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Private Homes (private + home)
Selected AbstractsVulnerable Older People in the Community: Relationship Between the Vulnerable Elders Survey and Health Service UseJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 1 2008Hannah M. McGee PhD OBJECTIVES: The Vulnerable Elders Survey (VES), a recently developed screening tool for at-risk older people in the community, has been validated in the United States. This study evaluated its profile in older Irish people. It assessed whether those categorized as vulnerable according to the VES were likely to use health services more frequently than others. DESIGN: Nationally representative cross-sectional interviews. SETTING: Private homes in the community. PARTICIPANTS: Randomly selected older people (aged ,65) (N=2,033; 68% response). MEASUREMENTS: Interviews included the 13-item VES and questions on health service use. RESULTS: The proportion scoring as vulnerable was identical to the U.S. sample (32.1% vs 32.3%). At the community healthcare level, participants categorized as vulnerable visited their primary care physician more frequently (mean visits 6.7 vs 4.0, P<.001), had more home-based public health nurse visits (29% vs 5%, P<.001), and were more likely to have had preventive influenza vaccinations (81% vs 72%, P<.001) in the previous year. More-vulnerable older adults did not differ on assessment of blood pressure (97% vs 96%), cholesterol (82% vs 85%), or receipt of smoking advice (66% vs 52%). Vulnerable participants were more likely to have used emergency department (17% vs 8%, P<.05), inpatient (21% vs 12%, P<.05), and outpatient (28% vs 21%, P<.05) hospital services. Fourteen percent of those categorized as vulnerable had zero or one visit to their family physician in the previous year. CONCLUSION: This study provides further evidence, from a different healthcare system, of the potential of the VES to differentiate more-vulnerable older people. Prospective studies are needed to assess use of the VES as a clinical decision aid for community professionals such as family physicians and public health nurses. [source] The Business of Caring: Women's Self-Employment and the Marketization of CareGENDER, WORK & ORGANISATION, Issue 4 2010Nickela Anderson Our goal in this article is to contribute to a differentiated analysis of paid caring work by considering whether and how women's experiences of such work is shaped by their employment status (for example, self-employed versus employee) and the nature of care provided (direct or indirect). Self-employed care workers have not been widely studied compared with other types of care workers, such as employees providing domestic or childcare in private firms or private homes. Yet their experiences may be quite distinct. Existing research suggests that self-employed workers earn less than employees and are often excluded from employment protection. Nonetheless, they often report greater autonomy and job satisfaction in their day-to-day work. Understanding more about the experiences of self-employed caregivers is thus important for enriching existing theory, research and policy on the marketization of care. Addressing this gap, our article explores the working conditions, pay and levels of satisfaction of care workers who are self-employed. We draw on interviews from a small-scale study of Canadian women engaged in providing direct care (for example, childcare) and indirect care (for example, cleaning). [source] Oral microbial flora and oral malodour of the institutionalised elderly in JapanGERODONTOLOGY, Issue 2 2001Eiki Honda Abstract Objectives: To determine the oral health status, especially the level of oral microbial flora and oral malodour, of institutionalised elderly people compared with non-institutionalised elderly people. Setting: Three institutions and numerous private homes. Subjects: 56 institutionalised and 56 non-institutionalised elderly people. Main Outcome Measures: Institutionalised elderly people had higher levels of Candida, staphylococci, and oral malodour. Results: Institutionalised elderly people had a higher level of Candida in denture wearers, and a higher level of staphylococci and oral malodour compared with the non-institutionalised elderly. Conclusion: The institutionalised elderly have a higher risk of opportunistic infections and oral health care should be improved to protect them from these infections and to reduce oral malodour. [source] Fuzzy controlled central heating systemINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENERGY RESEARCH, Issue 15 2002Faruk Mendi Abstract In this paper a comparison study was carried out in order to understand how two different systems, classical and fuzzy logic control of central heating affect the economy and comfort of private homes or offices. Also a literature review was done to help decide which one of these systems is more effective. The objective of the fuzzy controller heating system is to estimate the actual heat requirement of the house. It uses a total of five inputs, four of which are derived from energy consumption curve, using conventional digital filtering techniques; the fifth is the average outdoor temperature, whereas, the classical control system burns diesel type fuel in its furnace to heat the water supply (boiler). From the boiler, the hot water is distributed by a pipe system to the individual radiators in the house. Thereby, it is shown that the fuzzy controlled heating system is more effective, also it maximizes the economy and the comfort of the consumer. