Use Of Such Support Research Articles

Views of Older Adults on Using Support to Prevent Overload in Informal Caregivers: Results of a Story Completion Study

Older care recipients living at home increasingly rely on support from informal caregivers. As informal caregivers often combine these caregiving tasks with other tasks, such as paid work, they are at risk of becoming overloaded. To decrease informal caregiver burden, different forms of support are available that also affect older care recipients’ lives, such as respite care, technology, or home care. The aim of this qualitative study was to obtain more insight into the perceptions, potential concerns and preferences of older informal care recipients about the use of support to relieve informal caregivers. We performed a story completion writing task among 23 informal care recipients aged 65 years or older, using hypothetical situations to let them reflect on different caregiver relief support options. The task was followed-up by a story-mediated interview. We used thematic analysis to inductively analyze story completions and interviews. We found that older informal care recipients were often willing to use support to relieve their caregivers, to ensure their wellbeing. However, they were also concerned about how the use of such support may conflict with their interests, preferences and values (e.g. respect for their autonomy, privacy, having a trusting relationship with a caretaker, paying attention to human aspects in care). Older adults were most hesitant to use adult day care facilities and technological support options. While these areas of tensions cannot always be completely resolved, it is important to jointly identify and discuss these, and work towards solutions to balance the respective interests, values and needs of older adults and caregivers. Health and social care professionals and older adults’ personal networks may help in overcoming hesitation to use support.

Residual limb support devices on wheelchairs for people with transtibial amputations: A scoping review and survey of rehabilitation professionals in Nova Scotia.

To determine what research evidence exists for the use of residual limb supports (RLSs) for people with transtibial amputations and to describe clinicians' use of such supports in Nova Scotia. Scoping review of published and gray literature using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews as a guide and an anonymous online and paper-based clinician survey. We identified 22 publications meeting criteria for review. Seventeen (77%) of the publications were practice guidelines or systematic reviews about care of people with lower-limb amputations, 4 (18%) involved research about the design of stump supports, and 1 (5%) researched the use of supports. Generally, the use of RLSs was recommended (e.g., to prevent contractures, control edema, and to provide comfort), but many authors acknowledged that the evidence was weak, and additional evidence in support of these treatment goals could not be found. We received 44 survey responses from health care professionals involved with the care of people with transtibial amputations in Nova Scotia. Of the 43 health care professionals who responded to the question "… what percent of patients/clients with transtibial amputations do you estimate receive stump supports …," the mean (standard deviation) was 86.1% (21.1). The most common reasons for recommending a stump support were to prevent knee contracture (38 [86.4%]), and to prevent swelling (13 [29.5%]). Most clinicians who provide services to people with amputations in Nova Scotia believe that RLSs have benefits such as the prevention of contractures, the reduction of edema, and improved patient comfort. However, there is little high-quality research evidence to support their use. There is a need to perform the necessary research or to modify practice guidelines.

VIEWS OF OLDER ADULTS ON SUPPORT OPTIONS TO RELIEVE THEIR WORKING INFORMAL CAREGIVERS: A STORY COMPLETION STUDY

Abstract Older care recipients living at home increasingly rely on support from informal caregivers, who often combine their caregiving tasks with a paid job. Because of this combination of tasks, working caregivers may become overloaded. Different caregiver support options are available, that also affect older care recipients’ lives, such as respite care, technology, or home care. The aim of this qualitative study was to obtain insight into the perceptions, concerns and preferences of older informal care recipients about the use of support to relieve their working informal caregivers. We performed a story completion writing task among 23 informal care recipients aged 65 years or older, using hypothetical situations to let participants reflect on different caregiver relief support options. The task was followed-up by a story-mediated interview. We used thematic analysis to inductively analyze story completions and interviews. We found that older adults were often willing to use support to relieve their caregivers, to ensure their wellbeing. However, they were also concerned about how the use of such support may conflict with their interests, preferences and values (e.g. respect for their autonomy, privacy, having a trusting relationship with caretakers, paying attention to human aspects in care). Older adults were most hesitant to use adult day care facilities and technological support options. While these areas of tension cannot always be completely resolved, it is important to jointly identify and discuss these, and work towards solutions to balance the respective interests, values and needs of older adults and caregivers.

Angiographic Analysis of Trans-Radial Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Cases by the Backup Support of Guide Extension Catheter

Background:The guide extension catheter – Guidezilla (Boston Scientific, United States of America) is a useful adjunctive tool in percutaneous revascularization of complex coronary lesions, and provides an extension to the guide catheter with better coaxial alignment, support and stability.Objective: The objective of this study was to describe the usefulness and easy deliverability of stent by Guidezillain the trans-radial treatment of complex coronary lesions as our initial experience.Methods:This prospective observational study was conducted at the Department of Cardiology, Ibrahim Cardiac Hospital & Research Institute (ICHRI), Dhaka from July 2016 to September 2017. The transradial approach was used in all cases. Clinical, angiographic and procedural data of percutaneous coronary interventions performed using Guidezilla, including indications for use of Guidezilla were collected and analyzed.Results:A total of 19 procedures (in 18 patients) were evaluated. 57.89% of cases were related to left circumflex coronary artery or obtuse marginal branch. The commonest challenge for use of Guidezillawas proximal angulation (63.15%) and calcification (47.4%). Commonest type of lesion was ACC/ AHA Type C lesion (63.2%). Successful stent deployment was achieved in 16 of the 19 procedures (84.2%). Among the unsuccessful cases, there was stent damage in one case and distal dissection after deployment of a stent in other. Stent deployment was not possible in two cases, due to diffuse lesion and heavy calcification.Conclusions:Guide extension catheter is a good trans-radial back-up support for calcified, complex and tortuous coronary anatomy, which otherwise may have been considered unsuitable for PCI. The use of such support can reduce the necessity for the more expensive alternative of deploying multiple small stents in order to traverse the lesions.Bangladesh Heart Journal 2018; 33(1) : 54-60

