Assessing the impact of day programs on individuals living with dementia and their family/friend caregivers (AIDA-DemCare): protocol of a prospective cohort study combined with a qualitative evaluation.

Background: Persons with dementia, their family/friend caregivers, and health systems agree that the preferred place of dementia care is a person's home. Health systems have struggled to provide sufficient community-based dementia care supports, negatively affecting the health and well-being of persons with dementia and their caregivers. Therefore, dementia care and support of dementia caregivers are critical public health priorities.

Developing a Frailty Care Pathway for Older Adults in Long-Term Care: A Modified Delphi Process.

Objective: We developed a clinical care pathway for the detection and management of frailty for older adults living in long-term care (LTC) homes.

Methods: We utilized a modified Delphi with residents of LTC homes experiencing frailty, their caregivers, and care providers. The pathway was created using existing literature and input from key LTC experts.

Comparison of opioid use among long-term care residents in Ontario and Alberta, Canada: A multi-jurisdictional, repeated cross-sectional study.

Background: Exploring regional variation in opioid use for pain among long-term care (LTC) residents may help identify modifiable factors associated with suboptimal prescribing practices.

Aims: We aimed to compare recent trends in prevalent opioid use and higher risk prescribing among LTC residents in Ontario and Alberta, and to examine variation in opioid trends across resident subgroups within each province.

Methods: Utilizing comparable linked clinical and health administrative databases for LTC residents (aged >65) in each province, we examined trends in monthly use of any opioid, specific drug types and formulations, high daily doses (≥90 Morphine Equivalents), and concurrent use with a benzodiazepine or gabapentinoid.

Age-related changes in sleep architecture: Effects of body mass index, sex, and mental health in community-dwelling adults using at-home polysomnography.

Background: Sleep is a critical component of human health, influencing cognitive, physical, and psychological well-being. Sleep architecture changes significantly with age. Odds Ratio Product (ORP) is a novel continuous index of sleep depth, which provides insights into age-related changes in sleep depth.

Perceptions of Frailty in Long-Term Care.

Background: An early palliative approach to care may best suit the care needs of older persons with frailty living in long-term care (LTC). The study objective was to evaluate the barriers and facilitators to care for frailty in the LTC setting.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were completed with physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, allied health-care providers, care partners, and residents with care experience in LTC.

Facility-Level Variation of Resident Loneliness in Assisted Living and Associated Organizational Context Factors: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Study.

Background And Objectives: Loneliness is common among nursing home residents, and it is also thought to be a problem in assisted living (AL). However, we lack research on loneliness in AL. Our objectives were to assess changes in risk-adjusted prevalence of loneliness in AL, and facility-level variations in loneliness before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and facility-level factors associated with AL resident loneliness during the pandemic.

Cannabis Use Prevalence and Correlates in Patients Attending a Canadian Cognitive Clinic.

Background: Since cannabis was legalized in Canada in 2018, its use among older adults has increased. Although cannabis may exacerbate cognitive impairment, there are few studies on its use among older adults being evaluated for cognitive disorders.

Methods: We analyzed data from 238 patients who attended a cognitive clinic between 2019 and 2023 and provided data on cannabis use.

Does concern about falling predict future falls in older adults? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The 2022 World Falls Guidelines recommend assessing concerns (or 'fears') about falling in multifactorial fall risk assessments. However, the evidence base for this recommendation is limited. This review evaluated the evidence for concerns about falling as an independent predictor of future falls, applying the Bradford Hill criteria for causality.

Using the age-friendly inventory and campus climate survey at a Canadian university: process and outcomes.

The Age-Friendly Inventory and Campus Climate Survey (ICCS) is the most comprehensive instrument available to empirically examine age inclusivity in higher education. While widely used in the United States, it had not been used in Canada. The purpose of this article is to share our experience and outcomes from using the ICCS at a Canadian post-secondary institution - the University of Calgary.

