Activities of contemporary Mayan elders

Social gerontology researchers have investigated various aspects ofelder activities in diverse culture contexts. This project assessed theknowledge that Mayan people have about the activities of their elders.Data were collected through two interview procedures. The firstprocedure, free-listing, was conducted with an initial sample of Mayansubjects (n = 31), who provided terms representing their culturalknowledge of elder Mayan activities. A second sample (n = 56)performed a pile sort task using 18 of those activities. The pile sortfindings were subjected to multidimensional scaling, and that techniqueproduced a two-dimensional visual representation of three distinctclusters of activities: productive work, serious socio-religiousundertakings and frivolous ventures. Besides the coherentmultidimensional scaling representation for that total sample of 56subjects, scalings for subsamples based on generational affiliation wererun. Two-dimensional pictures or visual maps for the aged, middle-agedand young adult subjects are remarkably similar to each other and to thepicture for the total sample. From a methodological perspective theresearch findings demonstrate that elder Mayan activities, andpresumably those of elders in other societies, are amenable to interviewprocedures that have high validity and high reliability.     

Binge Drinking Trajectories Across Adolescence: For Early Maturing Youth,Extra-Curricular Activities Are Protective

PurposeTo describe adolescent binge drinking trajectories across grades 8–11 and examine their associations with pubertal timing, socioeconomic status (SES), and structured activity and sport involvement.MethodsLongitudinal data were analyzed from the Youth Activity Participation Study (YAPS), an annual survey of youth in 39 schools across Western Australia (N = 1,342).ResultsLatent class growth analysis revealed four binge drinking trajectory groups: Accelerating (early onset, increased frequency), Steep Increase (delayed onset, rapid escalation), Slow Growth (delayed onset, gradual increase) and Stable Low (abstinence). Accelerating was characterized by early pubertal timing, low SES, and more sport involvement in grade 8, relative to Stable Low. The groups did not significantly differ in their grade 8 activity participation. However, for early maturers, greater grade 8 activity participation was associated with a decreased probability of belonging to Steep Increase relative to Stable Low.ConclusionsEarly pubertal timing and sports participation increased the odds of belonging to a problematic binge drinking trajectory. For youth at-risk due to early pubertal timing, structured activities appear to be protective against a problematic developmental course of binge drinking.     

Lifelong learning in community healthcare: Testing competence after learning activities in a blended learning space

Aims and Objectives

This study reports from a municipality in Norway that implemented a competence enhancement programme for all its institutional nursing staff during the COVID-19 pandemic to fill identified competence gaps.

Background

Many Norwegian municipalities are experiencing a demand for expanded community healthcare services due to an increase in elderly patients and patients with extensive and complex needs. At the same time, most municipalities are striving to recruit and keep competent health personnel. New ways of organising and increasing the competence of the workforce may help ensure that the healthcare delivered corresponds to patients' changing needs.

Design and Methods

Nursing staff were encouraged to complete targeted competence enhancing activities with the aim of enhancing their competence in identified areas. The learning activities were blended and consisted of e-learning courses, lectures, supervision, vocational training and meetings with a superior. Competence was measured before and after the competence enhancing activities (n = 96). The STROBE checklist was applied.

Results

The results provide insight into the competence development of registered nurses and assistant nurses in institutional community health services. They show that the implementation of a workplace-based blended learning programme improved competence significantly, especially for assistant nurses.

Conclusions

Offering workplace-based competence enhancing activities seems to be a sustainable way of facilitating lifelong learning among nursing staff. Facilitation of learning activities in a blended learning space may enhance accessibility and increase the potential for participation. A combination of reorganisation of roles and simultaneous competence enhancing activities can ensure that both managers and nursing staff prioritise filling competence gaps.     

胃肠手术患者术后120h内下床活动水平及其影响因素分析

目的了解胃肠手术患者术后120h内的下床活动水平并分析其影响因素。方法采用一般资料调查表、一般自我效能感量表、医学焦虑抑郁量表、促进和阻碍因素问卷及下床活动水平等级评分方法 ,对144例胃肠手术患者进行调查。结果胃肠手术患者术后120h内的平均下床活动水平等级评分为6.5,处于中水平活动状态。不同手术部位、输液总量、尿管留置时间,是否使用尿壶、是否肠内营养的患者,其术后下床活动水平比较,差异有统计学意义(P0.05,P0.01);自我效能、肠内营养等医疗限制及尿壶的使用是影响患者术后下床活动水平的主要因素(P0.05,P0.01)。结论胃肠手术患者术后120h内下床活动现状不理想,应加强健康教育,增强患者的自我效能,为肠内营养患者制定下床活动计划,鼓励患者尿管拔出后下床排尿,以促进患者康复。     

Father involvement with three-to-four-year olds at home: giving fathers a chance

This study examined fathers' perceptions regarding their home-based activities (HBA) and the influence of fathers' demographic characteristics on their perceptions and practices at home. A total of 396 fathers completed a survey questionnaire describing their demographic information, perceptions and their practices regarding their involvement in HBA. Results indicated that fathers have moderate level of practice concerning their HBA, yet they have low perception of their actual practice at HBA. In addition, there was a statistical significance in HBA due to fathers' age, educational level and specialisation which had an influence on their perceptions as well. Recommendations and implications of future research were discussed.     

Clinical competence in developmental‐behavioural paediatrics: Raising the bar

For our specialist paediatric workforce to be suitably equipped to deal with current childhood morbidity, a high level of competence in developmental‐behavioural paediatrics (DBP) is necessary. New models of training and assessment are required to meet this challenge. An evolution of training in DBP, built around the centrepiece of competency‐based medical education, is proposed. Summative assessment based upon entrustable professional activities, and a menu of formative workplace‐based assessments specific to the DBP context are key components. A pilot project to develop and implement these changes is recommended.     

Functional trajectories of older acute medical inpatients

ObjectivesTo describe the changes in basic activities of daily living (BADL) function before and during hospital admission in older patients admitted to an acute medical unit and to assess the effect of age on loss of BADL function.MethodsProspective observational study. The study included 91 patients aged 65 and older consecutively admitted to an acute medical unit of an urban public teaching hospital in Portugal, between May and September 2017. Functional status was measured at three times: at hospital admission; at about 2 weeks before hospital admission (baseline); an on the discharge day. The functional condition was evaluated using the Katz index. Differences in scores for BADL between baseline and admission, between admission and discharge, and between baseline and discharge were used to define pre-admission, in-hospital and overall functional decline.ResultsPre-admission, in-hospital and overall functional decline occurred in 78.0%, 4.4% and 63.7% of the participants, respectively. In contrast, in-hospital functional improvement occurred in a minority of the patients (14.3%). Hospitalized older people are discharged with BADL function that is worse than their baseline function. The oldest patients are at high risk of poorer functional outcomes because they are less likely to recover BADL function lost before admission.ConclusionThese results emphasize the overriding need for implementing in-hospital processes to prevent functional decline and enhance functional recovery. This study also highlights the need for nurses to closely monitor the functional status of hospitalized older people, particularly in oldest-old patients.     

An Update Review of Saffron and its Active Constituents

This paper reviews the literature on recent research on the chemical composition and pharmacological activities of saffron ( Crocus sativus ) and its active constituents, mainly as antitumoral, hypolipidemic and tissue oxygenation enhancement agents.