Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
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Multicenter Study
Nonmotor symptoms in nursing home residents with Parkinson's disease: prevalence and effect on quality of life.
To determine the prevalence of nonmotor symptoms (NMS) in nursing home (NH) residents with Parkinson's disease (PD) and to establish the association with quality of life. ⋯ Nonmotor symptoms were highly prevalent in NH residents with PD. Quality of life was poor, largely because of NMS. Because many NMS are potentially treatable, diagnosis and treatment of these severely affected individuals deserve more attention.
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Comparative Study
Preferences and actual treatment of older adults at the end of life. A mortality follow-back study.
To compare actual treatments with preferences for starting or forgoing treatment of older adults at the end of life. ⋯ Although concordance between preferred and actual treatment is high in older adults who prefer treatment and lower in people who prefer no treatment, making preferences for forgoing treatment known is useful because it increases the chance of treatments being forgone in those who wish so.
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Comparative Study
Skilled nursing facility admissions of nursing home residents with advanced dementia.
To describe the extent to which hospitalized nursing home (NH) residents with advanced dementia were admitted to a skilled nursing facility (SNF) after a qualifying hospitalization and to identify resident and nursing home characteristics associated with a greater likelihood of SNF admissions. ⋯ The majority of nursing home residents with advanced dementia are admitted to SNFs after a qualifying hospitalization. SNF admission is strongly associated with PEG tube insertion during hospitalization and with nursing home factors. Efforts to optimize appropriate use of SNF services in individuals with advanced dementia should focus on these factors.
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Comparative Study
Mini nutritional assessment as a useful method of predicting the development of pressure ulcers in elderly inpatients.
To determine the usefulness of the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) and plasma amino acid analysis in predicting the formation of pressure ulcers (PUs) in inpatients. ⋯ Mini Nutritional Assessment was able to predict the development of PUs. A MNA score of less than 8 performed better than the SGA, Braden Scale, and plasma arginine levels in predicting PU development. Although lower plasma arginine concentration at time of admission was associated with PU development, the AUC for arginine was not significantly different from 0.50. The findings from this prospective study support the use of nutritional assessment in inpatients to predict PU risk and target appropriate interventions.