جستجوی مقالات مرتبط با کلیدواژه « older adults » در نشریات گروه « پزشکی »

Considering the high prevalence of chronic diseases in older adults, providing care to them requires a special approach that focuses on palliative care. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the role of companionship in palliative care in older adults and identify the research gap related to it.

This scoping review study was guided by the method of Arksey and Malley. Researches on the role of companionship in palliative care in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, SID, Magiran, and Google Scholar with keywords of companion*, "palliative care" and their English and Persian equivalents were searched. based on the results of 10 studies; the consequences were categorized.

Based on the results of 10 studies included in this study, the role of companionship in palliative care can be divided into two categories of positive and negative outcomes. Positive consequences can be classified into physical, mental, spiritual, social, economic, and moral dimensions. Regarding the negative consequences, some roles were explicit, and others were implicit. The latter case indicates a gap in information that requires further study.

It is necessary for researchers to pay attention to companionship in palliative care by focusing on its consequences, especially its negative consequences. It is recommended that qualitative and interventional studies should be conducted in Iran.

Researchers can be sensitized to conduct qualitative and interventional studies to accurately investigate the role of companionship in palliative care.

The most important reason for considering hypertension as a major health problem, especially in older adults, is its severe complications. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of hypertension complications and identify the related factors among older adults in Semnan, Iran.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 400 older adults with hypertension in Semnan, in January-February 2023. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire, whose content validity was confirmed based on the opinion of 10 experts (CVR=0.95 and CVI=0.98) and internal consistency was conmfired using Cronbach's alpha (α=0.895). Descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, frequency, and percentage) were used to present the data. The statistical difference in hypertension complications based on the demographic and contextual factors was investigated using chi-square test. All the statistical analyses were performed in SPSS software, version 27 and P<0.05 was considered statistically significant

The mean age of participants was 68.35±5.23 years, ranged 60-94. Participants were 196 men (49%) 204 women (51%). The prevalence of hypertension complications was 26.75% in overall (95% CI: 22.42%-31.08%). Also, the prevalence of heart failure was 14.3% (95% CI:11.13%-17.47%), the prevalence of retinopathy was 7.5% (95% CI:4.92%-10.08%), the prevalence of renal failure was 5.5% (95% CI:3.27%-7.73%), the prevalence of heart attack was 4% (95% CI:2.08%-5.92%), and the prevalence of stroke was 1.5% (95% CI:0.31%-2.65%). Moreover, the prevalence of hypertension complications had a statistical relationship with age, marital status, educational level, time elapsed since the initial diagnosis, interval between the initial diagnosis and the start of treatment, the disease control, no history of receiving the necessary treatment, and receiving financial aid to cover medical expenses (P≤0.05). 

Most of older adults in Semnan suffer from serious complication of hypertension, which is related to several demographic and contextual factors. The results can help managers and policymakers in the health sector in Iran to make correct decisions and develop effective interventions for the hyspetensive elderly.

Empty nest syndrome (SEN) in Iranian older adults is becoming an important social phenomenon. Although it is not a clinical disorder, it can affect a person’s life and lead to depression, alcoholism, marital conflicts, and identity crisis. This study aims to explore the lived experiences of older adults with SEN in Iran.

This is a qualitative phenomenological study. Participants were 17 older adults with a mean age of 65.7 years (6 males and 11 females) suffering from ENS in Tehran, Iran, in 2022. Sampling was done purposefully and until reaching theoretical saturation. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data regarding lived experiences.

Six main themes (existential crisis, emotional turmoil, cognitive disorientation, functional decline, disruption in interpersonal relationships, and satisfaction with the transition period) and 23 sub-themes were extracted.

Understanding of Iranian older adults’ experiences of ENS can provide valuable insights to gerontologists and practitioners in fields of psychology, counseling, and social work to develop future interventions for these older adults and enhance their quality of life.

