Keeping the conversation going: how progressivity is prioritised in co-remembering talk between couples impacted by dementia

This article explores how partners keep the conversation going with people living with dementia (PLWD) when speaking about shared memories. Remembering is important for PLWD and their families. Indeed, memory loss is often equated with identity loss. In conversation, references to shared past events (co-rememberings) can occasion interactional trouble if memories cannot be mutually recalled. This article analyses partners’ interactional practices that enable progressivity in conversations about shared memories with a PLWD. In previous research, both informal and formal carers have reported that they can find interacting with PLWD difficult. Identifying practices used by partners is one way to begin addressing those difficulties. Analytical findings are based on over 26 hours of video data from domestic settings where partners have recorded their interactions with their spouse/close friend who is living with dementia. The focus is on 14 sequences of conversation about shared memories. We show how particular practices (candidate answers, tag questions and single-party memory of a shared event) structure the interaction to facilitate conversational progression. When partners facilitate conversational progressivity, PLWD are less likely to experience stalls in conversation. Our findings suggest the actual recall of memory is less relevant than the sense of shared connection resulting from the conversational activity of co-remembering, aiding maintenance of individual and shared identities. These findings have relevance for wider care settings

Digital Dexterity: A Sustainable Model for Building Essential Skills for the Future Workforce

The importance of digital dexterity in achieving institutional and business missions led the Council of Australian University Librarians (CAUL) to establish a Digital Dexterity Program in 2018. The aim of the CAUL Program was to ascertain the current state of play of digital literacies at member institutions and to establish best practice principles for developing the skills and understandings necessary for staff and students to become effective global citizens and lifelong learners. The Program consisted of three project teams tasked with developing resources that would provide: a framework for the development of digital dexterity skills, tools to assist CAUL members to improve their capability in digital dexterity, and a strategy and means to engage with stakeholders and advocate on digital dexterity. CAUL’s approach with the Digital Dexterity Program is unique in that it was practitioner-led, and involved industry engagement, particularly around the sustainability of the model. Each team consisted of CAUL member library staff with a passion for enabling and empowering staff and students through the development of digital dexterity skills. Team members were drawn from 14 institutions across six Australian states and territories and this collaborative work has enabled the development of a truly national approach. The grass-roots engagement included consultation with industry stakeholders outside of CAUL, including the Australian Academic and Research Network (AARNet), CAVAL and the Australian Research Data Commons. The Digital Dexterity Program, (launched in February 2019) included a Digital Dexterity Framework, and the establishment of a Community of Practice, which will ensure the continued development and sustainability of the program

Providing hope or assigning blame? Healthism in print media portrayals of dementia risk and responsibility

Media representations often imply dementia is preventable through lifestyle choices, potentially blaming individuals for their condition. Crawford’s ideology of healthism outlines this form of reponsibilisation. Our thematic discourse analysis of focus group discussions demonstrates how different stakeholder groups interpret print media messages differently, with prevention messaging that promotes health behaviours among the general population, simultaneously felt as stigmatising those already affected by dementia. Participant discussions almost exclusively focused on individual-level risk factors (e.g. diet and genetics) rather than population-level modifiable risks (e.g. air pollution and education), reflecting current print media and policy framings. Notably while participants saw their own/their loved one’s dementia as unpreventable, they viewed other cases, especially vascular dementia, as preventable through health choices. Our analysis shows how healthist ideals especially stigmatise specific dementia diagnoses, highlighting where healthist messaging may be particularly harmful. We recommend that media outlets and policymakers emphasise population-level interventions alongside individual actions, and avoid language implying personal responsibility for developing dementia. Our analysis demonstrates how Crawford’s healthism is relevant for understanding media representations of dementia, as well as highlighting some much-needed changes

Keeping the conversation going: How progressivity is prioritised in co-remembering talk between couples impacted by dementia

This article explores how partners keep the conversation going with people living with dementia (PLWD) when speaking about shared memories. Remembering is important for PLWD and their families. Indeed, memory loss is often equated with identity loss. In conversation, references to shared past events (co-rememberings) can occasion interactional trouble if memories cannot be mutually recalled. This article analyses partners’ interactional practices that enable progressivity in conversations about shared memories with a PLWD. In previous research, both informal and formal carers have reported that they can find interacting with PLWD difficult. Identifying practices used by partners is one way to begin addressing those difficulties. Analytical findings are based on over 26 hours of video data from domestic settings where partners have recorded their interactions with their spouse/close friend who is living with dementia. The focus is on 14 sequences of conversation about shared memories. We show how particular practices (candidate answers, tag questions and single-party memory of a shared event) structure the interaction to facilitate conversational progression. When partners facilitate conversational progressivity, PLWD are less likely to experience stalls in conversation. Our findings suggest the actual recall of memory is less relevant than the sense of shared connection resulting from the conversational activity of co-remembering, aiding maintenance of individual and shared identities. These findings have relevance for wider care settings

