| 1. |
- Dahl, Anna K., et al.
(författare)
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Agreement between self-reported and measured height, weight and body mass index in old age : a longitudinal study with 20 years of follow-up
- 2010
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Ingår i: Age and Ageing. - : Oxford University Press. - 0002-0729 .- 1468-2834. ; 39:4, s. 445-451
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: self-reported body mass index (BMI) based on self-reported height and weight is a widely used measure of adiposity in epidemiological research. Knowledge about the accuracy of these measures in late life is scarce.Objective: the study aimed to evaluate the accuracy and changes in accuracy of self-reported height, weight and BMI calculated from self-reported height and weight in late life.Design: a longitudinal population-based study with five times of follow-up was conducted.Participants: seven hundred seventy-four community-living men and women, aged 40–88 at baseline (mean age 63.9), included in The Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging.Methods: participants self-reported their height and weight in a questionnaire, and height and weight were measured by experienced research nurses at an in-person testing five times during a 20-year period. BMI was calculated as weight (kilogramme)/height (metre)2.Results: latent growth curve modelling showed an increase in the mean difference between self-reported and measured values over time for height (0.038 cm/year) and BMI (0.016 kg/m2/year), but not for weight.Conclusions: there is a very small increase in the mean difference between self-reported and measured BMI with ageing, which probably would not affect the results when self-reported BMI is used as a continuous variable in longitudinal studies.
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| 2. |
- Karlsson, Christina, 1961-, et al.
(författare)
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Registered Nurses´ View of Performing Pain Assessment among Persons with Dementia as Consultant Advisors
- 2012
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Ingår i: Open Nursing Journal. - : Bentham Open. - 1874-4346. ; 6, s. 62-70
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Pain assessment in persons with dementia is well known as a challenging issue to professional caregivers, because of these patients´ difficulties in verbalising pain problems. Within municipal dementia care in Sweden, pain assessment has become problematic for registered nurses, as they have entered a new role in their nursing profession, from being clinical practitioners to becoming consultant advisers to other health care staff.AIM: To present municipal registered nurses´ view of pain assessment in persons with dementia in relation to their nursing profession as consultant advisers.METHODS: Purposive sampling was undertaken with 11 nurses invited to participate. Data were collected by focus groups. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the data.FINDINGS: Four categories were identified to describe registered nurses´ view of pain assessment: estrangement from practical nursing care, time consuming and unsafe pain documentation, unfulfilled needs of reflection possibilities, and collaboration and coordination.CONCLUSIONS: The performance of pain assessment through a consultant advising function is experienced as frustrating and as an uncomfortable nursing situation. The nurses feel resistance to providing nursing in this way. They view nursing as a clinical task demanding daily presence among patients to enable them to make accurate and safe assessments. However, due to the consultative model, setting aside enough time for the presence seems difficult to accomplish. It is necessary to promote the quality of systematic routines in pain assessment and reflection, as well as developing professional knowledge of how pain can be expressed by dementia patients, especially those with communication difficulties.
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| 3. |
- Dahl, Anna, 1975-, et al.
(författare)
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Being overweight in midlife is associated with lower cognitive ability and steeper cognitive decline in late life
- 2010
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Ingår i: The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences. - : Oxford University Press. - 1079-5006 .- 1758-535X. ; 65A:1, s. 57-62
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Although an increasing body of evidence links being overweight in midlife with an increased risk for dementia in late life, no studies have examined the association between being overweight in midlife and cognitive ability in late life. Our aim was to examine the association between being overweight in midlife as measured by body mass index (BMI) and cognitive ability assessed over time. METHODS: Participants in the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study Aging were derived from a population-based sample. The participants completed baseline surveys in 1963 or 1973 (mean age 41.6 years, range 25-63 years). The surveys included questions about height, weight, diseases, and lifestyle factors. Beginning in 1986, the same individuals were assessed on neuropsychological tests every 3 years (except in 1995) until 2002. During the study period, 781 individuals who were 50 years and older (60% women) had at least one complete neuropsychological assessment. A composite score of general cognitive ability was derived from the cognitive test battery for each measurement occasion. RESULTS: Latent growth curve models adjusted for twinness showed that persons with higher midlife BMI scores had significantly lower general cognitive ability and significantly steeper longitudinal decline than their thinner counterparts. The association did not change substantially when persons who developed dementia during the study period were excluded from the analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Higher midlife BMI scores precede lower general cognitive ability and steeper cognitive decline in both men and women. The association does not seem to be mediated by an increased risk for dementia
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| 4. |
- Eriksson, Irene, et al.
