Problems of elderly health care and welfare arrangement --Case study of demand on elder care in northeastern of Thailand

This research attempted to explain the problems of elderly health care, the problems and suggestion in elder welfare arrangement and the demand on elder care. The survey underlying this study was conducted in Muang district, Khon Kaen province, Thailand. Eighteen subdistricts were interviewed in the study area. Data were collected in two areas of Khon Kaen province, that are, the city of Khon Kaen and the outside Thesaban Nakhon Khon Kaen. The random sample consisted of 386 elders： 112 elders lived in the city of Khon Kaen and 234 elders lived outside Thesaban Nakhon Khon Kaen, Muang district, Khon Kaen. The analysis of the demand on elderly welfare gave an interesting result that the elders demanded on monthly income to support living cost and medical services at high level; The demand on housing was at low level; The demand on education, religion and culture the demand on club, sport and entertainment, and the demand on job and art were at the moderate level; The main problem of elderly welfare arrangement was the scarcity of budget support, the weakness of elder health, and activities announcement. The analysis of pattern of elder welfare： The case study of elder care identified that 31.87 percent of the elders had demand on elder care. Price of the elder care at 100 Baht per day was mostly selected about one-fourth of all the case occurred. Female elder selected the elder care at 100 Baht per day, while male elder choose at a higher price level, which were 200 Baht per day and 150 Baht per day respectively. The female elder care was the most popular. The elder care age between 30-39 years was mostly selected. Finally, most of elders purposed the working day of the elder care depend on their appointment.

Investigation and Countermeasures on the Health-Promoting Lifestyle of the Disabled Elderly in a Rural Area

Objective： To investigate the level of health-promoting lifestyle in the disabled elderly in a rural area and to provide useful countermeasures for health care workers and the government to improve the elderly＇ s lifestyle behaviors. Methods： A total of 446 disabled elderly people were recruited and examined using the General Questionnaire and Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II. Results： The mean score of the health-promoting lifestyle was 109.73（ SD = 16.80）, in which 90.6 percent of the disabled elderly demonstrated unhealthy lifestyle behaviors. The average score for each of the subscales includedthe following： interpersonal relations, stress management, nutrition, self-actualization, health responsibility, and sports activity. Conclusions： The health-promoting lifestyle of the disabled elderly needs to be improved; health care workers and the government should pay more attention to the countermeasures that can improve the lifestyle behaviors and promote the health of the disabled elderly.

Philadelphia Water Bad for Elderly Health — Study

美国的环境保护工作无疑走在世界的前列。凡是到过美国的人都会被那里优美清洁的环境所倾倒。美国的自来水(tap water),可以直接饮用。…its tap water was filled with pathogens.这将是一个极为可怕的情景!本报道在肯定费城的tap water有问题时,振振有辞。而费城市长的发言人在驳斥这个结论的时候,也不乏根据:He noted that an EPA authorized peer review of the study found it flawed. 费城的市长发言人说过的一句话值得我们研究: No one has hinted that our water quality wasn't the best in the region. 初读此句,可能被句中的两个否定词所惑:no/not。其实,我们不能以“否定+否定=肯定”的公式来套用本句。本句的关键在于:wasn't the best。这里使用了一种被称为understatement的修辞,…our water quality wasn't the best in the region的弦外之音是:there was some problem in our water quality in the region. 形容词的比较级常常用在understatement中。另如,在《英语900句》中,有这样一个对话: What do you think of the performance? I think it could be better. 回答中的could be better即understatement,意思是:还可以更好些;不是很好。 No one has hinted that our water quality

Health Effect of Forest Bathing Trip on Elderly Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Forest bathing trip is a short, leisurely visit to forest. In this study we determined the health effects of forest bathing trip on elderly patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease （COPD）. The patients were randomly divided into two groups. One group was sent to forest, and the other was sent to an urban area as control. Flow cytometry, ELISA, and profile of mood states （POMS） evaluation were performed. In the forest group,

