Senior Status Research Articles

Anaesthetic management of feline patients diagnosed with hyperthyroidism

Cats with hyperthyroidism may need sedation or general anaesthesia for a variety of reasons, including elective procedures such as blood sampling, dental procedures and radiographs, as well as for surgical excision of all or part of the thyroid. The clinical implications of hyperthyroidism make sedation and general anaesthesia of these patients challenging. When formulating an appropriate anaesthetic plan, an understanding of thyroid physiology and pathophysiology is essential. An appreciation of how comorbidities associated with hyperthyroidism, such as senior or geriatric status, chronic kidney disease and thyrotoxic cardiomyopathy, affects anaesthesia is important. This article discusses these topics, as well as drug choices, analgesia, monitoring and fluid therapy.

Filling the Red State Federal Judicial Vacancies

District vacancies without nominees that plague red jurisdictions deserve emphasis in this Essay for several reasons. First, there are myriad district court jurists who trigger greater numbers of empty posts when they assume senior status, retire, or die, which triggers more issues. Legislators have created 677 active trial court positions, which dwarf the 179 active court of appeals judicial posts. The trial courts are tribunals of last resort for most cases; their numerous jurists are the only court members that many litigants encounter, and significantly more district court openings lack nominees. In contrast, appellate courts explicitly articulate considerable policy, include multiple states, and enunciate precedent, which strictly binds trial level judges in each circuit’s purview. Vacancies’ substantial quantity and protracted character impose serious complications. Extensive openings increase pressure on all jurists, court staff, and litigants by prolonging resolution. Litigants who file civil suits particularly feel the pressure of judicial vacancies. The prevalence and duration of many red state trial court vacancies without nominees essentially inflict adverse effects that may prevent judges from satisfying their duties to ensure expeditious, inexpensive, and equitable disposition under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 1. Accordingly, that issue requires scrutiny, which this Essay undertakes.

Examination of Teachers’ Views on Erasmus+ Projects in Schools

Erasmus+ projects are important in implementing innovative approaches in the educational process. This study is designed as descriptive quantitative research to determine teachers’ opinions about Erasmus+ projects in public schools. The study group consisted of 303 teachers who voluntarily participated in the research from the population of teachers working in public schools in Istanbul. The data are collected using a questionnaire prepared by the researcher by taking expert opinions. The first part of the form, which consists of two parts, contains personal information, and the second part contains questions about teachers’ views on Erasmus+ projects in schools. ANOVA and t-tests are used to analyse the data. The findings showed that the teachers’ opinions on Erasmus+ projects did not differ significantly by gender, institution of duty, professional seniority, and educational status. Also, the teachers had positive opinions about Erasmus+ projects. In addition, the opinions on Erasmus+ projects differed significantly in favour of those who previously participated in an Erasmus+ project, those who had been abroad within the scope of an Erasmus+ project, and those who wanted to participate in Erasmus+ projects.

Consumption Status of Seniors according to Purchase Type of Senior-Friendly Foods

Consumption Status of Seniors according to Purchase Type of Senior-Friendly Foods

The Relationship Between Teachers' Self-Efficacy and Attitudes Towards Supervision

Self-efficacy is the individual's self-awareness in reaching the intended performance and the individual judgment that he forms for his success. Supervision is the process of involving the teacher in the educational background in order to improve teaching and increase student achievement. The attitude towards the supervision, on the other hand, is a factor that will determine the reaction and subsequent behaviors of the supervisor towards the supervision process and the supervisor after the supervison. This study aims to reveal the relationship between teachers' self-efficacy and their attitudes toward supervision. In the study, a relational survey methodology was employed. 2316 teachers who worked in various districts around the province of Samsun made up the study's population, and 747 of those instructors were chosen at random to represent the sample. Data collection techniques included the "Teachers' Self-Efficacy Scale" created by Schmitz and Schwarzer (2000), translated into Turkish by Yılmaz, Köseoğlu, Gerçek, and Soran (2004) as well as the "Attitude Toward Supervision Scale" created by Gündüz, Elma, and Aslan (2018). The methods utilized to evaluate the data included arithmetic mean, t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient, and multiple linear regression. The analysis' findings showed that while instructors' views regarding monitoring were on the medium side, their levels of self-efficacy and efficacy were on the high side. Regarding education level and marital status, there was no discernible variation in teachers' self-efficacy; nevertheless, there was a discernible difference when it came to gender, professional seniority, branch, and school type. While there was no significant difference in teachers' views about supervision when branch type, school type, or marital status were taken into account, there was a significant difference when professional seniority, gender, and educational status were taken into account. The association between instructors' attitudes about supervision and their sense of self-efficacy was shown to be both favorable and substantial. Also, it was found that instructors' views toward monitoring were significantly predicted by their level of self-efficacy.

