BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

With the global population aging, there is an emerging need for access to quality longterm care (LTC) services. Many countries have developed LTC systems while others are at the infancy stage. This paper aimed to provide an overview of the country’s readiness for LTC based on the perspectives of relevant stakeholders. Specifically, it described the roles, initiatives, and challenges of relevant organizations and community leaders for LTC provision. It also described the older persons (OPs) and carers’ perspectives towards LTC including their awareness, capacity, and preferences.

The study utilized a descriptive design using qualitative methods of data collection namely key informant interviews (KIIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs). Participating institutions and their designated representatives were purposively sampled as key informants. OPs and carers from select barangays in NCR and Region IVA participated in the FGDs. Guided by the interpretivism approach, thematic analysis was performed. A trained research assistant coded the FGD and KII transcripts through the Nvivo PRO plus software and verified by the first author. Themes were reviewed and validated by the multidisciplinary team.

A total of 15 KIIs and two FGDs were conducted. The participating institutions and organizations were found to have varied roles and initiatives relevant to LTC; from strategic planning, development of policies and standards of care, training and capacity-building, and up to the actual implementation of LTC services. Identified challenges include implementation issues, financial issues, lack of political and stakeholder support, OPs and familial issues, and lack of knowledge on LTC.

Participants shared their description on what LTC is, an LTC facility, and the conditions of those in LTC facility. OPs expressed their willingness to utilize LTC services and identified several factors related to their preferred LTC arrangements. Carers identified various topics related to taking care of OPs that they would like to learn.

The roles, initiatives, and awareness of relevant stakeholders, older persons, and carers towards LTC were found to greatly vary. Policy makers, health workforce, families, communities, and the older persons themselves should have a better understanding of longterm care before they can provide or utilize the system. With the current landscape of LTC provision, the country still has a long way to go in achieving the integrated continuum of LTC appropriate to promote healthy aging. Promoting awareness, integrating LTC in the current programs and services for older persons in the country, capacitating the formal and non-formal caregivers, and strengthening collaborations are recommended.

Further research on quantitative measures of readiness for long-term care with focus on the health system and in-depth studies on the varieties or models of long-term care are recommended.

Background and Objectives With the global population aging, there is an emerging need for access to quality longterm care (LTC) services. Many countries have developed LTC systems while others are at the infancy stage. This paper aimed to provide an overview of the country’s readiness for LTC based on the perspectives of relevant stakeholders. Specifically, it described the roles, initiatives, and challenges of relevant organizations and community leaders for LTC provision. It also described the older persons (OPs) and carers’ perspectives towards LTC including their awareness, capacity, and preferences.
Home Care Services ; Long-Term Care ; Nursing Homes ; Philippines

Objectives: Identifying factors that can lead to an outbreak in an orphanage is important. This study describes a COVID-19 outbreak in an orphanage in the Philippines. The clinicodemographic profile of the children and employees, safety protocols implemented and outbreak response are reported. Methodology: This is a descriptive study of the COVID-19 outbreak which occurred at a local orphanage in Metro Manila. The clinicodemographic profile of children and employees were obtained from the orphanage’s health records. Interview of employees and administrators and focused group discussions (FDG) were done. A questionnaire on how the orphanage dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic was administered. Results: A total of 128 children and 34 staff were in the orphanage during the COVID-19 outbreak. Majority (96%) of children were symptomatic and 15% of them have co-morbidities. While 82% of the employees were symptomatic, majority had a positive rapid antigen test or RT-PCR for SARS-CoV2. All the children and employees had mild illness and recovered with no complications. The orphanage implemented strict infection control measures when the COVID-19 pandemic was declared. There was a halt in the adoption processes and in the movement of persons in the orphanage. With the decline of COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila, the orphanage resumed accepting new admissions and processing adoption papers. A few weeks later, a child became symptomatic but was not immediately considered as a case of COVID-19. This was followed by the majority of the children and the employees becoming symptomatic, thus the COVID-19 outbreak was called. Foremost in the response was to attend to the medical needs of the children. Strict lockdown was enforced by the City Health Office until all cases were deemed not contagious. Conclusion Factors that can lead to an outbreak in an orphanage include missed opportunities for early diagnosis, contact tracing and intervention. Despite strict infection control measures, a single breach undermined all the efforts done to prevent an outbreak in a closed community.
COVID-19 ; Orphanages

