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Biomedical subjects

Myra A Aud

Publications and source records attributed to Myra A Aud.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Facilitating interdisciplinary design specification of "smart" homes for aging in place.

"Smart homes" are defined as residences equipped with sensors and other advanced technology applications that enhance residents' independence and can be used for aging in place. The objective of this study is to determine design specifications for smart residences as defined by professional groups involved both in care delivery to senior citizens and development of devices and technologies to support aging. We assessed the importance of specific devices and sensors and their advantages and disadvantages as perceived by the interdisciplinary expert team. This work lays the ground for the implementation of smart home residencies and confirms that only an interdisciplinary design approach can address all the technical, clinical and human factors related challenges associated with home-based technologies that support aging. Our findings indicate that the use of adaptive technology that can be installed in the home environment has the potential to not only support but also empower individual senior users.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2005

Home-based assistive technologies for elderly: attitudes and perceptions.

This study aim is to explore the perceptions of seniors in regard to "smart home" technology aiming to improve their quality of life and/or monitor their health status. A total of 15 older adults participated in three focus groups. Participants had a positive attitude towards these technologies and identified application areas such as emergency help, detection of falls, monitoring of physiological parameters. Concerns were expressed about privacy and the need for tailored training.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2004

Residents with dementia in assisted living facilities. The role of behavior in discharge decisions.

The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study was to identify behaviors that contribute to the decision to discharge the resident with dementia from an assisted living facility to a skilled nursing facility. Administrators of 14 assisted living facilities in Missouri were interviewed. The administrators were asked to describe occasions when residents with dementia were discharged. The findings of the study were based on analysis of the audiotapes of the interviews. According to the administrators, resident behaviors that influenced discharge decisions included behaviors indicating progression of dementia, behaviors indicating the need for more assistance with activities of daily living, incontinence, wandering, behaviors that did not meet the facility's expectations, behaviors reflecting changes in physical condition, and aggressive behaviors. These findings have implications for the role of nurses in assisted living facilities and for further research.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2003

Statewide strategy to improve quality of care in nursing facilities.

PURPOSE: We describe the development of a statewide strategy to improve resident outcomes in nursing facilities, and we present some evaluative data from this strategy. DESIGN AND METHODS: Key components of the strategy include (a) a partnership between the state agency responsible for the nursing home survey and certification and the school of nursing in an academic health sciences center; and (b) on-site clinical expert technical assistance and support to facilities throughout the state. RESULTS: The partnership has resulted in state agency staff having information from analyses about resident needs and outcomes in the state and facilities having access to the quarterly electronic "Show-Me Quality Indicator Report." On-site clinical expert technical assistance is now used widely across the state, with 569 site visits conducted in 286 different facilities to help them interpret their quality indicator (QI) reports and implement quality improvement programs; statewide improvements in QI scores have been measured in several key QIs. IMPLICATIONS: Other states should consider building partnerships with schools of nursing in an academic health sciences center. Programs using on-site clinical consultation can facilitate improving quality of care in nursing facilities.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Introducing baccalaureate student nurses to gerontological nursing.

The faculty at the University of Missouri-Columbia Sinclair School of Nursing (MUSSON) developed and implemented a gerontological nursing care course, with support from the Health Resources and Services Administration, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, and the John A. Hartford Foundation. The course, with both didactic and clinical components, was mandatory for all students in the baccalaureate program. The course drew on two resources unique to the MUSSON: Senior Care, the school's home care agency, and TigerPlace, a retirement community closely linked to the school. Goals of the course were to increase knowledge of gerontology and gerontological nursing and to promote more positive student attitudes toward older adults. Evaluation of six semesters of pretest and posttest data found that knowledge increased although attitudes toward older adults did not become more positive. However, despite the lack of quantifiable improvement in attitudes, some students wrote positive comments on end-of-semester course evaluations about experiences and interactions with older adults during the course.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Developing a residential care facility version of the observable indicators of Nursing Home Care Quality Instrument.

The last decade has seen a substantial growth in the development of residential care facilities (assisted living facilities). Evaluation of the quality of care in this service delivery sector has been hampered by the lack of a consensus definition of quality and the lack of reliable instruments to measure quality. Founded on extensive research on nursing home care quality, a field test of the Residential Care Facility Version of the Observable Indicators of Nursing Home Care Quality Instrument was conducted in 35 residential care facilities in Missouri. Content validity of the 34 items was rated by 4 expert raters as 3.4 on a 4-point scale of relevance. Test-retest was 0.94, interrater reliability was 0.73, and internal consistency was 0.90 for the total scale, indicating excellent results for initial field-testing. A focus group confirmed the 5 dimensions of quality of care measured by the instrument as important in residential care settings.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Admissions to skilled nursing facilities from assisted living facilities.

Minimum Data Set data from 15,977 residents were analyzed to investigate the reasons older adults were admitted to skilled nursing facilities from assisted living facilities. Residents admitted from assisted living facilities, private homes, hospitals, and hospitals with previous assisted living facility residence were compared. Findings suggest that residents admitted from assisted living facilities are more likely to be older, to have diagnoses of dementia and depression, and to be placed in Alzheimer's special care units.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association--5th edition: a review of additions and changes in style requirements.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this article is to highlight the substantive changes and enhancements between the 4th edition and new 5th edition of the so that modifications and enhancements are more easily incorporated into the reader's writing and editing practice. APPROACH: The 4th and new 5th editions of the were compared and substantive changes are presented. RESULTS: The following text style requirements are addressed: (a) use of parentheses to enclose statistical values, (b) use of italics, and (c) presentation of statistical data. Reference citation style changes include: (a) use of italics instead of underlining, (b) use of et al., and (c) use of the hanging indent. With the explosion of electronic media use, guidelines for documenting these sources are reviewed. Appropriate use of adverbs and research subject descriptors, submission of manuscripts on disks or files, responsibilities of corresponding authors, and converting the dissertation into a journal article are addressed. DISCUSSION: This information should assist the reader to quickly and accurately focus upon the enhancements and changes in the recently released 5th edition. Hopefully these changes will easily be incorporated into the readers' editing responsibilities, manuscripts, and subsequent publications.

Guidelines as Topic↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Dangerous wandering: elopements of older adults with dementia from long-term care facilities.

Wandering is a commonly observed behavior among older adults with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other types of dementia. When wandering around becomes wandering away, older adults with dementia are at high risk of injury. This exploratory, qualitative study described the circumstances, environmental risks, and injuries sustained in 62 elopements from long-term care facilities by elderly residents with dementia. Content analysis of the reports of the elopements identified patterns that included: 1) a lack of effective precautions to prevent elopement when residents had indicated an intent to elope, had repeatedly attempted to elope, or had a history of elopement; 2) a lack of awareness by the staff of resident location; and 3) ineffective use of alarm devices intended to alert staff to elopement attempts.

Aged↗