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R Westlund

Publications and source records attributed to R Westlund.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Medication taking behaviors in the high- and low-functioning elderly: MacArthur field studies of successful aging.

OBJECTIVE: To describe and compare medication-taking behaviors in the high- and low-functioning elderly living in the community. DESIGN: A cross-sectional design with data collected by interview. SETTING: The study included 5 counties in the southern Piedmont area of North Carolina. PARTICIPANTS: Respondents included 242 elderly aged 70-79 years selected from the Piedmont Health Survey of the Elderly and the MacArthur Research Program on Successful Aging. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Outcome measures included strategies used to remember to take drugs, reasons given for skipping medications, factors associated with understanding of drugs, the number of over-the-counter and prescribed drugs used, and the number of drugs used in therapeutic categories. RESULTS: Low-functioning elderly white respondents took greater numbers of prescribed drugs than did blacks or high-functioning whites. Respondents had a better understanding of prescribed than of over-the-counter drugs, with the poorest understanding of nutritional supplements. Men and blacks had poorer understanding of drugs than women and whites. The strategies subjects used to remember to take drugs included (from most to least frequently used): making it a routine activity, reading labels, a self-devised memory aid, a habit, being reminded by someone else, sorting, and noticing symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians should provide their patients with information about over-the-counter agents as well as prescribed drugs, be alert to cues that blacks and men give indicating their need for additional explanation about a drug's purposes, and be sensitive to differential prescribing patterns with respect to race. When planning a regimen for multiple doses of a drug, clinicians should account for their patients' tendencies to use routine activities as memory prompts.

Black or African American↗
PubMed1995

Community dwelling elderly are appropriate subjects for intensive dietary choice restriction studies.

There is a traditional belief that the elderly have difficulty coping with dietary change, and therefore have a diminished likelihood of successfully responding to nutritional interventions or restrictions. Using a controlled mild zinc-deficiency feeding study as a model for strict dietary intervention, we assessed psychological responses to severe dietary choice restriction in 15 Caucasian, elderly (66.12 +/- 4.43 years) males (n= 7) and females (n = 8). Participants completed the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36-Item Questionnaire (SF-36) as an index of QOL and the Multi-dimensional Health Locus of Control (MHLC) as a measure of health beliefs at pre-intervention baseline, post-intervention, and follow-up. No subjects dropped out nor were any meals missed during the entire 21-day feeding study period. No significant differences were detected across time on the MHLC (Internal F = 0.53, P = 0.6; Powerful Others F = 0.28, P = 0.8; Chance F = 1.1, P = 0.4.) by one-way ANOVA. Similarly, for the SF-36 no significant differences were found across time (F = 0.76, P = 0.5). Our results suggest that restricting dietary choices does not negatively impact older adult subjects and that they can cope well with dietary choice restriction and change. Older adults should not be overlooked for nutritional intervention solely due to age considerations.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1992

A brief depression scale for use in the medically ill.

OBJECTIVE: Using items from two existing depression scales, we have sought to develop a brief self-rated instrument for detecting major depressive disorder (M.D.D.) in medically ill, hospitalized patients. METHOD: Forty-two items from the Geriatric Depression Scale (G.D.S.) and Carroll Depression Scale were administered to 559 men under age 40 or over age 70 consecutively admitted to the hospital. Eighty-two M.D.D.'s were diagnosed in this group by structured psychiatric interview. After eliminating 12 items confounded by medical illness, 11 items were selected using regression analysis, correlation with the total score, and factor analysis. The 11-item scale includes an assessment of the five DSM-III-R criteria for M.D.D. which are least confounded by medical illness (mood, suicidal intent, guilt or worthlessness, concentration, and psychomotor agitation). The scale was then tested in 78 medical inpatients who were later assessed for M.D.D. using a structured psychiatric interview. RESULTS: Ten out of twelve M.D.D.'s were identified (83% sensitivity) and depression excluded in 51 of 66 non-depressed subjects (77% specificity) (compared with 82% sensitivity and 76% specificity for the 30-item G.D.S.). Scores on the 11-item scale were also correlated with the G.D.S. (.92), the Zung Depression Scale (.58), and the C.E.S.-D (.67). CONCLUSION: The 11-item scale is a practical tool for clinicians who screen patients for depression and for investigators who need a brief measure of depression in studies involving medical inpatients.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

The metabolic effects of calcium supplementation in the elderly.

Because the value of calcium supplementation in age-related bone loss is controversial, we conducted a study to examine the effects of six months of calcium supplementation on parathyroid hormone (PTH) and other indices of bone metabolism. Calcium carbonate (1.2 grams elemental calcium/day) or placebo was administered for 6 months to a group of 42 healthy, ambulatory men and women with a mean age of 71. Fasting blood samples and 2-hour urine collections were performed at baseline and at 1 and 6 months. The decline in serum PTH levels from baseline in the calcium-supplemented group was significant in comparison with the placebo group changes (for the calcium group: 40.9 pg/mL at baseline to 34.0 pg/mL at 1 month and 33.2 at 6 months). This drop in PTH was associated with a decline in 1,25 OH-Vitamin D levels from a mean of 38.3 pg/mL to 30.4 pg/mL at 1 month and 31.9 at 6 months. During calcium supplementation, no changes were observed in serum bone Gla protein values. A decline in urinary hydroxyproline excretion was observed at 6 months, but this did not reach significant levels. The present study demonstrates suppression of PTH levels with calcium supplementation, an effect which lasts at least 6 months. This change was accompanied by a decrease in serum 1,25 OH-Vitamin D. The lack of significant changes in either serum bone gla protein or urine hydroxyproline excretion fails to support any significant change in bone turnover occurring with this decrease in PTH.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1991

The Ocutech Vision Enhancing System (VES): utilization and preference study.

An NIH-sponsored user and prescriber preference trial was conducted comparing a new low vision telescope system, the Ocutech Vision Enhancing System (VES) to two conventional Keplarian spectacle telescope systems in a controlled cross-over clinical study performed at four independent low vision clinics. Fifty-five visually impaired individuals, 18-81 years of age, with both previous and no telescope experience, were followed for 8-16 weeks. The experimental and control devices were compared on a series of subject-selected visual tasks using a standardized clinical protocol. Subjects were trained in the use of the systems with standardized clinical methods. The data shows a statistically significant preference of the new design by both patient and clinician with the overriding factors relating to appearance, weight, adjustability and the fit of the frame.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Rehabilitation in the nursing home: how much, why, and with what results.

Although rehabilitation is considered an important component of long-term care, few studies have looked at the factors associated with the provision of rehabilitation in this setting. The authors examined one State's skilled nursing homes to gain information on their rehabilitation practices. Data for this study came from a mail survey and from the licensing applications filed with the State Division of Facility Services. Sixty-nine percent of the State's nursing homes responded to the survey. All reported that they provided specialized physical therapy, occupational therapy, or speech therapy, or all three, but the numbers of patients reported to be enrolled in such therapies on a daily basis varied from 0 to 64 percent of the facility's census. Factors positively associated with the provision of rehabilitation included the number of full-time registered nurses on the staff and the belief of the facility administrator that the purpose of rehabilitation is to restore function so that patients can be discharged. Facilities that employed their own therapists rather than contract for these services reported significantly more patients enrolled in daily therapies. And a significant positive correlation was observed between the provision of daily rehabilitation services and discharge of patients in those facilities that hired their own rehabilitation staff. These findings suggest that the provision of rehabilitation in nursing homes has different goals and outcomes and that there are facilities with identifiable characteristics that appear more successful in returning patients to their homes.

Aged↗