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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) poses a threat to the health and independence of older people in particular. In this article we elaborate on the content and importance of post-acute COVID-19 geriatric rehabilitation from a European perspective. We explain the geriatric rehabilitation paradox and how this can and should be solved. We also present what post-acute COVID-19 geriatric rehabilitation should entail. This might not only help us to develop better geriatric rehabilitation services, but it should also inform pandemic preparedness in the future.

Objectives There is insufficient knowledge about the functional and medical recovery of older people infected with SARS-CoV-2. This study aims to gain insight into the course of functional and medical recovery of persons who receive geriatric rehabilitation (GR) following SARS-CoV-2 infection across Europe. Special attention will be paid to the recovery of activities of daily living (ADL) and to the GR services offered to these patients. Design A multi-center observational cohort study. Setting and participants This study will include several European countries (EuGMS member states) each providing at least 52 comparable routine datasets (core dataset) of persons recovering from a SARS-CoV-2 infection and receiving geriatric rehabilitation. The routine data will be anonymously collected in an online CASTOR database. The ethical regulations of each participating country will be followed. Primary outcome ADL functioning. Secondary outcomes Length of stay, discharge destination, hospital readmission and mortality. Other variables that will be collected are quality of life, treatment modalities, complications, cognition, frailty, mood/anxiety, BMI, nutrition and pain. All variables will be reported at admission and compared with follow-up scores (discharge, 6 weeks and 6 months follow-up). Conclusion This study will explore the effect of geriatric rehabilitation on post-COVID-19 patients, especially on ADL recovery, and the variety of geriatric rehabilitation services across Europe. Information from this study may help improve recovery of older persons infected with SARS-CoV-2 and improve geriatric rehabilitation services in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

75 Jahre Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Spezialbibliotheken (AspB) – das sind 75 Jahre Vernetzung, kollegialer Austausch und praxisbezogene Weiterbildung in und für Spezialbibliotheken. In folgendem Beitrag werfen wir einen Blick in Vergangenheit, Gegenwart und Zukunft der AspB.

Older multi-morbid persons often fall seriously ill due to COVID-19. To be able to participate in a social life again, they often need special rehabilitation measures. Geriatric rehabilitation is a multi-professional service geared to these needs. Paradoxically, however, capacities in geriatric rehabilitation are currently being reduced despite increasing demand. The reasons are manifold and are not only due to the current situation. This article highlights the current situation leading to the COVID rehabilitation paradox and shows ways to learn from it for the future.

This paper shares our work on developing a module that connects Work-Integrated Learning and Career Development Learning for the Arts and Humanities. Driving forward Leeds Beckett’s vision, mission and strategy, this innovative multidisciplinary collaborative project is woven from the needs of our students, the challenges faced by our business partners in the northern economy, and the insights of our community of academics. As we strive to improve graduate outcomes, the university is engaging with the perceived limitations of non-vocational degree courses, whilst recognising and promoting the opportunities open to Arts and Humanities students. Through collaboration with local employers we are demonstrating a shared understanding of graduates from these disciplines as creative, flexible and digitally confident people who will help shape current and future roles in business and industry. Having successfully competed for funding from the University’s Centre for Learning and Teaching, a team of students, academics, local and regional business partners, colleagues in employability services and experts in digital pedagogy have come together to design this online work placement module focused on the needs of Arts and Humanities students. A key aspect of the project is to explore how lessons can then be applied more widely across cognate disciplines. The module both articulates the work place experience into the disciplinary nuances of Arts and Humanities students, and disrupts these students’ frequently traditional expectations of what courses in these disciplines can contribute to the workplace. On completion of the module, students in their final year will have extended their understanding of potential career pathways founded upon earlier experiences of Career Development Learning, and will additionally recognise the advantages that accrue from their agility and strength when jobs and working lives are evolving rapidly in the era of the fourth industrial revolution. In actively shaping this project, our students introduced and then explored with us the concept of a ‘career cartography’ to help them navigate a future where linear career paths will no longer be the norm. This module will enable them to articulate their stories in the context of Working Integrated Learning, and also nurture the mind-set that they can shape the future with confidence that potential employers will recognise the contribution they can make. Students on this module will embark upon a twenty-day work placement, supported by reflective exercises, and building expertise and confidence through a range of assessments designed by the course team and employer partners. Conceptualised and designed by digital specialists, the module is purposefully created to be delivered and experienced online – reflecting the increasingly distributed nature of work communications and embracing digital environments as an integral aspect of how employees and the self-employed progress their careers. Importantly, the module is credit-bearing and, like any other module on their course, is a constitutive element of the student’s degree. Through the interaction of workplace learning, academic development, and sound digital pedagogy, this innovative online module will empower students in the Arts and Humanities to shape their working lives. Authors: Ward, Lisa J; Robertson, Ben; Cooper, Andrew R; Connor, Rachel A; Hewson, Edmund; Grund, Sarah; De Balsi, Amy; Storer, Adam; McDermott, Kat; Finch, Sally; Barton, Richard; Abdela, Rahma and Nicholls, Charlotte.

Background: A key goal of geriatric rehabilitation is the improvement of health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Although recommended in several medical guidelines the measurement of HRQoL is not yet routinely performed and it is not yet examined, whether and how this could be routinely measured in an in-patient geriatric rehabilitation setting. Method: In a prospective cross-sectional study, 86 patients from our rehabilitation clinic completed the SF-36 and the EQ-5D-5L. We analysed the questionnaires’ feasibility and suitability operationalized in the needed assistance, the amount of time for completion, occurring questions and missing values. Results: 46.5% of the participants needed strong assistance completing the SF-36 with an average completion time of 11:36min. Items concerning the physical dimensions showed the most missing values as well as items referring to ‘daily activities, at work or at home’. 41.9% of the participants relied on strong assistance for the completion of the EQ-5D-5L. The item referring to ‘usual activities as e.g. work’ had the most missing values. Conclusion: The general feasibility of the SF-36 and EQ-5D-5L for measuring HRQoL in in-patient geriatric rehabilitation could be confirmed. However, the EQ-5D-5L seems to be more suitable for a routinely use. Due to the items, mental health might be underrepresented compared to the SF36.