Population aging is accompanied by an increase in the elderly's demand for long-term care, which is mainly provided by family caregivers. Providing quality elderly care, while maintaining the health of caregivers, requires recognition of facilitators and the educational needs. Therefore, this study aims to investigate facilitators of elderly care at home and the educational needs of the family caregivers of older adults in the south of Tehran, Iran.

This is a qualitative study using the conventional content analysis method. To collect data, we conducted semi-structured telephone interviews. Seventeen family caregivers aged ≥18 years with at least one month of caregiving experience and at least six hours of caregiving per week were selected using purposive and snowball sampling methods until data saturation from January to April 2021. After transcribing the recorded interviews, the data were entered into the MAXQDA 2018 software and analyzed.

Personal factors included personal characteristics of caregivers, Capability in caregiving, perceived benefits of caregiving, and self-care activities of caregivers. Interpersonal factors included proper relationship with older adults, older adults’ partial  dependence on caregivers, cooperation and support of family members, and receiving others’ support. Supportive environments included physical environment, receiving support from work environments and organizations providing elderly care services. The most important educational needs of family caregivers were the needs to learn how to prepare nutritious foods for the elders, the way to nourish older adults with dysphagia, and how to move the physically disabled older adults.

Family caregivers of older adults in the south of Tehran should have access to affordable elderly care and home care services based on their educational needs that require planned support from service providers.

Patients with chronic kidney disease often experience various complications, one of which is uremic sarcopenia. Various factors can cause uremic sarcopenia, including monotonous diets. One of the indices used to assess nutritional quality of patients includes dietary diversity score. The present study aimed to investigate relationships between dietary diversity and sarcopenia resulted from chronic kidney diseases in elderly people.

In this case-control study, 100 chronic kidney disease patients and 100 healthy individuals aged 60–75 years were examined at Nephrology Department of Shahid Labbafi Nejad Hospital, Tehran, Iran. The control group was similar to the case group for age and gender. Demographic information and 147-item food frequency questionnaires were collected through interviews. Sarcopenia assessment was carried out based on the guidelines from the Asian Working Group. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS software.

Based on the analyses, 62% of chronic kidney disease patients did not consume vitamin D. Moreover, consumption of red meat was higher in control groups than the case group. In this study, dietary diversity score included no significant associations with sarcopenia statuses. Additionally, no significant associations were observed between the total dietary diversity score and its subgroups with sarcopenia.

In this study, no statistically significant associations were detected between the chronic kidney disease-related sarcopenia and dietary diversity scores.

One of the undeniable realities of aging is the proximity to death and the resulting anxiety, as well as the lack of forgiveness, which is a serious issue in later life. These factors can significantly weaken the adaptability of older adults. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of determining the effectiveness of positive psychology strategies training on forgiveness and death anxiety in older women. This was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The statistical population included all older women living in Shahrbabak, Iran in 1402, among whom 30 participants (15 in the experimental group and 15 in the control group) were selected using convenience sampling method. Participants filled out Ray et al.’s forgiveness and Templer’s death anxiety questionnaires. The positive psychology training was performed in nine 70-minute sessions, twice a week, for the experimental group, while the control group did not receive any intervention during this period. Data were analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) in SPSS-24 software. The results of ANCOVA indicated that positive psychology training had a significant effect on forgiveness and death anxiety in older women (P<.01). Based on the findings, positive psychology training can be applied to increase forgiveness and to reduce the death anxiety in older women.

One of the sensitive periods of life is aging, associated with a wide range of physiological and psychological changes. In recent years, the care of older adults has undergone changes, and a number of older people live in nursing homes, which have unique challenges and characteristics. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to examine the experience of older adults in nursing homes. This was a qualitative study with a phenomenological method. The statistical population of the present study included all older adults living in nursing homes in Tehran, Iran. Using the purposive sampling method, we continued recruiting until reaching the saturation stage. Finally, 11 people were recruited as the sample group. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and analyzed with Colaizzi’s 7-step method. The findings of the research were categorized in three categories: (1) identifying the challenges and problems of older adults in nursing homes, with three main themes and 13 sub-themes, (2) identifying effective factors and solutions to improve the quality of life of older adults, with three main themes and 10 sub-themes, and (3) hope and prospects for the future, with one main theme and two sub-themes. According to the obtained results, it can be concluded that older adults living in nursing homes have special conditions and characteristics, making it necessary to take measures to increase the quality of life of older adults living in nursing homes according to the suggestions of the present research.

