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Biomedical subjects

C R Victor

Publications and source records attributed to C R Victor.

50 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

The early readmission of the elderly to hospital.

A 4% random sample of elderly (i.e. 65 years and over) was followed up for 3 months after their discharge from N.H.S. non-psychiatric hospitals throughout Wales. Seventeen per cent were readmitted within 3 months of their original discharge. The proportion of readmissions did not demonstrate any significant statistical association with social or demographic characteristics of patients. Rather the study suggested that readmissions were due to a relapse or breakdown of the original medical condition.

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PubMed1985

Use of community services by the elderly 3 and 12 months after discharge from hospital.

The evidence that admission to hospital affects the use of community services by the elderly is conflicting and incomplete. 2711 over 65's admitted to acute hospitals in Wales were studied, using a postal questionnaire, comparing services used before and after admission. Usage of services did increase although at 1 year had dropped back. The patterns of usage are described, relating them to the types of patient. Entering hospital did not lead to losing contact with community services previously used.

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PubMed1985

The problem of loneliness in the elderly in the community: characteristics of those who are lonely and the factors related to loneliness.

Two samples of patients aged over 70 years were selected, one sample from a large urban general practice and one from a randomized rural general practice. Patients were interviewed in order to assess their mental, physical and social well-being. Included in the interview were questions on subjective feelings of loneliness.More patients in the urban practice than in the rural practice reported feeling lonely, the proportion increasing with age in both samples. More women than men experienced feelings of loneliness; widowhood was closely associated with loneliness, particularly recent widowhood. Feelings of loneliness were consistently associated with disability in both study areas.

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PubMed1984

Projected use in two general practices of services by the elderly at home.

The proportion of people aged over 70 years in the community will, it is estimated, rise appreciably over the next 10 to 15 years. The impact, however, on different areas and different services will vary greatly. Using county based population projections this paper estimates the likely future demand by elderly people for home services in two contrasting general practices. To maintain services to meet the present demand, increases ranging from +11% to +55%, depending on the area and the service, will be required.

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PubMed1984

Effect of health visitors working with elderly patients in general practice: a randomised controlled trial.

Health visitors were employed specifically to care for two years for a random sample of patients in general practice who were aged over 70. Independent assessments made at the beginning and end of the study showed that the health visitor in an urban practice had some impact on her caseload of patients; she provided more services for them, their mortality was reduced, and their quality of life improved, though the last measure just failed to be statistically significant. The health visitor working in a rural practice had no such effect.

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PubMed1984

The housing of the disabled and non-disabled elderly in Wales.

The Welsh Housing and Dwelling Survey examined housing conditions of a sample of 45,000 households in the principality. In this paper the quality of dwellings inhabited by the disabled and non-disabled elderly throughout Wales is described. It is demonstrated that disabled elderly have a lower standard of housing than their non-disabled counterparts.

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PubMed1984

Hearing difficulty and its psychological implications for the elderly.

A random sample of patients aged 70 and over from a general practice were interviewed in their own homes. Information was sought on their hearing difficulty and mental state: standardised measures of anxiety, depression, and memory loss were used. Of the 657 subjects interviewed, 33% reported having difficulty hearing normal conversations and 6% reported experiencing "much difficulty." Hearing difficulty was associated with both depression and anxiety, but the associations weakened when adjustment was made for physical disability. The association with memory loss disappeared when adjusted for physical disability. There was a close relationship both with age and physical disability.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1983

Carers of the elderly in the community.

A random sample of 657 over 70-year-olds from a large urban general practice in South Wales were interviewed to assess their physical, mental and social well-being. Questions were asked about the carers of these elderly people: which subjects had carers, the relationship of the carers to the subjects and the tasks that the carers performed.Spouses and daughters were by far the commonest carers and indeed the family bore the major part of the burden of caring for the elderly. Apart from home helps, statutory and voluntary services played minor roles in supporting the elderly in the community.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1982

The importance of mental disabilities for the use of services by the elderly.

Interviews were performed on 1288 people aged 70 and over in two large practices in South Wales. Information was obtained by standardised questionnaire on three measures: anxiety, depression and physical disability. These were related to the use of services by the elderly people. It was found that the use of services was related to both physical and mental disability independently. This held for most of the individual services. The degree of psychological disturbance is therefore important for estimating the future demand for services by elderly people.

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PubMed1981

Variations in care for the elderly in Wales.

The counties of Wales were examined and relationships sought between the socioeconomic status and the per caput expenditure on health and social services by each county, the services provided for the elderly and their outcome measured as a standardised mortality ratio and a simple measure of long-term disability. Counties with a high socioeconomic status provided more residential services, those with low status more home helps. There were no other significant relationships between provision of services and status, nor any correlation between provision of services and expenditure. There was an inverse relationship between high status and the mortality and disability measures. In general at county level the social services appear to be responding more appropriately to the needs of the elderly than the health services.

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PubMedDate not supplied

A survey of the delayed discharge of elderly people from hospitals in an inner-London health district.

Older people (aged 65+) are the main consumers for the services provided by the hospital sector in Britain. A concern often expressed by clinicians is the 'blocking' of acute beds by older people who cannot be discharged but who no longer need the facilities provided by an acute unit. To identify the number of beds blocked by the elderly in an inner London health district, a census of all wards was undertaken in the two district general hospitals within the health authority. Medical/nursing staff were first asked to identify all patients aged 65+ who they considered to be inappropriately placed on an acute unit. Standard demographic and medical data were collected as well as the reason why the patient could not be discharged. A total of 563 patients were enumerated, of whom 287 (51%) were aged 65+. According to medical/nursing staff 24% (68/287) of elderly patients were classed as inappropriately located. The definition of a 'bed blocker' was refined by relating to a length of stay of 1 month, which reduced the proportion of such elderly patients to 15%. Such patients were significantly more likely to be demented and incontinent. The study showed that comparatively few elderly patients were inappropriately occupying acute beds. The inappropriate use of acute beds is not a feature unique to elderly patients; younger clients may be similarly categorised. Furthermore bed blocking is not something patients actively choose to do; rather it reflects the failure of services to appropriately respond to the needs of such patients.

Journal Article↗