36-month clinical outcomes of patients with venous thromboembolism:GARFIELD-VTE

Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE), encompassing both deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Methods: GARFIELD-VTE is a prospective, non-interventional observational study of real-world treatment practices. We aimed to capture the 36-month clinical outcomes of 10,679 patients with objectively confirmed VTE enrolled between May 2014 and January 2017 from 415 sites in 28 countries. Findings: A total of 6582 (61.6 %) patients had DVT alone, 4097 (38.4 %) had PE ± DVT. At baseline, 98.1 % of patients received anticoagulation (AC) with or without other modalities of therapy. The proportion of patients on AC therapy decreased over time: 87.6 % at 3 months, 73.0 % at 6 months, 54.2 % at 12 months and 42.0 % at 36 months. At 12-months follow-up, the incidences (95 % confidence interval [CI]) of all-cause mortality, recurrent VTE and major bleeding were 6.5 (7.0–8.1), 5.4 (4.9–5.9) and 2.7 (2.4–3.0) per 100 person-years, respectively. At 36-months, these decreased to 4.4 (4.2–4.7), 3.5 (3.2–2.7) and 1.4 (1.3–1.6) per 100 person-years, respectively. Over 36-months, the rate of all-cause mortality and major bleeds were highest in patients treated with parenteral therapy (PAR) versus oral anti-coagulants (OAC) and no OAC, and the rate of recurrent VTE was highest in patients on no OAC versus those on PAR and OAC. The most frequent cause of death after 36-month follow-up was cancer (n = 565, 48.6 %), followed by cardiac (n = 94, 8.1 %), and VTE (n = 38, 3.2 %). Most recurrent VTE events were DVT alone (n = 564, 63.3 %), with the remainder PE, (n = 236, 27.3 %), or PE in combination with DVT (n = 63, 7.3 %). Interpretation: GARFIELD-VTE provides a global perspective of anticoagulation patterns and highlights the accumulation of events within the first 12 months after diagnosis. These findings may help identify treatment gaps for subsequent interventions to improve patient outcomes in this patient population.</p

Post-Anticoagulation Cessation D-Dimer Testing and VTE Recurrence in Real-World Australian Audit

