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Aims: To evaluate the effectiveness of technology‐based interventions in reducing psychological morbidities such as depressive symptomology, anxiety, burden and improving quality of life and self‐efficacy in informal caregivers of stroke survivors. Design: A systematic review and meta‐analysis. Data Sources: An extensive search was systematically undertaken at CENTRAL, PubMed, Embase, Scopus, CINHAL, Web of Science and PsycInfo until January 2021. Grey literature and dissertations were searched in Google Scholar, ProQuest & Scholarbank@NUS. Studies involving registered trials were retrieved from Clinicaltrials.gov and CENTRAL, respectively. Review Methods: Two reviewers independently screened the trials, conducted quality appraisal and extracted the data. Quality of the studies included in the review was assessed using Cochrane Risk of bias tool. Meta‐analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.4. Narrative synthesis was performed for studies where results could not be pooled statistically. The results were reported abiding Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses guidelines. Results: This review included 15 trials with a total of 1276 informal caregivers of stroke survivors. Eleven trials were included in the meta‐analysis. Subgroup analyses revealed that technology‐based interventions with structured educational programs were statistically significant in reducing depressive symptoms (d = −0.27, 95% CI [−0.49 to −0.05], p =.02). Technology‐based interventions with structured educational programs <3‐month revealed significant effects (d = −0.31, 95% CI [−0.49 to −0.13], p =.0009). Results of narrative synthesis reported technology‐based intervention with face‐to‐face training minimized depressive symptoms of informal caregivers. Notably, there were no statistically significant effects on anxiety, burden, quality of life and self‐efficacy outcomes. Conclusion: Technology‐based interventions had beneficial effects in alleviating depressive symptoms among informal caregivers. Impact: Technology‐based interventions serve as a support mechanism for informal caregivers of stroke survivors who face time‐constrains. Further high‐quality randomized controlled trials are warranted to elucidate sustainability, optimal format and dosage of intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Care management of home-based long-term care is vital for community-dwelling older adults. Regarding care planning, which is a part of care management, appropriate care plans according to individual conditions are extremely important for older adults to continue living independently in their familiar environment for as long as possible. We compared the use of care services in the last year of life between advanced and conventional care management. The results showed that among the older adults with a care-need level of 3, 4, or 5, the advanced care management group had a significantly higher rate of use of home-visit nursing services than the conventional care management group. These differences could be attributed to differences in the care planning knowledge, experience, and the training environment of the care managers' offices.

Sarcopenia is a syndrome characterized by progressive and generalized loss of skeletal muscle mass, loss of muscle strength and/or reduced physical performance. Sarcopenia has repeatedly been reported as a strong predictor of both short- and long-term outcomes following surgical treatment for colorectal cancer. In this study, 86 primary colorectal cancer cases who received surgery at our hospital were examined. To evaluate which factor amongst muscle volume, muscle strength or physical performance would be important to avoid sarcopenia after surgery, we examined objective values of muscle volume, muscle strength and physical performance respectively. We also divided patients into groups by their ages or procedures of surgeries, then compared and analyzed within those groups. The results showed that most patients tended to lose their muscle volume of their legs and their physical performance after their surgeries. We also found patients who were equal or older than 75-year-old and patients who received open surgeries tended to lose their muscle volume or physical performance after their surgeries. These groups of patients have a potential risk to turn sarcopenia after surgeries. It would be important to observe each of 3 factors such as skeletal muscle volume, muscle strength and physical performance to evaluate precisely their condition of sarcopenia. Tailor-made peri-operative rehabilitation programs, especially for elderly patients or patients who received open surgeries, would be a possible solution to avoid sarcopenia after surgery for colorectal cancer.