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The Malta cistern mapping project: Underwater robot mapping and localization within ancient tunnel systemsJOURNAL OF FIELD ROBOTICS (FORMERLY JOURNAL OF ROBOTIC SYSTEMS), Issue 4 2010Cory White This paper documents the development of an underwater robot system enabled with several mapping and localization techniques applied to a particular archaeological expedition. The goal of the expedition was to explore and map ancient cisterns located on the islands of Malta and Gozo. The cisterns of interest acted as water storage systems for fortresses, private homes, and churches. Such cisterns often consisted of several connected chambers, still containing water. A sonar-equipped remotely operated vehicle (ROV) was deployed into these cisterns to obtain both video footage and sonar range measurements. Six different mapping and localization techniques were employed, including (1) sonar image mosaics using stationary sonar scans, (2) sonar image mosaics using stationary sonar scans with Smart Tether position data, (3) simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) while the vehicle was in motion, (4) SLAM using stationary sonar scans, (5) localization using previously created maps, and (6) SLAM while the vehicle was in motion with Smart Tether position data. Top-down-view maps of 22 different cisterns were successfully constructed. It is estimated that the cisterns were built as far back as 300 B.C., and few records of their size, shape, and connectivity existed before the expedition. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Exploring the species diversity of Trichoderma in Norwegian drinking water systems by DNA barcodingMOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES, Issue 6 2008GUNHILD HAGESKAL Abstract A total of 123 Trichoderma strains were isolated from Norwegian surface-sourced drinking water. The water samples included raw water, treated water, and water from private homes and hospital installations. Trichoderma species are difficult to differentiate morphologically, but recent molecular identification tools, including DNA barcoding, successfully distinguish between closely related species. The diversity of Trichoderma spp. was explored by DNA sequencing of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and translation elongation factor 1 alpha (TEF-1,). Sequence identification was performed in the TrichOKEY version 2.0 barcode program and in the multilocus similarity search database TrichoBLAST, combined with traditional blast searches in the EMBL/GenBank. A total of 11 known Trichoderma/Hypocrea species were identified. In addition, one group of unidentified Trichoderma strains was found to represent a separate, strongly supported subclade within the Pachybasium,A'/Hamatum clade, based on their TEF-1, haplotypes. Trichoderma viride comprised 49% of the identified strains, and was represented by four and eight slightly different ITS and TEF-1, haplotypes, respectively. Approximately 22% of the surface-derived water samples were positive for T. viride, and the species was frequently isolated throughout the surface-sourced drinking water distribution system. The results indicate that a broad range of Trichoderma species are present in Norwegian surface-sourced drinking. Water treatment has minor effect in removing Trichoderma from raw water, and active growth in the water distribution system is likely to occur. [source] Geographies of embodied outdoor experience and the arrival of the patio heaterAREA, Issue 3 2007Russell Hitchings Machines that provide people with nearby sources of outdoor warmth have become increasingly popular in the UK as a crop of mushroom-shaped technologies has started to spring up outside many public houses and private homes in this country. Yet this development has also received considerable condemnation from advocates of sustainable consumption, who have seemingly been disgusted by the societal self-indulgence that they see in these devices. Moving away from these more immediate forms of outrage, this paper enriches our understanding of their arrival by considering these heaters in terms of cultural conventions of thermal adaptation and the changing geographies that can be attached to them. Through these means, it is argued that a more nuanced understanding of why these technologies have become prevalent is produced and that an existing disciplinary interest in embodied outdoor experience is taken towards some important new spaces for study. [source] Therapeutic errors involving adults in the community setting: nature, causes and outcomesAUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Issue 4 2009David McD Taylor Abstract Objective: To compare the nature of therapeutic errors made by adults in community residential units (CRU) and private homes (Home). Methods: This was an analytical case series of therapeutic