Benefits of Equine-Based Therapy for Individuals with Dementia

Individuals living with dementia typically experience progressive, cognitive, and functional decline which limits their ability to communicate and fully perform activities (Pimouguet el al., 2019). Horses have been shown to benefit individuals with dementia by improving well-being, physical health, functional capacity, and social relationships (Fields et. al., 2019). A 6-week OT-based virtual equine-assisted activities program was conducted to determine if participation in equine-assisted activities could improve the quality of life of individuals with dementia. Outcomes of the program resulted in improvements in mood, energy level, engagement, communication, memory, socialization, and overall quality of life

Management of Topic in the Spoken Discourse of Persons Living with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s Dementia

Analyses of elicited spoken discourse can identify mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s dementia (AD). Topic management, one feature of discourse defined as acts that maintain or terminate an established topic, can be measured via global coherence measures. Little is known, however, about whether analyses of topic management can distinguish spoken discourse performances of persons living with MCI (PLwMCI) vs. persons living with AD (PLwAD). The current study investigated whether there are differences in topic management in the spoken discourse performances of PLwMCI vs. PLwAD. Analyses were conducted on 120 transcripts of spoken sequenced story picture descriptions of PLwMCI (n=83) and PLwAD (n=37). Diagnostic group performances were analyzed using average global coherence ratings. No significant group differences were found. Average global coherence ratings were not a predictor of diagnostic group membership. Findings highlight the need for further investigation of topic management in PLwMCI and PLwAD

Front-Line Physicians' Satisfaction with Information Systems in Hospitals

Day-to-day operations management in hospital units is difficult due to continuously varying situations, several actors involved and a vast number of information systems in use. The aim of this study was to describe front-line physicians' satisfaction with existing information systems needed to support the day-to-day operations management in hospitals. A cross-sectional survey was used and data chosen with stratified random sampling were collected in nine hospitals. Data were analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistical methods. The response rate was 65 % (n = 111). The physicians reported that information systems support their decision making to some extent, but they do not improve access to information nor are they tailored for physicians. The respondents also reported that they need to use several information systems to support decision making and that they would prefer one information system to access important information. Improved information access would better support physicians' decision making and has the potential to improve the quality of decisions and speed up the decision making process.Peer reviewe