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Geriatrics research

Everything we have read on geriatrics. Each paper is summarised from the full article rather than its abstract, so the limitations are in there too, and the funding wherever the paper declares it.

1,154 PAPERS · PAGE 1 OF 24 · NEWEST FIRST

• OTRNRCT2016Associations among pain, depression, and functional limitation in low-income, home-dwelling older adults: An analysis of baseline data from CAPABLE.Geriatric nursing (New York, N.Y.)In low-income home-dwelling older adults, higher depressive symptoms and pain interference were linked to more difficulty with daily activities. Depression was linked to part of the pain-function relationship, but this baseline analysis does not show treatment improves function.
• PTOTSLPRNQualitative2017Preferences and concerns for care needs in advanced Parkinson's disease: a qualitative study of couples.Journal of clinical nursingCouples with advanced Parkinson's disease described frequent falls, speech and swallowing problems, financial strain and lack of prognostic information as major concerns. They wanted to stay home but often had no plans because they did not know what to expect.
• PTOTRNSystematic Review2016Protein Supplementation Does Not Significantly Augment the Effects of Resistance Exercise Training in Older Adults: A Systematic Review.Journal of the American Medical Directors AssociationProtein supplements did not significantly boost the strength or muscle gains from resistance training in older adults. While training itself worked, adding protein made no difference compared to training alone for most people.
• PTOTRNCohort2017Ability of Self-Reported Frailty Components to Predict Incident Disability, Falls, and All-Cause Mortality: Results From a Population-Based Study of Older British Men.Journal of the American Medical Directors AssociationAsking older men about slow walking, low activity, exhaustion, and weight loss flagged later disability, falls, or death. These simple questions pointed to higher risk as well as or better than objective frailty tests.
• PTOTRNOther2017Falls, Cognitive Impairment, and Gait Performance: Results From the GOOD Initiative.Journal of the American Medical Directors AssociationIn older adults able to walk without help, non-Alzheimer dementia was linked to more falls than cognitively healthy adults, while Alzheimer dementia was not. Slower walking speed tracked falls broadly; variable stride time did so mainly in cognitively healthy adults.
• PTOTRNCohort2017ED Utilization and Self-Reported Symptoms in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.Journal of emergency nursingPain, tiredness and breathlessness were common whether older adults went to the emergency department or not. ED use was linked more to taking more medications, difficulty with daily activities and balance problems than to symptoms alone.
• OTRNOther2017Needs of family caregivers in home care for older adults.Revista latino-americana de enfermagemFamily caregivers of older adults in home care reported needing information and support for medication care, dressing, diaper changing and bathing. Observation found essential steps not performed or incomplete, especially in medication care and dressing, even when caregivers did not report needing information.
• PTOTRNSystematic Review2017Assessment of Activity of Daily Living Among Older Adult Patients in Home Healthcare and Skilled Nursing Facilities: An Integrative Review.Home healthcare nowOlder adult ADL assessments in home health and skilled nursing use different tools, definitions, scoring and reporters, so scores may not be comparable. Check the method before using it to guide care.
• PTOTRNOther2017Assessment of Fall Characteristics From Depth Sensor Videos.Journal of gerontological nursingMost falls in senior housing videos came from incorrect transfers or shifts of body weight, not slips. Check mobility aid use, because aids were present but unused in 20% of falls and in use in 40%.
• PTOTRNCohort2017Changes in frailty conditions and phenotype components in elderly after hospitalization.Revista latino-americana de enfermagemOne year after discharge, the most common change was non-frail to pre-frail (56.7%), and deaths occurred among frail and pre-frail adults. Depression, medicines, illnesses and daily-living scores did not predict overall frailty change.
• PTOTRNSystematic Review2018Multicomponent Palliative Care Interventions in Advanced Chronic Diseases: A Systematic Review.The American journal of hospice & palliative careAcross 64 palliative care programs for cancer, heart, lung or kidney disease, nurses were involved in 88%, but few delivered all 7 components. More disciplines or components were not clearly linked to better outcomes.
• PTOTSLPRNQualitative2017Nursing home care trajectories for older adults following in-hospital palliative care consultation.Geriatric nursing (New York, N.Y.)Ten of twelve patients discharged to a nursing home after palliative care received aggressive rehabilitation despite poor prognoses, often contradicting their own goals. Only two followed a comfort-focused path. Most patients experienced high symptom burden and rehospitalization, with no documented spiritual support or goal renegotiation in the nursing home.