Unobtrusive Cognitive Assessment in Smart-Homes: Leveraging Visual Encoding and Synthetic Movement Traces Data Mining.

The ubiquity of sensors in smart-homes facilitates the support of independent living for older adults and enables cognitive assessment. Notably, there has been a growing interest in utilizing movement traces for identifying signs of cognitive impairment in recent years. In this study, we introduce an innovative approach to identify abnormal indoor movement patterns that may signal cognitive decline. This is achieved through the non-intrusive integration of smart-home sensors, including passive infrared sensors and sensors embedded in everyday objects. The methodology involves visualizing user locomotion traces and discerning interactions with objects on a floor plan representation of the smart-home, and employing different image descriptor features designed for image analysis tasks and synthetic minority oversampling techniques to enhance the methodology. This approach distinguishes itself by its flexibility in effortlessly incorporating additional features through sensor data. A comprehensive analysis, conducted with a substantial dataset obtained from a real smart-home, involving 99 seniors, including those with cognitive diseases, reveals the effectiveness of the proposed functional prototype of the system architecture. The results validate the system's efficacy in accurately discerning the cognitive status of seniors, achieving a macro-averaged F1-score of 72.22% for the two targeted categories: cognitively healthy and people with dementia. Furthermore, through experimental comparison, our system demonstrates superior performance compared with state-of-the-art methods.

Clinical care ratios for allied health practitioners: an update and implications for workforce planning.

ObjectiveClinical care ratios are used to quantify and benchmark the activity of allied health professionals. This study aims to review previous recommendations and identify what variables may influence them.MethodData was collected from the core allied health professions (audiology, nutrition and dietetics, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, podiatry, prosthetics and orthotics, psychology, social work and speech pathology) across eight Australian hospitals. Data for 113 staff who were casual or from smaller professions (audiology, podiatry, prosthetics and orthotics and psychology) were excluded due to insufficient numbers for analysis. The remaining data were analysed according to profession, seniority (tiers 1, 2 and 3) and employment status (permanent versus casual staff). A two-way ANOVA was performed to assess the association of clinical care ratios with tier, profession, employment status and gender.ResultsData from 1246 staff from the five larger professions at participating hospitals were analysed. There were no interactions between profession and gender (P=0.185) or employment status (P=0.412). The relationship between clinical care ratio and profession was modified by tier (interaction term, P=0.014), meaning that differences in clinical care ratios between professions depended on the tier.ConclusionThis research has confirmed that clinical care ratios are a useful tool in workload management and determining staffing levels for allied health professionals. The recommendations from this research provide a starting point that can be finessed with reference to profession, model of care, workforce structure, governance and training requirements. This will lead to increased staff wellbeing and improved patient outcomes.

BASIC SCREENING SURVEY IN DETROIT SENIOR CENTERS

Abstract The objective of the Senior Oral Health Equity Project (SOHEP) Basic Screening Survey (BSS) was to determine the oral health status of seniors 55yrs and older in Detroit senior centers. The ASTDD BSS tool was used to collect the data. The screenings were conducted in two local senior centers to determine the prevalence of dental disease as well as dental care needs. The data were collected using Qualtrics© and analyzed using SPSS©. Majority of the seniors (n=67) screened were African American (88.9%), female (79.1%) and between the ages of 65 and 85 yrs. (89.6%). Results showed that there is a high prevalence of tooth loss (6 or more teeth – 59.6%), untreated decay (38.8%), need for periodontal care (52.2%) and need for dental care (43.3%). The results suggest that the senior center participants have limited access to dental care. There is a need to develop preventive dental programs for seniors where they congregate and live.

