Shaping attitudes: the association between prior contact with residential aged care and resistance to enter residential aged care

Background: The ageing population is increasing, and negative attitudes towards older people are all too common and largely overlooked. However, little research has examined how ageist, prejudice, and discrimination, that often occur in healthcare settings, impact the community's perceptions of entering Residential Aged Care (RAC) in the future. In particular, studies have not investigated how contact with RAC influences individuals’ attitudes towards RAC facilities, residents and staff. This study is the first to examine individuals’ resistance towards living in RAC using the contact hypothesis, a theory of prejudice reduction. Aims: To explore how positive or negative contact with RAC residents and staff impacts individuals’ behavioural intentions towards entering RAC in the future. To examine whether perceptions of trust, independence and RAC staff mediate the relationship between contact and behavioural intentions towards entering RAC in the future. Design: A cross-sectional survey design. Method: Data were collected via online surveys using contact (positive or negative), trust, independence, perceptions of RAC staff and resistance levels (mild refusal or extreme refusal) measures. Participants (n\ua0=\ua0373) from Australia and USA were recruited using social media, word of mouth and Amazons Mechanical Turk. Findings: Individuals who experienced negative contact with RAC residents and staff were more likely to report intense resistance to RAC, “I would rather die than enter RAC”. Whereas, positive contact with RAC residents and staff was associated with reductions in the adverse appraisal of RAC staff; a diminished perception that individuals lost their independence, and an increased trust in RAC residents, facilities and staff. Participants from USA reported greater levels of resistance towards RAC in comparison with participants from Australia. This study demonstrates how interactions with RAC residents, facilities and staff are critical in shaping attitudes towards RAC. Implications for practice: It is recommended that the public are exposed to opportunities where they can experience positive contact with RAC. RAC facilities can promote interaction between the public and RAC residents through encouraging participation in community partnership programs/intergenerational programs

Depression rating scales in Parkinson's disease: A critical review updating recent literature

Depression is a prominent non-motor symptom in Parkinson's disease (PD). Assessing depression in PD remains a challenge due to the overlap of somatic symptoms between depression and PD. Other neuropsychiatric manifestations associated with PD, such as cognitive decline, also complicate assessment of depression. Therefore it is critical to investigate the validity of depression rating scales for use in PD. This will allow evaluation of observer- and self-report instruments to be administered in neurologically ill geriatric populations such as PD, and identification of appropriate scales to use in cognitively challenged PD patients. The present review includes all studies examining the validity of depression rating scales in PD. It discusses the usefulness of 13 depression rating scales in PD. The clinician-rated and widely used HAMD-17 and the self-report GDS scales are recommended for screening and measuring severity of depression in PD. The GDS-15 may be a preferred choice due to its brevity and ease of use design for older adults. Other valid and reliable instruments to use in PD include self-rated scales, such as the HADS-D, HDI, and the BDI, and the observer-report, MADRS. The CSDD displayed satisfactory validity and reliability for identification of PD patients with and without dementia. The PHQ-2, PHQ-10, SDS, CES-D, UPDRS-Depression item, IDS-SR, and IDS-C each showed some evidence of validity or reliability, however further research on the psychometric properties of these scales when used in a PD population are required. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Current extent and stratification of agroforestry in the European Union