(författare)
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Older women's experiences of suffering from urinary tract infections
- 2014
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Ingår i: Journal of Clinical Nursing. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0962-1067 .- 1365-2702. - 9789174591644 ; 23:9-10, s. 1385-1394
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims and objectives: To describe and explore older women's experiences of having had repeated urinary tract infections (UTIs). Background: UTIs are one of the most common bacterial infections among older women. Approximately one-third of very old women suffer from at least one UTI each year. Despite the high incidence of UTI, little is known about the impact of UTI on health and daily life in older women. Design: A qualitative descriptive design. Methods: A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews was conducted with 20 Swedish women aged 67-96 years who suffered from repeated UTIs the preceding year. The data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Results: Two main themes were identified: being in a state of manageable suffering and depending on alleviation. Being in a state of manageable suffering was described in terms of experiencing physical and psychological health problems, struggling to deal with the illness and being restricted in daily life. Depending on alleviation was illustrated in terms of having access to relief but also receiving inadequate care. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that UTIs are a serious health problem among older women that not only affects both physical and mental health but also has serious social consequences. The women in this study described the physical and psychological health problems, struggling to deal with the illness, being restricted in daily life, depending on access to relief and receiving inadequate care. Relevance to clinical practice: It is important to improve the knowledge about how UTI affects the health of older women. This knowledge may help nurses develop strategies to support these women. One important part in the supportive strategies is that nurses can educate these women in self-care. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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| 5. |
- Eriksson, Irene, 1965-, et al.
(författare)
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Do urinary tract infections affect morale among very old women?
- 2010
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Ingår i: Health and Quality of Life Outcomes. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1477-7525. ; 8, s. 73-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- As UTI seems to be independently associated with low morale or poor subjective wellbeing, there needs to be more focus on prevention, diagnosis and treatment of UTI in old women.
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| 6. |
- Eriksson, Irene, 1965-, et al.
(författare)
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Prevalence and factors associated with urinary tract infections (UTIs) in very old women
- 2010
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Ingår i: Archives of gerontology and geriatrics (Print). - : Elsevier BV. - 0167-4943 .- 1872-6976. ; 50:2, s. 132-135
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of urinary tract infection (UTI) and associated factors among very old women. In a cross-sectional, population-based study in Sweden and Finland, 532 women were asked to participate and 395 (74.2%) were possible to evaluate for UTI. Data were collected from structured interviews and assessments made during home visits, from medical charts, caregivers and relatives. UTI diagnosis documented in medical records during the preceding 1 and 5 years was registered. About one-third (117/395, 29.6%) were diagnosed as having suffered from at least one UTI in the preceding year and 60% in the preceding 5 years. In a multivariate logistic regression model, UTI in the preceding year, was associated with vertebral fractures (odds ratio (OR) = 3.2; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 1.4-7.1), incontinence (OR = 2.8; 95% CI = 1.8-4.5), inflammatory rheumatic disease (OR = 2.8; 95% CI = 1.4-5.7) and multi-infarct dementia (OR = 2.4; 95% CI = 1.3-4.5). UTI is a major public health problem in very old women and were independently associated with vertebral fractures, urinary incontinence, inflammatory rheumatic disease and multi-infarct dementia which might indicate that UTI is not a harmless disease.