The Relationship Between Pre-School Teachers' Computational Thinking Skills and Their Use of Technology

This research was conducted in 5 central districts of Kayseri province in the 2022-2023 academic year in order to examine the pre-school teachers' levels of computational thinking skills and their attitudes towards using technological tools and the relationship between these two variables. The sample of the study consists of 210 preschool teachers. The survey model, which is one of the quantitative research methods, was used in the research. "Demographic Information Form”, "Computational Thinking Skills Scale” and "Attitude Scale Towards the Use of Technological Tools in Preschool Education" were used to obtain research data. In this study, pre-school teachers' computational thinking skills and attitudes towards technology use were examined in terms of teachers' gender, educational status, seniority, technology-related education status, and it was tried to determine whether there was a significant relationship between these 2 variables. At the end of the research findings, it was revealed that there is a positive and moderate relationship between pre-service teachers' computational thinking skills and attitude towards technology use. In addition, it was concluded that the pre-school teachers' computational thinking skills and attitudes towards the use of technological tools and equipment did not make a significant difference according to the variables of gender, educational status, professional seniority, and education status related to technology.

Pandemi Sürecinde Ortaokul Matematik Öğretmenlerinin Dijital Okuryazarlık Öz Yeterlikleri, E-öğrenmeye Hazırbulunuşlukları, Teknoloji Kabul Düzeyleri ve Uzaktan Eğitime Yönelik Tutumlarının İncelenmesi

In this study, digital literacy self-efficacy, e-learning readiness, technology acceptance levels, and attitudes towards distance education of secondary school mathematics teachers during the pandemic were examined. 108 secondary school mathematics teachers from Uşak province and its districts, affiliated with the Ministry of National Education, selected through a convenient sampling method participated in the study. The data collection tools included a personal information form, a "Digital Literacy Self-Efficacy Scale", the "E-learning Readiness Scale," the "Technology Acceptance Scale for Teachers", and the "Scale of Attitude towards Distance Education". Descriptive statistics for data analysis, t-test for correlational samples, single-factor analysis of variance, and multiple correlation analysis were used in the study. It was concluded in the study that secondary school mathematics teachers' digital literacy self-efficacy levels, e-learning readiness levels, and technology acceptance levels were high and their attitudes towards distance education were moderate. No significant difference was found between the scores of the teachers from the scales and the variables of gender, professional seniority, and education status related to distance education. A positive and high correlation was determined between secondary school mathematics teachers' digital literacy self-efficacy and their e-learning readiness, a moderate positive correlation between their technology acceptance levels, and a low negative correlation between their attitudes towards distance education. Furthermore, a moderate positive correlation was found between their e-learning readiness and technology acceptance, while a low positive correlation between their attitudes towards distance education

Privacy vs. Awareness: Relieving the Tension between Older Adults and Adult Children When Sharing In-home Activity Data

While aging adults frequently prefer to "age in place", their children can worry about their well-being, especially when they live at a distance. Many in-home systems are designed to monitor the real-time status of seniors at home and provide information to their adult children. However, we observed that the needs and concerns of both sides in the information sharing process are often not aligned. In this research, we examined the design of a system that mitigates the privacy needs of aging adults in light of the information desires of adult children. We apply an iterative process to design and evaluate a visualization of indoor location data and compare its benefits to displaying raw video from cameras. We elaborate on the tradeoffs surrounding privacy and awareness made by older adults and their children, and synthesize design criteria for designing a visualization system to manage these tensions and tradeoffs.

Inappropriate CT examinations: how much, who and where? Insights from a clinical decision support system (CDSS) analysis.

