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COVID-19, lockdown, elderly. Experiences of the follow up research among active older adults 2020- 2021.
40-42Views:166Introduction, aims:
The COVID-19 pandemic caused invaluable harms on the World during last two years. Among all economic and societal consequences the negative effects for elderly people was also apparent. Researches - among others - focused on the age related inequalities for accessing and using services, economic disadvantages, the decline of psychical, physical and mental conditions, reduced quality of life, increased level of loneliness, stress and depression, such as the increase and new faces of ageism.
This research focused on the individual and organizational consequences of COVID – 19 pandemic and the effects of the state interventions followed by. The target group were identified as active seniors who have leading positions in different local and regional senior’s associations. These people were affected individually as a member of the age group and as an experts with organizational responsibilities as well.Research method:
We chose a qualitative follow up (longitudinal) research method that was committed by semi structured phone interviews, recorded and anonymised. The time of the two data record focused and followed the main Hungarian waves of the pandemic: May – June in 2020 and June – July in 2021. Sample were collected from all districts of Hungary (n=42).Main research topics were:
- The situation of the older adults (experiences about the local older people, daily life, problems, issues, social connections)
- The life in the organization (activities, new initiatives, problems, issues)
- Individual experiences (fears, daily life, social connections, shopping habits, use of ICT, vaccination).Results:
We found significant differences on the personal life situation and the perception of pandemic and related interventions during the two waves. Pandemic situation may influenced these results. The age related “stay at home campaign” made more difficulties for the older people during the first wave, meanwhile related interventions weren’t so strict during the second wave by introducing shopping timeline for older people and night curfew for all in the late nights. Even first wave did not cause such harm like the second one in Hungary.
During the first wave we found older people as a rule following citizens. They followed all the restrictions and regulations strictly. Life situations mainly were determined by the living conditions, that is means the ones who lived in the countryside mainly a house with garden experienced less negative effects than those, who lived in the housing estate area (first wave mainly fall on March – May).
Older people reported increased importance of the local authorities. With the lack of central supporting interventions, local authorities played main role for local support, care and security. If the local government took care of older people they felt safety. Less interventions and coordination made older people insecured.
The second wave made new situations for people. Older adults became one of the first target groups in vaccination and people started to cope with the pandemic.
Older adults became more critical with governmental interventions.
Critics focussed on the
- pandemic related communication, the vaccination (older people mainly got Shinofarm vaccine that was not accepted in the EU at that time),
- difficulties with the availability of health services, and
- they experienced increased economic problems.
The life in the organization: during the first wave we found frozen life of the seniors organization, cancelled and delayed programmes. Some initiatives were also reported. People preferred to keep contact via phone instead of using another ICT tools. Some of the answerer worried about the community life, how they can restart after the pandemic, others preferred the forthcoming chance for personal meetings.
Seniors organisations may play an important role of the senior’s life by organizing free time and social activities, advocacy, and many other aspects of active ageing. As we made a first extract of this research further analyse will focus more on the good examples and new initiatives on the social, community and organizational levels. -
Postoperative rehabilitation after total knee joint replacement
49-50Views:92Objective:
The pilot study objective was to evaluate the effect of comprehensive post-operative physiotherapeutic treatment on the selected physiotherapeutic parameters as well as patients’ quality of life after a total knee joint replacement surgery.Results:
Thirty patients after total knee joint arthroplasty were enrolled into the pilot study. After completing the physiotherapeutic processes, we have observed among the patients who underwent a total knee replacement surgery, a significant increase in muscle strength as with the flexors as well as the extensors (p = 0.001), improvement in their range of motion in knee joint flexion, in comparison to its range before treatment (p = 0.001), knee pain reduction (p = 0.001) and post-operative swelling (p <0.001), respectively. After undergoing the physiotherapeutic procedures, we recorded a statistically significant improvement in the monitored physical components: dressing (p = 0.008) and toilet use (p = 0.001), transfer from bed to chair (p = 0.008), walking on flat surface (p = 0.001), climbing stairs (p = 0.001). Passing the physiotherapy significantly reduced the degree of dependence of operated patients (p = 0.001).Conclusion:
Early post-operative physiotherapy treatment positively affects patients’ general condition. In addition, it improves muscle strength, range of motion of the operated joint, eliminates postoperative pain and reduces swelling that improves patients’ self-sufficiency. Standard physiotherapy nowadays and in the next few years will take a unique place in patients’ management after total knee joint replacement.Contact:
PhDr. Mgr. Michal Vavro, PhD.
