Boosting Motivation And Improving Well being In Older Adults, With The Use Of A Simple Tool
October 22, 2011
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Healthcare Prof:
Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have identified a tool, the “Getting-Out-of-Bed (GoB) measure” to assess motivation and life outlook in older adults. The study, which appears within the October issue of the Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, shows that the tool has the potential to be an easy-to-use measure to bolster motivation and thus, boost wellness behaviors and outcomes in the growing population of older adults.
The demographics of aging inside the United States continues to change dramatically. In 2006, 37 million Americans, 12 percent of the population had been 65 years or older. By 2030, those 65 years and older are projected to number 71.five million representing nearly 20 percent of the US population. Furthermore, in between 1992 and 2004 average inflation-adjusted wellness care costs for older Americans increased from $8,644 to $13,052 and are expected to continue to rise considerably. Based on the researchers, such numbers underscore the importance of understanding frequent diseases and well being behaviors of older adults, due to the fact many conditions can be prevented and/or modified with behavioral interventions.
“Motivation and life outlook play an critical part in an older adult’s capacity to recover from illness or disabling events and to maintain and/or adopt health-promoting behaviors,” stated lead author Kerri Clough-Gorr, DSc, MPH, from the Section of Geriatrics at BUSM.
The researchers conducted telephone interviews on a sample of 660 ladies with breast cancer from four geographic regions of the country at 3 and six months intervals. Motivation and life outlook was assessed employing GoB questions. Girls with GoB scores ?Y50 (representing higher motivation) at baseline had been statistically drastically much more likely at 6 months to have very good health-related good quality of life, good self-perceived health and report regular exercise than those with scores <50, indicating good predictive ability.
“The capability to identify patients with low motivation establishes an opportunity for well being care providers to develop and implement interventions to improve older adults’ motivation and to help them attain and maintain a higher top quality of well being and life. The GoB could assist target adequate interventions to bolster motivation and thus enhance wellness behaviors and outcomes in older adults,” added Clough-Gorr.
This study was supported by grants from the National Cancer Institute.
Source:
Gina Digravio
Boston University Medical Center
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