• OTQualitative2017Pilot testing a digital pet avatar for older adults.Geriatric nursing (New York, N.Y.)Ten older adults living alone used a tablet-based digital pet for three months. They valued the companionship and reminders but grew frustrated with repetitive conversations, technical glitches, and privacy concerns. Two dropped out early due to device issues and a lack of genuine connection.
• PTOTCohort2017Objective Measures of Activity in the Elderly: Distribution and Associations With Demographic and Health Factors.Journal of the American Medical Directors AssociationOlder adults aged 70 to 94 spent 78.2% to 79.5% of waking time sedentary, and average moderate-to-vigorous activity was 71.5 to 75.0 minutes/day. Activity was lower with older age, higher BMI, disability and chronic disease.
• OTRNQualitative2017Older Adult Residents' Perceptions of Daily Lives in Nursing Homes.Journal of nursing scholarship : an official publication of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of NursingNursing home residents described comfort from staff handling daily care, but also loneliness, limited choices, and needing permission to go outside. They valued staff who listened and wanted more control over daily life.
• OTSurvey2017Socially Assistive Robots: Measuring Older Adults' Perceptions.Journal of gerontological nursingOlder adults' responses to a robot survey were consistent. After a brief robot interaction, all main areas became more positive except anxiety items. It tested acceptance, not patient outcomes.
• OTRNQualitative2017Perceptions of Brain Health and Cognition in Older African Americans and Caucasians With HIV: A Focus Group Study.The Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care : JANACOlder adults with HIV described everyday memory and word-finding problems. Some used lists, calendars, family help, and driving limits. They knew lifestyle factors might help brain health but could not explain how.
• OTRNCohort2017FRAIL Questionnaire Screening Tool and Short-Term Outcomes in Geriatric Fracture Patients.Journal of the American Medical Directors AssociationFrailty scores on the FRAIL scale tracked worse outcomes in 175 older fracture patients: 20% delirium overall, almost 29% in frail patients, longer stays, and fewer going home. It flags risk, but was not tested as an intervention.
• PTOTSLPRNCohort2018The Relationship Between the Dietary Inflammatory Index and Incident Frailty: A Longitudinal Cohort Study.Journal of the American Medical Directors AssociationOlder adults with the most pro-inflammatory diets had a higher risk of becoming frail over eight years. This link was strong in men, where the highest diet score group had four times the risk, but no association was found in women.
• PTOTRNSystematic Review2018Fear of falling among community-dwelling older adults: A scoping review to identify effective evidence-based interventions.Geriatric nursing (New York, N.Y.)Exercise, tai chi, cognitive behavior therapy and multi-component programs reduced fear of falling in community-dwelling older adults in 26 of 45 studies, but no intervention was clearly best.
• OTPilot2018The impact of peer mentor communication with older adults on depressive symptoms and working alliance: A pilot study.Patient education and counselingPeer mentors used more client-centered talk over time, and this was associated with stronger working alliance and lower depression scores. Medical information and specific counseling skills were associated with worse depression. The study was correlational and small.
• PTOTRNQualitative2018Stakeholders' Perceptions Sought to Inform the Development of a Low-Cost Mobile Robot for Older Adults: A Qualitative Descriptive Study.Clinical nursing researchOlder adults in senior housing wanted to do daily self-care and household tasks themselves, keep active, and stay connected to family and friends. Staff visits did not replace that need. Safety checks and reminders mattered.
• PTOTRNOther2018Executive function: Responses to aerobic exercise in Alzheimer's disease.Geriatric nursing (New York, N.Y.)Six months of supervised cycling did not significantly improve executive function in 28 older adults with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. Scores declined non-significantly. EXIT-25, BDS, and Stroop tracked change better than Trail Making Test and COWAT.
• PTOTRNSurvey2017Prevalence of household falls in long-lived adults and association with extrinsic factors.Revista latino-americana de enfermagemIn adults aged 80 or older, 46.9% reported a fall in the past year. Uneven floors, steps, pets at the entrance, missing anti-slip rugs and bathroom grab bars were associated with falls.
