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Depression is a common psychiatric disorder among geriatric patients that decreases the quality of life and increases morbidity and mortality. Vitamin D as a neuro-steroid hormone might play a role in the onset and treatment of depression. In the present study, the association between depressive symptoms and vitamin D concentration in serum was evaluated. 140 patients of a psychogeriatric day-care unit were included. The geriatric depression scale (GDS) and the Hamilton depression rating scale (HDRS) were assessed at the beginning and end of treatment, GDS scores additionally 6 weeks after discharge from the day-care unit. Vitamin D levels were measured at the beginning of the treatment, routinely. Patients with levels below 30 µg/L were treated with 1000 IU vitamin D per day. There was no association between the severity of depressive symptoms and the concentration of vitamin D at the beginning of the treatment. Patients with higher vitamin D levels showed a stronger decline of depressive symptoms measured by the GDS during their stay in the day-care unit. We provide evidence that vitamin D serum levels might influence antidepressant therapy response in a geriatric population. Prospective studies are necessary to determine which patients may profit from add-on vitamin D therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Although there is an urgent need for restraint-free care, the number of randomized clinical trials on preventing or reducing physical restraints has been limited. Objectives: To investigate the effectiveness of an educational intervention to prevent the use of physical restraints on residents newly admitted to psycho-geriatric nursing home wards. Design: Cluster-randomized trial. Setting: Fourteen Dutch psycho-geriatric nursing home wards. Participants: 138 residents admitted to 14 psycho-geriatric nursing home wards after baseline measurement of the trial were selected, out of which 33 residents died or informed consent had not been obtained. A total of 105 residents were included in the analyses. Methods: The nursing home wards were randomly assigned to either educational intervention or control status. The educational intervention consisted of an educational programme for nurses combined with a nurse specialist''s consultation. The data were collected at 1, 4 and 8 months post-intervention. The use of physical restraints was measured by blinded, trained observers on four separate occasions over a 24-h period. The Minimum Data Set was used to determine residents’ characteristics, such as their cognitive status. Results: During the study period, no statistically significant differences between the experimental group and the control group regarding restraint status, restraint intensity, multiple restraints and types of restraints were found. One month post-intervention, 38% of the residents newly admitted to the experimental wards were restrained. Bilateral bedrails were the most frequently used restraints at Post-test 1 (24%), Post-test 2 (23%) and Post-test 3 (28%), followed by the use of infrared systems at Post-tests 2 and 3. Conclusion: An educational programme combined with the consultation of a nurse specialist does not prevent the use of physical restraints on residents newly admitted to psycho-geriatric nursing home wards. Although other studies have shown promising results with the effectiveness of these types of intervention on restraint reduction, the development of additional interventions to prevent restraint usage is recommended. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

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