Vysoká škola zdravotníctva a sociálnej práce sv. Alžbety, n.o. Bratislava; FZaSP sv. Ladislava, ul. Slovenská 11, 940 34 Nové Zámky, Slovenská republika
+421 918531658
michalkotkd@gmail.com -
Prelevance of falls in seniors hospitalized on gerontopsychiatric department, their risk factors and possibilities of preventive interventions
34-37Views:122Introduction:
Falls and associated injuries are a serious problem for seniors in the home as well as in the medical environment. The main goal was to approach the issue of falls in the elderly in hospital facilities with regard to gerontopsychiatric issues and psychiatric treatment.
Methodology:
We used a questionnaire to find out the prevalence of falls in the elderly, the use of preventive measures and their effectiveness. The questionnaire had three sections that focused on demographics, medication, fall during hospitalization, a "Simple Screening Tool for Risk Assessment," and questions for nurses about the use of preventative measures. The sample consisted of 113 seniors in the age category over 65 years hospitalized in the psychiatric hospital Hronovce.
Results:
Based on the data obtained, there were no significant differences in the incidence of falls when comparing the age category up to 75 years and over 75 years. We can state that gerontopsychiatric patients are at risk of falling, regardless of their age. Of all participating survey respondents 46.9% fell and 53.1% did not fall during the study period, with 31% of patients falling repeatedly and 15.9% of patients fell once. In the survey sample 100% of respondents were taking psychotropic drugs, 46.9% were taking risk medication - benzodiazepines, and these respondents had a fall at least once during their hospitalization. We found out that the risk of falling is increased by almost half in patients with nocturnal disorientation, sensory disorders and dementia. In the group of respondents (56.7%) who needed help with movement, falls occurred more often than in patients without restricted movement ability, but the differences were not significant. Problems with defecation led to a higher prevalence of falls. Among seniors who fell, there were 14.2% of them who did not have a problem with defecation compared to 32.7% who had a problem with defecation or suffered from incontinence. Nurses used the most frequently some environmental adjustments in 66.4%, increased supervision of high-risk patients in 52.2%, and nurses used multiple interventions in 67.3% of cases as preventive measures against falls in the observed group of patients. Nurses considered as proven interventions: increased supervision of high-risk patients (16.0%), use of compensatory aids when walking (5.0%), suitable footwear, (14.0%), adjustments of the environment (29%) rehabilitation exercises (13.0%), adherence to a drinking regime (7.0%).
Conclusion:
In seniors with mental illness there was a higher incidence of falls regardless of age, the use of psychopharmacological treatment, especially in the form of benzodiazepines, led to a higher incidence of falls. Nursing staff used multiple interventions. The adjustment of the environment and the use of suitable anti-slip footwear proved to be the most effective.
Contact:
doc. PhDr. Ľubica Libová PhD.
Vysoká škola zdravotníctva a sociálnej práce sv. Alžbety,n.o. Bratislava; FZaSP sv. Ladislava, ul. Slovenská 11 940 52 Nové Zámky, Slovenská republika
+421 903169357
lubica.libova@gmail.comPREVALENCIA PÁDOV U SENIOROV HOSPITALIZOVANÝCH NA GERONTOPSYCHIATRICKOM ODDELENÍ, ICH RIZIKOVÉ FAKTORY A MOŽNOSTI PREVENTÍVNYCH INTERVENCIÍ
Kľúčové slová: Pády seniorov. Prevencia. Rizikové faktory.
Úvod:
Pády a s nimi spojené úrazy predstavujú závažný problém u seniorov v domácom ako aj v zdravotníckom prostredí. Hlavným cieľom bolo priblížiť problematiku pádov u seniorov v nemocničných zariadeniach z ohľadom na gerontopsychiatrickú problematiku a psychiatrickú liečbu.
Metodika:
Na zistenie prevalenciu pádov seniorov, používanie preventívnych opatrení a ich efektivitu sme použili protokol. Protokol mal tri časti, ktoré boli zamerané na demografické údaje, medikáciu, pád počas hospitalizácie, „Jednoduchý skríningový nástroj na posúdenie rizika“ a otázky pre sestry o používaní preventívnych opatrení. Výberový súbor tvorilo 113 seniorov vo vekovej kategórii nad 65 rokov hospitalizovaných v psychiatrickej nemocnici Hronovce.