INTRODUCTION: Hospitalisations can pose hazards and may not be an appropriate care setting for frail nursing home (NH) residents. Few studies have quantified the extent of NH resident hospitalisations in Singapore, hence we aimed to address this knowledge gap by studying characteristics of unplanned hospitalisations over a 1-year period. METHOD: This was a retrospective cohort study of 9922 subsidised residents across 59 NHs in Singapore, with analysis using administrative healthcare data. Key measures included inpatient admission and emergency department visit rates, final discharge diagnoses and estimated costs. We examined correlates of inpatient admissions with a multivariable zero-inflated negative binomial regression model incorporating demogra-phics, institutional characteristics and Charlson Comorbidity Index. RESULTS: There were 6620 inpatient admissions in 2015, equivalent to 2.23 admissions per 1000 resident days, and the majority were repeat admissions (4504 admissions or 68.0%). Male sex (incidence rate ratio [IRR] 1.23), approaching end-of-life (IRR 2.14), hospitalisations in the past year (IRR 2.73) and recent NH admission within the last 6 months (IRR 1.31-1.99) were significantly associated with inpatient admission rate. Top 5 discharge diagnoses were lower respiratory tract infections (27.3%), urinary tract infection (9.3%), sepsis (3.1%), cellulitis (1.9%) and gastroenteritis (1.1%). We estimated the total system cost of admissions of subsidised residents to be SGD40.2 million (USD29.1 million) in 2015. CONCLUSION We anticipate that unplanned hospitali-sation rate will increase over time, especially with an increasing number of residents who will be cared for in NHs. Our findings provide a baseline to inform stakeholders and develop strategies to address this growing problem.
Humans ; Singapore ; Nursing Homes/economics* ; Retrospective Studies ; Male ; Female ; Hospitalization/statistics & numerical data* ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Emergency Service, Hospital/statistics & numerical data* ; Information Storage and Retrieval ; Homes for the Aged/economics* ; Frail Elderly/statistics & numerical data*

INTRODUCTION: Linkage to care among individuals with substance misuse remains a barrier to the elimination of the hepatitis C virus (HCV). We aimed to determine whether point-of-care (PoC) education, screening and staging for liver disease with direct access to hospitals would improve linkage to care among this group. METHODS: All participants were offered PoC education and HCV screening. HCV-positive participants were randomised to standard care (controls) or direct access, which provided a direct pathway to hospitals. Linkage to care was determined by reviewing electronic medical records. Linkage of care cascade was defined as attendance at the specialist clinic, confirmation of viraemia by HCV RNA testing, discussion about HCV treatment and initiation of treatment. RESULTS: 351 halfway house residents were screened. The overall HCV prevalence was 30.5% (n = 107), with 69 residents in the control group and 38 in the direct access group. The direct access group had a significantly higher percentage of cases linked to specialist review for confirmatory RNA testing (63.2% vs. 40.6%, p = 0.025), HCV treatment discussion (p = 0.009) and treatment initiation (p = 0.01) compared to the controls. Overall, only 12.6% (n = 13) had treatment initiation during follow-up. PoC HCV screening with direct access referral had significantly higher linkage to HCV treatment initiation (adjusted odds ratio 9.13, p = 0.005) in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION PoC HCV screening with direct access improves linkage to care and simplifies the HCV care cascade, leading to improved treatment uptake. PoC education, screening, diagnosis and treatment may be an effective strategy to achieving HCV micro-elimination in this population.
Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use* ; Halfway Houses ; Hepacivirus/genetics* ; Hepatitis C/epidemiology* ; Humans ; Pilot Projects ; Point-of-Care Systems ; RNA ; Referral and Consultation ; Substance Abuse, Intravenous/epidemiology*

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to investigate awareness of oral health care and health status among elderly people in nursing homes in Taiyuan. Strategies for preventing and treating oral diseases and improving the quality of life of the elderly in nursing homes were formulated on the basis of analyzed data. METHODS: A total of 359 participants from 48 nursing homes in six districts were selected randomly. Awareness, attitude, and behavior with regard to oral health care among the elderly were investigated through a survey using questionnaires and oral health examinations. Data were statistically analyzed with SPSS 20.0. RESULTS: Among the elderly in the nursing homes in Taiyuan, awareness and behavior with regard to oral health care were deficient and inappropriate, and thus professional guidance was needed. In addition to method and time of brushing teeth and bad oral habits, the oral health status of the elderly was statistically affected by age and education. Compared with the data of the Fourth National Oral Epidemiological Investigation, the number of elderly people aged 55-64 or 65-74 years who brush their teeth every day and accept oral diagnosis and treatment was lower. However, the ratios of edentulous and missing teeth without treatment were higher than the national average level for the same age groups. CONCLUSIONS The awareness and attitude of the elderly in nursing homes with regard to oral health care are unsatisfactory, and their oral health status is poor. Education on oral health care, development of good oral care habits, and regular oral health examination are essential to the maintenance of oral health in elderly people.
Aged ; Health Status ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Mouth, Edentulous ; Nursing Homes ; Oral Health ; Quality of Life ; Toothbrushing