Hypertension and cognitive disorders are common problems in older adults, and their prevalence is increasing with the aging of the population. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of investigating cognitive function in older adults with high blood pressure and older adults without high blood pressure. This study was of causal-comparative type. The statistical population included all older patients with hypertension referred to Farshchian Heart Hospital in Hamedan, Iran. In the present study, sampling was not conducted and eligible patients were examined using the census method and all eligible patients in 2021 who met the inclusion criteria were included in the study and for each patient a control person who did not have high blood pressure was selected (200 people in experimental group and 200 people in the control group). To evaluate cognitive function, Folstein et al.’s Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) was used. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 24 software. The results showed that cognitive impairment in older patients with high blood pressure was significantly higher than in those without high blood pressure. Moreover, cognitive impairment was significantly higher in women and patients living in rural areas, in divorced and widowed patients, and in patients with high blood pressure with a history of diabetes and stroke. This indicates the effects of high blood pressure on brain function. According to the results, it is necessary to design and implement treatment protocols for older adults with high blood pressure to improve their cognitive function.

Retirement has become an ever-increasing important topic in psychological research, which is accompanied by problems. Therefore, it is necessary to intervene in order to increase the sense of cohesion and reduce the retirement syndrome. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of examining the effectiveness of life review on the sense of coherence and retirement syndrome in older adults. This was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The statistical population of the research included all the retired male teachers (60 years old and older) of Harsin, Iran in 2022. The sample of the research included 30 individuals selected using convenience sampling method and according to the study inclusion and exclusion criteria. The experimental group received Haight and Webster's life review protocol in six 90-minute sessions. The measures were Antonovsky’s sense of coherence scale and Bozorgmehri et al.’s retirement syndrome questionnaire. The data were analyzed through univariate covariance analysis (ANCOVA) in SPSS-26 software. The findings indicated that the protocol of life review has significant effectiveness in increasing the sense of coherence and reducing the retirement syndrome in older adults. As such, participants in experimental group showed a significant improvement in the sense of coherence and retirement syndrome compared to the control group. According to the empirical evidence of the positive effectiveness of the life review on the sense of coherence and retirement syndrome, it is recommended that all retirement centers and nursing homes and even families of older adults take advantages of this cost-effective and practical method.

Aging is associated with significant changes in cognitive abilities, however, the lack of a suitable and short measure in Iran to assess the cognitive status of older adults is evident. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of investigating the validity and reliability of short portable mental status questionnaire for older adults. The statistical population of this research included all people over 65 years old living in Arak, Iran in 2019, among whom 240 older adults (128 men and 124 women) were selected using convenience sampling method. To collect data, Pfeiffer et al.’s short portable mental status questionnair (SPMSQ) and Wechsler memory scale (form I) were used. Descriptive statistics as well as confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to analyze the data in SPSS-26 and AMOS-24 software. The results of data analysis figured out that the internal reliability according to Cronbach’s alpha was 0.76. In order to check the validity of the questionnaire, CFA and convergent validity were used, and the results of the CFA indicate the desired validity of the questionnaire. Morover, the Pearson’s correlation coefficient indicated that there is a significant relationship between the people’s scores in mental status questionnaire and their scores in Wechsler memory subscales, as such the correlation coefficient between the mental status score and the memory score obtained to be 0.71. The results indicated that SPMSQ has a good reliability and validity coefficient. Therefore, based on the results of the current study, clinical experts are suggested to use SPMSQ to diagnose the cognitive impairment in older adults.

