Are Cardiac Conditions In Older Women Managed Appropriately?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$289,492.00
Summary
Cardiac conditions, including heart attach, heart failure, angina and high blood pressure are very common among older Australians. They account for large proportions of deaths, morbidity and health care costs. For most of these conditions there are highly effective treatments, however there is evidence that these are not as well used as they should be. Also, for women, diagnosis may be delayed due to perceptions that heart disease is a problem mainly among men. The project is based on the Austra ....Cardiac conditions, including heart attach, heart failure, angina and high blood pressure are very common among older Australians. They account for large proportions of deaths, morbidity and health care costs. For most of these conditions there are highly effective treatments, however there is evidence that these are not as well used as they should be. Also, for women, diagnosis may be delayed due to perceptions that heart disease is a problem mainly among men. The project is based on the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health which includes more than 10,000 women, over half living in rural and remote areas. Women with cardiac conditions will be surveyed about their medical care. This information, together with data they have provided over the last 6 years (and Medicare data if the women have given their consent), will be compared with best practice guidelines established by NHMRC and the Heart Foundation. In this way the project will examine the adequacy of medical care among older women in sufficient detail to make actionable recommendations to health authorities for where improvements are needed.Read moreRead less
Improving Vision To Prevent Falls: A Randomized Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$403,892.00
Summary
More than 30% of older Australians fall over at least once a year. Poor eyesight, another very common problem among older Australians, increases the risk of falling. In fact, recent evidence from the Blue Mountains Eye Study suggests that poor vision is one of the strongest risk factors for falls and fractures yet identied. Our project is designed to assess whether improving vision will decrease the chance of falls and fractures. We will recruit 1200 people aged 75 years and over from among thos ....More than 30% of older Australians fall over at least once a year. Poor eyesight, another very common problem among older Australians, increases the risk of falling. In fact, recent evidence from the Blue Mountains Eye Study suggests that poor vision is one of the strongest risk factors for falls and fractures yet identied. Our project is designed to assess whether improving vision will decrease the chance of falls and fractures. We will recruit 1200 people aged 75 years and over from among those attending community-based aged care services in the inner western suburbs of Sydney. If they consent to participate, people will be randomly allocated to either an intervention or control group. Those in the intervention group will receive a simple, yet comprehensive, series of vision and eye tests. These tests will be done by an optometrist, either in subjects' homes or at the study centre. Our previous research suggests that nearly 50% of subjects will benefit from having new glasses and 10% might require cataract surgery. If necessary, treatment will be paid for from study funds. Some vision problems cannot be fixed. In these cases, an occupational therapist will arrange appropriate home modifications to improve vision-related function. Subjects will be followed-up for 12 months to assess the frequency of falls in the intervention and control groups. We hope to find a 33% reduction in falls in the intervention group. We will follow subjects for a further year to identify fractures.Read moreRead less
The FREEDOM Study: A RCT Of Sunlight And Calcium To Reduce Vitamin D Deficiency In Older People In Residential Care
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$838,972.00
Summary
The proposed study emanates from a large ongoing epidemiological study on falls and fractures in the elderly (the FREE study). Falls and fractures are major problems in the elderly. This is the genesis for the FREEDOM (Falls Risk Epidemiology: Effect of vitamin D on skeletal Outcomes and other Measures) intervention study. The FREEDOM study will evaluate the effect of a public health strategy to reduce falls and fractures in older people living in residential care (namely appropriate sun light e ....The proposed study emanates from a large ongoing epidemiological study on falls and fractures in the elderly (the FREE study). Falls and fractures are major problems in the elderly. This is the genesis for the FREEDOM (Falls Risk Epidemiology: Effect of vitamin D on skeletal Outcomes and other Measures) intervention study. The FREEDOM study will evaluate the effect of a public health strategy to reduce falls and fractures in older people living in residential care (namely appropriate sun light exposure and calcium supplementation) in a randomised trial. The primary endpoints of this study will be reduction in falls and change in vitamin D levels. Other endpoints will be change in motor function, mood, bone turnover and fracture incidence. The proposed public health strategy to be examined is readily transferable to routine practice and would have very good feasibility for easy implementation and are generally applicable to the residential care setting, where the study will be conducted. Moreover the proposed approach would be low in cost and does not depend on other health system input. Potentially large numbers of people would benefit from the better understanding of simple methods of securing improved vitamin D status.Read moreRead less