BACKGROUND: Predicting adverse health events and implementing preventative measures are a necessary challenge. It is important for healthcare planners and policymakers to allocate the limited resource to high-risk persons. Prediction is also important for older individuals, their family members, and clinicians to prepare mentally and financially. The aim of this study is to develop a prediction model for within 11-year dependent status requiring long-term nursing care or death in older adults for each sex. METHODS: We carried out age-specified cohort study of community dwellers in Nisshin City, Japan. The older adults aged 64 years who underwent medical check-up between 1996 and 2000 were included in the study. The primary outcome was the incidence of the psychophysically dependent status or death or by the end of the year of age 75 years. Univariable logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the associations between candidate predictors and the outcome. Using the variables with p-values less than 0.1, multivariable logistic regression analyses were then performed with backward stepwise elimination to determine the final predictors for the model. RESULTS: Of the 1525 female participants at baseline, 105 had an incidence of the study outcome. The final prediction model consisted of 15 variables, and the c-statistics for predicting the outcome was 0.763 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.714-0.813). Of the 1548 male participants at baseline, 211 had incidence of the study outcome. The final prediction model consisted of 16 variables, and the c-statistics for predicting the outcome was 0.735 (95% CI 0.699-0.771). CONCLUSIONS We developed a prediction model for older adults to forecast 11-year incidence of dependent status requiring nursing care or death in each sex. The predictability was fair, but we could not evaluate the external validity of this model. It could be of some help for healthcare planners, policy makers, clinicians, older individuals, and their family members to weigh the priority of support.
Aged ; Cohort Studies ; Female ; Geriatric Assessment/statistics & numerical data* ; Humans ; Independent Living/statistics & numerical data* ; Japan ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nursing Homes/statistics & numerical data* ; Risk Assessment ; Risk Factors

PURPOSE: This study identified factors related to the quality of care in nursing homes, and elicited consensus opinions from experts on nursing homes.METHODS: A Delphi questionnaire was developed based on a review of the literature using the keywords “nursing homes,” “workforce,” and “quality of care.” A total of two Delphi surveys were conducted with 14 experts. The important and urgent factors related to the quality of care for nursing home residents emerged.RESULTS: A consensus was achieved on the important and urgent factors relating to the quality of care. The related factors were grouped into four sections: Organizational Characteristics, Staffing Characteristics, the Long-Term Care Market and Legal and Policy Issues, and Nursing Processes. In total, 23 items were important factors and 26 items were urgent factors relating to the quality of care. In addition, the unanimous advocacy by the experts for increased hours per resident day for registered nurses (RNs, 41 minutes 59 seconds) was much higher than the current hours per resident day of RNs in Korea.CONCLUSION: To provide optimal care for residents in nursing homes in Korea, the mandatory and essential placement of RNs with professional knowledge and skills is paramount.
Consensus ; Humans ; Korea ; Long-Term Care ; Methods ; Nurses ; Nursing Homes ; Nursing Process ; Nursing ; Quality of Health Care

PURPOSE: There is a growing number of older adults moving into assisted-living facilities to maintain their independence while being assisted with certain tasks and having convenient access to services. Physical activity (PA) and vitality play an important role in independence, as well as in mental health, of older adults. However, no research has examined the difference in older adults' levels of vitality (defined as the state of feeling alive and alert) between those living in assisted-living facilities and those from community-living settings. This study also explored sociodemographic predictors of PA and vitality among older adults living in two different types of housing.METHODS: This cross-sectional study examined differences in PA levels and vitality between older adults (aged ≥ 60 years; n = 148, mean age = 74.70 years) living in assisted-living facilities (n = 85, mean age = 77.46 years) and those in community-living settings (n = 63, mean age = 70.98 years). PA was assessed by accelerometry, and vitality was measured using the subjective vitality scale.RESULTS: Engagement in light PA and moderate to vigorous PA was higher in individuals living in community-living settings after controlling for sociodemographic variables. However, vitality was not significantly different between the two types of housing after controlling for sociodemographic variables. Marital status, education, and number of diagnosed diseases were associated with vitality.CONCLUSION: The support is needed for designing strategies to increase PA in older adults living in assisted-living facilities. More attention should be paid to increasing subjective vitality of older adults in both types of housing to promote healthy aging.
Accelerometry ; Adult ; Aging ; Assisted Living Facilities ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Education ; Housing ; Humans ; Marital Status ; Mental Health ; Motor Activity

BACKGROUND: Quality ratings could provide vital information to help people in choosing a nursing home. PURPOSE: This study investigated factors aligned with quality ratings of nursing homes. METHODS: We employed a cross-sectional descriptive design to assess publicly available data on 1,354 nursing homes with 30 or more beds in the Republic of Korea. After excluding 289 nursing homes with no reported quality-evaluation ratings, we analyzed the 2015 data of 1,065 nursing homes. To prevent multicollinearity among independent variables, we carefully selected the final set of variables based on clinical and theoretical meaningfulness to direct nursing care. Quality, the ordinal outcome, was scored from 1 to 5 with a higher score indicating higher quality of the organization. We constructed a multivariate ordered logistic regression model. RESULTS: Higher quality ratings of nursing homes was significantly related to the number of unoccupied beds (OR=0.99, p=.024), registered nurses (RNs) (OR=1.30, p=.003), qualified care workers (OR=1.03, p=.011), cognitive-improvement programs (OR=1.05, p=.024), and other programs for residents' activities (OR=1.09, p<.001). CONCLUSION: The number of RNs had the strongest influence on the publicly reported quality rating, while the rating of qualified care workers demonstrated little effect and that of nursing assistants had no effect. The number of RNs could be used as a crucial indicator for high-quality homes; more resident-engaging programs also demonstrated better quality of nursing home care.
Humans ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Nurses ; Nursing Care ; Nursing Homes ; Nursing ; Quality of Health Care ; Republic of Korea