J Gerontol Nurs
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The purpose of this article is to compare the advantages and limitations of developed depression assessment tools and provide recommendations for clinical staff to select an appropriate tool for use with Chinese older adults. A total of 7 Western tools translated into Chinese and 4 tools developed specifically for assessing Chinese older adults were found in 12 articles. ⋯ A reasonable strategy to efficiently assess depression in Chinese older adults is to first administer the Single Question or Geriatric Depression Scale-4 (GDS-4). If depression is likely, the Chinese GDS-15 could be used to increase the probability of identifying depression in Chinese older adults.
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Pain assessment in older adults with dementia recently has received considerable attention from both researchers and clinicians as evidenced by a surge of published behavioral observation tools for pain assessment in this vulnerable population. These behavioral observation methods offer a promising strategy to improve pain assessment in older adults who are not able to communicate their pain verbally. However, some concerns exist related to the interpretation and clinical utility of these methods for decision making related to pain management interventions. This article provides an overview of the general state of knowledge on the use of behavioral observation methods in older adults and discusses the use of such methods to guide decision making in clinical settings.
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Delirium is a serious and prevalent problem that occurs in many hospitalized older adults. Delirium superimposed on dementia (DSD) occurs when a delirium occurs concurrently with a pre-existing dementia. DSD is typically underrecognized by medical and nursing staff. ⋯ Results revealed that the nurses in this study had a high level of general geropsychiatric nursing knowledge as measured by the MSHAKE, yet had difficulty recognizing DSD compared to dementia alone and delirium alone. Only 21% were able to correctly identify the hypoactive form of DSD, and 41% correctly identified hypoactive delirium alone in the case vignettes. Interventions and educational programs designed to increase nursing awareness of DSD symptoms could help to decrease this gap in nursing knowledge.
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Hospitalized older adults are vulnerable to many conditions that can cause functional decline. According to Inouye, Bogardus, Baker, Leo-Summers, and Cooney (2000), 34% to 50% of hospitalized older adults experience poor health outcomes, which can prolong their hospital stay, increase their risk for institutionalization, and increase hospital costs and mortality rates. ⋯ A survey was designed to gather data from 32 hospitals in Connecticut. Twenty-four hospital professionals responded (response rate = 75%), and the majority was found to be creative and eager to share ideas to improve the quality of care.
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Experiential techniques, such as role plays and simulations, are recommended to achieve nursing home staff training and development objectives. Experiential techniques can be customized to match the learning styles and preferences of all levels of nursing staff. ⋯ Project RELATE (Research and Education for Living with Alzheimer's Disease: Therapeutic Eldercare) measured reactions to and knowledge gained by nursing staff using such techniques in training person-centered care. Findings suggest experiential techniques are efficacious as learning methods.