Výsledky:
Na základe získaných údajov pri porovnaní vekovej kategórie do 75 rokov a nad 75 rokov neboli významné rozdiely vo výskyte pádu. Môžeme konštatovať, že gerontopsychiatrickí pacienti sú rizikový pre pád bez ohľadu na svoj vek. Zo všetkých zúčastnených respondentov prieskumu počas sledovaného obdobia spadlo 46,9 % a nespadlo 53,1 %, pričom 31 % pacientov spadlo opakovane, 15,9 % pacientov spadlo raz. V prieskumnej vzorke 100% respondentov užívalo psychofarmaká z nich 46,9% užívalo rizikovú medikáciu - benzodiazepíny a u týchto respondentov sa vyskytol pád počas hospitalizácie najmenej raz. Zistili sme, že riziko pádu sa zvyšuje takmer o polovicu u pacientov s nočnou dezorientáciou, zmyslovými poruchami a demenciou. V skupine respondentov (56,7%), ktorí potrebovali pomoc pri pohybe sa vyskytol pád častejšie ako u pacientov bez obmedzeného pohybu ale rozdiely neboli významné. Problémy s vyprázdňovaním viedli k vyššej miere prevalencie pádov. Spadlo 14,2 % seniorov, ktorí nemali problém s vyprázdňovaním oproti 32,7%, ktorí mali problém s vyprázdňovaním alebo trpeli inkontinenciou. Najčastejšie sestry používali ako preventívne opatrenia voči pádom v skúmanom súbore pacientov úpravu prostredia v 66,4 % , zvýšený dohľad nad rizikovými pacientmi v 52,2 %, viacnásobné intervencie používali v 67,3 % prípadov. Pričom ako osvedčené intervencie považovali sestry: zvýšený dohľad/dozor nad rizikovými pacientmi (16,0 %), používanie kompenzačných pomôcok pri chôdzi (5,0 %), vhodnú obuv, (14,0 %), úpravu prostredia ( 29%) rehabilitačné cvičenie (13,0 %), dodržiavanie pitného režimu (7,0 %).
Záver:
U seniorov s duševným ochorením bol vyšší výskyt pádov bez ohľadu na vek, užívanie psychofarmakologickej liečby najmä vo forme benzodiazepínov viedlo k väčšiemu výskytu pádov. Ošetrujúci personál používal viacnásobné intervencie. Ako najúčinnejšie sa osvedčilo upravenie prostredia a používanie vhodnej protišmykovej obuvi.
Korešpondujúci autor:
doc. PhDr. Ľubica Libová PhD.
Vysoká škola zdravotníctva a sociálnej práce sv. Alžbety,n.o. Bratislava; FZaSP sv. Ladislava, ul. Slovenská 11 940 52 Nové Zámky, Slovenská republika
+421 903169357
lubica.libova@gmail.com
Zber dát prebiehal so súhlasom etickej komisie zdravotníckeho zariadenia a s informovaným súhlasom respondentov. -
Spiritual care in Slovenian nursing homes: a quantitative descriptive study
29-30Views:102Introduction:
Spiritual care is an important component of holistic care in nursing. However, health care workers are not unanimous in who is responsible for the spiritual care of patients. It is likely that nurses are best suited to provide spiritual care because of the nature of their work, which requires constant contact with patients. Yet, meeting spiritual needs is not well defined in the role of nurses and is not always taught comprehensively in formal nursing education programmes. The aim of this study was to explore the extent to which nurses working in social care settings implement interventions related to spiritual care in their daily practise, how they perceive their knowledge of spiritual care, and the extent to which this dimension of care was included in their nursing education programmes.
Methods:
A non-experimental quantitative descriptive research study was used. In April 2020, 214 nurse assistants and registered nurses from 12 nursing homes in Slovenia participated in the study. The questionnaire used in the study included 12 statements related to 3 main areas: i) knowledge of the concepts of spirituality and religion, ii) implementation of spiritual/religious interventions in daily practice, iii) spirituality in nursing education. The individual statements were rated by the respondents on a 5-point Likert scale (1 - strongly disagree to 5 - strongly agree). The questionnaire had adequate internal consistency (Cronbach alpha = 0.857). Data were described using calculated means, Mann-Whitney U test, and Spearman correlation coefficient. A p-value ≤ 0.05 was considered significant.
Results:
Regular spiritual assessment of nursing home residents is rarely performed by nurses (x̄=2.73, s=1.03). Female nurses (U=2191.500, p=0.008) and nurses who described themselves as religious (U=3314.000, p=0.001) implement spiritual/religious interventions in daily practice to a greater extent; they also expressed higher knowledge of the concepts of spirituality and religion compared to the others (religious/non-religious: U=2920.000, p=0.000; female/male: U=1885.000, p=0.000). The implementation of spiritual/religious interventions in daily practice correlated positively and statistically significantly mainly with self-perceived knowledge of the concepts of spirituality and religion (r=0.495, p=0.000) and the extent to which the content of spiritual care was represented in their nursing education program (r=0.494, p=0.000). However, nurses emphasized that the concept of spirituality and spiritual care tended to be poorly represented in formal nursing education programs (x̄=2.76, s=0.89).