To assess the appropriateness of Computed Tomography (CT) examinations, using the ESR-iGuide. A retrospective study was conducted in 2022 in a medium-sized acute care teaching hospital. A total of 278 consecutive cases of CT referral were included. For each imaging referral, the ESR-iGuide provided an appropriateness score using a scale of 1-9 and the Relative Radiation Level using a scale of 0-5. These were then compared with the appropriateness score and the radiation level of the recommended ESR-iGuide exam. Pearson's chi-square test or Fisher exact test was used to explore the correlation between ESR-iGuide appropriateness level and physician, patients, and shift characteristics. A stepwise logistic regression model was used to capture the contribution of each of these factors. Most of exams performed were CT head (63.67%) or CT abdominal pelvis (23.74%). Seventy percent of the actual imaging referrals resulted in an ESR-iGuide score corresponding to "usually appropriate." The mean radiation level for actual exam was 3.2 ± 0.45 compared with 2.16 ± 1.56 for the recommended exam. When using a stepwise logistic regression for modeling the probability of non-appropriate score, both physician specialty and status were significant (p = 0.0011, p = 0.0192 respectively). Non-surgical and specialist physicians were more likely to order inappropriate exams than surgical physicians. ESR-iGuide software indicates a substantial rate of inappropriate exams of CT head and CT abdominal-pelvis and unnecessary radiation exposure mainly in the ED department. Inappropriate exams were found to be related to physicians' specialty and seniority. These findings underscore the urgent need for improved imaging referral practices to ensure appropriate healthcare delivery and effective resource management. Additionally, they highlight the potential benefits and necessity of integrating CDSS as a standard medical practice. By implementing CDSS, healthcare providers can make more informed decisions, leading to enhanced patient care, optimized resource allocation, and improved overall healthcare outcomes. • The overall mean of appropriateness for the actual exam according to the ESR-iGuide was 6.62 ± 2.69 on a scale of 0-9. • Seventy percent of the actual imaging referrals resulted in an ESR-iGuide score corresponding to "usually appropriate." • Inappropriate examination is related to both the specialty of the physician who requested the exam and the seniority status of the physician.

Investigation of Public Education Center Administrators’ Life-wide Learning Habits in terms of Various Variables

The aim of this research is to examine the life-wide learning habits of public education administrators in terms of various variables. In this study, the survey model was used to determine an existing situation. The research population consists of public education center administrators working throughout Turkey. The sample of the research consisted of 393 public education center administrators working in public education centers in the 2022–2023 academic year. The stratified sampling method was used to determine the sample representing 7 regions of Turkey. The data of the study were obtained using the “Life-wide Learning Habits Scale”. In the analysis process, descriptive statistics were calculated for the whole scale and subdimensions. Independent group t-test was performed to compare groups according to gender and marital status. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine whether the life-wide learning habits of administrators differ according to professional seniority and educational status. The Tukey test was used to identify from which groups the differences between the groups originated. According to the results of the research, life-wide learning habits of administrators were at a high level. The life-wide learning habits of administrators differed significantly according to gender, marital status, and professional experience. It was determined that there was no significant difference according to the education status of administrators.

Physiotherapy Can Help Recover Functional Status in Community-dwelling Seniors Assessed in Emergency Departments for Minor Injuries

Background: Around 75% of seniors seeking treatment for injuries in Emergency Departments (ED) are discharged home with minor injuries that put them at risk of functional decline in the following months. Objectives: To 1) describe seniors’ characteristics using or not physiotherapy services following ED visits for minor injuries and 2) examine their functional status according to physiotherapy use. Methods: Secondary data analyses of the Canadian Emergency Team Initiative cohort study. Participants were 65 years and older, discharged home after consulting EDs for minor injuries and assessed three times: ED, 3- and 6-months. Physiotherapy use was recorded as yes/no. Functional status was measured using the Older American Resources Scale (OARS). Multivariate linear regressions were used to examine change in OARS scores over time, accounting for confounders. Results: Among the 2169 participants, 565 (26%) received physiotherapy, and 1604 (74%) did not. Physiotherapy users were more likely females (71% vs. 64%), more educated, and less cognitively impaired. The overall change in OARS at 6 months was -0.31/28 points (95% CI: -0.55; -0.28) with no difference across groups after adjustment. Subgroup analyses among frail seniors showed that physiotherapy users maintained their function while non-users lost clinically significant function (-0.02 vs. -1.26/28 points, p = 0.03). Among the severely injured (Injury Severity Scale ≥ 5), physiotherapy users’ results were higher by almost 1/28 points (p = 0.03) compared to non-users. Conclusion: These results suggest that among seniors discharged home after consulting the ED for minor injuries, the frail and severely injured may benefit from being systematically referred to physiotherapy services.

