Understanding the Diverse Forms of Spiritual Expression of Older People in Residential Aged Care in Australia

Abstract Background aspiration pneumonia increases hospitalisation and mortality of older people in residential aged care. Objectives determine potentially pathogenic microorganisms in oral specimens of older people with aspiration pneumonia and the effect of professional oral care in reducing aspiration pneumonia risk. Data Sources PUBMED/MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, COCHRANE, PROQUEST, Google Scholar, Web of Science. Study Eligibility Criteria published between January 2001 and December 2019 addressing oral microorganisms, aspiration pneumonia, oral health and treatment. Participants people 60 years and older in residential aged care. Study Appraisal and Synthesis Methods the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale and the Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Intervention Trials checklist. Results twelve studies (four cross-sectional, five cohort and three intervention) reported colonisation of the oral cavity of older people by microorganisms commonly associated with respiratory infections. Aspiration pneumonia occurred less in people who received professional oral care compared with no such care. Isolation of Candida albicans, Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant S. aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was related to mortality due to aspiration pneumonia. An interesting finding was isolation of Escherichia coli, a gut bacterium. Limitations more information may be present in publications about other co-morbidities that did not meet inclusion criteria. A high degree of heterogeneity prevented a meta-analysis. Issues included sampling size, no power and effect size calculations; different oral health assessments; how oral specimens were analysed and how aspiration pneumonia was diagnosed. Conclusions and Implications of Key Findings pathogenic microorganisms colonising the oral microbiome are associated with aspiration pneumonia in older people in residential care; professional oral hygiene care is useful in reducing aspiration pneumonia risk.

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Guest commentary: Residential aged care: The de facto hospice for New Zealand's older people

Australasian Journal on Ageing ◽

10.1111/ajag.12092 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 33 (2) ◽

pp. 72-73 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Deborah Parker ◽

Karen Clifton

Keyword(s):

Older People ◽

Aged Care ◽

Residential Aged Care ◽

Guest Commentary

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Vitamin D response of older people in residential aged care to sunlight-derived ultraviolet radiation

Archives of Osteoporosis ◽

10.1007/s11657-014-0197-9 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Seeta Durvasula ◽

Peter Gies ◽

Rebecca S. Mason ◽

Jian Sheng Chen ◽

Stuart Henderson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vitamin D ◽

Ultraviolet Radiation ◽

Older People ◽

Aged Care ◽

Residential Aged Care

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Australian social work research on ageing and aged care: A scoping review

Journal of Social Work ◽

10.1177/1468017316654346 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 18 (4) ◽

pp. 431-450 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Mark Hughes ◽

Christine Bigby ◽

Clare Tilbury

Keyword(s):

Social Work ◽

Older People ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Asset Management ◽

Social Work Practice ◽

Aged Care ◽

Community Services ◽

Residential Aged Care ◽

Bibliographic Databases ◽

Social Work Research

Summary Little is known about the quantity, nature and range of Australian social work research on ageing and aged care. This scoping review involved a comprehensive search of seven online bibliographic databases. The review identified 108 peer-reviewed journal articles, published between January 2007 and June 2014, that reported Australian social work research on ageing and aged care. Findings The average number of authors per paper was 2.10 with most social work researchers co-authoring papers with non-social workers. The main topics of research focus were health and rehabilitation, elder abuse, asset management, community services and caregiving, housing and residential aged care, and ageing with an intellectual disability. The findings highlight the contribution social work researchers make to multidisciplinary gerontological research, and to understanding the lived experiences of older people and the provision of services. However, they also point to the relative paucity of research focusing on direct social work practice with older people, and the little evidence of the participation of older people and carers in the design and delivery of research. Applications The findings indicate the need for capacity-building strategies, such as developing networks of Australian social work researchers on ageing and aged care, to improve research outputs in this area.

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Managing older people's money: assisted and substitute decision making in residential aged-care

Ageing and Society ◽

10.1017/s0144686x10000747 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 31 (1) ◽

pp. 93-109 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

CHERYL TILSE ◽

JILL WILSON ◽

LINDA ROSENMAN ◽

DAVID MORRISON ◽

ANNE-LOUISE MCCAWLEY

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Older People ◽

Aged Care ◽

Decision Makers ◽

Cognitive Capacity ◽

Residential Aged Care ◽

Financial Assets ◽

Aged Care Facilities ◽

Financial Decision ◽

Managing Risk

ABSTRACTCurrent approaches to the assessment of cognitive capacity in many jurisdictions seek to balance older people's empowerment with their protection. These approaches incorporate a presumption of capacity, a decision-specific rather than global assessment of that capacity, and an obligation to provide the support needed for adults to make or communicate their own decisions. The implication is that older people are assisted to make decisions where possible, rather than using substitute decision makers. For older people, decision making about financial matters is a contentious domain because of competing interests in their assets and concerns about risk, misuse and abuse. In residential-care settings, older people risk being characterised as dependent and vulnerable, especially in relation to decisions about financial assets. This paper reports an Australian study of the factors that facilitate and constrain residents' involvement in financial decision making in residential settings. Case studies of four aged-care facilities explored how staff interpreted the legislative and policy requirements for assisted and substitute decision making, and the factors that facilitated and constrained residents' inclusion in decisions about their finances. The observed practices reveal considerable variation in the ways that current legislation is understood and implemented, that there are limited resources for this area of practice, and that policies and practices prioritise managing risk and protecting assets rather than promoting assisted decision making.

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The Challenge of Medication-Induced Dry Mouth in Residential Aged Care

Pharmacy ◽

10.3390/pharmacy9040162 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 162

Author(s):

William Murray Thomson ◽

Moira B. Smith ◽

Catherine Anna Ferguson ◽

Geraldine Moses

Keyword(s):

Risk Factor ◽

Older People ◽

Symptomatic Relief ◽

Aged Care ◽

Dry Mouth ◽

Residential Aged Care ◽

Age Group ◽

Randomised Control Trials ◽

The Individual

With a reported prevalence between 20% and 30%, dry mouth is more common among older people than any other age group. The major risk factor for dry mouth is polypharmacy. Older people take more medications than any other age group, not only for symptomatic relief of various age-associated chronic diseases, but also to reduce the likelihood of the complications that may arise from those conditions. Most aged care residents take even more medications than older people who are living in their own homes. The greater the number of medications taken, the greater the associated anticholinergic burden, and the more likely it is that the individual will suffer from dry mouth. The condition not only affects the dentition and ability to wear dentures, but also the sufferers’ quality of life. Treating dry mouth is a considerable challenge for clinicians. As medication use is by far the most important risk factor, there is a need for pharmacists, doctors and dentists to work together to prevent this from occurring. Medication review and deprescribing is a key strategy, but there have not yet been any randomised control trials of its efficacy in reducing the occurrence of dry mouth.

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