• OTRNSurvey2018Delivering Person-Centered Care: Important Preferences for Recipients of Long-term Services and Supports.Journal of the American Medical Directors AssociationOlder adults in nursing homes and home care rated everyday choices as important, especially regular family and friend contact. Staff should ask about eating, bathing, privacy, belongings, and who joins care discussions rather than assume routines.
• PTOTRNCohort2018Octogenarians' post-acute care use after cardiac valve surgery and recovery: clinical implications.Geriatric nursing (New York, N.Y.)Most Medicare patients aged 80 and older used post-acute care after cardiac valve surgery: 68%. Skilled nursing and home health were common; inpatient rehabilitation was rare. Patients and families may need early planning for discharge.
• PTOTCohort2018Muscle Strength and Functional Limitations: Preserving Function in Older Mexican Americans.Journal of the American Medical Directors AssociationStronger handgrip was linked to less functional loss over two years in older Mexican Americans. Each 10-kg higher grip was associated with 5% and 8% lower odds of losing instrumental tasks and developing new disability. It does not prove strength training prevents decline.
• PTOTSLPMeta-Analysis2018Cognitive-Based Interventions to Improve Mobility: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Journal of the American Medical Directors AssociationCognitive training improved walking speed when participants performed a second task, such as talking or counting. The effect was small and did not reach significance for normal walking. Shorter training sessions may produce better results than longer ones.
• PTOTRNQualitative2018Care in Nursing Facilities after Palliative Consult.Journal of hospice and palliative nursing : JHPN : the official journal of the Hospice and Palliative Nurses AssociationHospital palliative care goals were often missing when 12 patients entered nursing homes. Families expected improvement, and therapy was ordered despite poor prognosis.
• OTRNQualitative2019Open Wounds and Healed Scars: A Qualitative Study of Elderly Women's Experiences With Breast Cancer.Cancer nursingMany older women tried to continue daily life after breast cancer, but fatigue, arm problems, scars, comorbid illness and limited support weighed on them. They valued nurses who had time to explain and attend to everyday concerns.
• PTOTRNOther2018Physical Activity and Function in Assisted Living Residents.Western journal of nursing researchAssisted living residents averaged 20.6 sedentary hours daily, with 42 minutes of moderate activity. A wrist monitor was feasible, and activity did not separate residents who had fallen from those who had not.
• OTRNSystematic Review2018Sleep disruption and quality of life in persons with dementia: A state-of-the-art review.Geriatric nursing (New York, N.Y.)In older adults with dementia, poor sleep was linked to worse physical function, more behavioral symptoms, more depression and apathy, and worse cognition. Sleep assessment may help clinicians understand quality-of-life problems.
• PTOTRNCohort2018Examining age-related differences in functional domain impairment following traumatic brain injury.International journal of older people nursingOlder adults after mild-moderate traumatic brain injury had worse mobility, travel, home maintenance and overall function for a year. Better pre-injury physical health was linked to better function; better pre-injury mental health was sometimes linked to worse function in older adults.
• OTPilot2019Feasibility of DAIly NURSE: A nursing intervention to change nursing staff behaviour towards encouraging residents' daily activities and independence in the nursing home.Journal of clinical nursingNursing home staff found a training, coaching and policy intervention feasible, especially a breakfast video showing staff doing tasks residents could do. It may help staff notice and reduce unnecessary help; it does not show residents became more independent.
• OTCohort2019Impairments in Individual Autonomous Living Tasks and Time to Self-Care Disability in Middle-Aged and Older Adults.Journal of the American Medical Directors AssociationIn middle-aged and older adults, difficulty shopping and preparing hot meals had the strongest links to later needing help with basic self-care. Difficulty using a map had the weakest links.
• OTRNOther2018Frailty syndrome among elderly and associated factors: comparison of two cities.Revista latino-americana de enfermagemAmong 480 older adults, frailty was higher in Ribeirão Preto than João Pessoa and linked to older age, less schooling, more diseases, cognitive deficit, poorer daily function and more depressive symptoms. These are associations, not proof of cause.
• OTRNOther2019Beneficial effect of laughter therapy on physiological and psychological function in elders.Nursing openIn 17 older adults attending day care, four weekly professional stand-up comedy sessions were followed by lower systolic blood pressure and heart rate, lower depression scores, and better family-rated motivation for activity. It was uncontrolled, so comedy itself was not proven.
