BACKGROUND Studies evaluating and comparing the power of frailty, comorbidity, and disability instruments, together and in parallel, for predicting mortality are limited. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to evaluate and compare the measures of frailty, comorbidity, and disability in predicting 1-year mortality in geriatric inpatients. DESIGN Prospective cohort study. PATIENTS AND SETTING A tota...

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has emerged as a major cause of morbidity among U.S. servicemembers who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Even mild TBI (mTBI) can result in cognitive impairments that can affect the community reintegration of Veterans postdeployment. The purpose of this study was to explore the needs and concerns of combat Veterans with mTBI to provide support for an mTBI-specif...

OBJECTIVES : To (1) identify informal caregivers to injured US service members following acute rehabilitation for polytraumatic injuries, principally traumatic brain injury (TBI), and (2) describe the prevalence and variation of care recipient and caregiver experiences. DESIGN : Cross-sectional survey of caregivers. PARTICIPANTS : Caregivers (N = 564) of service members with TBI who receive...

This systematic review examines the effectiveness of occupation- and activity-based interventions on community-dwelling older adults' performance of instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). It was conducted as part of the American Occupational Therapy Association's Evidence-Based Practice Project. Forty studies met the inclusion criteria and were critically appraised and synthesized. Wi...

Measures of functional disability typically contain items that reflect limitations in performing activities of daily living (ADLs) or instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). Combining IADL and ADL items together in the same scale would provide enhanced range and sensitivity of measurement. This article presents psychometric justification for a combined ADL/IADL scale. Data come from 2,...

A review of the evidence on cognitive, functional and behavioral assessment for the diagnosis of dementia due to Alzheimer's disease (AD) is presented with revision and broadening of the recommendations on the use of tests and batteries in Brazil for the diagnosis of dementia due to AD. A systematic review of the literature (MEDLINE, LILACS and SCIELO database) was carried out by a panel of exp...

OBJECTIVE Dressing is an important activity of daily living, yet many older adults have difficulty due to impairments. The purpose of this study was to explore the use of assistive devices for dressing by older persons with impairments, and to look at differences among frail elders with no dressing difficulty, upper-extremity-only dressing difficulty, lower-extremity-only dressing difficulty, a...

PURPOSE OF STUDY The authors determined short-term effects of a home environmental intervention on self-efficacy and upset in caregivers and daily function of dementia patients. They also determined if treatment effect varied by caregiver gender, race, and relationship to patient. DESIGN AND METHODS Families (N = 171) of dementia patients were randomized to intervention or usual care control ...

Acquired brain injury (ABI) often compromises the ability to carry out instrumental activities of daily living such as cooking. ABI patients' difficulties with executive functions and memory result in less independent and efficient meal preparation. Accurately assessing safety and proficiency in cooking is essential for successful community reintegration following ABI, but in vivo assessment of...

BACKGROUND Universal access is one of the major aims in public health and social care. Services should be provided on the basis of individual needs. However, municipal autonomy and the fragmentation of services may jeopardize universal access and lead to variation between municipalities in the delivery of services. This paper aims to identify patient-level characteristics and municipality-level...