Abstract Aim Elevated D-dimer post-anticoagulation cessation is a recognised risk factor for recurrent venous thromboembolic events (VTE). In particular, raised D-dimer post cessation has been associated with increased risk of recurrence in unprovoked major VTE. Currently in Australia, D-dimer has not been widely used in practice to stratify the risk of VTE recurrence. This study aims to retrospectively analyse the effect of routine D-dimer testing and it's association with VTE recurrence. Methods A retrospective evaluation was performed on 1024 patients with a diagnosis of VTE at a tertiary hospital in Australia between January 2013 and December 2016. Data collected included demographics, results and timing of D-dimer testing and serial imaging results. Results 1024 patients were reviewed with a total median follow up of 12 months (range 0-59 months). D-dimer was tested in 189 patients (18.5%) within 90 days after cessation of anticoagulation. Of these patients, median age was 58 (18-92) and 55.3% (n=105) were female. 33.3% (n=63) had isolated distal deep vein thrombosis (IDDVT), 66.3% (n=126) had above knee DVT (AKDVT)/pulmonary embolus (PE), 54.5% (n=103) of VTE were provoked. Abnormal post cessation D-dimer (&gt;500) was found in 72 patients (37.9%). Of these, 25 patients were restarted on anticoagulation; one had recurrent VTE whilst on low dose apixaban 2.5mg BD and one had recurrence after cessation of anticoagulation at a later date. Patients with elevated D-dimer post cessation had a higher rate of recurrence with the highest risk in patients with D-dimer &gt;1000 (RR 7.38, p=&lt;0.01) outlined in Table 1. Of the 164 patients with post cessation D-dimer testing who remained off anticoagulation there were a total of 24 (12.6%) episodes of recurrent VTE. Elevated D-dimer post anticoagulation cessation was a significant risk factor for recurrence in both provoked VTE (RR 4.21, p=0.01) and unprovoked VTE cohorts (RR 4.55, p=0.008) outlined in Table 2. When provoked VTE were sub-categorised, raised D-dimer demonstrated the most statistical significance in VTE provoked by travel (RR 13.5 p=0.06). Of the patients with post anticoagulation cessation D-dimer testing 170 patients (89.9%) had repeat imaging to assess for residual thrombus. In the subgroup of patients with no residual thrombus, elevated D-dimer was a significant risk factor for VTE recurrence (RR 6.4, p=&lt;0.01). Patients with normal D-dimer and no residual thrombus had the lowest rate of recurrence 5.4% (n=4) see Table 3. When stratified by type of VTE, elevated D-dimer post anticoagulation cessation was significantly related to risk for recurrence in the overall IDDVT sub-cohort (RR 4.09, p=0.007). This was not significant for the AKDVT/PE sub cohort (RR 3.24, p=0.079). However, for patients with unprovoked AKDVT or PE, having D-dimer tested post anticoagulation, regardless of result, was associated with lower rates of VTE recurrence RR 0.30 (p=0.02) compared to those who had no D-dimer testing as part of follow-up. Conclusion Post treatment D-dimer testing may have a clinical role in stratifying the risk of VTE recurrence along with repeat imaging to detect residual thrombus. Elevated D-dimer post anticoagulation cessation is associated with increased risk of VTE recurrence for both provoked and unprovoked VTE with highest risk in patients with D-dimer &gt;1000. Patients with no residual thrombus and a negative D-dimer post anticoagulation cessation had the lowest rate of recurrence. In the subgroup of patients with provoked VTE and IDDVT a positive D-dimer post cessation was associated with 4.21 and 4.09 relative risk of recurrence respectively, suggesting that the role of D-dimer testing can be extended to these subpopulations. Interestingly, in patients with unprovoked AKDVT or PE, having post-cessation D-dimer testing performed, regardless of result, was associated with a significantly lower rate of VTE recurrence compared to patients without D-dimer testing, which may be related to specialist review and recommencement of anticoagulation in high-risk patients. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare. </jats:sec

Reminiscence respecified: A conversation analytic examination of practice in a specialist dementia care home

Although discussion of reminiscence is prevalent in dementia care research, few studies have examined what actually occurs in these interactions, and how they are structured. This study examined how reminiscence activities are structured and negotiated in a care home environment. Informal one-to-one reminiscence interactions between people living with dementia and professional carers were transcribed from a larger video dataset. We used Conversation Analysis to examine reminiscence sequences in a novel relational approach that explored the interactional practices used by carers and people living with dementia. We identified divergences between manualised practice recommendations and observed interactional practices, such as the rarity of open questions, and frequent use of closed questions. This was contrary to current practice recommendations. These and other divergences demonstrate the value of interactional research in informing reminiscence practice and training manuals. By examining how reminiscence operates in practice, our approaches to conducting such activities can be more empirically informed. Our findings can be used to advise and guide those doing reminiscence work in care home settings, and improve the inclusiveness of reminiscence interactions. Through incorporating empirically informed techniques that both carers and people with dementia use in practice, we can facilitate interactions around memories which are supportive of people with dementia's identity.</p

Keeping the conversation going: How progressivity is prioritised in co-remembering talk between couples impacted by dementia

This article explores how partners keep the conversation going with people living with dementia (PLWD) when speaking about shared memories. Remembering is important for PLWD and their families. Indeed, memory loss is often equated with identity loss. In conversation, references to shared past events (co-rememberings) can occasion interactional trouble if memories cannot be mutually recalled. This article analyses partners’ interactional practices that enable progressivity in conversations about shared memories with a PLWD. In previous research, both informal and formal carers have reported that they can find interacting with PLWD difficult. Identifying practices used by partners is one way to begin addressing those difficulties. Analytical findings are based on over 26 hours of video data from domestic settings where partners have recorded their interactions with their spouse/close friend who is living with dementia. The focus is on 14 sequences of conversation about shared memories. We show how particular practices (candidate answers, tag questions and single-party memory of a shared event) structure the interaction to facilitate conversational progression. When partners facilitate conversational progressivity, PLWD are less likely to experience stalls in conversation. Our findings suggest the actual recall of memory is less relevant than the sense of shared connection resulting from the conversational activity of co-remembering, aiding maintenance of individual and shared identities. These findings have relevance for wider care settings. </p