Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe family caregivers’ experiences of providing care for older people with a tracheostomy during hospitalization. Design/methodology/approach A descriptive phenomenological approach was used in this study. A total of 40 family caregivers were interviewed face-to-face in medical-surgical wards. Data was analyzed using Giorgi’s phenomenological method. Findings Family caregivers described meanings of providing care, learning how to provide care, caring activities, impacts of caregiving, support needs and qualities of being a caregiver. Meanings included filial responsibility, spousal attachment and end of life care. Caring activities were varied. Impacts experienced were reported as physical, psychological, social and financial. Caregivers expressed the need for information from the nursing team and assistance from their relatives. Positive caregiver qualities that were described included loving to provide care for older people and confidence and sincerity in caregiving. Practical implications Although caring for older people with a tracheostomy was difficult and came with challenging impacts, family caregivers were willing to support their loved ones due to feelings of family responsibility. Originality/value The paper addresses family participation in providing care for people with a tracheostomy. They experience physical, psychological, social and financial consequences of caregiving. Therefore, health-care professionals should support family caregivers with education, training and awareness of supports and resources for dealing with problematic impacts and other expressed needs.

Population ageing is an issue of worldwide importance. People are living longer due to advances in education, technology, medicine, food distribution, and public health. While the COVID-19 pandemic has significant global impacts, in many countries the elderlyface threats and challenges that are unique and disproportionately severe. One such threat is that aging results in a decline in immune function, meaning elderly bodies respond more slowly and less effectively to external threats like COVID-19. Responses at individual, family, community and societal levels should take into account the heightened vulnerability of older adults during this pandemic.

OBJECTIVES: This quasi-experimental study aimed to examine the effect of a cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) program on the cognitive ability of demented older adults. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Two nursing homes were randomly assigned as experimental and control groups. Simple random sampling technique was used to recruit 27 demented older adults from each nursing home. The experimental group received a CST program three times per week for 5 weeks. The control group received usual care. Data collection was performed from March to May, 2018. Instruments used were a Demographic Questionnaire, Mini Mental State Examination (Indonesian version), and the CST program adapted for the culture of East Java, Indonesia. Descriptive statistics were calculated for data analysis. RESULTS: Findings revealed an effect of CST on cognitive ability of demented older adults. The experimental and control groups were not significantly different before the intervention (p = 0.161). After the CST program, the mean cognitive ability score in the experimental group was significantly higher than before the program (p < 0.001). After the CST program, the mean cognitive ability score in the experimental group was significantly higher than in the control group (p < 0.001). The mean cognitive ability score for the control group did not differ significantly between pre-test and post-test (p = 0.058). CONCLUSION: CST improves cognitive ability in demented older adults. Nurses and health care teams can apply CST beneficially with older adults with dementia. Future research could replicate this study for different levels and types of dementia. Keywords: dementia, cognitive ability, cognitive stimulation therapy, nursing home. DOI: 10.31524/bkkmedj.2019.02.008

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study aimed to study predicting factors between perceived self-efficacy, social support, educational level, perceived health status, life satisfaction, and successful aging among community dwelling older adults.MATERIAL AND METHODS: A descriptive, correlational predictive design was used to collect data at Thimphu, Bhutan during April to May, 2018. Convenience sampling was used to recruit 90 older adults from four villages. Structured questionnaire was used to gather data on 8 explanatory and 5 outcome variables. Instruments were the General Self-Efficacy Scale, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the Perceived Health Status scale, the Life Satisfaction Index for the Third Age-Short Form and the Successful Aging Inventory. Descriptive statistics and standard multiple regression analysis were used to describe the sample and examine the predicting factors.RESULTS: Multiple regression analysis showed perceived self-efficacy, social support, educational level and life satisfaction significantly predicted successful aging, accounting for 58% of the variance (R2 = 0.58, F5,84 = 22.89, p < 0.001). Standardized beta coefficient was obtained for perceived self-efficacy (β = 0.38, p = < 0.001), social support (β = 0.31, p = < 0.001), life satisfaction (β = 0.25, p = < 0.001) and educational level (β = 0.23, p = < 0.05).CONCLUSION: It was concluded that perceived self-efficacy, social support, educational level and life satisfaction can predict successful aging among community dwelling older adults in Thimphu, Bhutan. Therefore, implementing intervention programs upon the significant predicting factors to enhance successful aging of community dwelling older adults is recommended.