Assessment of Comprehensive Health Care of the Elderly in Primary Health Care

Objective: To assess comprehensive care in the elderly population, as well as the quality of care in Primary Health Care. Methods: This is an exploratory descriptive study with a quantitative approach, conducted from July to December 2012, in the city of Santa Cruz, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. A sample of 130 subjects chosen by drawn was calculated, and data collection was performed at their homes. Results: There were interviewed 130 people, 92 (70.8%) women and 38 men (29.2%), with a minimum age of 60 and maximum of 96 years, with a mean of 72.8, median of 72.0 and a standard deviation of 8.3. Regarding the quality of care ratings of the PHC team, 48.5% (n = 63) of respondents stated this to be good, while 32.3% (n = 42) rated this as fair. Conclusions: In this perspective, one of the most appreciated meanings that were given to comprehensive care by health care professionals refers to holistic knowledge of each patient, resulting in the non-fragmentation of care. Thus, it is noticed that comprehensiveness has some weaknesses that need to be corrected, which shows the need for education and training of professionals assigned to primary health care services.

The Elder Health Information Technology Framework for Geriatric Care in Rural India: A Policy Initiative

Healthcare monitoring and analysis of healthcare parameters is a reality to reduce costs and increase access to specialist and experts that holds the future for geriatric care in India. This paper proposes distinct methods towards the implementation of rural elder health information technologies (IT), which includes electronic medical records, clinical decision support, mobile medical applications, and software driven medical devices used in the diagnosis or treatment of disease for the older adult population in the villages of India. The purpose is online patient satisfaction at the microlevel (village panchayat) through methods accessible and affordable by establishing a common standard of operations at the village primary care units giving way to early disease detection and routine screening among the aged population avoiding institutionalization. The rural elder health IT framework is of great interest for all stakeholders in the field, as it benefits the investors and the consumers, adding to the technological infrastructure, thereby opening new avenues of research in health informatics, telemedicine and enhancing the scope of geriatric research, which in turn enhances the health-related quality of life for the rural older adults in the remote villages of the nation.

Musical and Photographic Stimulations on the Symptomatology of Alzheimer’s Disease in Elderly

Background: Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive and neurodegenerative disorder characterized by deterioration of brain functions. Psychosocial interventions such as music and photographic stimuli may contribute to cognitive and sensory exercise or rehabilitation. Objective: Evaluate musical and photographic stimuli in elderly people with Alzheimer’s disease. Methods: It is an uncontrolled clinical trial, before-after type, eleven subjects composing the sample. Participants were submitted to Katz Index, Autobiographical Memory Test, GDS-15, Mini-Mental State Examination. The collection instruments were used on the first and last day of intervention, individually. There were 2 sessions in the week with duration of 50 minutes totaling 20 sessions. Data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics and as variables expressed as mean standard deviation. Results: There was a significant effect of cognitive activity (P < 0.01), it was observed that a small advance (P = 0.05) of the daily life activities. With the analysis of GDS-15, it is verified that they are more effective for the increase of the previous self-estimation of the therapy (P = 0.94). In the application of the AMT, it is observed that there was a better recruitment of the memory for the neutral words. Conclusion: Musical and photographic stimuli had a positive effect on the cognitive level, daily life activities and autobiographical memory in seniors with Alzheimer’s disease.

Evaluation of Quality Care for Senior Citizens in Primary Health Care

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the quality care received by senior citizens in Primary Health Care (PHC) in the Unified Health System, with the objectives of contributing with the comprehensive implementation of humanized conduct and actions for this part of the population. Methods: This is a descriptive-exploratory study with a quantitative approach that was conducted in the city of Santa Cruz, which is located in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Norte, with a population of 130 senior citizens. The research was approved by the Committee for Ethics in Research at the Federal University at Rio Grande do Norte under protocol 152/2012. Results: In the results, the classification of the PHC services varied from good to reasonable. Regarding the assistance offered to the aging and comprehensive care, there were failures in accordance with how it’s recommended in the National Healthcare System. This concludes, through the perspective of the elderly user, the need for the reformulation of the activities which are offered to this population and therefore the implementation of conduct for better service in the area of Primary Health Care.

