Trends in the use of home care services among Norwegians 70+ and projections towards 2050: The HUNT study 1995–2017

Background - Life expectancy (LE) is increasing worldwide, while there is lack of information on how this affects older individuals' use of formal home care services. Aim - We aimed to decompose LE into years with and without home care services and estimate projected number of users towards 2050 in Norway for people 70 years or older. Methods - This study is based on a sample of 25,536 participants aged 70 years and older in the Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT) survey 2 (1995–1997), 3 (2006–2008), or 4 (2017–2019) linked with national data on mortality. Prevalence of home care services was standardised to the Norwegian population by age and sex. The Sullivan method was used to estimate expected years with and without home help services and nursing services for the years 1995, 2006 and 2016. Data from HUNT4 and Statistics Norway were used to estimate projected use of these services between 2020 and 2050. Results - During 1995–2017, the use of home help services decreased from 22.6% to 6.2% (p  Conclusion - While overall life expectancy increased, the expected years receiving home help have decreased and home nursing slightly increased among the Norwegian population aged 70 years and older during 1995–2017. However, the substantial increase in the projected number of older adults using home care services in the future is an alert for the current health care planners

Use of health and dental care services in adults with intellectual disability in relation to age and intellectual disability levels

Background - This study investigates the use of health and dental care services in adults with intellectual disability in the last 12 months according to Norwegian recommendations and in relation to age and intellectual disability levels. Method - A cross-sectional community-based survey including 214 participants (56% men). POMONA health indicators were used for data collection. Results - Health checks and contact with general practitioners in the last year increased with age but were less frequent in those with more severe intellectual disability. Hospital admissions were age independent. Less than one-fifth of women had undergone cancer screening, with small variations according to intellectual disability severity levels. Few had an individual plan. More than one-third experienced poor dental health despite frequent controls. Conclusions - The use of health checks was lower than recommended, especially in individuals with more severe intellectual disability. Service access and individual plan use need to be enhanced, and dental care services should be improved

Factors associated with non-completion of and scores on physical capability tests in health surveys: The North Health in Intellectual Disability Study

Background - This study investigated the completion rates, scores and factors associated with non-completion and low scores on physical capability tests in a health survey administered to adults with intellectual disabilities. Method - Assessment comprised body mass index (BMI), the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), the timed up-and-go (TUG) test, the one-legged stance (OLS) test; and gross motor, communication and behavioural functioning tests. Results - The completion rates among 93 participants (aged 17–78) were 46% for the SPPB, 42% for the TUG, and 31% for the OLS. More severe intellectual disability (OR = 3.12, p  Conclusions - Including physical capability tests in health surveys among adults with intellectual disabilities is important to monitor functional status and guide prevention strategies

Burnout in modern work life : concept and consequences : examined in different occupational groups in Norway

The present thesis is part of a large, longitudinal project in which the objective is to learn more about burnout and the burnout process. Data from representative samples of eight different occupational groups in Norway were collected twice (in 2003 and 2005) by postal questionnaires. Participants were bus drivers, lawyers, physicians, nurses, teachers, church ministers, information technology workers and people working in advertisement. Most investigations within the burnout field are on antecedents and risk factors whereas the number of studies on possible concomitants and consequences are a lot less. The primary aim of this thesis was to increase our knowledge on burnout and its relationship with two potential outcomes which constitute important public health problems: musculoskeletal pain and work-related sickness absence. All analyses were conducted within the framework of structural equation modeling. A modified version of Maslach Burnout Inventory- General Survey (MBI-GS) assessing a three dimensional burnout construct (i.e. exhaustion, disengagement and sense of reduced professional efficacy) was used to measure burnout. In Paper I, the factorial validity of this burnout measurement was examined in a multi-group confirmatory factor analysis using the cross-sectional data from the first survey. The results indicated that the modified MBI-GS had acceptable model fit in all occupations except for the group of people working within advertisement. The latter group was therefore not included in paper II and III. fu paper II, musculoskeletal pain was measured by a latent construct including pain in the head, neck, shoulders and back. When the association between burnout and musculoskeletal pain was examined in a multi-group regression analysis, the results indicated a positive and mostly moderate to strong co-occurrence between the exhaustion dimension and musculoskeletal pain in all groups. In contrast, disengagement and musculoskeletal pain were moderately, but negatively associated in some groups. The latter finding raises the question whether disengagement should be considered an integral part of the burnout syndrome or rather as an efficient coping mechanism when exposed to excessive workplace demands. The professional efficacy dimension was weakly and inconsistently (i.e. both positively and negatively) associated with musculoskeletal pain in some of the groups

How do People with Intellectual Disabilities in Norway Experience the Transition to Retirement and Life as Retirees?

People with intellectual disabilities have increased life expectancy compared to just a few decades ago, and there is a lack of knowledge about the experiences of transition into retirement for this group. In this study, semi-structured in-depth interviews with seven retirees with intellectual disabilities were conducted in order to investigate their reasons for retirement, experiences of the transition, their activities and satisfaction with their lives as retirees. Data was analysed with systematic text condensation. Most participants described that, although they experienced the retirement process and transition as abrupt, retirement had a positive impact on health, satisfaction and self-determination. Findings in this novel study in a Nordic context are need of increased knowledge on ageing and retirement among people with intellectual disabilities, and that individual guidance might improve their transition into retirement