Exploring loneliness: conceptualisation and impact in older adults

The impact of cold weather on older people and the vital role of community nurses

Excess winter deaths (EWDs) are the difference between the average daily deaths in the winter months compared to other months in England. These deaths are primarily caused by hypothermia, respiratory...

Loneliness in older adults

“The district nurse's role is highly complex and requires skills in negotiating, coaching, teaching and supporting people and their carers, whilst effectively collaborating with other agencies and...

A gradual separation from the world: commentary on a qualitative exploration of existential loneliness in old age

On an ontological level, it can be argued that humans are inherently lonely and separate from the world, although, as social beings, we seek to reduce this separation through meaningful human and...

Can medication increase the risk of falls? The importance of medication review

‘Rational use of medicines requires that patients receive medications appropriate to their clinical needs, in doses that meet their own individual requirements, for an adequate period of time, and at...

Effectiveness of mobility training for frail older adults living in the community

The systematic review by Treacy et al (2022) undertook a comprehensive search of published and unpublished studies up to June 2021 using a range of electronic databases: CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase,...

Who Bears Responsibility for the Post-Acute Older Adult: Patient, Family or State?

Ireland’s legislation in this area—the Assisted Decision-Making Capacity Act (ADMCA) (Goverment of Ireland, 2015) promotes patient autonomy and seeks to empower patients to express their will and...

The Frailty Matters Project

Preventing and managing frailty remains a new area for many community practitioners and for their community partners. This study has identified that the current management of frailty by community...

Support to prevent older people from becoming housebound through mutual aid among residents: a qualitative study

In this study, the authors interviewed welfare commissioners engaged in health support activities for older people in the community and identified issues in the efforts to provide support to prevent...

Falls assessment and prevention in the nursing home and community

As we get older, we often accept that falls are unavoidable; however, this is not the case. Most people over 65 years do not fall each year. Falls are not an inevitable part of ageing; it is always...

How common is dysphagia in older adults living at home and what are the potential risk factors?

The systematic review undertook a comprehensive search of published and unpublished studies using a range of electronic databases (including MEDLINE, EBSCO etc.) and citation searches up to 2014. One...

Cost effectiveness of fall prevention programmes for older adults

This commentary aims to critically appraise the methods used within the review by Winser et al (2020) and expand upon the findings in the context of clinical practice..