• PTOTSLPRNSystematic Review2019The Effectiveness of Function-Focused Care Interventions in Nursing Homes: A Systematic Review.The journal of nursing research : JNRFunction-focused care in nursing homes improved physical, psychosocial, and cognitive outcomes for most residents. The review could not determine which specific intervention method worked best or whether integrated or dedicated care processes were superior.
• PTOTRNMeta-Analysis2019Frail Phenotype and Disability Prediction in Community-Dwelling Older People: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies.The journal of nursing research : JNRFrail community-dwelling older adults had a 5.37-fold higher risk of disability in basic daily tasks and a 3.87-fold higher risk in more complex daily tasks than robust peers. Those at risk also had a 1.84-fold higher risk than robust peers.
• PTOTRNSystematic Review2019Effect of exergaming on health-related quality of life in older adults: A systematic review.International journal of nursing studiesExergaming did not consistently improve health-related quality of life in older adults. Most trials found no clear benefit, and the positive results were short-term and tied to supervised center-based sessions with high adherence.
• PTOTRNSystematic Review2019A systematic mixed methods review: Recovering from a hip fracture in a health promoting perspective.Nursing openOlder adults recovering at home after hip fracture described recovery as a battle for independence. Support that strengthens their sense of control and motivation may matter more than exercise alone.
• PTOTRNCohort2019Incidence and risk of falls in patients treated for hematologic malignancies in the Intensive Hematology Unit.Revista latino-americana de enfermagemOnly 2 falls occurred among 101 adults hospitalized for blood cancers over 1.5 years, yet 29.7% were high fall risk at admission and 40.6% mid-stay. Dizziness at admission was the only assessed factor associated with falls.
• PTOTRNCohort2019Genotype, resilience and function and physical activity post hip fracture.International journal of orthopaedic and trauma nursingAt two months after hip fracture, resilience was associated with genetic variation and social activity, and with better function and more exercise. The study cannot show cause.
• OTRNOther2019Health-related quality of life and related factors among a sample of older people with cognitive impairment.Nursing openOlder adults with mild cognitive impairment self-reported quality of life close to reference values for a general Swedish geriatric population. Low physical quality of life was linked to dependence in daily activities, pain and informal care; low mental quality of life was linked to loneliness.
• OTSurvey2019Characteristics of care methods for daily life disabilities in Alzheimer's type dementia that respect autonomy and independence.Nursing openExperienced dementia care practitioners rated autonomy-preserving ADL care as beneficial by Alzheimer's severity. Mild: simplified necessities and next-step verbal prompts. Moderate: verbal task opportunities, visual marks, environment arranged together. Severe: step-by-step demonstration, preventing non-starts, slowly confirming intention.
• OTRNCohort2019Toileting difficulties in older people with and without dementia receiving formal in-home care-A longitudinal study.Nursing openOlder people receiving formal in-home care had more toileting difficulties over 36 months. Baseline dementia was associated with more than twofold higher toileting difficulties at the last assessment, and later nursing home admission with more than ten times higher toileting difficulties.
• OTSurvey2019Patient participation in municipal elderly care from the perspective of nurses and occupational therapists.Nursing openNurses and occupational therapists in Swedish elderly care described patient participation as ranging from making patients comply to handing them power. Seventy-nine per cent worked with it daily, but 56 per cent had not read the Patient Act.
• OTQualitative2019Safety for older adults using telecare: Perceptions of homecare professionals.Nursing openHomecare staff perceived telecare as helping keep older adults safer. They described smoke detectors, GPS alarms, COPD portals and medicine dispensers preventing harm, but also feared devices failing or confusing people with dementia.
• PTOTRNQualitative2019Wishes and needs of older persons who have experienced a fall: A qualitative study.Nursing openOlder people after a fall wanted to keep doing meaningful activities, stay independent, and have social contact. They valued Falls Clinic and physiotherapist contact, while some men denied needing help.
• OTCohort2019Sociodemographic Factors and Characteristics of Caregivers as Determinants of Skilled Nursing Facility Admissions When Modeled Jointly With Functional Limitations.Journal of the American Medical Directors AssociationIn older Medicare adults, each one-point worsening on a 7 to 28 function scale was associated with 26% higher likelihood of skilled nursing facility admission. Living alone, low education, and more caregivers also raised risk.