Environmental risk factors for all-cause dementia, Alzheimer's disease dementia, vascular dementia, and mild cognitive impairment: An umbrella review and meta-analysis.

Background: Mitigation of environmental risk factors for neurocognitive disorders could reduce the number of incident cases. We sought to synthesize the literature on environmental risk factors for dementia and mild cognitive impairment.

Methods: We conducted an umbrella review and meta-analysis.

Impact of a national dementia research consortium: The Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA).

The Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA) was created by the Canadian federal government through its health research funding agency, the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR), in 2014, as a response to the G7 initiative to fight dementia. Two five-year funding cycles (2014-2019; 2019-2024) have occurred following peer review, and a third cycle (Phase 3) has just begun. A unique construct was mandated, consisting of 20 national teams in Phase I and 19 teams in Phase II (with research topics spanning from basic to clinical science to health resource systems) along with cross-cutting programs to support them.

Association Between Organizational Context and Resident Pain in Assisted Living: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Study.

Objectives: Resident pain has been a common quality challenge in congregate care for older adults, and organizational context may explain variations in resident pain beyond resident-level factors. Most studies have focused on nursing homes (NHs), largely neglecting assisted living (AL). AL residents are at similar risk for pain as NH resident, but with AL providing fewer services and staffing resources.

The legacy of Dr Marjory Warren's publications.

While the contributions of Dr Marjory W. Warren to geriatric medicine are widely acknowledged, their specifics have become obscured by the passage of time. The primary objective of this narrative review of her medical publications was to clarify the contributions she made for this field of medical practice.

Associations between specialized dementia care, COVID-19 and central nervous system medication use in assisted living: a population-based repeated cross-sectional study.

Background: Assisted living (AL) is an increasingly common residential setting for persons with dementia; yet concerns exist about sub-optimal care of this population in AL given its lower levels of staffing and services. Our objectives were to (i) examine associations between AL setting (dementia care vs. other), COVID-19 pandemic waves, and prevalent antipsychotic, antidepressant, anti-dementia, benzodiazepine, and anticonvulsant drug use among residents with dementia/cognitive impairment, and (ii) explore associations between resident and home characteristics and prevalent medication use.

Exploring the influence of weather variability and climate change on health outcomes in people living with dementia: A scoping review protocol.

Environmental factors resulting from climate change and air pollution are risk factors for many chronic conditions including dementia. Although research has shown the impacts of air pollution in terms of cognitive status, less is known about the association between climate change and specific health-related outcomes of older people living with dementia. In response, we outline a scoping review protocol to systematically review the published literature regarding the evidence of climate change, including temperature and weather variability, on health-related quality of life, morbidity, mobility, falls, the utilization of health resources, and mortality among older adults living with dementia.

Excess Deaths in Assisted Living and Nursing Homes during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Alberta, Canada.

Objectives: Assisted living (AL) is a significant and growing congregate care option for vulnerable older adults designed to reduce the use of nursing homes (NHs). However, work on excess mortality in congregate care during the COVID-19 pandemic has primarily focused on NHs with only a few US studies examining AL. The objective of this study was to assess excess mortality among AL and NH residents with and without dementia or significant cognitive impairment in Alberta, Canada, during the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic, relative to the 3 years before.

Comparing quality of care outcomes between assisted living and nursing homes before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: While assisted living (AL) and nursing home (NHs) residents in share vulnerabilities, AL provides fewer staffing resources and services. Research has largely neglected AL, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our study compared trends of practice-sensitive, risk-adjusted quality indicators between AL and NHs, and changes in these trends after the start of the pandemic.

Effect of a Continuous Bedside Pressure Mapping System for Reducing Interface Pressures: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Continuous bedside pressure mapping (CBPM) technology can assist in detecting skin areas with excessive interface pressure and inform efficient patient repositioning to prevent the development of pressure injuries (PI).

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of CBPM technology in reducing interface pressure and the incidence of PIs.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This parallel, 2-group randomized clinical trial was performed at a tertiary acute care center.