Suchergebnisse

Many older adults are experiencing unmet needs for assistance with the activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). Such unmet needs might threaten their physical and psychosocial well-being. We conducted a systematic review to provide a comprehensive picture of the health consequences of unmet ADL/IADL needs among older adults. Twenty-eight published articles were included for qualitative synthesis. We found that unmet ADL/IADL needs were consistently associated with higher health care utilization (e.g., hospitalization, medical spending) and adverse psychosocial consequences (e.g., anxiety, depression), while the findings of falls and mortality remain inconsistent. More studies are needed to draw firm conclusions and to allow for quantitative synthesis. This review advocates for more coordinated and comprehensive long-term care services for older adults. Future studies should explore how the adverse health outcomes identified in this review can be prevented or improved by adequately meeting older adults' needs for assistance.

BACKGROUND: Since December 2019, coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has affected over 50 000 people in Wuhan, China. However, the number of daily infection cases, hospitalization rate, lag time from onset to diagnosis date and their associations with measures introduced to slow down the spread of COVID-19 have not been fully explored. METHODS: This study recruited 6872 COVID-19 patients in the Wuchang district, Wuhan. All of the patients had an onset date from 21 December 2019 to 23 February 2020. The overall and weekly hospitalization rate and lag time from onset to diagnosis date were calculated. The number of daily infections was estimated by the back-projection method based on the number of daily onset cases. Their association with major government reactions and measures was analyzed narratively. RESULTS: The overall hospitalization rate was 45.9% (95% CI 44.7 to 47.1%) and the mean lag time from onset to diagnosis was 11.1±7.4 d. The estimated infection curve was constructed for the period from 14 December 2019 to 23 February 2020. Raising public awareness regarding self-protecting and social distancing, as well as the provision of timely testing and inpatient services, were coincident with the decline in the daily number of infections. CONCLUSION: Early public awareness, early identification and early quarantine, supported by appropriate infrastructure, are important elements for containing the spread of COVID-19 in the community.

As the drive towards creating age-friendly cities grows, this important book provides a comprehensive survey of theories and policies aimed at improving the quality of life of older people living in urban areas. In this book, part of the Ageing in a Global Context series, leading international researchers critically assess the problems and the potential of designing age-friendly environments. The book considers the different ways in which cities are responding to population ageing, the different strategies for developing age-friendly communities, and the extent to which older people themselves can be involved in the co-production of age-friendly policies and practices. The book includes a manifesto for the age-friendly movement, focused around tackling social inequality and promoting community empowerment