errors, involving adults, reported to the Victorian Poisons Information Centre (January 2006 to March 2007). The main outcome measures were the nature, causes and outcomes of the errors and actions taken or recommendations for avoidance. Results: Ninety-seven CRU and 611 Home residents (cases) were enrolled. These groups took 243 (median 2) and 785 (median 1) medications in error, respectively (p<0.001). The medication administrators were predominately staff members (94.8%) and the cases themselves (95.9%), respectively (p<0.001). The CRU cases more frequently had an incorrect medication(s) or another person's medication(s) and the Home cases a double dose or incorrect dose (p<0.001). Wide ranges of medications were taken in error with cardiac and respiratory medications being more common among the Home cases. Four (4.1%, 95% CI 1.3-10.8) CRU and 16 (2.6%, 95% CI 1.6-4.3) Home cases were referred to hospital. No case followed up had a serious outcome. Error cause differed significantly between the groups (p<0.001). Staffing issues and human factors were common within the CRU and Home groups, respectively. Conclusions: Therapeutic errors in the community are preventable and differ considerably between the CRU and Home settings. Implications: Prevention initiatives are indicated with particular attention to CRU staffing, training and procedural issues. [source] The "Vertical Response Time": Barriers to Ambulance Response in an Urban AreaACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 9 2007Robert A. Silverman MD Background: Ambulance response time is typically reported as the time interval from call dispatch to arrival on-scene. However, the often unmeasured "vertical response time" from arrival on-scene to arrival at the patient's side may be substantial, particularly in urban areas with high-rise buildings or other barriers to access. Objectives: To measure the time interval from arrival on-scene to the patient in a large metropolitan area and to identify barriers to emergency medical services arrival. Methods: This was a prospective observational study of response times for high-priority call types in the New York City 9-1-1 emergency medical services system. Research assistants riding with paramedics enrolled a convenience sample of calls between 2001 and 2003. Results: A total of 449 paramedic calls were included, with a median time from call dispatch to arrival on-scene of 5.2 minutes. The median on-scene to patient arrival interval was 2.1 minutes, leading to an actual response interval (dispatch to patient) of 7.6 minutes. The median on-scene to patient interval was 2.8 minutes for residential buildings, 2.7 minutes for office complexes, 1.3 minutes for private homes (less than four stories), and 0.5 minutes for outdoor calls. Overall, for all calls, the on-scene to patient interval accounted for 28% of the actual response interval. When an on-scene escort provided assistance in locating and reaching the patient, the on-scene to patient interval decreased from 2.3 to 1.9 minutes. The total dispatch to patient arrival interval was less than 4 minutes in 8.7%, less than 6 minutes in 28.5%, and less than 8 minutes in 55.7% of calls. Conclusions: The time from arrival on-scene to the patient's side is an important component of overall response time in large urban areas, particularly in multistory buildings. [source] The Effectiveness and Cost Effectiveness of Public-Access DefibrillationCLINICAL CARDIOLOGY, Issue 7 2010Roger A. Winkle MD Many sudden cardiac deaths are due to ventricular fibrillation (VF). The use of defibrillators in hospitals or by outpatient emergency medical services (EMS) personnel can save many cardiac-arrest victims. Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) permit defibrillation by trained first responders and laypersons. AEDs are available at most public venues, and vast sums of money are spent installing and maintaining these devices. AEDs have been evaluated in a variety of public and private settings. AEDs accurately identify malignant ventricular tachyarrhythmias and frequently result in successful defibrillation. Prompt application of an AED shows a greater number of patients in VF compared with initial rhythms documented by later-arriving EMS personnel. Survival is greatest when the AED is placed within 3 to 5 minutes of a witnessed collapse. Community-based studies show increased cardiac-arrest survival when first responders are equipped with AEDs rather than waiting for paramedics to defibrillate. Wide dissemination of AEDs throughout a community increases survival from cardiac arrest when the AED is used; however, the AEDs are utilized in a very small percentage of all out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. AEDs save very few lives in residential units such as private homes or apartment complexes. AEDs are cost effective at sites where there is a high density of both potential victims and resuscitators. Placement at golf courses, health clubs, and similar venues is not cost effective; however, the visible devices are good for public awareness of the problem of sudden cardiac death and provide reassurance to patrons. Copyright © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] | ||||||||||||||||