A Machine-Learning-Based Motor and Cognitive Assessment Tool Using In-Game Data from the GAME2AWE Platform

With age, a decline in motor and cognitive functionality is inevitable, and it greatly affects the quality of life of the elderly and their ability to live independently. Early detection of these types of decline can enable timely interventions and support for maintaining functional independence and improving overall well-being. This paper explores the potential of the GAME2AWE platform in assessing the motor and cognitive condition of seniors based on their in-game performance data. The proposed methodology involves developing machine learning models to explore the predictive power of features that are derived from the data collected during gameplay on the GAME2AWE platform. Through a study involving fifteen elderly participants, we demonstrate that utilizing in-game data can achieve a high classification performance when predicting the motor and cognitive states. Various machine learning techniques were used but Random Forest outperformed the other models, achieving a classification accuracy ranging from 93.6% for cognitive screening to 95.6% for motor assessment. These results highlight the potential of using exergames within a technology-rich environment as an effective means of capturing the health status of seniors. This approach opens up new possibilities for objective and non-invasive health assessment, facilitating early detections and interventions to improve the well-being of seniors.

The electoral consequences of policy-making in coalition governments

Does policy-making in coalition governments affect cabinet parties’ electoral performance? Previous research shows that about two thirds of all propositions promised in coalition agreements are actually enacted. But does non-compliance with pledges made in the agreement affect subsequent electoral support? Drawing on the literature on performance voting, we expect that non-compliance is punished by voters, but the effect is conditioned by the importance of the issue and by a parties’ seniority status within the coalition. To test our argument, we have compiled the new comparative COALITIONPOLICY dataset on the enactment of more than 7000 policy pledges by 217 cabinet parties in 19 Western and Eastern European countries from 2000 to 2015. Across a broad range of models, we find no effect of pledge fulfillment on subsequent electoral performance. If anything, adherence to policy-promises only increases support for the prime minister party. These results have important implications for our understanding of political representation, coalition governance, and electoral competition in multiparty democracies.

Comparing morphologic features and complications of main clear corneal incision between junior and senior residents observed using anterior segment optical coherence tomography.

Wound construction is a critical step in phacoemulsification. Using anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT), we compared the morphological features and complications of main incisions made by junior or senior residents during phacoemulsification. This cross-sectional comparative study included eyes with senile cataracts that underwent uneventful phacoemulsification with a clear corneal incision made by seven senior and eight junior ophthalmology residents. All eyes underwent postoperative image acquisition using AS-OCT on day one and at three months, examining for morphological features and potential complications of the main incision. We included 50 eyes of 50 patients with a male-to-female ratio of 22 (44%) to 28 (56%); 26 (52%) were operated on by junior residents and 24 (48%) by seniors. The mean geometric features of the main incisions and the frequency of early and late wound complications were comparable between the two groups (all P > 0.05). A significant correlation was found between the incision length and angle with the superior (r = + 0.80; P < 0.001 and r = - 0.63; P < 0.001, respectively) and inferior (r = + 0.84; P < 0.001 and r = - 0.68; P < 0.001, respectively) areas of the incision, as well as between the length and angle of incision (r = - 0.74; P < 0.001). The number of planes in the wound architecture was not significantly different according to senior or junior resident status (P > 0.05). Although the number of eyes with stromal hydration was significantly greater for junior residents than for seniors (P < 0.001), the corneal thickness at the entrance to the cornea or the anterior chamber, presence of endothelial wound gaping, and Descemet's membrane detachment were comparable between eyes with and without stromal hydration (all P > 0.05). At three months, 29 (58%) patients returned for examination, in whom seven (24%) had late wound complications. This study found no significant differences in the performances of junior and senior residents in terms of wound construction or its associated complications. However, considering the overall rate of some observed wound-related complications, we recommended revision of the resident educational curriculum concerning the structure and complications of the main incision.