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| 7. |
- Eriksson, Irene, 1965-
(författare)
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Urinary tract infection : a serious health problem in old women
- 2011
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common bacterial infection in women of all ages but the incidence and prevalence increase with age. Despite the high incidence of UTI, little is known about its impact on morale or subjective wellbeing and daily life in old women. UTI in older people can be a complex problem in terms of approach to diagnosis, treatment and prevention because in these patients it frequently presents with a range of atypical symptoms such as delirium, gastrointestinal signs and falls. Even if UTI has been shown to be associated with delirium it has frequently been questioned whether UTI can cause delirium or if it is only accidentally detected when people with delirium are assessed. The main purpose of this thesis was to describe the prevalence of UTI, to identify factors associated with UTI among very old women and to illuminate the impact of a UTI on old women’s health and wellbeing. This thesis is based on two main studies, the GErontological Regional DAtabase (GERDA) a cross-sectional, population-based study carried out in the northern parts of Sweden and Finland during 2005-2007 and a qualitative interview study in western Sweden 2008-2009. Data were collected from structured interviews and assessments made during home visits, from medical records, care givers and relatives. UTI was diagnosed if the person had a documented symptomatic UTI, with either short- or long-term ongoing treatment with antibiotics, or symptoms and laboratory tests judged to indicate the presence of UTI by the responsible physician or the assessor. One hundred and seventeen out of 395 women (29.6%) were diagnosed as having suffered from at least one UTI during the preceding year and 233 of these 395 (60%) had had at least one diagnosed UTI during the preceding 5 years. These old women with UTI were more dependent in their activities of daily living, and had poorer cognition and nutrition. In these women, UTI during the preceding year was associated with vertebral fractures, urinary incontinence, inflammatory rheumatic disease and multi-infarct dementia. Eighty-seven of 504 women (17.3%), were diagnosed as having a UTI with or without ongoing treatment when they were assessed, and almost half (44.8%) were diagnosed as delirious or having had episodes of delirium during the past month. In all, 137 of the 504 women (27.2%) were delirious or had had episodes of delirium during the past month and 39 (28.5%) of them were diagnosed as having a UTI. Delirium was associated with Alzheimer’s disease, multi-infarct dementia, depression, heart failure and UTI. Forty-six out of 319 women (14.4%) were diagnosed as having had a UTI with or without ongoing treatment and these had a significantly lower score on the Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale (PGCMS), (10.4 vs 11.9, p=0.003) than those without UTI, indicating a significant impact on morale or subjective wellbeing among very old women. The medical diagnoses significantly and independently associated with low morale were depression, UTI and constipation. The experience of suffering from repeated UTI was described in interviews conducted with 20 old women. The interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The participants described living with repeated UTI as being in a state of manageable suffering and being dependent on alleviation. Being in a state of manageable suffering was described in terms of experiencing physical and psychological inconveniences, struggling to deal with the illness and being restricted regarding daily life. Being dependent on alleviation was illustrated in terms of having access to relief but also experiencing receiving inadequate care. In conclusion, UTI is very common among old and very old women and is a serious health problem. UTI seems to be associated with delirium and to have a significant impact on the morale or subjective wellbeing of old women and those affected suffer both physically and psychologically and their social life is limited. UTI was also associated with vertebral fractures, urinary incontinence, inflammatory rheumatic disease and multi-infarct dementia which might raise the suspicion that UTI can have serious medical effects on health in old women.
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| 8. |
- Eriksson, Irene, 1965-, et al.
(författare)
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Urinary tract infection in very old women is associated with delirium
- 2011
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Ingår i: International psychogeriatrics. - : Cambridge University Press. - 1041-6102 .- 1741-203X. ; 23:3, s. 496-502
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The aim of the study was to investigate whether urinary tract infection (UTI) in a representative sample of 85-, 90- and >/=95-year-old women is associated with delirium. Methods: In 504 out of 643 women (78.4%) it was possible to evaluate UTI and delirium. Assessments such as the Organic Brain Syndrome (OBS) Scale, the Geriatric Depression Scale-15 (GDS-15) and the Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) were performed during home visits. Delirium, dementia and depression were diagnosed according to the DSM-IV criteria. A diagnosed, symptomatic UTI with or without ongoing treatment, documented in medical records or detected in association with the assessments, was registered. Results: Eighty-seven of 504 women (17.2%), were diagnosed as having a UTI with or without ongoing treatment when they were assessed, and almost half of them (44.8%) were diagnosed to be delirious or having had episodes of delirium during the past month. One hundred and thirty-seven of the 504 women (27.2%) were delirious or had had episodes of delirium during the past month and 39 (28.5%) of them were diagnosed to have a UTI. In a multivariate logistic regression model, delirium was significantly associated with Alzheimer's disease (OR = 5.8), multi-infarct dementia (OR = 5.4), depression (OR = 3.1), heart failure (OR = 2.3) and urinary tract infection (OR = 1.9).Conclusions: A large proportion of very old women with UTI suffered from delirium which might indicate that UTI is a common cause of delirium. There should be more focus on detecting, preventing and treating UTI to avoid unnecessary suffering among old women.
