The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences
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J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci. · Jan 2020
End-of-Life Healthcare Utilization of Older Mexican Americans With and Without a Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias.
Little is known about the patterns of end-of-life health care for older Mexican Americans with or without a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). Our objective was to investigate the frequency of acute hospital admissions, intensive care unit use, and ventilator use during the last 30 days of life for deceased older Mexican American Medicare beneficiaries with and without an ADRD diagnosis. ⋯ Hospitalization, intensive care unit stay, and ventilator use are common at the end of life for older Mexican Americans. The lower hospitalization and shorter length of stay in hospital of decedents with ADRD indicate a modest reduction in acute care use. Future research should investigate the impact of end-of-life planning on acute-care use and quality of life in terminally ill Mexican American older adults.
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J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci. · Jan 2020
Multicenter StudyA Regression Tree for Identifying Risk Factors for Fear of Falling: The International Mobility in Aging Study (IMIAS).
We determine the best combination of factors for predicting the risk of developing fear of falling (FOF) in older people via Classification Regression Tree (CaRT) analysis. ⋯ This classification tree included different groups based on specific combinations of a maximum of five easily measurable predictors with emphasis on impaired physical functioning risk factors for developing FOF.
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J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci. · Nov 2019
Coprescribing of Benzodiazepines and Opioids in Older Adults: Rates, Correlates, and National Trends.
To estimate prescribing trends of and correlates independently associated with coprescribing of benzodiazepines and opioids among adults aged 65 years or older in office-based outpatient visits. ⋯ The coprescribing rate of benzodiazepines and opioids increased monotonically over time in outpatient care settings. Because couse of benzodiazepines and opioids is associated with medication burdens and potential harms, future research is needed to address medication safety in these vulnerable populations.
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J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci. · Aug 2019
Comparative StudyRehabilitation After Hip Fracture for Nursing Home Residents: A Controlled Feasibility Trial.
This study compared functional outcomes at 3 months after hip fracture surgery between nursing home residents participating in a 10-week outreach rehabilitation program and those receiving usual care. Function, health-related quality of life, and mortality were also compared over 12 months, and outreach program feasibility was assessed. ⋯ Our feasibility trial demonstrated that Outreach participants achieved better locomotion by 3 months post-fracture compared with participants receiving usual postfracture care; benefits were sustained to 12 months post-fracture. In adjusted analyses, Outreach participants also showed sustained benefits in physical function and health-related quality of life.
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J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci. · Jul 2019
Validation of a Claims-Based Frailty Index Against Physical Performance and Adverse Health Outcomes in the Health and Retirement Study.
A claims-based frailty index (CFI) was developed based on a deficit-accumulation approach using self-reported health information. This study aimed to independently validate the CFI against physical performance and adverse health outcomes. ⋯ The CFI is useful to identify individuals with poor physical function and at greater risks of adverse health outcomes in Medicare data.