Sınıf Sınıf Yönetimi Becerileri ile Örgütsel Özdeşleşme Arasındaki İlişki önetimi Becerileri İle Örgütsel Özdeşleşme Arasındaki İlişki

The aim of this research is to determine the relationship between classroom management skills and organizational identification levels of classroom teachers working in primary schools. The study was designed according to the relational survey model, one of the quantitative research methods. The study group of the research consists of 120 teachers selected by using random sampling method among the primary school teachers working in the official primary schools in Gaziantep province Nizip district. In the research, data were collected through the "Classroom Management Scale" and the "Organizational Identification Scale". Classroom management skills and organizational identification levels of classroom teachers were determined according to the variables of gender, marital status, age, professional seniority and educational status according to the perceptions of the participants, and the relationship between the variables was tried to be revealed. Classroom management skills of classroom teachers were found at the level of "often", while their organizational identification perceptions were at the level of "agree". The findings were discussed on the basis of the relevant literature and recommendations were made.

INVESTIGATION OF TEACHING STYLES OF PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS FOR TEACHING THINKING SKILLS ACCORDING TO SOME VARIABLES

The purpose of this research is to examine the teaching styles of primary school teachers for teaching thinking skills according to some variables. General survey model was used in the research. The population of the research consisted of primary school teachers working in primary schools affiliated to the İzmir Provincial Directorate of National Education. The sample of the study consisted of 307 primary school teachers who voluntarily participated in the study in which the scale was applied. The data of the research were collected with the "Personal Information Form" and the "Teaching Styles Scale for Teaching Thinking Skills". The statistical analyzes required for the data collected in the research were made with computer package programs. Based on the findings, it was determined that the primary school teachers had a high level of all teaching styles, and they adopted authoritative teaching style the least and facilitator teaching style the most in teaching thinking skills. It was found that there was no significant difference according to the gender of the teachers. According to the graduation status of the primary school teachers, it was concluded that those who have an associate degree have a higher "Representative Teaching Style" than those who have a undergraduate degree. There was no significant difference according to the professional seniority and marital status of the primary school teachers.

Impacts of Remote Physical Exercises on Functional Status and Mobility among Community-Dwelling Pre-Disabled Seniors during the Covid-19 Lockdown.

To assess whether remote physical exercise interventions helped maintain function in daily life, level of physical activities, basic mobility and frailty status in pre-disabled seniors during the first Covid-19 lockdown. This is an interventional study conducted from May 2020 to May 2021. Community-dwelling older adults in 2 Canadian cities. 84 pre-disabled seniors. 12-week physical exercise programs (1 hour/ 3 times/ week) in kinesiologist-guided groups using Zoom or phone-supervised individual booklet-based home-program (n=44) vs. Control (usual life habits; n=40). Functional status in daily activities (OARS scale); Daily level of aerobic (TAPA-1) and strengthening/flexibility (TAPA-2) physical activities; Basic mobility abilities (SPPB: balance, lower limbs strength, walking speed; Timed Up-and-Go) and Frailty (SOF index) were assessed at baseline and at 3, 6, 9 and 12-month follow-ups. The participants' mean age was 78.5 ± 7.2 and 76.5 % were women. There was a group * time effect for the OARS scale (p=0.02), the TAPA-1 (p=0.06) and the TAPA-2 (p=0.007) scores. For these outcomes, scores significantly improved during the first 3 months of follow-up and then stabilised in the intervention group whereas they remained constant in the control group over time. There was an overall time effect for the SPPB (p=0.004), the 4-m walking speed (p=0.02) and for the SOF index (p=0.004), with no between-group differences. Finally, no effect was observed for the TUG. Remote home-based physical exercise interventions and monitoring during the first Covid-19 lockdown seemed to have helped maintain seniors' level of physical activities without impacting on basic mobility abilities. Further studies are needed to identify parameters of remote exercise programs that can improve daily function and mobility in this population.