COMPARISON OF FUNCTIONAL AND NON-FUNCTIONAL METHODS OF TEACHING SHORTHAND IN NORTHEAST EXPERIMENTAL JUNIOR COLLEGE OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI

The purpose of this study is to test the comparative success of the Functional Method of teaching shorthand in developing transcription ability, accuracy of writing shorthand vocabulary, shorthand penmanship, and shorthand reading ability. The problem is limited to the results of the experiment as conducted in the Northeast Experimental Junior College of Kansas City, Missouri

Differential Health and Social Needs of Older Adults Waitlisted for Public Housing or Housing Choice Vouchers

Affordable housing is an important form of income security for low-income older persons. This article describes characteristics of older persons waitlisted for either public housing or a housing choice voucher (HCV) (previously Section 8) in Portland, Oregon. 358 persons (32% response rate) completed a mailed survey with questions about demographics, health and housing status, food insecurity, and preference for housing with services. Findings indicate that many waitlisted older persons experienced homelessness or housing instability, poor health, high hospital use, and food insecurity. Public housing applicants were significantly more likely to report lower incomes, homelessness, and food insecurity than HCV applicants. We conclude with policy implications for housing and health agencies that serve low-income older persons

Epidemiology of occupational hypersensitivity pneumonitis; reports from the SWORD scheme in the UK from 1996 to 2015

Objective To estimate the reported incidence of occupational hypersensitivity pneumonitis (OHP) in the UK and to consider whether the pattern of attributed causation has changed over time. Methods All cases of OHP reported to the SWORD scheme between January 1996 and December 2015 were classified into 1 of 10 categories of the suspected agent. Cases were grouped into four 5-year time periods to examine any changing pattern in incidence or suspected causation. For each time period, the annual incidence was calculated using the estimated number of reported cases and the working population of the UK. Results Between 1996 and 2015, there were 202 actual cases of OHP reported to SWORD, equating to an estimated 818 cases, when adjusting for the sampling ratio. Over this period, the annual UK incidence was 1.4 per million workers. The mean (SD) age of reported cases was 52 (13) years, and cases were four-times more likely to be men than women. Over the study period, there was a fall in the proportion of cases reported to be due to agricultural exposures (44–12%), and an increase in cases due to metalworking fluids (MWFs, 2–45%). Conclusions Over the last 20 years, the incidence of OHP in the UK has been ∼1–2 cases per million workers per year. Working with water-based MWFs is now the most commonly suspected causative exposure for OHP cases reported to the SWORD scheme in the UK

Oregon Community-Based Care Survey: Assisted Living, Residential Care, and Memory Care

In Oregon, community-based care (CBC) communities include assisted living (AL), residential care (RC), and memory care (MC) communities. These settings provide residential, personal care, and health-related services, primarily to older adults. As the population of Oregonians aged 65 and older is estimated to increase from 16 percent in 2015 to nearly 23 percent in 20501, the availability of CBC settings will continue to be an important source of long-term services and supports. This report provides an in-depth look at Oregon’s CBC settings. Because no central dataset of CBC services, staff, and residents is available, as opposed to nursing facilities, information for this report was collected using a questionnaire that CBC providers (e.g., administrators, directors) were asked to complete. CBC settings provide long-term services and supports to many older Oregonians and their families. These services include daily meals, housekeeping and laundry, assistance with personal care needs, medication administration, monitoring of health conditions, communication with residents’ health care providers, and social and recreational activities. Of the 517 AL, RC, and MC communities licensed as of fall 2016, 60 percent (308) returned a questionnaire. The data described in this report are based upon these 308 communities unless noted otherwise. The goals of the project described in this report included: Describe assisted living, residential care, and memory care community characteristics, including staffing types and levels, policies, and monthly charges and fees Describe current residents’ health and social characteristics Compare current results with prior Oregon surveys and national studies of similar setting types to identify changes and possible trends Compare setting types for differences that might affect access, quality, or cost

2022 Adult Foster Home Resident and Community Characteristics Report on Adult Foster Homes

This report describes results from a study of Oregon adult foster homes (AFH), including home and owner characteristics; monthly charges and payment sources; resident characteristics, personal and health-related needs; and owners’ experiences with supports and challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study’s purpose was to collect and report data that can inform and advise policymakers, state and county agency staff, aging advocates and AFH owners about the status of AFHs in Oregon. The report includes information collected between December 2021 and March 2022 and, where possible, compares it to findings from prior years of this study and to other reports and articles about AFHs and other types of community-based care

State Variability in the Prevalence and Healthcare Utilization of Assisted Living Residents with Dementia

