BACKGROUND The National Institute for Clinical Excellence in the UK has recommended limiting the use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), partly because of the inadequacy of research into the effects of ECT on quality of life and function. AIMS To examine the effects of ECT on function and quality of life, particularly as they relate to changes in mood and cognition in the month following this...

BACKGROUND The health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of the elderly population of Yi ethnic minority, which is the seventh largest nationality in China, has been rarely reported. This study was designed to explore the HRQoL of the elderly Yi ethnicity and association between their HRQOL and functional abilities. METHODS A total of 291 Yi ethnic residents were randomly recruited from 12 rural...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE There is inconclusive evidence of the effectiveness of the Stroke Family Support Organiser (FSO) service. We report the results from a randomized controlled trial of the service. METHODS Stroke patients admitted to hospital and their informal caregivers were randomly allocated to receive the FSO service (n=126) or standard care (n=124). Outcome assessments were undertak...

PURPOSE Assess the validity of our previously published multidimensional concept of Successful Aging that integrates physiological, psychological, and sociological domains of health. DESIGN Three distinctly different populations were used to assess the discriminant and predictive validity. METHODS Data included 1438 women age 65 and older who participated in the Women's Health and Aging Stu...

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY In examining the ability of resilience, or the ability to navigate adversity in a manner that protects well-being, to buffer the impact of chronic disease onset on disability in later life, the authors tested 2 hypotheses: (a) People with greater levels of resilience will have lower levels of disability and (b) resilience will moderate the association between the onset of a...

BACKGROUND The nutritional status of the aging individual results from a complex interaction between personal and environmental factors. A disease influences and is influenced by the nutritional status and the functional capacity of the individual. We asses the relationship between nutritional status and indicators of functional capacity among recently hospitalized elderly in a general hospital...

While the economic burden of simultaneously caring for young and old family members is widely recognized, it has yet to be accurately measured. Yet, such assessments are relevant both to public policies providing support to family caregivers and to private insurance markets for long-term care. This descriptive study presents a new method to address this problem: the construction of a crosswalk ...

BACKGROUND As adults with intellectual disability (ID) in Ireland move to the community from residential settings, the changed environment is intended to increase opportunities for occupational engagement, autonomy and social relationships. It is important to consider how increased resources and opportunities available within the community can be optimized to promote engagement and quality of l...

Objective To assess the prevalence of disability and its association with social capital among community-dwelling elderly. Methods The study was based on 2nd Health Survey of Belo Horizonte Metropolitan Region - 2010, that included 1,995 community-dwelling elderly, randomly sampled. The exposure of interest was social capital, measured by confidence in neighborhood, perception of the physical...

BACKGROUND As one ages, physical, cognitive, and clinical problems accumulate and the pattern of loss follows a distinct progression. The first areas requiring outside support are the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living and over time there is a need for support in performing the Activities of Daily Living. Two new functional hierarchies are presented, an IADL hierarchical capacity scale and...