Coping strategies developed by caregivers of elderly with chronic diseases

Care for a dependent elderly individual with a chronic disease can be a threat and cause stress. Success in dealing with this situation will depend on coping strategies, defined as processes used in order to control the demands of the individual-environment relationship. In this study the goal was to detect coping strategies used by caregivers for the elderly. A qualitative study was carried out through the analysis of coping discourse and theoretical reference. The sample was comprised of 16 individuals. It was observed that the coping strategies most used by caregivers were centered on emotion, and that caregiving tasks imply many changes in the life of caregivers, who perform them with no aid, with work overload, loss of liberty, and frustration. The greatest stress is related to the lack of help from family members and of shared responsibilities. Stimulating the involvement of the family, educating and giving basic orientation, which may reduce the difficulties of caregiving, could improve these individuals' well-being.     

Maintaining health and independence of elderly women

1. There is a paucity of research specific to elderly women in the nursing literature. Research is needed in this area because older women have different patterns of aging than men. 2. Since older women are the most rapidly growing segment of American society, there is a need to maintain their health and independence while minimizing the effects of chronic illness. 3. Elderly women with a reported health status of excellent or good indicated they had a greater degree of social support than respondents reporting a fair or poor health status. 4. Women residing in private housing reported having an excellent or good health status and a greater degree of social support more frequently than women in public housing.     

Urinary incontinence strategies for frail elderly women

Among the majority of frail older women, urinary incontinence has not been adequately assessed or treated, with resultant negative impact on quality of life. An assessment and intervention model based on type of incontinence, evidence-based interventions, and the influence of patient preference and capacity to carry out interventions are described.     

Coping strategies of Spanish pregnant women and their impact on anxiety and depression

The aims of this study were to analyze the coping strategies used by women in the first trimester of low‐risk pregnancies, their relationships to sociodemographic and pregnancy variables, and their ability to predict anxiety and depression in the third trimester. Participants in the first trimester were 285 Spanish pregnant women, of whom 122 were followed into the third trimester. The use of problem‐focused coping was stable, whereas variations occurred in emotion‐focused coping. Age, educational level, employment, planned pregnancy, previous childbirth, and previous miscarriage were associated with adaptive coping. Coping strategies predicting anxiety and depressive symptoms were overt emotional expression and social support seeking. Coping through religion predicted anxiety. Coping is a complex process influenced by sociodemographic and obstetric factors that can contribute to the onset of psychological symptoms. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Res Nurs Health 36:54–64, 2013     

The impact of health education on health status: an experimental program for elderly women in the community

Until recently, little research has been conducted on the effect of health education and promotion programs on older adults. As the number of older adults increase and costs for health care skyrocket, educational efforts aimed at delaying the negative effects of chronic illness will become increasingly important. In this study, a pretest-posttest design was used with a 3-month follow-up assessment to determine whether participation in a teacher-directed or learner-paced health education program was related to changes in health-risk status, cholesterol levels, blood pressure readings, or life satisfaction. The program, sponsored by a community health department, enrolled 78 women with a mean age of 71 living in the suburban areas of a large metropolitan county. Women who were randomly assigned to one of the intervention groups were more likely to reduce their stress levels, decrease salt consumption, and decrease their systolic blood pressure.     

Cost-effectiveness strategies to treat osteoporosis in elderly women

BACKGROUND: Comparing the cost-effectiveness of various antiosteoporotic drugs has not been defined. METHODS: We determined the cost-effectiveness of calcitonin, raloxifene, bisphosphates and PTH in a base-case cohort of women aged 65 or older with osteoporosis. After bone densitometry, women were stratified into groups of treatment or no treatment. Our outcome goal was a value of dollars 100,000 or less per quality-adjusted life years (QALY). A sensitivity analysis varied nonvertebral fracture reduction and compliance between the two most effective strategies to test various cost per QALY thresholds. RESULTS: Bisphosphonates displayed the most favorable incremental cost saving and prevented more fractures in our base-case analysis. In a sensitivity analysis, virtually all values of bisphosphonates were under dollars 100,000 per QALY and parathyroid hormone (PTH) was between dollars 100,000 and dollars 200,000 per QALY. CONCLUSIONS: Only bisphosphonates are cost-effective for fracture prevention in osteoporotic women aged 65 or older and this economic advantage is also maintained in subsets who have a lower relative risk of future fracture.     

