A significant association was confirmed between hearing impairment, visual impairment, dual sensory impairment, and quality of life. Our review can be used to enhance health care personnel's understanding of sensory impairment in older adults and enable health care personnel to actively assess older adults' sensory functions, so that they can help alleviate the negative impact of sensory impairments on QOL in older adults.

This systematic review demonstrated that an exercise regimen of 6 weeks and at least 3 times per week for 60 minutes had a positive effect on cognition. Whether multicomponent exercise is significantly more effective in improving cognitive function, particularly in healthy older people, should be tested using larger trials with more rigorous methodology.

Background: Low bone mass is common in end-stage renal disease patients, especially those undergoing hemodialysis. It can lead to serious bone health problems such as fragility fractures. The purpose of this study is to investigate the risk factors of low bone mass in the hemodialysis patients.

The findings of this systematic review on the application and effectiveness of mentorship programmes for nurses who have recently registered can provide references for nursing managers who are selecting mentors and for the design of practical programmes.

This paper reviews the state of the science of interventions using music to decrease the agitated behaviour of the demented elderly person. Seven research articles were located through computerized databases. The review of the literature suggested that music therapy is a useful intervention to help patients deal with a range of behaviour problems. However, overall weakness and limitations of studies are considerable. More rigorous research designs are required to evaluate the immediate and sustained physiological, psychological and sociological effects of music therapy on agitation behaviours of demented elderly. Some recommendations for future research are provided.

BackgroundAfter a stroke, patients often suffer from varying degrees of disability that require acute inpatient treatment and extended care at home. Therefore, the caregivers assume multiple responsibilities that can result in stress, particularly when their own needs are inadequately addressed during the patient’s recovery.ObjectivesThis study aimed to explore the changing needs of family caregivers of stroke patients and factors related to the needs in four stages, before the transfer from intensive care unit to neurological unit, before discharge, 2 weeks post-hospitalization, and 3 months post-hospitalization.MethodsThe design of this study was based on longitudinal research, and the participants were family caregivers of stroke patients. Sixty family caregivers were recruited in this study. Data were collected at four time points by questionnaire.ResultsWe found that the total number of needs of family caregivers decreased as the illness duration increased and that needs differed significantly between the four time points (P<0.01). Although the needs were different in each stage, health information, professional support, and community networks were the leading need domains in all four stages. The major factors affecting the care needs of family caregivers were the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores of patients on admission, length of hospital stay, and physical dependence of patients.ConclusionFamily caregivers expected to obtain assistance and related care information from professionals during the course of the disease. Assessing the needs of family caregivers is important for health care workers in understanding problems from the caregivers’ perspectives. Relevant information and counseling should be provided to family caregivers to help them access support when needed.

Encouraging nurses to learn more about oral care using diverse educational resources will enhance their knowledge and improve their practice. Nursing administrators are encouraged to establish policies and procedures for oral care of intubated patients based on the type of patients cared for, in addition to holding in-service training, with a view to enhancing the quality of oral care for critically ill patients.

Objectives: To investigate the incidence of postoperative delirium among elderly patients and to examine the interrelationship between basic vulnerability and precipitating factors for delirium. Design and Methods: This was a prospective cohort study. Data were collected in a tertiary medical center in Taipei, Taiwan. From the 1st to the 5th postoperative day, nurses assessed patients using a confusion-screening tool. Patients with signs of delirium were closely examined for changes in behavior and cognitive status and vital signs, and laboratory data were collected to further validate the organic etiology of delirium. Patients were finally diagnosed according to the DSM-IV criteria in consensus meetings. Subjects: Seven hundred and one elderly patients, that were admitted consecutively for elective orthopedic or urologic surgery, were enrolled in this study. All subjects met the following criteria: (1) 65 years of age or older; (2) able to communicate orally in Chinese, and (3) not unconscious, delirious, deaf, or aphasic upon admission. Results: The overall incidence of delirium among these subjects was 5.1%. Logistic regression analysis identified that older age and preexisting cognitive impairment were vulnerability factors, and that the use of psychoactive drugs was a precipitating factor for delirium. Patients with both basic vulnerability and the precipitating factor had a 56-fold increased probability of delirium (0.28 vs. 0.005 in comparison with those who did not exhibit these factors). Conclusion: Few risk factors of postoperative delirium in the older Chinese sample were identified. The only modifiable risk factor appears to be the use of psychoactive drugs.