Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
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To compare rates and risk factors for early hospital readmission for nursing home residents and community-dwelling older adults. ⋯ Higher rates of hospital readmission for individuals discharged to nursing homes than to the community and differing patterns of risk factors for readmission indicate the importance of customized interventions to reduce readmission rates for two distinct elderly populations.
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To determine whether sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), a group of disorders common in older adults characterized by breathing pauses during sleep often accompanied by hypoxemia, is associated with cognitive decline. ⋯ In older community-dwelling men, there was a modest association between nocturnal hypoxemia and global cognitive decline, suggesting the importance of overnight oxygenation for cognitive function.
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To report the clinical course of older adults presenting for a new primary care visit for back pain, no healthcare visit for back pain within the prior 6 months, by describing pain intensity, disability, pain interference, and resolution of back pain over 12 months. ⋯ The majority of older adults in primary care practice settings presenting with a new visit for back pain have persistent symptoms, disability, and interference over 12 months of follow-up. Future research is needed to identify risk factors for persistent symptoms and effective interventions.
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There has been growing concern about racial and ethnic disparities in completion rates of advance directives (ADs) in community-dwelling older populations. Although differences in AD completion rates between non-Hispanic whites and African Americans have been reported, not much is known about the awareness and completion of ADs in other groups of ethnic minorities. ⋯ In both models, acculturation was found to be a significant predictor; those who were more acculturated were more likely to be aware of ADs and to have completed ADs. This study contributes to the knowledge about the role of acculturation in explaining AD awareness and completion in Korean-American older adults and provides recommendations for possible AD educational interventions for this older adult minority population.
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To evaluate the relationship between intervening illnesses and injuries leading to hospitalization and restricted activity, respectively, and prolongation of disability in four essential activities of daily living in newly disabled older persons. ⋯ Intervening illnesses and injuries leading to hospitalization and restricted activity, respectively, are strongly associated with prolongation of disability in newly disabled older adults. Efforts to prevent and more-aggressively manage these intervening events have the potential to break the cycle of disability in older persons.