Search

SETTING: Falls incur significant health and economic costs, particularly among older adults. Physical activity has been found to be the single most important fall prevention behaviour an older adult can do. This manuscript describes Ottawa Public Health's (OPH) experience implementing the Better Strength, Better Balance! (BSBB) program, a fall prevention exercise program for older adults, through an innovative partnership with the local Recreation, Cultural & Facility Services (RCFS) Department. BSBB aims to reach 1300 community-dwelling adults (aged 65 years and older) per year through approximately 86-130 exercise programs. Designed as a universal program, BSBB addresses participation barriers such as transportation, cost and location. BSBB was enabled with funding from the Champlain Local Health Integration Network, and coincided with the implementation of an Older Adult Plan for the City of Ottawa. INTERVENTION: BSBB is a beginner-level, fall prevention exercise and education program that takes place twice a week, over 12 weeks. Certified RCFS instructors delivered the exercise components of the program and OPH staff incorporated fall prevention messaging and conducted the evaluation. OUTCOMES: The formative evaluation indicated that participants experienced improved strength and balance, decreased fear of falling and the intent to adopt new fall prevention behaviours following the program. The partnership between OPH and RCFS allowed both partners to leverage their unique and mutual strengths to continually improve the program. IMPLICATIONS: Improving access to strength and balance programming is an important public health strategy to reduce falls. The recreation sector is an ideal partner to help public health in this pursuit. KEY WORDS: Aged; exercise; accidental falls; evaluation studies; recreation; public health CONTEXTE : Les chutes engendrent d'importants couts sur le plan de l'economie et de la sante, en particulier chez les personnes agees. Il a ete demontre que l'activite physique est le comportement le plus important a adopter pour prevenir les chutes chez les personnes agees. Le present document decrit l'experience de Sante publique Ottawa (SPO) dans la mise en oeuvre du programme En force, en equilibre! (EFEE), un programme d'exercices de prevention des chutes destine aux personnes agees qui est execute grace a un partenariat novateur avec la Direction generale des loisirs, de la culture et des installations (DGLCI). EFEE a pour objectif de rejoindre 1300 adultes vivant dans la collectivite (65 ans et plus) chaque annee en leur offrant de 86 a 130 programmes d'exercices environ. Concu en tant que programme universel, EFEE aborde les obstacles a la participation comme le transport, les couts et l'emplacement. EFEE, qui a pu etre offert grace au financement du Reseau local d'integration des services de sante de Champlain, a coincide avec la mise en oeuvre d'un Plan relatif aux personnes agees de la Ville d'Ottawa. INTERVENTION : EFEE est un programme d'education et d'exercices de prevention des chutes de niveau debutant dont les seances ont lieu deux fois par semaine pendant 12 semaines. Des instructeurs certifies de la DGLCI assurent l'execution du volet exercices du programme, tandis que du personnel de SPO prepare les messages de prevention des chutes et procede a l'evaluation. RESULTATS : L'evaluation formative a revele que les participants ont ameliore leur resistance et leur equilibre, ont moins peur de tomber et ont l'intention d'adopter de nouveaux comportements de prevention apres avoir suivi le programme. Le partenariat entre SPO et la DGLCI a permis aux deux partenaires de mettre leurs forces uniques et mutuelles a profit pour continuer d'ameliorer le programme. CONSEQUENCES : Faciliter l'acces aux programmes d'amelioration de la resistance et de l'equilibre constitue une strategie de sante publique importante pour reduire les chutes. Le secteur des loisirs est un partenaire ideal de la sante publique a cet egard. MOTS CLES : age; exercice; chutes accidentelles; etudes d'evaluation; loisirs; sante publique, Falls represent a remarkable health and economic cost across Canada, particularly among older adults. Falls occurring in adults aged 65 years and older accounted for $3.4 billion nationally in 2010. [...]

Infectious disease incidence varies with age, and elderly persons are considered more vulnerable than younger persons to foodborne and waterborne infections (1,2). In many countries, elderly persons unable to care [...]

This study examined the association between English language proficiency and health outcomes in a regional probability sample (n = 205) of elderly Chinese and Korean immigrants. Data support that these two Asian ethnic subgroups differ in English proficiency and health-related quality of life. Chinese and Korean elders had poorer health than the national norms, and poor English proficiency was associated with poorer outcomes for six of eight health outcomes measures. Implications for health care delivery and social work are discussed. KEY WORDS: Asian immigrant elders; Chinese; health outcomes; Korean; language barriers; SF-36, When a health care provider is unable to understand the nature of a patient's complaints, or the patient does not understand the treatment, serious health consequences can result. Culturally, not [...]

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is on the rise in the aging population of the United States. Heart disease is the leading cause of death, hospital bed use, and social security disability. Enhancing knowledge about CVD may improve social work's professional role in the health care system. This article focuses on a pressing CVD-related issue that needs professional attention--CVD health disparity and the associated mental health comorbidity (depression and anxiety) that predicts poor CVD outcome. Findings from a large-sample clinical trial by the National Institutes of Health call for innovative psychosocial intervention. Implications for professional practice, research, and education are outlined. KEY WORDS: anxiety; cardiovascular disease; depression; gender; health disparity; mental health comorbidity, Aging-related cardiovascular disease (CVD) includes coronary heart disease (CHD), ischemic attack in the brain (stroke), high blood pressure (hypertension), irregular heart beat (arrhythmia), and congestive heart failure (CHF). The demographic [...]

