Automanejo en personas con multimorbilidad: aportes desde la salutogénesis y el modelo de activos en salud

Different models of care in context of chronicity and multimorbidity include community, health system, clinical practice, health policies, prevention, and health promotion. Among these, the role of the health team as a facilitator of self-management is pointed out, being people the protagonists of their process. Multimorbidity approach is mostly carried out from a risk and disease focused point of view, which limits the exploration of resources of people and their environment. Incorporating a positive health approach can contribute to a greater comprehensiveness. The purpose of this article is to propose an approach from the synergy model of health, integrating salutogenesis and health assets model, to help facilitate self-management promoting people's agency capacity. Potential areas of application of these models are presented to work in the context of multimorbidity, promoting health and well-being conditions in people and their families.     

Sleep behaviours and multimorbidity occurrence in middle-aged and older adults: findings from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA)

ObjectivePoor sleep quality and reduced sleep duration impact over half of older adults and are associated with adverse health outcomes, such as multiple chronic conditions (multimorbidity) and reduced longevity. Our objective was to examine the relationship between sleep behaviours and multimorbidity in Canada.MethodsWe analysed data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), a cross-sectional national health survey of community-dwelling adults over the age of 45 years. A total of 30,011 participants had physiological and psychosocial data collected at baseline. Sleep measures included self-reported sleep duration (short: <6 h; normal: 6–8 h; long: >8 h) and sleep quality (dissatisfied/very dissatisfied; neutral; satisfied/very satisfied). Multimorbidity was defined using two definitions (public health and primary care) and two cut-points (2 or more and 3 or more chronic conditions).ResultsApproximately 70% were living with multimorbidity using the primary care definition (females: 67.9%; males 57.9%), whereas approximately 30% were living with multimorbidity using the public health definition (females: 30.9%; males: 24.0%). Adjusted analyses indicated that the odds of multimorbidity were higher for participants who selfreported either short or long sleep duration, as well as dissatisfaction with sleep quality. Associations were stronger among younger age groups (45–54 years and 55–64 years).ConclusionsDisrupted sleep may be a risk factor for multimorbidity across sexes and age groups. It is necessary to understand the potential impact of sleep on the risk of multimorbidity to inform both clinical and public health guidelines for the prevention and management of this major health issue.     

Multimorbidity in older adults with intellectual disabilities

Multimorbidity may be related to the supposed early aging of people with intellectual disabilities (ID). This group may suffer more often from multimorbidity, because of ID-related physical health conditions, unhealthy lifestyle and metabolic effects of antipsychotic drug use. Multimorbidity has been defined as two or more chronic conditions. Data on chronic conditions have been collected through physical assessment, questionnaires, and medical files. Prevalence, associated factors and clusters of multimorbidity have been studied in 1047 older adults (≥50 years) with ID. Multimorbidity was prevalent in 79.8% and associated with age and severe/profound ID. Four or more conditions were prevalent in 46.8% and associated with age, severe/profound ID and Down syndrome. Factor analyses did not reveal a model for disease-clusters with good fit. Multimorbidity is highly prevalent in older adults with ID. Multimorbidity should receive more attention in research and clinical practice for targeted pro-active prevention and treatment.     

Adherence to Mediterranean diet moderates the association between multimorbidity and depressive symptoms in older adults

AimAdherence to Mediterranean Diet (Med-Diet) has been associated with a lower incidence of chronic diseases and may be associated with lower risk for depression. The aim of the present study was to investigate (i) the association of adherence to Med-Diet with depressive symptoms and multimorbidity in a cohort of geriatric medical outpatients, and (ii) the role of Med-Diet in mediating the association between depressive symptoms and multimorbidity.MethodsA total of 143 geriatric patients (mean age: 73.1 ± 8.35) were included. Adherence to Med-Diet was evaluated using a validated 14-item questionnaire; depressive and cognitive symptoms were assessed through the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) respectively; multimorbidity was evaluated using the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale for Geriatrics (CIRSG-SI).ResultsSignificant associations were found between MDQ score, GDS and CIRSG-SI (MDQ score and GDS: r= -0.206, p = 0.014; MDQ score and CIRSG-SI: r= -0.247, p = 0.003; GDS and CIRSG-SI: r = 0.251; p = 0.003). These associations remained significant after adjusting for potential confounding factors. A mediational model analysis showed that the direct effect of CIRSG-SI on GDS was significant (b = 1.330; se = 0.59; p = 0.028) with this effect being counterbalanced by higher MDQ scores (indirect effect of CIRS-G on GDS through MDQ: b = 0.382; se = 0.19; p = 0.048).ConclusionThese findings (i) add to the accumulating evidence that Med-Diet may have a positive impact on mental health in the elderly, and (ii) suggest that Med-Diet may contribute, at least in part, to protect geriatric patients with multimorbidity from the development of depressive symptoms, ultimately promoting healthy aging.     

Estimating the impact of obesity and metabolic phenotype on sickness absence. Results from the ICARIA study

Background and aims

To assess the impact of obesity and being overweight on sickness absence (SA) as a function of healthy/unhealthy metabolic phenotype.

“Hopes and wishes”: Goals of high-need,high-cost older patients and their caregivers

ObjectiveIntegration of patient-identified goals is a critical element of shared decision-making and patient-provider communication. There is limited information on the goals of patients with multiple medical conditions and high healthcare utilization. We aimed to identify and categorize the goals described by “high-need, high-cost” (HNHC) older patients and their caregivers.MethodsUsing conventional content analysis, we used data from interviews conducted with 17 HNHC older patients (mean age 72.5 years) and 4 caregivers.ResultsHNHC older patients and their caregivers used language such as “hopes, wishes, and wants” to describe their goals, which fell into eight categories: alleviating discomfort, having autonomy and control, decreasing treatment burden, maintaining physical functioning and engagement, leaving a legacy, extending life, having satisfying and effective relationships, and experiencing security.ConclusionOur results contribute to knowledge of goals of HNHC patients and provides guidance for improving the patient-provider relationship and communication between HNHC older patients and their healthcare providers.Practice implicationsOur findings can inform provider efforts to assess patient goals and engage high-need, high-cost older patients in shared decision-making. Further, this study contributes to an improved understanding of HNHC older patients to support continued development of effective care models for this population.