Effect of lumbar support on human-head movement and discomfort in whole-body vibration

BACKGROUND: It is well known that prolonged sitting can elicit low back pain as a result of the abnormal shape of the spine. This problem becomes worse in whole-body vibration environments where a rocking motion of the pelvis can occur and may amplify the vibration motion transmitted to the lumbar spine. OBJECTIVE: Although the use of lumbar supports is common in static environments, little is known about how the use of such supports changes the biodynamic response and discomfort of the person in whole-body vibration environments. METHODS: The motion at the head and the discomfort of ten participants were recorded under five back-support conditions, including three commercially available lumbar supports. RESULTS:The results indicated significantly lower head motion and discomfort ( p< 0.05) with the use of the lumbar supports than with a simple flat backrest. CONCLUSIONS: All lumbar supports used in this study combined the advantages of reduced head motion and reduced discomfort during whole-body vibration.

Informal and Formal Support among Community-Dwelling Japanese American Elders Living Alone in Chicagoland: An In-Depth Qualitative Study

A key public health approach to promote independent living and avoid nursing home placement is ensuring that elders can obtain adequate informal support from family and friends, as well as formal support from community services. This study aims to describe the use of informal and formal support among community-dwelling Nikkei elders living alone, and explore perceived barriers hindering their use of such support. We conducted English and Japanese semi-structured, open-ended interviews in Chicagoland with a convenience sample of 34 Nikkei elders age 60+ who were functionally independent and living alone; 9 family/friends; and 10 local service providers. According to participants, for informal support, Nikkei elders relied mainly on: family for homemaking and health management; partners for emotional and emergency support; friends for emotional and transportation support; and neighbors for emergency assistance. Perceived barriers to informal support included elders' attitudinal impediments (feeling burdensome, reciprocating support, self-reliance), family-related interpersonal circumstances (poor communication, distance, intergenerational differences); and friendship/neighbor-related interpersonal situations (difficulty making friends, relocation, health decline/death). For formal support, Nikkei elders primarily used adult day care/cultural programs for socializing and learning and in-home care for personal/homemaking assistance and companionship. Barriers to formal support included attitudinal impediments (stoicism, privacy, frugality); perception of care (incompatibility with services, poor opinions of in-home care quality); and accessibility (geographical distance, lack of transportation). In summary, this study provides important preliminary insights for future community strategies that will target resources and training for support networks of Nikkei elders living alone to maximize their likelihood to age in place independently.

Reconceptualizing support systems for persons with challenging behaviors.

As human service systems attempt to integrate persons with disabilities, particularly those with challenging behaviors, into the mainstream of society, use of positive behavioral supports must be implemented. Training of persons in the formal and informal support systems must also be reconceptualized in the context of using positive behavioral supports. This paper addresses some current issues related to the use of such supports and training in the delivery of human services.

Immobilized cibacron blue -leachables, support stability and toxicity on cultured cells

Although immobilized dyes are widely used on the laboratory scale and have good potential for industrial applications, they are still subject to some reservations. Little information is available about dye leakage and toxicity, which seriously hinders the use of such supports in the production of pure proteins. Investigations of the leakage mechanism and the in vitro toxicity of the native dye and of that leached from the column are reported. The possible presence of traces of dye in the purified biological materials necessitates the availability of sensitive analytical tests. The preparation and preliminary isolation of dye antibodies as a first step in the development of an immunohistochemical assay of leached dyes are also described.

Mobile arm supports: criteria for successful use in muscle disease patients.

Twenty-nine subjects who had been fitted with mobile arm supports 6 months to 11 years prior to the initiation of this study were evaluated to determine criteria for successful use of such supports. All subjects were diagnosed as having Duchenne muscular dystrophy or spinal muscular atrophy. Three methods were used to collect data: 1) review of medical charts, 2) interview with patient and family member(s), and 3) observation of the patient in his wheelchair for sitting stability, adjustment and control of the mobile arm support, and speed and efficiency in self-feeding with and without the support. The physical criteria previously established for optimal use were met by the successful users in the sample except for presence of elbow flexion contractures. Among those who had curvature of the spine, spinal fusion increased the percentage of successful users of mobile arm supports. Successful use declined with muscle grades of below poor in elbow flexors. The incidence of success was greater when the tasks of self-feeding, driving a motorized wheelchair and performing leisure skills could be accomplished only with the support. Primary reasons for early rejection of the support were related to attitude toward the equipment, influence of the social support system, and patterns of activities performed with the equipment.