Knee osteoarthritis is a common joint disease that is more common among Older adults and leads to decreased performance and increased fear of falling in affected people. Based on this, the present study was conducted with the aim of determining the effect of fall-proof exercises on function and fear of falling in elderly women with knee osteoarthritis.

In the year 2023, a semi-experimental intervention with a pre-test and post-test design was conducted on 25 elderly women aged 60 to 75, all diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis and divided into an experimental group and a control group. All subjects entered the study with complete satisfaction and after filling the consent form.Participants in the experimental group engaged in targeted fall-proof exercises for 8 weeks, three days a week. The control group did not participate in any exercise activities. The WOMAC questionnaire was used to evaluate function and the Fall Efficacy scale-International questionnaire was used to evaluate the subjects' fear of falling.Data analysis was performed using repeated measures analysis in SPSS version 26, with the significance level set at 0.05.

The results showed that the total scores of the WOMAC questionnaire and its three subscales (pain, dryness and function) decreased significantly after the exercise in the experimental group (F1.23 = 7.35, p = 0.01, η = 0.24).While the total scores of the WOMAC questionnaire and its three subscales (pain, stiffness and function) did not differ significantly between the control and experimental groups (F1.23=2.42, p=0.13,). Also, the results showed that the fear of falling scores decreased significantly after performing the exercises in the experimental group (F1.23= 9.52, p = 0.005, η = 0.29). While there was no significant difference between the fear of falling scores between the control and experimental groups (F1.23= 2.37, p=0.13).

The fall-proof exercise program is recommended for coaches aiming to enhance the function and fear of falling in Older adults with knee osteoarthritis. This recommendation is based on its effectiveness. Please cite this article as: Sheikh Shoaei H, Bahiraei S. The effect of 8 weeks of fall-proof exercises on function and fear of falling in Older adults women with knee osteoarthritis. Irtiqa Imini Pishgiri Masdumiyat. 2023;11(3):164-183.https://doi.org/10.22037/iipm.v11i3.44602 

Life satisfaction and subjective well-being are two important components affecting the mental health in the aging population. The aim of this study was to investigate the mediating role of social comparison in the association between subjective well-being and life satisfaction in older adults.

This cross-sectional study involved 250 randomly selected elderly individuals from the Jahandidegan Daily Caring Center in Jahrom City, located in southern Iran in 2022. A demographic questionnaire, Keyes' mental well-being questionnaire with three subscales (positive affect, negative affect, and overall life satisfaction), and Bonk and Gibbons' social comparison questionnaire were used for the study. All questionnaires were self-report and were completed by older participants themselves. The data were analyzed using SPSS 28.

The mean and standard deviation for social comparison, life satisfaction, subjective well-being, emotional well-being, social well-being, and psychological well-being were 36.41±7.24, 13.56±3.49, 182.12±13.16, 32.90±5.93, 65.95±12.07, and 83.26±13.34, respectively. The dimensions of subjective well-being, including emotional, social, and psychological aspects, were found to have a direct and positive impact on the level of life satisfaction among the elderly (p<0.05). Furthermore, these dimensions were positively associated with social comparison (p<0.05). However, social comparison, as a mediating variable, played a relatively minor role in the relationship with life satisfaction (p>0.05).

Focusing on the positive mediating role of social comparison in improving older people's health, particularly with regard to their life satisfaction and mental well-being, should be a priority for health policymakers.

Aging is one of the most critical stages in human life. Today, older adults make up one of the largest social groups in the world. Death anxiety is one of the most common mental disorders in old age, whose prevalence varies due to individual differences, social/environmental factors, and views on death. This national study aims to investigate death anxiety and related factors in Iranian older adults.