J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2003;74:1638-1643 Objective: To describe the occurrence of myasthenia gravis in the Baltic area. Methods: Data were obtained from hospital files recorded during the period 1942 to [...]

Keywords: elderly people, home environmental hazards, injuries Introduction In both the United States and Australia, injury ranks sixth as a cause of death and morbidity in older people [1, 2]. [...]

American society is aging. This increasingly familiar refrain describes the slow population shift toward more older members resulting from lower birthrates and increased longevity. The proportion of people over age [...]

This article examines whether elderly individuals who had executed an advance directive for health care were more likely to have their wishes understood by their designated surrogates than elderly individuals who had not executed an advance directive. A sample of 153 elderly people was drawn from two nursing homes and two senior citizen housing complexes; 40 of the participants had executed an advance directive. Concordance was measured using six hypothetical health care scenarios and was evaluated by assessing the percentage of agreement and directionality of discordant responses. The mere completion of an advance directive did not guarantee a surrogate decision maker's awareness of the older person's wishes. Education, communication, and supportive intervention are also needed. As educators, facilitators, and enablers, social workers are well suited for this role. Key words: advance directives; elderly patients; health care proxy; living will; self-determination, The Patient Self-Determination Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-508) was designed to increase patient involvement in decisions regarding life-sustaining treatment by ensuring that advance directives for health care are available to [...]

Summary The Albertina Project is an epidemiological study of the medical, social and economic situation among people aged 75 years or older in Uppsala, Sweden. In this report, health conditions, [...]

We know that the rate of most cancers increases with age: older people get cancer more often than younger people. But despite the obviousness of the situation, the disciplines of [...]

Patients' 'spirituality' is widely considered to be a factor that nurses need to consider in their assessments. But Jeanette Power suggests ways in which assessments can be undertaken, and questions [...]

Introduction Parkinson's disease (PD) is an important cause of falls and reduced mobility in elderly people. Many of the more severely affected patients have frequent falls, the main cause of [...]

Byline: R. Mathew, P. Mathuranath Background: Developing regions of the world host the majority of elderly subjects who are at risk for dementia. Reliable epidemiological data from these countries is [...]

Abstract Objectives--To assess the 1 year prevalence of tension-type headache (TTH), migraine headache (MH), and chronic daily headache (CDH), as well as of headache in general in a rural elderly [...]

INTRODUCTION The 'experiment' in neo-liberal structural adjustment (Kelsey 1997) that began with the election of a reform-minded Labour government in 1984 has touched virtually every aspect of New Zealand life [...]

Vol 47, June 1999 * Misreporting of total energy intake in older men and women. N.J. Tomoyasu, M.J. Toth, and E.T. Poehlman. 710-715. Underreporting of energy intake in older adults [...]

Reserve GP surgeries for treatment, not screening I am as guilty as the next person of neglecting my health. Despite being a nurse, I rarely visit a doctor unless in [...]

Policies that would reduce or eliminate Social Security benefits for early retirees could have adverse consequences for older workers in poor health. This article documents the health and financial circumstances [...]

This month, Wendy Barker, consultant nurse at East Riding of Yorkshire Primary Care Trust, poses the following question: Recent reports on topics such as patient dignity and malnutrition, have shown [...]

Runciman P et al (2006) Community nurses' health promotion work with older people. Journal of Advanced Nursing 55, 1, 46-57 Demographic change should be viewed as an opportunity to focus [...]

Lovheim H et al (2006) Poor staff awareness of analgesic treatment jeopardises adequate pain control in the care of older people. Age and Ageing. 35, 3, 257-261 Many older people [...]

Many residents of care homes are dying with advanced dementia without receiving optimal palliative care Suffering is a state encompassing psychological distress, spiritual concerns and various aspects of physical pain [...]

Research overviews that have attempted to identify effective treatments for later-life depression have focused exclusively on major depression, rather than the range of depressive disorders usually experienced by older adults. [...]

What do I do now? * Using the information in section 1 to guide you, write a practice profile of between 750 and 1,000 words--ensuring that you have related it [...]

Although the fact that, in general, the US population is living longer is said to be the public health success story of the 20th century, the boom in the population aged 65 years and older is having and will continue to have major implications for all age groups as well as for the nation's health, social, and economic institutions. The concept of productive aging can provide guidance in addressing these implications. The assumptions of productive aging reflect today's reality that older people are repositories of wisdom and experience and important assets for society; relatively healthy, with the potential for maintaining that condition until late in life; capable of making economic and social contributions that benefit themselves, their families, and their communities; and in need of purposeful and meaningful roles and activities in life. A productive aging activity model emphasizes involvement in paid work, volunteerism, education, fitness and exercise, leisure and travel, advocacy and political action, and consumerism. This article discusses the concept of productive aging, a related activity model, and qualitative focus group research undertaken in conjunction with the 1995 White House Conference on Aging., The phenomenon of what is commonly known as a demographic shift is occurring in industrialized and developing nations alike, and the United States is no exception. Average life expectancy at [...]