Coping with radiation therapy: strategies used by women with breast cancer

The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe coping strategies used by women with breast cancer during and after radiation therapy. Content analysis was used to structure the statements provided by the patients in the Wheel Questionnaire. The patients used several problem- and emotion-focused strategies to cope with the treatment, and the strategies changed over time. Family and friends had a positive impact on the coping process for the three points of measurement: before treatment started, on completion of treatment, and 3 months after treatment. Contact with colleagues at work also provided the women with a sense of normalcy. The women used a broad spectrum of own activities to aid recovery, instead of leaving their treatment solely to medicine. The women also found that a hopeful and optimistic attitude was a helpful strategy for coping with the treatment.     

精神科护士应对方式与心理健康状况的相关性分析

目的 探讨精神科护士应对方式与心理健康水平的相关性.方法 采用应对方式问卷、症状自评量表SCL-90对156名精神科护士进行问卷调查.采用应对量表用来调查护士所采取的应对方式,采用症状自评量表用来调查护士的心理健康水平.对调查结果进行相关性分析.结果 精神科护士的主要应对方式为"解决问题-求助型".精神科护士突出的心理...     

The health status and needs of community elderly living alone

The purpose of this study was to understand the characteristics, physical health status, mental health status, social supports, health needs, and social services utilization among community elderly living alone. The relationship between demographic data, mental health status, and social supports for the community elderly living alone was also examined. A cross sectional survey was conducted. Five hundred and twenty community elderly living alone were selected by systematic random sampling from Taipei City. A total of 320 subjects aged 65 and over completed the face to face interview. A structured questionnaire developed by the authors was used to collect the data. The contents of the questionnaire included demographic data, life style, physical health status, mental health status, social supports, social services utilization and health needs. The results showed that most of the subjects were male, aged 65-74, with religion and satisfied with life and economic status. Most of the subjects had more than one chronic disease. The most frequently reported diagnosis was arthritis, followed by hypertension and osteoporosis. The self-reported physical, mental health status and social supports among the majority of subjects were good. Financially subsidized medical services, free health examination and home visits by public health nurses were the most frequently used services. The most imperative health needs among the community elderly living alone were medical services, financial subsidy and arrangement of the leisure activity setting. The associated factors of mental health status and social supports were explored and discussed. The results of this study could be used to develop comprehensive health services and health education programs for the community elderly living alone.     

Adherence to health care regimens among elderly women

This study examined selected components of nurse practitioners' care to determine which contributed most to the intent to adhere to the care plan. High and low levels of components of care (technical quality, psychosocial, and patient participation) were depicted by videotapes of a patient visit to a nurse practitioner. The videotapes were randomly selected and shown in 26 senior citizen nutrition centers in a metropolitan area. Elderly women indicated how likely they would be to adhere if they had been the patient in the tape. High psychosocial care was the only component significantly related to intent to adhere; however, the significance did not hold in an analysis of covariance when individual characteristics were controlled. Individual characteristics related to high intent to adhere were widowed marital status, religion, perceived importance of the examination, social network, and preexisting satisfaction with health care.     

Self-reported health status and depression of battered black women.

This study examined the influence of psychological factors and personal characteristics on depression and health outcomes of battered Black women. Much of the existing research on violence against women by intimate partners has focused on prevalence and response to abuse. However, the problem of battering among Black women as a group has been neglected, especially as it impacts health and causes health-related problems. Secondary analysis was used in this study to look at health-related problems and battering. The sample consisted of 128 battered Black women who participated in interviews, and completed the Beck Depression Index, Health Response Scale, Daily Hassles Scale, and Index of Spouse Abuse. Study outcomes indicated a positive relationship between depression and gastrointestinal upsets. Further study with a larger group of women is needed to validate findings.     

老年患者健康价值、生活方式和自评健康状况的相关性研究

目的 了解老年患者的健康价值、生活方式和自评健康状况的相关性,指导护理人员有针对性地对老年患者进行健康教育,以提高其健康价值,改善生活方式,提高健康状况.方法 采用Wallston健康价值量表、生活方式量表和自评健康状况调查对128例老年患者进行问卷调查,并对调查结果进行相关性分析.结果 老年患者健康价值量表评分为（7.03±1.21）分,其中87.5%的患者有高水平的健康价值;生活方式量表得分为（143.96±18.17）分,其中40.62%的老年患者有优或好的生活方式;老年患者自评健康的调查结果显示自评健康状况受年龄因素影响.老年患者的健康价值与生活方式呈正相关（r=1.960,P〈0.05）;老年患者生活方式与自评健康状况呈正相关（rs=1.031,P〈0.05）.结论 老年患者生活方式与自评健康状况正相关,而老年健康价值水平与生活方式呈正相关.应加强健康教育,促使其自觉采纳健康的生活方式,预防和延缓疾病的发生.