Social support associated with quality of life in home care patients with intractable neurological disease in Japan

Quality of life among home healthcare patients in Saudi Arabia: household-based survey

Background

The need for home healthcare programs is an increasingly becoming important common component of healthcare worldwide, as an alternative to hospitalization, owing to the growing elderly population, chronic and acute diseases that need continuous monitoring and care. The overall aim of this study was to describe and assess the quality of life (QOL) and associated determinants among patients enrolled in the Home Health Care (HHC) program affiliated with the Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted among patients enrolled at the HHC program. The World Health Organization QOL questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF) was used to collect data about the different domains of patients’ QOL. Logistic regression models were fitted to determine factors associated with QOL low score.

Results

The study included 253 patients. Mean age was 67.05 (± 20.0). The overall QOL for HHC patients was significantly affected by both socio-demographic and morbid characteristics. In the final Multivariate logistic regression models, marital status, and having psychological problems, stroke and number illness were independently associated with the overall QOL of HHC patients (p = .022, p = .002, p = .031, .057 respectively). The physical health domain score was significantly associated with education level, having psychological problems and stroke (p = .028, p = .002, p = .007 retrospectively) whereas the psychological domain score was significantly associated with age (p = < 0.001) and three types of chronic diseases: pulmonary (p = .002), psychological problems (p = < 0.001). The social domain score was significantly associated only with the marital status (p = .026). The environmental domain was significantly associated with the education level and having stroke (p = .017 vs .027).

Conclusions

The overall QOL and its domains are significantly associated with several different factors. Many of these factors can be monitored and enhanced by improving quality of HHC services, thus improving the QOL of patients.

Social Support in Relation to Fatigue Symptoms Among Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Background and Aim:

The psychological changes and physiological limitations during multiple sclerosis (MS) disease diminish the social relations. Consequently, losing social supports leads to more physical and psychological complications such as fatigue syndromes. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationship of social support and fatigue syndromes in MS patients.

Methods:

This study was a descriptive-analytic which randomly selected 46 patients with MS. The patients evaluated through demographic information, standard modified social support scale, fatigue severity scale, modified fatigue impact scale, and fatigue descriptive scale. Gathered data analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical Pearson's correlation coefficient.

Results:

Mean score for variables were as following: Fatigue severity 4/3 ± 1/6, perceived fatigue 34/6 ± 19/5, quality of fatigue 62 ± 3/9, and social support 65/6 ± 23/1, respectively. According to the Pearson statistical test, there was signification association between social support with fatigue severity (P = 0.002 and r = −0.474), fatigue perception (P = 0.001 and = −0.478), and fatigue perception sub-scales, i.e. physical (P = 0.005, r = −0.432), cognitive (P = 0.003, r = −0.0457), and psychosocial (P = 0.009, r = −0.341), respectively. However, there was not significant relationship between social support and fatigue quality (P = 0.59).

Conclusion:

According to the results of current study, all aspects of social support can impact fatigue symptoms in MS patients. Therefore, it is suggested to develop educational programs for caregivers of patients to improve the mental and physical quality of life of patients.

Home Care Services for Elderly People in Georgia

In recent years, health service affordability for elderly people has been significantly improved within the Georgia State Health Insurance Program, although home care services for elderly people are not envisaged in any of state health care programs. Home care services for elderly people were mainly provided by nongovernmental organizations and family members (nonformal services). The objective of a survey was to study home care services rendered by nongovernmental organizations and family members in Georgia, living conditions of elderly people dependent on home care, and cost for home care services incurred by them. For study purposes, a method of direct interviews through specially constructed questionnaires was used, covering health conditions of elderly people, period of depending on care, care needs, and costs for care services. In Georgia, home care services for elderly people are mainly provided by nongovernmental organizations. The majority of interviewees (73.1%) more often use home care services rendered by nongovernmental organizations than the services envisaged by state health care programs (26.9% of interviewees use these services). Elderly people are more dependent on the assistance provided by their relatives and they give priority to the services rendered at home, rather than to institutional care (in special clinics or retirement homes). Families make a big contribution to assisting and supporting home care services for elderly people. If needed, they represent key home care service providers in Georgia. This fact should be recognized and considered while elaborating the care policy for elderly people in Georgia.

Evaluation of quality of life and psychological aspects of Parkinson's disease patients who participate in a support group

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that can dramatically impair patient quality of life (QoL).