An accurate and objective estimate on the extent of agroforestry in Europe is critical for the development of supporting policies. For this reason, a more harmonised and uniform Pan-European estimate is needed. The aim of this study was to quantify and map the distribution of agroforestry in the European Union. We classified agroforestry into three main types of agroforestry systems: arable agroforestry, livestock agroforestry and high value tree agroforestry. These three classes are partly overlapping as high value tree agroforestry can be part of either arable or livestock agroforestry. Agroforestry areas were mapped using LUCAS Land Use and Land Cover data (Eurostat, 2015). By identifying certain combinations of primary and secondary land cover and/or land management it was possible to identify agroforestry points and stratify them in the three different systems. According to our estimate using the LUCAS database the total area under agroforestry in the EU 27 is about 15.4 million ha which is equivalent to about 3.6% of the territorial area and 8.8% of the utilised agricultural area. Of our three studied systems, livestock agroforestry covers about 15.1 million ha which is by far the largest area. High value tree agroforestry and arable agroforestry cover 1.1 and 0.3 million ha respectively. Spain (5.6 million ha), France (1.6 million ha), Greece (1.6 million ha), Italy (1.4 million ha), Portugal (1.2 million ha), Romania (0.9 million ha) and Bulgaria (0.9 million ha) have the largest absolute area of agroforestry. However the extent of agroforestry, expressed as a proportion of the utilised agricultural area (UAA), is greatest in countries like Cyprus (40% of UAA), Portugal (32% of UAA) and Greece (31% of UAA). A cluster analysis revealed that a high abundance of agroforestry areas can be found in the south-west quadrat of the Iberian Peninsula, the south of France, Sardinia, south and central Italy, central and north-east Greece, south and central Bulgaria, and central Romania. Since the data were collected and analysed in a uniform manner it is now possible to make comparisons between countries and identify regions in Europe where agroforestry is already widely practiced and areas where there are opportunities for practicing agroforestry on a larger area and introducing novel practices. In addition, with this method it is possible to make more precise estimates on the extent of agroforestry in Europe and changes over time. Because agroforestry covers a considerable part of the agricultural land in the EU, it is crucial that it gets a more prominent and clearer place in EU statistical reporting in order to provide decision makers with more reliable information on the extent and nature of agroforestry. Reliable information, in turn, should help to guide policy development and implementation, and the evaluation of the impact of agricultural and other policies on agroforestry

Contrasting prefrontal cortex contributions to episodic memory dysfunction in behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia and alzheimer's disease

Recent evidence has questioned the integrity of episodic memory in behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), where recall performance is impaired to the same extent as in Alzheimer's disease (AD). While these deficits appear to be mediated by divergent patterns of brain atrophy, there is evidence to suggest that certain prefrontal regions are implicated across both patient groups. In this study we sought to further elucidate the dorsolateral (DLPFC) and ventromedial (VMPFC) prefrontal contributions to episodic memory impairment in bvFTD and AD. Performance on episodic memory tasks and neuropsychological measures typically tapping into either DLPFC or VMPFC functions was assessed in 22 bvFTD, 32 AD patients and 35 age- and education-matched controls. Behaviourally, patient groups did not differ on measures of episodic memory recall or DLPFC-mediated executive functions. BvFTD patients were significantly more impaired on measures of VMPFC-mediated executive functions. Composite measures of the recall, DLPFC and VMPFC task scores were covaried against the T1 MRI scans of all participants to identify regions of atrophy correlating with performance on these tasks. Imaging analysis showed that impaired recall performance is associated with divergent patterns of PFC atrophy in bvFTD and AD. Whereas in bvFTD, PFC atrophy covariates for recall encompassed both DLPFC and VMPFC regions, only the DLPFC was implicated in AD. Our results suggest that episodic memory deficits in bvFTD and AD are underpinned by divergent prefrontal mechanisms. Moreover, we argue that these differences are not adequately captured by existing neuropsychological measures

Investigating older adults’ preferences for functions within a human-machine interface designed for fully autonomous vehicles

© Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2018. Compared to traditional cars, where the driver has most of their attention allocated on the road and on driving tasks, in fully autonomous vehicles it is likely that the user would not need to intervene with driving related functions meaning that there will be little need for HMIs to have features and functionality relating to these factors. However, there will be an opportunity for a range of other interactions with the user. As such, designers and researchers need to have an understanding of what is actually needed or expected and how to balance the type of functionality they make available. Also, in HMI design, the design principles need to be considered in relation to a range of user characteristics, such as age, and sensory, cognitive and physical ability and other impairments. In this study, we proposed an HMI specially designed for connected autonomous vehicles with a focus on older adults. We examined older adults’ preferences of CAV HMI functions, and, the degree to which individual differences (e.g., personality, attitude towards computers, trust in technology, cognitive functioning) correlate with preferences for these functions. Thirty-one participants (M age = 67.52, SD = 7.29), took part in the study. They had to interact with the HMI and rate its functions based on the importance and likelihood of using them. Results suggest that participants prefer adaptive HMIs, with journey planner capabilities. As expected, as it is a CAV HMI, the Information and Entertainment functions are also preferred. Individual differences have limited relationship with HMI preferences

Protocol for Fit Bodies, Fine Minds: a randomized controlled trial on the affect of exercise and cognitive training on cognitive functioning in older adults

Background. Declines in cognitive functioning are a normal part of aging that can affect daily functioning and quality of life. This study will examine the impact of an exercise training program, and a combined exercise and cognitive training program, on the cognitive and physical functioning of older adults. Methods/Design. Fit Bodies, Fine Minds is a randomized, controlled trial. Community-dwelling adults, aged between 65 and 75 years, are randomly allocated to one of three groups for 16 weeks. The exercise-only group do three 60-minute exercise sessions per week. The exercise and cognitive training group do two 60-minute exercise sessions and one 60-minute cognitive training session per week. A no-training control group is contacted every 4 weeks. Measures of cognitive functioning, physical fitness and psychological well-being are taken at baseline (0 weeks), post-test (16 weeks) and 6-month follop (40 weeks). Qualitative responses to the program are taken at post-test. Discussion. With an increasingly aged population, interventions to improve the functioning and quality of life of older adults are particularly important. Exercise training, either alone or in combination with cognitive training, may be an effective means of optimizing cognitive functioning in older adults. This study will add to the growing evidence base on the effectiveness of these interventions. Trial Registration. Australian Clinical Trials Register: ACTRN012607000151437

Quality of life, psychological morbidity and family stress in elderly residing in the community

Este estudo procurou investigar as relações existentes entre morbilidade psicológica, stress familiar e qualidade de vida (QV) da pessoa idosa. A amostra foi constituída por 126 idosos. Os instrumentos utilizados foram: The Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL), Quality of Life (WHOQOL-Bref), Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GSI), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS); e Index of Family Relations (IFR). Os resultados revelaram a importância da idade, estado civil, escolaridade e número de patologias assim como o género na capacidade funcional, morbilidade, stress familiar e QV. Ao nível dos preditores, a depressão foi a variável que mais contribuiu para a QV. Não foram encontradas variáveis moderadoras no modelo. A discussão e implicações dos resultados são abordadas bem como a intervenção psicológica nesta população.This study sought to understand the relationships among psychological morbidity, family stress and quality of life (QL) of elderly. The sample consisted of 126 elderly. The following instruments were used: the Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL); Quality of Life (WHOQOL-Bref), Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GSI), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), and the Index of Family Relations (IFR). Results revealed the importance of age, marital status, education and number of pathologies as well as gender on functional capacity, morbidity, family stress and QV. In terms of predictors, depression was the variable that contributed the most to QL. There were no moderating variables in the model. Discussion and implications of results are addressed as well as psychological interventions.(undefined

(Book review) Neuropsychotherapy and Community Integration: Brain Illness, Emotions, and Behavior. T. Judd. 1999. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers

As individuals gain expertise in a chosen field they can begin to conceptualize how what they know can be applied more broadly, to new populations and situations, or to increase desirable outcomes. Judd's book does just this. It takes our current understanding of the etiology, course, and sequelae of brain injuries, combines this with established psychotherapy and rehabilitation techniques, and expands these into a cogent model of what Judd calls “neuropsychotherapy.” Simply put, neuropsychotherapy attempts to address the cognitive, emotional and behavioral changes in brain-injured persons, changes that may go undiagnosed, misdiagnosed, or untreated