span style="font-family:Verdana;">Background: Most developing countries are ageing at unprecedented rates, yet they are relatively under-studied regarding the demographic and health status of the older population. This in turn inhibits appropriate, positive societal responses. This study presents the socio-demographic and health status of older adults in Nepal. Methods: This study is a secondary analysis of structured interview data collected by the Central Department of Population Studies at Tribhuvan University (TU) via a cross-sectional survey of community-dwelling persons age 60+ in the Pharping area of Kathmandu. For this study, there were 1326 valid responses. Results: Respondents' mean age was 69.92 years (sd = 7.82). The majority (70%) was illiterate. Nearly 3/5 of women were widowed (58.4%), which nearly doubles the male rate (31.8%). Over three-quarters of respondents (78.6%) were living with family members, far more than with spouse only (11.6%), alone (6.2%) or with others (3.6%). Only 9.2% of respondents received a pension, and over seventy percent of respondents (70.7%) were still working. About three-quarters (76.5%) of respondents had physical health problems; 14.6% had some physical disability, and 52.6% self-reported a mental health problem. Statistically significant (p 0.01) gender differences were found for marital status, literacy, living arrangements, pensions, physical health problems, and mental health problems. Conclusions: Like most nations, Nepal is ageing rapidly. There are gender differences that can differentially affect the experiences of older men and women. Nepal should increase the quantity and quality of data describing its older population so it can continue to develop appropriate, effective social and health programs and services to reduce gender disparities and maximize elderly quality of life.

Alternative assessment is a nontraditional, holistic way to assess students. It is beneficial, in physical education training, for the instructor to apply a variety of appropriate assessment tools. The purpose of this research was to study pre-service physical education teachers’ perception of skills, attitude, knowledge, fitness, and other desirable characteristics by using swimming logs (SL) as assessment tools. Participants were 19 males and 11 females (mean age =18.07), all of whom were pre-service physical education teachers at Kasetsart University. Participants recorded their swimming distances outside of class for 6 weeks, with a goal of 1,500 meters. After 6 weeks they provided learning, behavioral and attitudinal self-perceptions via a reflection form. Quantitative data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, while qualitative data were analyzed via content analysis. The qualitative findings identified five pertinent domains of physical education instruction. The results suggest the potential of SL as an alternative assessment that can positively enhance learners’ selfconcept, motivation, and skill development.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:To investigate the relationship between age, gender, history of falls, balance and gait status, general health perception, activities of daily living and depression to fear of falling in community-dwelling older people in Danang, Vietnam. BACKGROUND:Fear of falling is a common and consequential psychosocial problem for older people and can lead to decreased quality of life. There is only limited research on fear of falling in Vietnam. DESIGN:This is a cross-sectional descriptive study. METHODS:One hundred fifty-three community-dwelling older people were recruited from seven communities of different districts in Danang. Data were collected using six instruments: a demographic questionnaire, the Fall Efficacy Scale-International, the General Health Perception questionnaire, the Barthel Activities of Daily Living, the Geriatric Depression Scale and the Timed Up and Go test. Data were analysed using descriptive and correlational statistics. RESULTS:The mean Fall Efficacy Scale-International score was 35, indicating a high level of fear of falling. ADLs, general health perception and Timed Up and Go were significantly and negatively related to fear of falling (rp  = -0·80, rsp  = -0·77 and rp  = -0·75, respectively). Age, depression and history of falls were significantly and positively related to fear of falling (rp  = 0·54, rp  = 0·45 and rs  = 0·39, respectively). Women were significantly more likely than men to have higher fear of falling (rpb  = -0·28). CONCLUSION:Fear of falling is more common in older people who are female, have a history of falls, have poor balance and gait status, have poor health perception, have greater ADL dependency, are depressed and, within the older people population, are older. Further research could examine additional correlates of fear of falling and develop/evaluate factor-specific intervention strategies to reduce fear of falling among community-dwelling older people. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE:Understanding correlates of fear of falling among older Vietnamese people contributes to healthcare professionals' ability to develop effective cross-cultural and culture-specific interventions to reduce older people's fear of falling and to improve quality of life.

The 21st century will be characterised by aged and ageing nations, making eldercare a growing concern. Most eldercare in most nations will be provided informally, primarily by female family members. Helping these people understand the dimensions of eldercare is a key to effective and cost-effective caregiving. The Person-Environment Model (Lawton and Nahemow 1973) is proposed as a theoretical framework for understanding, assessing, and optimising family-based caregiving. This paper presents findings from a qualitative study of informal rehabilitation caregiving provided to elderly stroke survivors in Thailand. Four main rehabilitation dimensions (biological, psychological, social, spiritual) are identified, as are three main caregiver needs (information, assistance, and support). We suggest that while the Person-Environment Model is useful in developed nations, it is perhaps more valuable in societies where fewer options to family-based eldercare exist, and thus where effective informal eldercare is more critical. Implications for education and training of health care providers are also discussed.