[The Longitudinal Ageing Study Amsterdam: a survey of 17 years of research into changes in daily functioning]

The perception of sexuality in older adults and its relationship with cognitive functioning

OBJECTIVES

Investigating whether cognitive functioning is associated with the perception of one's sexuality in old age.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional analysis, using observation cycle 2005/2006 of the population-based prospective cohort of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam.

SETTING

Municipal registries in three Dutch regions.

PARTICIPANTS

1,908 older adults (mean [standard deviation] age: 71 [8.87] years; 54% women).

MEASUREMENTS

Sexuality and intimacy were assessed using four questions. Four cognitive domains were assessed: general cognitive functioning (Mini-Mental State Examination), memory performance (Auditory Verbal Learning Test), processing speed (Coding Task), and fluid intelligence (Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices). Multinomial regression analysis was used, with sexuality as outcome. The interaction effect between gender and sexuality was also tested.

RESULTS

Lower fluid intelligence was associated with perceiving sexuality as unimportant; lower general cognitive functioning was associated with perceiving sexuality as unimportant; and lower immediate memory recall was associated with evaluating sexual life as unpleasant. Associations were also found between lower fluid intelligence, processing speed, and general cognitive functioning, and agreeing with sexuality no longer being important. Lower processing speed, general cognitive functioning, and delayed memory recall were associated with disagreeing with a remaining need for intimacy when getting older. Finally, the association between fluid intelligence and perceiving sexuality as important, and the association between immediate memory recall score and evaluating sexual life as pleasant, was only significant in women. The association between lower general cognitive functioning and perceiving sexuality as unimportant seemed stronger in women compared with men.

CONCLUSIONS

Higher cognitive functioning was associated with the way in which older people perceive their current sexuality.

Medication safety in rehabilitation medicine

Rehabilitation medicine is practiced in a variety of settings. Physiatrists are an integral part of the care provided in many of these settings and are often consulted to provide diagnostic and therapeutic services and expertise to individuals with a variety of diagnoses. In this role, it is imperative that physiatrists have a working knowledge of various medications as well as the principles of medication safety. This article provides a foundation in the general and specific aspects of medication safety as they apply to the practice of rehabilitation medicine.

[Changes in the quality of life of older people living at home: does type of care play a role?]

PURPOSE

To determine whether a change in physical, psychological and social dimensions of quality of life of older people living at home is associated with receiving formal care, compared to informal care and no care.

METHOD

Data from the observation cycles in 1998 and 2001 of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA) were used. Older people receiving formal homecare in 1998 were compared to older people receiving informal care and to older people receiving no care at all in 1998 on subjective scores on 3-year changes in self-perceived health, loneliness, positive affect and satisfaction with life. The data were analysed using linear regression analysis and ANOVA.

RESULTS

In all groups there is a change for the worse between 1998 and 2001 in the four aspects of quality of life. Self-perceived health declines significantly more in the group receiving formal care compared to the group without care, but this is explained by a higher score on functional limitations in 1998. Loneliness increases significantly more in the group receiving formal care, even after correction for confounders. In the group receiving formal care the satisfaction with life decreases significantly more compared to the group receiving no care and the group with informal care. An interaction effect with gender was found, showing that after correction for confounders this difference is maintained for the women but not for the men. There is no significant difference between the three care groups regarding changes in positive affect.

CONCLUSION

Older men and women who receive formal home care experience an increase in loneliness, and older women who receive formal care experience less satisfaction with life, compared to women who receive informal care or no care. Future research should confirm these results and investigate the mechanisms underlying these changes.