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• Is diet the key to longevity? - A narrative review of the dietary patterns of the Blue Zones

  14-18

  Drouliskou Vasiliki-Fanouria

  Poulianou Eleni

  Spyrakou Efthymia

  Views:

  12

  The purpose of this review was to gather the current literature concerning the relationship between longevity and the local nutrition patterns in the Blue Zones.

• Staff Training and Stress in Long Term Care Facilities Special Care Units for Alzheimer's Elders

  43-44

  S. Jean Szilagyi

  Views:

  49

  Objective:
  Special Care Units (SCU) in long term care health facilities are named to indicate "unique to diagnosis" or a level of care. The purpose of this study was to explore perceptions among caregivers and licensed nurses in selected nursing homes in Ohio and Pennsylvania and New York, as they pertained to the differences in care to Alzheimer's elders in SCUs. It examined the education and experience of staff and the satisfaction of this staff as it pertained to stress and wages.

  Background:
  Long-term caregivers often experience stress, resulting in "burn-out" as a consequence of limited training, levels of care required, cognitive decline of elders and family expectations. The caregivers, on SCUs, environmentally designed for the elders with cognitive decline, need specialized training in the physical and mental dimensions of the various forms of dementia, Alzheimer's type.

  Methods:
  The study used a qualitative research design with a survey questionnaire and one-on-one interviews with administrators and human resource directors. A pilot study of SCUs in Ohio and Pennsylvania and New York was initiated. The population was the employees of these SCU. The levels of employees questioned included: Executive director/Administrator, nurses, nurse aides, housekeepers and activities staff, laundry and social service workers. The procedure was standardized to enhance the reliability of the data. The respondents were notified in advance of the specific application of their answers and were afforded the opportunity to receive a monetary donation to the SCU of their respective facilities.
  An Eden Alternative Home, with a program of goals and missions characterizing enhancement of an elder's life, a home-like environment and family-centered staff and care, in a very rural area of Pennsylvania, was also engaged to contrast and compare the hypotheses of the study.

  Results:
  On the SCU, less than 5 percent of the staff had received training specific to the care of the Alzheimer's elders. In the Eden Home, 100 percent of the staff had received training specific to the care of the Alzheimer's elders. On the SCU, less than 18 percent were satisfied with the quality and quantity of specialized and extensive training. In the Eden Home, 100 percent of the staff was satisfied with their specific training. On the SCU, using a Leiken scale, more than 55 percent felt that they should receive higher wages. In the Eden home, the results were the same. However, the longevity of the employees was 13.5 years as opposed to only 3.25 years in the SCU in other homes.

  Conclusion:
  These findings suggest there is a need to examine, expand and intensify the training of all caregivers on a special unit for the elders afflicted with dementia, Alzheimer's type.

• Social service delivery for senior citizens in rural Philippines and secrets to longevity of Apo Whang-od

  2-14

  Climson L. Balangue

  Views:

  32

  Access to social services such as healthcare, transportation, and financial support can be limited, leaving many elderly individuals vulnerable to poverty and social exclusion. This paper examined the recent elderly demographics, status of social service delivery, the roles of traditional and cultural practices, and specific challenges faced by older persons in rural areas, using the case of Apo Whang-od and her community, Buscalan that is in the municipality of Tinglayan, Province of Kalinga, Philippines. Using a mixed methods approach, this paper revealed that almost 11% of Tinglayan’s population is elderly, mostly indigenous people with a relatively low literacy rate, and low-income earners who are engaged mostly in subsistence farming and small-scale traditional craft making. Also, there are substantial government programs and services offered by existing laws; however, access to these is challenged by limited access to education and healthcare services, with long travel distances and a lack of transportation being major barriers. Financial difficulties were also observed, with no or few having access to social security benefits and reasonable amounts of pensions. The challenges can also be attributed to an unfavorable geographical location, conflicts with neighboring tribes, limited local government funds, lack of knowledge, and inadequate social service centers within the locality. Tinglayan’s cultural values were also found to play a pivotal role in supplementing the scarce social services by fostering a supportive atmosphere for the elderly. Analysing Apo-Whag-od's longevity, it was revealed that she lived a longer life because she ate organic and locally sourced food, slept well, laughed a lot, engaged in regular physical activity, nurtured her spiritual well-being, built strong relationships with her family and community, and kept a positive outlook. In conclusion, social demographics shows that elderlies in rural areas are disadvantaged, which calls for more efficient and effective access, delivery, and availability of social services. Moreover, policymakers are enjoined to accelerate social infrastructures, expand social protection programs, and support intergenerational solidarity and resilience and cultural preservation. Lastly, Apo Whang-od’s legacy lives on. Her popularity not only gained revitalization of the Kalinga tattoo culture, but it also inspired people to follow her steps to longer and happier way of life.

• Redefining nursing skills in AI and robotisation, with a particular focus on conditions requiring long-term care

  126-145

  Views:

  172

  Owing to the enormous improvements in health and lifestyle over the last century, the average age has increased. Although longevity is an important achievement of the modern age, it is a challenge for the care of an ageing population. As people in the richest parts of the world live longer, there is a growing shortage of carers for an ageing population. This paper reviews the literature and describes the global challenges of caregiving, future issues in elderly care, the emergence of robotization in the field of nursing care and how this can contribute to improving the quality of care for the older people. It also discusses the experience of using robots in international and domestic elderly care and briefly describes how the use of AI-based technology has contributed to improving the effectiveness of care in the context of the coronavirus epidemic. The paper concludes by presenting a vision and directions for training development for Advance Practice Nurses, Register Nurses and post-secondary nurses, and other health care professionals to improve attitudes, enhance knowledge, and develop services to improve elderly care.

• The mystery of expected and potential quality of life and longevity

  97-114

  Views:

  147

  Recent events have made health and its preservation increasingly important. Health factors are also elements of our lifestyle, and the individual has a crucial role to play in shaping a healthy lifestyle. Lifestyle-related diseases (civilisation diseases) are the leading cause of death in Europe today. The main topic of this paper is the mystery of expected and potential quality of life and life expectancy. Through a literature review, we sought to answer the question of what are the most important determinants of health and lifestyle. Based on the data processing of the Hungarian Central Statistical Office, we processed the results of health statistics on the general health status of the Hungarian population. Then, we described the pillars of health and their role in the development of a healthy lifestyle, as well as health tourism services for the older generation that encourage the integration of the pillars of health into lifestyle.

• A comparative analysis of the community-based care and program for the elderly in the Seychelles and Mauritius Islands

  71-75

  Vivienne Alexandra Sharri Lesperance

  Views:

  9

  The World Health Organization describes an elderly person as someone who is aged 60 years and older and further predicts that by 2030, the number of older people will rise by 1.4 billion (WHO, 2017). This phenomenon has not spared the Small Island Developing States (SIDS); according to the United Nations (2023), they anticipated growth from 6.5 to 14.0 million older persons between 2021 and 2050. Undoubtedly, these figures are indicative of significant growth in the aging population across the world, and this is merely the chronological age; needless to say, numerous physical, psychological, and environmental factors can impede longevity and healthy aging.