This is a descriptive-analytical study with a cross-sectional design. The study population in this study is all people aged ≥60 years in Iran. Online sampling was done through social networks using a convenience method for 51 days from June 22 to July 11, 2021. The data collected tool was a questionnaire. The first part was a demographic form surveying age, marital status, housing conditions, household living arrangements, province of residence, place of residence (urban or rural), level of education, ethnicity, religion, and insurance coverage. The second part was the Templer death anxiety scale. The data was analyzed using t-test, ANOVA and regression analysis in SPSS software, version 22.

Participants were 1271 women and 1858 men aged 60-80 years. The mean score of death anxiety was 8.5±3.44, 42.5% had severe death anxiety, 40.7% had moderate anxiety, and 16.9% had mild anxiety. A significant difference was observed in death anxiety in terms of age, gender, marital status, household living arrangements, occupation, religion, insurance coverage (P<0.05), but no significant difference was observed in terms of housing conditions, place of residence (urban or rural), educational level, or ethnicity (P>0.05).

Death anxiety is a common phenomenon among Iranian older adults. There is a need to develop online programs to reduce this problem.

Age stereotypes, as common social beliefs about the aging process and the age groups, can have a considerable impact on the physical and mental health. Considering the lack of a reliable tool in Iran to measure age stereotypes, the present study was aims to investigate the validity and reliability of the Persian version of the age stereotypes questionnaire.

This is a descriptive-cross-sectional study. Participants were 360 elderly people over 60 years old in Kermanshah, Iran, who were selected based on the inclusion criteria using a convenience sampling method. Participants completed the Persian versions of Kornadt and Rothermund’s age stereotypes questionnaire and Kaspar et al.’s awareness of age-related changes (AARC) questionnaire. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics and confirmatory factor analysis in SPSS software, version 26 and AMOS version 24. The significance level was set at 0.05.

The mean age of participants was 67.66±5.88 years. Participants were 175(48.6%) males and 185(51.4%) females. In assessing internal consistency, Cronbach’s alpha for the subscale of family and partnership was obtained 0.871; for the friends and acquaintances subscale, 0.842; for religion and spirituality subscale, 0.747; for leisure activities and social or civic commitment subscale, 0.774; for personality and way of living subscale, 0.809; for financial situation and dealing with money-related issues, 0.846; for work and employment subscale, 0.859; and for physical and mental fitness, health and appearance, 0.874. The results of confirmatory factor analysis showed that the eight-factor model had a very good fit. The results of Pearson’s correlation test showed that the subscales of the age stereotypes questionnaire had a positive and significant correlation with the two subscales of the AARC questionnaire.

The Persian version of the age stereotypes questionnaire has good validity and reliability for older adults. It can be used in future studies in Iran to examine the relationship between age stereotypes and other important variables related to old age.

The increase in the aged population, associated with various diseases and problems that threaten physical and mental health, as well as the social and economic developments and changes in individual and family lifestyles, have caused inappropriate emotional responses such as stress, anxiety and depression in the elderly in Iran. The present study aims to determine the relationship of perceived social support with sleep quality and mental health in elderly people referred to health centers in Tehran, Iran. 

This is a descriptive-analytical study with a cross-sectional design that was conducted on 420 elderly people referred to health centers affiliated to Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran in 2021, who were selected by a multi-stage random sampling method. A demographic form, the pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), the depression anxiety stress scale-21 (DASS-21), and the multidimensional scale of perceived social support (MSPSS) were used to collect information. Data analysis was done using Pearson’s correlation test and descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, skewness, and kurtosis) in SPSS software version 25 and path analysis in EQS software, version 6.4. 

The findings indicated that 54.5% of the elderly had depression, 64% had anxiety, 49.3% had stress, and 91.4% had sleep disorders. A negative and significant correlation was found between perceived social support and mental health components (depression, anxiety, and stress) in the elderly (P<0.001). and also between perceived social support and sleep quality (P<0.001). 

Considering the positive relationship of perceived social support with mental health and sleep quality of the elderly in Tehran, there is a need to pay more attention to their perceived social support.