Abstract
Processes related to daily care of older adults during hospitalization, such as mobility and nutrition, have long-term consequences for their health and functioning. Although instrumental support provided by family members during hospitalization is highly prevalent, its relationship to older adults’ actual walking and eating is unknown. Data on walking level (walking outside vs. inside the room) and nutritional intake were collected from 493 independent older adults admitted to internal medicine wards through up to three daily interviews using validated questionnaires. Informal support with walking and eating was assessed with the modified Informal Caregiving for Hospitalized Older Adults scale. Multivariate regression showed that informal support with walking and eating was associated with greater likelihood of walking inside the room and with lower nutritional intake. This association between informal support and less walking and eating call for routine functional assessments and tailored counseling of informal caregivers to meet older patients’ support needs.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 264-268 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Geriatric Nursing |
| Volume | 40 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1 May 2019 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The Hospitalization Process Effects on Functional Outcomes and Recovery (HoPE-FOR) study was supported by the Israel Science Foundation [grant number 565/08 ]; Clalit Health Services [grant number 04-121/2010 ]; and the Israel National Institute for Health Policy Research [grant number 78/2013 ]. The funding agencies had no role in the design and conduct of this study, the analysis or interpretation of the data, or the preparation of the manuscript.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Elsevier Inc.
Keywords
- Aged
- Caregivers
- Eating
- Hospitalization
- Walking
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Gerontology