The Mediating Effect of Spiritual Well-being on Depressive Symptoms and Health-related Quality of Life Among Elders

The purpose of this study was to investigate the mediating effect of spiritual well-being (SWB) on depressive symptoms (DS) and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among Taiwanese elders. A convenience sample of 150 Taiwanese elders completed self-administrated questionnaires participated in this cross-sectional study. This study revealed that SWB was positively related to HRQOL but negatively correlated with DS. Results of hieratical regression analyses suggested that SWB significantly mediated the relationship between DS and mental components of HRQOL. Findings from this study suggest that nurses and health care providers should develop strategies to enhance spiritual well-being when caring for elders to maintain good health and promote quality of life.     

南通市老年人生活质量及其影响因素

目的了解南通市老年人健康状况和生活质量现状,并对生活质量的影响因素进行分析,为制定提高老年人生活质量的相关干预措施提供依据。方法采用整群抽样的方法,世界卫生组织QOL-BREF及自制量表为调查工具,对南通市60岁以上老年人群进行调查,共收集有效问卷714份。结果南通市老年人的生活质量得分(x±s)分别是:生理领域64.99±11.19,心理领域61.05±9.84,社会关系领域65.74±10.18,环境领域59.06±10.41,QOL自评65.14±17.16,健康自评71.06±14.22。多因素线性回归分析结果显示,年龄、睡眠状况、个性是否乐观、体育锻炼是影响老年人生理领域得分的主要因素;文化程度、医疗费用负担方式、食欲、人际关系、个性是否乐观、体育锻炼及对医疗保险制度的满意度是影响老年人心理领域得分的主要因素;婚姻状况、医疗保险费用的负担方式、人际关系、个性是否乐观、体育锻炼及对医疗保险制度的满意度是影响老年人社会领域得分的主要因素;文化程度、医疗费用负担方式、居住条件、人际关系、个体是否乐观、体育锻炼及对医疗保险制度的满意度是影响老年人环境领域得分的主要因素。结论完善医疗保障制度,鼓励老年人适当地参加体育锻炼,建立良好的社会关系,提高老年人的生活质量。     

上海市老年人饮食行为及影响因素

目的通过对上海市老年人的饮食行为及其影响因素的调查,评价该市老年人的饮食行为,并探讨其可能的影响因素。方法以1 248名60～75岁的上海市老年人为调查对象,采用现况流行病学调查方法,分析老年人饮食行为及影响因素;采用量化分级的方法,评价饮食行为及其认识。结果上海市老人中有60.3%存在不良的饮食行为,50.1%不吃奶制品,21.3%忌口挑食,19.2%过量饮酒;老年人早餐饮食规律性比较好,不吃早餐的老人不足3.1%。上海市老人选择食物的顺序依次为口味、个人喜好、食品卫生、营养等。有50%以上的老人吃保健食品。饮食行为越好的老人,饮食结构越好。性别、文化程度、家庭人均收入、运动量、生活压力对老年人饮食习惯有影响。结论受多种因素的影响,上海市有60.3%以上的老年人饮食行为不合理,有必要加以改善。     

北京东城区朝阳门医院保健地段老年人口医疗服务需要和利用的影响因素分析

本文通过对朝阳门医院保健地段老年人的连续性家庭健康询问调查发现,医疗服务需要和利用受到季节、文化程度、年龄、职业、医疗费用支付方式、生活方式、收入水平等因素的影响,在此基础上探讨了老年人医疗服务的重点人群的问题。     

老年人慢性肾功能衰竭的临床特点─—附53例回顾分析

我院在１９８５年１月－１９９４年１２月共收治慢性肾功能衰竭（ＣＲＦ）患者１８５例，其中老年患者（≥６０岁）５３例（占２８．６％），与同期住院的非老年患者（＜６０岁）１３２例（占７１．４％）进行对比分析，发现老年人ＣＲＦ在其基础疾病，临床表现，实验室检查，并发症及伴发病方面均有许多特点，并对老年人ＣＲＦ的治疗及与预后有关的因素略加讨论。     

"Community ambassadors" for South Asian elder immigrants: Late-life acculturation and the roles of community health workers