Discussion and conclusions:
Individual characteristics, particularly self-reported religiosity and gender, appear to have an important influence on the implementation of spiritual/religious interventions in daily practise. In addition, our study suggests that the level of knowledge about the concepts of spirituality and religion influences nurses' willingness to implement spiritual care with their residents. Therefore, nursing educators need to develop curricula that include strategies to increase trainees' awareness of spiritual care. Current international research efforts on perceptions of spirituality and spiritual care in nursing offer important contributions to understanding the role of nursing in relation to spirituality and to developing educational content and approaches for both undergraduate and lifelong learning in nursing. -
Active Ageing Good Practices Promoting Intergenerational Communication and Understanding
5-6Views:62Persistent negative stereotypes on the aging process and the older person are noticeable within the current youth-orientated culture. Older persons may also hold negative stereotypes about the younger generation. These undesirable typecasts co-exist because younger and older persons often have limited contact with each other. Indeed, the younger generation, only gets to engage in communication with the older person within the family unit, rarely outside their own familial structures. Similarly, older persons, residents of long-term care have limited opportunities of interacting with the younger generation.
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Okostelefon-használat időseknél
24-29Views:159Smartphone usage is a necessary part of out life. The permanent internet access provided by smartphones, and the huge number of downloadable applications give opportunity to keeping contact, entertain and administration for all ages. In our publication we review the results of researches regarding smartphone usage among elderly. After introduce the problematic smartphone use we focus on the differences of young and older users. Problematic usage is a characteristic of youth users. There is a significant differences among young and older users in the field of the motivation basis of smartphone usage, and the used applications. According to the results seniors are often motivated to smartphone use but excessive usage is inhibited by physical problems, financial difficulties and the lack of knowledge relation to gadgets.
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The impact of COVID-19 on the online shopping habits of the elderly - a study in two regions
146-158Views:169COVID-19 significantly affected the lives of people, including the elderly, who tried to reduce their personal relationships, especially during quarantine periods. Their daily lives have changed, including their consumer behaviour. The basis of my research was the longitudinal research of the Gerontology Department of the Faculty of Health Sciences of the University of Debrecen. In the summer of 2021, I made an interview research covering two regions, in which I searched for answers for example the COVID-19 epidemic affected the lives of members of elderly organizations, how their habits changed, for example regarding the use of digital devices and consumption in general. Based on the results, it can be said that while in 2020 the members of the organizations kept in touch with each other mainly by telephone during the pandemic, in 2021 there were almost the same number of those who used traditional telephones and those who preferred online contact. Online communication and Internet use have probably become more widespread because older people have become more open to the online world. In the examined period, the willingness of the elderly to use digital devices increased and their opportunities broadened, for example through the (often forced) development of their competences. This is also true for online purchases. As in all age groups of domestic consumers, online consumption has also increased among the elderly. In their case, this is mainly influenced by their opportunities related to digitalization. The main advantage of digitalization for the elderly is that it is much easier for them to keep in touch with each other, including with family members who live far away, while one of the disadvantages is that not all elderly people can afford to have the appropriate competencies, technical conditions and internet access.
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Generációk közötti feszültségek okai, csökkentésének lehetőségei
2-10Views:315The author is trying to discover the causes of tensions between the young and the old. She highlights the fields of cogitation and personal development, the differences and similarities between the two generations, furthermore, she offers alternative solutions to reduce the tensions. She explores the difficulties of the conditions of the young and the elderly. The author would like to achieve that different age groups would get to know each other’s problems, and functions of life stages. By revealing this she hopes to decrease the generation gap. Further aim is to promote the prevention of ageism and the approach of generations.
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Vulnerability of elderly consumers - their children's perception
17-19Views:76The research goal was studying elderly individuals’ consumer vulnerability in an unusual way. This is a topical issue, as for example the high prevalence of grandparent scams and other older adult-focused criminal activities is well known in the literature (e.g., AARP Foundation, 2003; Boush & mtsai, 2009; Yip & Schweitzer, 2015; Valant, 2015). A broad spectrum of studies (e.g., Carpenter & Yoon, 2017; Lee & Geitsfied, 1999; Peters et al., 2007) focuses on the aging consumer’s features that can be blamed for their vulnerability, as for example changes in cognitive capacity, fast speech processing and openness for social contact. The novelty of the present study is two-folded. First, a psychological approach was followed focusing on the role of persuasion knowledge (Friestad & Wright; 1994) and self-efficacy (Bandura, 1994) in this context. Second, not the elderly population, but their children’s perception was investigated in a mixed-method study.