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| 9. |
- Karlsson, Christina, 1961-, et al.
(författare)
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Certified nursing assistants' perception of pain in people with dementia : a hermeneutic enquiry in dementia care practice
- 2013
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Ingår i: Journal of Clinical Nursing. - Uk : Blackwell Science Ltd. - 0962-1067 .- 1365-2702. ; 22:13-14, s. 1880-1889
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims and objectives: To interpret certified nursing assistants' perception of pain in people with dementia in nursing care practice.Background: Detection and understanding of pain in people with dementia remains a challenge due to their difficulty in verbalising their pain. Nursing assistants provide daily nursing care and therefore play a vital role in pain detection. Nevertheless, pain research from the nursing assistants' perspective is sparse.Design: A qualitative approach within the interpretive tradition was adopted.Methods: Individual interviews with twelve certified nursing assistants, all working in dementia care, were conducted and interpreted using philosophical hermeneutics.Results: Nursing assistants' perception of pain is on three levels. Each level consists of a theme. The first theme Being in the facing phase' refers to the initial perception of the person's expressions. The second theme Being in the reflecting phase' means ability to reflect more deeply on one's perception, together with other colleagues and next of kins. The third theme Being in the acting phase' means perception arising from preventive and protective care focusing on contributing to well-being. The themes served as a basis for comprehensive understanding, where perception of pain arises from closeness, compassion and dialogue based on personhood, accompanied by professional knowledge of pain and dementia.Conclusion: Nursing assistants' perception of pain is based on ethical concerns and on their own subjective pain experiences rather than on medical skills. Their perception derives from fundamental values that are important aspects of nursing care. Interdisciplinary solidarity may strengthen cooperation amongst CNAs and RNs to achieve best pain management practice.Relevance to clinical practice: Attention to nursing assistants' perception of pain needs to be highlighted when they are front-line staff and have developed important pain detection skills. Their skills are essential complements and must be used in the development of pain management in dementia care practice.
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| 10. |
- Sternäng, Ola, et al.
(författare)
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Factors associated with grip strength decline in older adults
- 2014
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Ingår i: Age and Ageing. - Oxford : Oxford University Press. - 0002-0729 .- 1468-2834. ; 44:2, s. 269-274
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: few studies have examined associations of multi-faceted demographic, health and lifestyle factors with longterm change in grip strength performance across the adult lifespan. The aim of this study was to examine the associations of risk factors in specific parts of the adult lifespan (e.g. in early midlife, in late midlife and in old adulthood) separately for women and men.Methods: data came from the longitudinal Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging (SATSA). Grip strength performance was followed in 849 participants who were 50–88 years of age at baseline. The follow-up period with seven waves of data of grip strength was 22 years, and the risk factors were measured up to 20 years before the assessment of grip strength. Latent growth modelling was used for the longitudinal analyses.Results: a gender difference in the type of factors associated with grip strength performance and development across the adult lifespan was found. Significant factors for the age slopes for women were stress, smoking and dementia. For men, marital status, mean arterial pressure, physical activity at work and having a chronic disorder were of importance. These factors varied in their associations with grip strength across the adult lifespan.Conclusion: factors measured earlier in adulthood were associated with grip strength decline in late midlife and old adulthood. Gender-specific patterns of risk factors suggest that it may be worthwhile to conduct research on grip and muscle strength (and biological vitality) separately for men and women.
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