Search

Abstract Background Eating performance is the functional ability to get food into the mouth and chew/swallow it. Nursing home residents with dementia commonly experience compromised eating performance and subsequent consequences. Prior work examined the association between resident eating performance and their cognitive and functional ability. Yet, the associations between resident eating performance and behavioral and psychological symptoms, psychotropic medication use, and comorbidities are less studied. This study aimed to examine the association between eating performance and cognition, functional ability, behavioral and psychological symptoms, psychotropic medication use, and comorbidities in nursing home residents with dementia. Methods This was a secondary analysis using baseline data from two randomized controlled trials, testing the impact of Function Focused Care on function and behavioral symptoms in 882 residents with moderate-to-severe dementia (mean age 86.55 years, 71% female, 30% non-white, 68.5% severe dementia) from 67 nursing homes in two states between 2014 and 2020. Eating performance (dependent variable) was measured using the single self-feeding item of Barthel Index. Independent variables included cognitive impairment, functional ability (Barthel Index total score excluding the self-feeding item score), behavioral and psychological symptoms (agitation, depression, resistiveness-to-care), psychotropic medication use (anti-depression, sedative, anti-psychotics, anti-seizure, anti-anxiety), and comorbidities. Results Nearly 39% of residents were dependent in eating. On average, residents had five documented comorbidities (SD = 3.06, range = 0–12) and were on approximately one psychotropic medication (SD = 1.25, range = 0–5). Eating performance was associated with cognitive impairment (OR = 0.53, 95% CI = 0.35, 0.79, p = .002), functional ability (OR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.04, 1.06, p

Abstract Background Behavioral and psychological symptoms of distress in dementia (BPSD) are major drivers of poor quality of life, caregiver burden, institutionalization, and cost of care in nursing homes. The Evidence Integration Triangle (EIT)-4-BPSD in nursing homes was a pragmatic Hybrid III trial of an implementation strategy to help staff use evidence-based non-pharmacological interventions to prevent and manage BPSD. This study aimed to describe and explore the stakeholders’ perceptions of the process to implement the EIT-4-BPSD strategy including its utility, and the barriers and facilitators to implementation in real-world settings. Methods EIT-4-BPSD was a multi-layer implementation strategy that engaged nursing home stakeholder groups to define community specific goals towards reducing BPSD over a 12-month period. Stakeholder groups from nursing homes that completed all 12-months of the implementation strategy were invited to participate in this process evaluation study. Qualitative data from focus group transcripts were analyzed using a conventional content analysis. Emerging codes were sorted into categories, then organized in meaningful clusters based on the domains of the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance) framework. Results The EIT-4-BPSD implementation strategy was completed in 21 nursing homes; 93 stakeholders participated in focus groups. Over half of participating nursing homes reported meeting their BPSD goals as expected or more. Challenges, facilitators, and contextual factors reported by stakeholder members explains variability in the implementation of EIT-4-BPSD strategy in 11 key categories: family; staff; organizational; staff, environmental, and resident outcomes; utility of EIT resources; adoption barriers and facilitators; care process adaptations; and future planning. Conclusion Stakeholders offered guidance on salient factors influencing the feasibility and utility of EIT-4-BPSD adoption and implementation to consider in future implementation research that aims to improve behavioral well-being in NH residents living with dementia. Engagement of family and staff at all levels of the organization (Management, leadership, and direct care); and measurement of staff, environmental, and resident outcomes were perceived as critical for future implementation success. While regulations, finances, and competing demands on staff time were perceived as reducing implementation success. Trial Registration The Testing the Implementation of EIT-4-BPSD study was registered in the ClinicalTrials.gov ( NCT03014570 ) January 9, 2017.

Chronic pain imposes a significant burden to the healthcare system and adversely affects patients' quality of life. Traditional subjective assessments, however, do not adequately capture the complex phenomenon of pain, which is influenced by a multitude of factors including environmental, developmental, genetic, and psychological. Quantitative sensory testing (QST), established as a protocol to examine thermal and mechanical sensory function, offers insight on potential mechanisms contributing to an individual's experience of pain, by assessing their perceived response to standardized delivery of stimuli. Although the use of QST as a research methodology has been described in the literature in reference to specific pain populations, this manuscript details application of QST across a variety of chronic pain conditions. Specific conditions include lower extremity chronic pain, knee osteoarthritis, chronic low back pain, temporomandibular joint disorder, and irritable bowel syndrome. Furthermore, we describe the use of QST in placebo/nocebo research, and discuss the use of QST in vulnerable populations such as those with dementia. We illustrate how the evaluation of peripheral sensory nerve function holds clinical promise in targeting interventions, and how using QST can enhance patient education regarding prognostic outcomes with particular treatments. Incorporation of QST methodology in research investigations may facilitate the identification of common mechanisms underlying chronic pain conditions, guide the development of non-pharmacological behavioral interventions to reduce pain and pain-related morbidity, and enhance our efforts toward reducing the burden of chronic pain.

The purpose of this study was to test the reliability and validity of the Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia (PAINAD) and particularly consider whether or not this measure was invariant when used among the Black and White residents. Baseline data from an implementation study testing that included a sample of 553 residents, 30% of who were Black, from 55 nursing were included in this study. The Winsteps statistical program was used to perform the Rasch analysis and evaluate the reliability and validity of the measure based on internal consistency, infit and outfit statistics, mapping, and a differential item functioning (DIF) analysis. The AMOS statistical program was used for confirmatory factor analysis. The findings supported the reliability and validity of the PAINAD when used with these individuals and demonstrated that there was no evidence of invariance between the Black and White residents. All the items fit the model, but there was not a good spread of the items across the pain level of the participants. The majority of the participants (75%) were so low in pain signs or symptoms that they could not be differentiated. Based on the clinical practice and observations, it is recommended that additional items can be added to the measure such as observing the individual for evidence of resisting care, retropulsion when trying to stand, hitting or kicking when turning in bed, hitting or kicking when transferring from bed to chair, hitting or kicking when ambulating, or hitting or kicking when raising arms, less engagement with others, and decreased participation in the activities previously enjoyed.