Economic and Social Impact of China’s Aging Population and Public Policy Response

In mapping out China’s future development,policymakers must bear in mind the challenges from a falling birthrate and aging society.Based on previous demographic censuses and original data of large sample surveys,this study employed an indirect method for estimating China’s total fertility rate(TFR)and a demographic forecast method based on the parity progression ratio(PPR).Our analysis details the socioeconomic implications behind demographic change,and we have proposed public policy countermeasures.The findings include:(i)China’s ultra-low fertility rate over the past three decades has led to an increasingly aging society,and China’s future fertility rate is likely to continue to decrease.(ii)Around 2024,China’s total population is expected to peak at 1.407 billion,followed by chronic negative population growth at an accelerating pace.By 2050,China’s newborn population will shrink to 8.73 million and the aging population will increase to roughly 30%of the total population resulting in the total dependency ratio above 50%.(iii)With a falling birthrate and aging society,China will face unprecedented challenges with respect to education,employment,and pension.(iv)As a public policy response,China should remove birth control altogether.If the fertility rate continues to stall,policymakers should consider issuing policies to encourage birth and create a birth-friendly society for all birth cycles.

Vital Sign Signal Extraction Based on mmWave Radar

This research develops an algorithm for health monitoring and uses the Infineon BGT60TR13C shield 60GHz radar to build a set of software and hardware demonstration platforms for algorithm verification. The algorithm can monitor the position, breathing, heartbeat and other information of the elderly in real time, which is used to judge the health status of the elderly and improve the convenience for early warning and rescue of abnormal situations in time. However, limited by the transmission power of this radar and the number of transmitting and receiving antennas, the current detection range of the algorithm is relatively small, and the ability to distinguish between multiple persons is limited. This problem can be optimized by replacing other types of radars in the future.

Elderly Care Provision and the Impact on Caregiver Health in China

With the fast pace of population aging,industrialization,and urbanization in China,the main source of elderly care is changing.Using China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey data,we investigate the elderly care provision situation and find that spouses are currently the most important elderly care providers in China.We use a model to depict the trade-off between a caregiver's own health and the care quality obtained by the care recipient.The model predicts that under some conditions,the caregivers will provide care at the cost of their health.Employing a stratified propensity score matching method,we find that spouses'caregivers are more likely to have depression,physical pain,and hypertension than noncaregivers.The negative effects are larger for caregivers with a high level of care intensity or less support from other resources.Female spousal caregivers tend to suffer more from depression and physical pain than male spousal caregivers.Our findings suggest that policies toward"healthy aging"should target not only the disabled elderly but also their spousal caregivers who are also elderly people.

The health status of the Chinese elderly and changes since 1990s:evidence from population censuses and sampling surveys

Employing data from the population census in 2010 and the 1%population sample survey in 2015,this paper examines the health status of China’s elderly including urban-rural differences and gender gaps in their health.In addition,sampling sur-veys from 1994 and 2004 are used to analyze the changes in the health status of the elderly since 1994.The results show that the health status of the urban elderly remained stable,but that of the rural elderly improved between the years 2010 and 2015.The health status of older males was generally better than that of older females.The health status of middle-aged elderly improved,but that of the oldest-old declined among male groups.The prevalence of disability of the elderly declined between 1994 and 2015,but the developmental pattern of disability changed in this period.

Senior Citizens’Cultural Activity and Participation in Community Life

Objective: This study has the objective to know the cultural activities of the senior citizen and their participation in community life as encouraged by Primary Health Care professionals. Methods: This is a quantitative study that was performed on 130 senior citizens in the city of Santa Cruz, in the Brazil state of Rio Grande do Norte. Results: The participation of senior citizens in groups is very beneficial because it increases their autonomy and self-esteem, socialization, well-being and consequently, which leads to a higher quality of life. However, there were some failures in the promotion of healthy aging and the adoption of strategic activities. Conclusions: Based on this observation, it is expected that this study can provide resources for the primary health care professionals to try to stimulate senior citizens by carrying out cultural activities that value and increase their potential, quality of life and self-esteem and, thus, promote active and healthy aging.