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Background: It is estimated that over 200 million people worldwide have osteoporosis. The prevalence of osteoporosis is continuing to escalate with the increasingly aging population. The major complication of osteoporosis is an increase in fragility fractures leading to morbidity, mortality, and decreased quality of life. This investigation profiled the incidence and risk of osteoporosis in adult women firm a rural setting using ultrasonic boyle storming technology. Methods: Between 2001 and 2005, adult female subjects (n = 323) ill the age range of 40-87 were drawn front all independent, community dwelling, convenience sample. Bone mineral density T-scores were evaluated using heel ultrasonometry. Demographic and risk factor data. Merck Osteoporosis Evaluation SCORE questionnaire data, and the Osteoporosis Risk Assessment questionnaire data were analyzed. Results: Results of these scans indicate that 25% of the total population had a T-score [less than or equal to] a 1.5-implying a 1.5-to 2.0-fold increase it risk ratio of hip or spinal fracture for each standard deviational decrease. Age at menopause and weight had a positive correlation with T-scores. While the overall scores on the Merck SCORE questionnaire were inversely correlated to T-scores, no significant correlation was found between the Osteoporosis Risk Assessment questionnaire and T-score data. Additionally, women who had taken estrogen had significantly higher T-scores (p = 0.038) than those who had not. Conclusion: That approximately 25% of this sample has low bone mass or osteoporosis underscores the importance of early screening ill order to develop preventative awareness and provide education on bone health management. This finding has particularly important ramifications, since the sample was rural women, who typically have limited access to diagnostic bone density procedures. KEYWORDS. Osteoporosis. bone mineral density, ultrasound, calcaneus. T-score, rural women

This qualitative study was conducted using focus groups to explore the strategies commonly employed by older adults (N = 37) to manage multiple chronic conditions. Key strategies identified were relating with health care providers, medicating, exercising, changing dietary patterns, seeking information, relying on spirituality and/or religion, and engaging in life. Although social support was not mentioned as a discrete strategy, the participants 'social networks were embedded in all of the categories. This study supports building a partnership of care in which nurses and other health care professionals function in supportive and educative roles to enhance the older person's lifelong self-care management and ability to stay in control of multiple chronic health conditions. Keywords: older adults, comorbidity, chronic conditions, coping

Informal family caregivers make a significant contribution to the U.S. health care system, and the need for caregivers will likely increase. Gaining deeper insights into the caregiver experience will provide essential knowledge needed to support the future caregiver workforce delivering care. Discourse analysis is a viable approach in analyzing textual caregiver data that focuses on the end-of-life caregiving experience. The purpose of this study was to conduct an in-depth discourse analytic examination of 13 hours of caregiver interview data, which reveal the multiplicity of shifting stances and perceptions of one caregiver in the midst of end-of-life care, specifically with regard to his perceptions of self (caregiver) and other (care recipient). By isolating a specific but limited set of reference terms used throughout the discourse, we gained systematic glimpses into the mind and perceptions of this single caregiver in relation to his role as caregiver for his terminally ill wife. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine the infusion of a Toolkit for Enhancing End-of-Life Care in prisons, as well as the outcome and impact on the quality of prison end-of-life care. A total of 74 front-line staff and administrators were in attendance across two post-Toolkit-infusion evaluation visits. Applying qualitative analysis, co-researcher outcome findings were related to activities, community outreach and relations, multidisciplinary team, quality improvement approach, and participatory action research team effects. Organizational outcomes included barriers and challenges, cost, organizational features, sphere of influence, readiness (for change), and sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]