Objectives: Almost 1 million older and disabled adults who require long‐term care reside in assisted living (AL), approximately 40% of whom have a diagnosis of Alzheimer\u27s disease and related dementias (ADRD). States vary in their regulations specific to dementia care that may influence the presence of residents with ADRD in AL and their outcomes. The objectives of this study were to describe the state variability in the prevalence of ADRD among Medicare beneficiaries residing in larger (25+ bed) ALs and their healthcare utilization. Design: Retrospective observational national study. Participants: National cohort of 293,336 Medicare fee‐for‐service enrollees residing in larger (25+ bed) ALs in 2016 and 2017 including 88,867 (30.3%) residents with ADRD. We compared this cohort\u27s characteristics and healthcare utilization with that of individuals with ADRD who resided in nursing homes (NHs; n = 602,521) and the community (n = 2,074,420). Methods: Medicare enrollment data, claims, and the NH Minimum Data Set were used to describe differences among ADRD patients in AL, NHs, and the community. We present rates of NH admission and hospitalization, by state, adjusting for age, sex, race, dual eligibility, and chronic conditions. Results: The prevalence of ADRD among AL residents varied by state, ranging from 24% to 47%. In 2017, AL residents with ADRD had higher rates of NH admission than their community‐dwelling counterparts (adjusted national average = 24%, ranging from 14% to 35% among states). AL residents with ADRD had higher rates of hospitalization (38%) than populations in either NHs (29%) or the community (34%), and ranged from 29% to 45% of residents among states. Conclusion: These findings have implications for states as they regulate AL and for healthcare professionals whose patients reside in AL. Future work is needed to understand specific elements of states’ regulatory environments and local markets that may impact access and outcomes for this vulnerable population of residents with ADRD. J Am Geriatr Soc 68:1504‐1511, 2020

Accessing Opportunities for Household Provisioning Post-COVID-19

In this project, we used a mixed-methods study to collect critical information to evaluate the extent to which people modified their shopping behavior, either by choice or necessity, to meet their provisioning needs during the COVID-19 crisis and the following recovery. First, four waves of a cross-sectional survey were administered online to a representative sample of households in Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Oregon, and Washington. This longitudinal, comparative study responded directly to a critical research gap and advanced behavioral science by providing a rich survey dataset to support and test theories of behavioral change and technology adoption. Second, focus groups were conducted with older adults in Oregon to discuss their arc of technology adoption for grocery shopping. Focus groups were also conducted with two sets of mentors who provide assistance to family members and friends with online food purchases to understand what kinds of interventions might be necessary to broaden access to e-commerce and delivery platforms for vulnerable populations. This report presents high-level descriptive statistics from these surveys comparing results by wave and/or by state. The findings from the focus groups with older adults and mentors are also described. The findings of this research are critical for emergency planning but also for understanding the ever-changing mechanism used to access retail and service opportunities (whether in-person vs. online), and the opportunities for future interventions to remedy barriers to accessing food that are relevant after the pandemic recovery

Oregon Community-Based Care Survey 2016: Adult Foster Homes

This report describes adult foster homes in Oregon. An adult foster home (AFH) is a type of licensed community-based care (CBC) setting that provides residential, personal care, and health-related services, primarily to older adults. The study collected information from adult foster homes to achieve the following four main goals. Describe adult foster home characteristics, including staffing types and levels, policies, and monthly charges and fees Describe current residents’ health and social characteristics Compare current results to prior Oregon surveys and to national studies of similar setting types to identify changes and possible trends Compare setting types for differences that might affect access, quality, or costs The study findings are intended to provide information that state agency staff, legislators, community-based care providers, and consumers may use to guide their decisions. Providing state-level information was one of the goals of Oregon’s LTC 3.0 planning process

Thermophysical optimization of specialized concrete pavement materials for collection of surface heat energy and applications for shallow heat storage

There is great potential to use pavement structures to collect and/or store solar energy for the heating and cooling of adjacent buildings, e.g. airport terminals, shopping malls, etc. Therefore, pavement materials comprising both conventional and unconventional concrete mixtures with a wide range of densities, thermal conductivities, specific heat capacities, and thermal diffusivities were investigated. Their thermo-physical properties were then used as inputs to a one dimensional transient heat transport model in order to evaluate the temperature changes at the various depths at which heat might be abstracted or stored. The results indicated that a high diffusivity pavement, e.g. incorporating high conductive aggregates and/or metallic fibres, can significantly enhance heat transfer as well as reduction of thermal stresses across the concrete slab. On the other hand a low diffusivity concrete can induce a more stable temperature at shallower depth enabling easier heat storage in the pavement as well as helping to reduce the risk of damage due to freeze-thaw cycling in cold regions