Journal of Rehabilitation Sciences & Research

Caregiver burden in primary caregivers of community-dwelling older adults: Systematic review

Kiana Ramezani; marzieh Pashmdarfard; Mehdi Rezaee; Zeinab Bagheri; mino kalantari

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 28 August 2024

Abstract

Background: Caregivers are those who are responsible for helping old, sick, or disabled people. Most care services are provided by family members as primary caregivers. Taking care ... Read More Background: Caregivers are those who are responsible for helping old, sick, or disabled people. Most care services are provided by family members as primary caregivers. Taking care of the elderly requires a lot of expenses and physical and psychosocial pressure, which ultimately leads to a decrease in caregivers’ quality of life and care service quality. With the increasing proportion of people aged 60 and over and advances in medicine and technology to extend life, concerns about care for the elderly are increasing. Methods: The current systematic review study reviewed systematically the effects of intervention on burden on primary caregivers of community-dwelling older adults and identify influential factors in caregiving problems and challenges. In this study, 354 articles, published in peer-reviewed journals from 2000 to 2023, were extracted from different databases, including Embase, PubMed, and Scopus. The agreement rate in relation to the search of the articles that was done by the first and third author was 93%. In addition, the quality of these articles was assessed through PEDro scale, their abstract and full texts were thoroughly analyzed by the second and fourth author, and the agreement rate in this regard was 89% too. Results: In total, 13 articles included in the review based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. All the thirteen eligible articles reviewed in this study were of medium to high quality with a score of 5 or above on the PEDro scale. These articles centered on direct interventions for older adults (four articles), interventions for caregivers (five articles), and interventions for both (four articles which direct caregiver interventions are the most efficient approach on reducing caregiver burden among them. The results of these studies were analyzed with respect to variations in the burden, stress, and depression of caregivers. Conclusion: Based on the results, it is concluded that direct caregiver intervention is the most efficient approach on reducing caregiver burden. Furthermore, the design and evaluation of individualized programs can be highly effective in enhancing the impact of intervention and devising better subsequent programs.

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A Combined Exercise Program in Sedentary Older Adults: A Randomized Control Trial

Behnoosh Aminikhah; hamed babagoltabar-samakoush; Behnam Gholami-Borujeni

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 10 November 2024

Abstract

Background: The present study investigated the effectiveness and durability of a combined exercise program on strength, endurance, speed, agility, flexibility, and quality of life in ... Read More

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Combined Thermal and Neuromuscular Stimulations for Stroke- Related Dysphagia: A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial

Shiva Ebrahimian dehaghani; Atefeh Hoseinzadeh Mofrad; Amir Salahi Ardakani

Volume 11, Issue 1 , March 2024, , Pages 50-57

Abstract

Background: The incidence of stroke escalates with age in both genders, with nearly 50% and 30% of cases reported in individuals over the ages of 75 and 85 years, respectively. This ... Read More Background: The incidence of stroke escalates with age in both genders, with nearly 50% and 30% of cases reported in individuals over the ages of 75 and 85 years, respectively. This pilot randomized clinical trial was designed to explore the effects of combined thermal and neuromuscular stimulations on dysphagia improvement. It also aimed to identify the most efficient dysphagia management plan for acute stroke patients. Methods: In this pilot randomized clinical trial study, twelve acute stroke patients were randomly and concurrently allocated into two groups. The control group received routine medical treatment without speech therapy counseling, while the intervention group underwent superficial and deep thermal neuromuscular stimulations. In the intervention group, one patient received treatment for two weeks, three patients for three weeks, and two patients for five weeks (five times a week). Patients in the intervention group were re-evaluated each week after five days of therapy using the Motility Function (MF) and Mann’s Assessment of Swallowing Ability (MASA) tests to monitor consistent improvement. Based on the cutoff point of the MASA test, treatment was either continued or terminated. Accordingly, different follow-up periods were considered for the patients: one received treatment for two weeks, three for three weeks, and two for five weeks. Results: The results indicated a significant difference between the two groups regarding the mean MASA score after a 21-day intervention. The intervention group scored 166.5±3.53, while the control group scored 163±10.02 after 35 days (P=0.03). Furthermore, the intervention group reached the cutoff MASA score in the sixth MASA assessment after a 35-day intervention. Conclusion: According to the protocol proposed by speech-language pathologists, it is recommended to perform stimulations for approximately 21-35 days. Given the significant results obtained from this preliminary study, it is suggested that this protocol be implemented in a larger sample size.

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Keywords = Aging

Caregiver burden in primary caregivers of community-dwelling older adults: Systematic review

Abstract

A Combined Exercise Program in Sedentary Older Adults: A Randomized Control Trial

Abstract

Combined Thermal and Neuromuscular Stimulations for Stroke- Related Dysphagia: A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract