) (p = 0.006) and antirheumatics (1.60% vs. 0.65%) (p = 0.009) than those in the VKA group. There was no difference in mortality. This study revealed that prescribing practices for DOAC have changed over time. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Perspectives of Aged Care: Home, Community and Society)
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11 pages, 479 KiB  
Article
How Do Health Care Professionals Perceive a Holistic Care Approach for Geriatric Patients? A Focus Group Study
by Denise Wilfling, Jona Budke, Nicole Warkentin and Katja Goetz
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(2), 1033; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20021033 - 6 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2166
Abstract
Background: Geriatric patients require holistic care in order to meet their complex care needs. The project RubiN (Continuous Care in a Regional Network) provides case and care management (CCM) for older people to address these needs in a primary care setting in Germany. [...] Read more.
Background: Geriatric patients require holistic care in order to meet their complex care needs. The project RubiN (Continuous Care in a Regional Network) provides case and care management (CCM) for older people to address these needs in a primary care setting in Germany. This study aimed to explore the experiences of health care professionals who provided CCM for geriatric patients. Methods: Focus group interviews with general practitioners (GPs), health care assistants (HCAs), and case managers (CMs) were conducted. Transcribed data were analyzed by using qualitative content analysis. Results: Ten focus group discussions (n = 15 GPs, n = 14 HCAs, n = 17 CMs) were conducted. The different health care professionals emphasized the importance of a holistic care approach to geriatric care. Moreover, the GPs stated that the CMs supported the patients in organizing their care. A CCM could help encourage patients to remain at their own homes, which would have an effect on patients’ quality of life and satisfaction. Conclusion: A well-functioning and effective cooperation between those health professionals involved is a prerequisite for a trustful relationship in the holistic care of older people. This creates a feeling of security for all people involved in the care process. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Perspectives of Aged Care: Home, Community and Society)
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15 pages, 792 KiB  
Article
Development and Psychometric Properties of the Community Implementation Behaviour Questionnaire (CIBQ) in the Context of Supporting Caring Relatives of People with Dementia
by Maren Wittek, Fabian Manke-Reimers and Eric Schmitt
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(23), 16198; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192316198 - 3 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1347
Abstract
The Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) investigates the determinants influencing the implementation behaviour of actors in healthcare. Caring for people with dementia (PWD) can be burdensome. Therefore, caring relatives (CRs) often rely on support of various actors in their community (CAs). However, the support [...] Read more.
The Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) investigates the determinants influencing the implementation behaviour of actors in healthcare. Caring for people with dementia (PWD) can be burdensome. Therefore, caring relatives (CRs) often rely on support of various actors in their community (CAs). However, the support of this target group is not sufficient, and the implementation of support services needs to be optimised. As it stands, there is no German-language questionnaire to investigate the factors that influence the implementation behaviour of CAs. Therefore, based on the TDF, the Community Implementation Behaviour Questionnaire (CIBQ) was developed in this study. A total of 205 CAs from 16 German communities were surveyed. The 34-item CIBQ asked about their implementation behaviour regarding support services for CRs of PWD. To identify the best model fit, the internal consistency and construct validity were computed. After adaptation, the final CIBQ consisted of ten domains and thirty-one items. The psychometric properties of the questionnaire are as follows: CMIN/DF = 1.63; SRMR = 0.05; RMSEA = 0.07; CFI = 0.92; Cronbach’s alpha 0.74–0.89; inter-item correlation 0.38–0.88. The initial results show satisfactory internal consistency and construct validity of the CIBQ. Using the CIBQ enables the health and care optimisation of CRs of PWD. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Perspectives of Aged Care: Home, Community and Society)
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