Elder immigrants face multiple barriers to accessing health care and other basic services. The Community Ambassador Program for Seniors (CAPS), based in Fremont, California, trains volunteer "ambassadors" from several ethnic and faith communities to perform information and referral services for elders, particularly immigrants. The purpose of this study is to examine the roles of ambassadors in ecologic context as community health workers (CHWs) for clients undergoing late-life acculturation. Ambassadors from three different communities, all of South Asian heritage, were interviewed using a semi-structured guide. 20 out of 23 ambassadors from these communities participated, from December 2008 to December 2009. Data collection and analysis followed grounded theory methodology. Results are presented as an integrated explanatory model, with three major components: (1) acculturative stress, particularly within elders' families; (2) polygonal relationships, a construct that includes elders, their caregivers, CHWs, and service providers, and builds on the notion of a "geriatric triad" (Adelman, Greene, & Charon, 1987); and (3) role hybridity, a novel explanation for CHWs' social niche. Ambassadors mediated elder clients' acculturation both inside and outside elders' families. As such, ambassadors worked in polygonal relationships with elder clients and elders' children, rather than simply working in dyads with elder clients themselves. In the CAPS context, this polygonal framework integrates intra-familial and extra-familial acculturative dynamics into a single relational model. Within these relationships, CHWs exhibited hybridity of social roles, integrating familial and professional attributes, but fully achieving neither familial nor professional status. Practical implications, including importance of outreach to elders' children, accessibility of social programs, and the consequences of role hybridity as a property of CHW identity and function, are discussed.     

Edentulism risk indicators among Mexican elders 60-year-old and older

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of edentulism in Mexican elders aged 60 years and older, and the associated risk indicators. A cross-sectional study was undertaken in 139 elders living in either of two long-term care (LTC) facilities, or attending an adult day center (ADC) in Pachuca, Mexico. A subject was edentulous when natural teeth were completely absent, determined through a clinical examination. Risk indicators were collected using questionnaires. Analyses were performed using binary logistic regression in STATA 9.0. Mean age was 79.0 ± 9.8 years. Many subjects were women (69.1%). The prevalence of edentulism was 36.7%. In multivariate analysis, after adjusting for age and sex, the variables that were inversely associated (p < 0.05) with edentulism were living with a spouse (odds ratio = OR = 0.31), and lacking health insurance (OR = 0.70). Variables associated with higher risk of being edentate were lower educational attainment (OR = 1.61), having received radiation therapy (OR = 4.49), being a smoker (OR = 4.82), and having diabetes (OR = 2.94) or other chronic illnesses (OR = 1.82) (with hypertension approaching significance, p = 0.067). In this sample of Mexican elders, diverse variables were associated with edentulism, in particular smoking and past radiotherapy. Oral health programs within and outside LTC/ADC should take into account risk factors specific to the older population.     

老年人心理健康状况比较研究

目的探讨不同老年人群的心理健康状况和差异。方法使用症状自评量表（SCL-90）对分属于不同老年人群的162人进行测查和统计分析。结果高、低龄老年人、不同文化程度的老年人、退休前从事不同职业的老年人、有无配偶的老年人之间的心理健康状况有显著差异。结论高龄老年人、文化水平较低的老年人、老年农民、无配偶的老年人的心理健康水平较低,应对他们更加关注。     

我国老年人躯体健康状况与老年虐待的关系研究

目的 探讨我国老年人躯体健康状况与老年虐待之间的关系,为采取干预措施预防、解决老年虐待提供依据。方法 研究对象为全国妇联、国家统计局2010年实施的“第三期中国妇女社会地位调查”数据中9 057名年龄为65岁以上的老年人;调查内容包括一般特征、躯体健康状况以及老年虐待状况等。采用Pearson检验、χ2检验、多元Logistic回归进行统计分析。结果 老年虐待发生率为6.39%。躯体健康状况与老年虐待之间存在正相关关系（r_s=0.064,P<0.001）,老年人躯体健康状况越差,遭受老年虐待的风险越高。控制混杂因素的影响后,与健康老年人相比,罹患一种、两种疾病的老年人受虐风险更高,OR值分别为1.59（95% CI:1.19~2.12）、2.10（95% CI:1.61~2.71）。结论 我国老年虐待状况堪忧,老年人躯体健康状况与老年虐待之间存在正相关,躯体健康状况越差的老年人越容易遭受虐待。