BACKGROUND Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is claimed to have a variety of benefits, but almost all published results are anecdotal. We characterized the resident population in long-term care facilities desiring AAT and determined whether AAT can objectively improve loneliness. METHODS Of 62 residents, 45 met inclusion criteria for the study. These 45 residents were administered the Demographic...

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY Japan introduced a nationwide long-term care insurance (LTCI) system in 2000, making long-term care (LTC) a right for older adults regardless of income and family availability. To shed light on its implications for family caregiving, we investigated perceived filial obligation norms among coresident primary family caregivers before and after the policy change. DESIGN AND ...

BACKGROUND Acute care facilities are connected via patient sharing, forming a network. However, patient sharing extends beyond this immediate network to include sharing with long-term care facilities. The extent of long-term care facility patient sharing on the acute care facility network is unknown. The objective of this study was to characterize and determine the extent and pattern of patient...

This study used Monte Carlo simulations to examine the ability of the two-stage least squares (2SLS) estimator and two-stage residual inclusion (2SRI) estimators with varying forms of residuals to estimate the local average and population average treatment effect parameters in models with binary outcome, endogenous binary treatment, and single binary instrument. The rarity of the outcome and th...

In May 2005, the “Report of the Auditor General on Seniors Care and Programs” (“the Report”) was released.1 The Auditor General examined services provided to seniors in long-term care facilities, the Seniors Lodge Program and the Alberta Seniors Benefit Program.2 In total, the systems of nine Regional Health Authorities (RHAs), 25 long-term care facilities, and 20 lodge operators were examined....

Congress and the Administration are currently exploring various methods of promoting access to long-term care. In this article, an inventory of recent legislative proposals for using the Federal tax code to expand access to long-term care services is provided. Proposals are arrayed along a functional typology that includes tax mechanisms to encourage accumulation of funds, promote purchase of l...

This study examines buyers and nonbuyers of long-term care insurance. The findings show that consumers purchased more comprehensive products in 1994-95 than they did in 1990, and that they appeared to get better value for the premium dollar. While annual sales are increasing at a rate of 25%, the market for long-term care insurance remains small, and many of the market barriers that existed fou...

BACKGROUND Ultrasonographic measurement of the plantar fascia can be used to objectively diagnose plantar fasciitis. The purpose of this study was to determine the long-term effectiveness of Extracorporeal Pulse Activated Therapy (EPAT) for the treatment of plantar fasciitis using ultrasonographic measurement as an objective outcome measure, with a minimum followup of 12 months. METHODS Patie...

Background: There is no proven treatment for vision loss in central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO). Bevacizumab has been reported in small series with limited followup to have a positive effect in reducing macular edema (CME) and improving vision in central retinal vein occlusion . We report long term results of Bevacizumab in central retinal vein occlusion. Methods: Prospective interventional c...