Case Studies on Elderly and Institutionalization in the Southern region of Kerala

Aging is a period of decline and social attitude towards old age affects the aged population. The practice of institutionalizing the elderly is a broad spreading concept in the modern world, and the old age homes and hospices are growing day by day. The current study aims at exploring the life experiences of the elderly on account of the transition happening due to institutionalization. The current study followed the multiple case study design. The objectives of the study are 1) to understand the social conditions that propel the elderly to choose institutional care, 2) to assess changing the attitude of the elderly towards the society and 3) to determine the coping mechanisms by the elderly in institutions, towards effective adjustment. Samples were selected from the old age homes who were above the age of 65 and institutionalized for at least ten years. Four case studies focused on the current objectives, and semi-structured interview guide was used. The study found that there was some level of psychosocial issues among the elderly and need psychosocial interventions and specialized care for the elderly in the primary, secondary and tertiary levels

Palliative Care Needs and Care Giver Burden in Neurodegenerative Diseases: A Cross Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Palliative care is an important area of intervention in neurodegenerative diseases. The aim of this study is to understand the relationship between Palliative Care Needs and Caregiver Burden among persons diagnosed with neurodegenerative diseases. METHODS A cross-sectional study design was adopted to explore the research problem. A prospective sample of 120 participants (60 Patient Caregiver dyads) of Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and Parkinson's disease (PD) were recruited for the study based on inclusion and exclusion criteria from a quaternary referral care centre for neurology in south India. Patients seeking care were recruited for the study consecutively. Palliative care outcome scale and Zarit Burden Interview scale were administered to understand the relationship. RESULTS It was found that Palliative care outcomes score was positively correlated with caregiver burden (r = 0.597), showing that there is a bi-directional relationship between palliative care needs and caregiver burden. CONCLUSION Irrespective of the differences in illness characteristics, the study found that palliative care needs are high among chronic neurological conditions which requires a noncategorical psychosocial approach in ensuring care