Specialized geriatric services care for older adults (≥ 65 years of age) with dementia and other progressive neurological disorders, frailty, and mental health conditions were provided both virtually and in person during the pandemic. The objective of this study was to implement a software-enabled standardized self-report instrument – the interRAI Check-Up Self-Report – to remotely assess patients. A convergent, mixed-methods research design was employed. Staff found the instrument easy to use and the program-level metrics helpful for planning. Most patients urgently needed a geriatrician assessment (72%) and had moderate to severe cognitive (34%) and functional impairments (34%), depressive symptoms (53%), loneliness (57%), daily pain (32%), and distressed caregivers (46%). Implementation considerations include providing ongoing support and facilitating intersectoral collaboration. The Check Up enhanced the geriatric assessment process by creating a system to track all needs for immediate and future care at both the patient and program level.

The purpose of this study was to identify the self-report physical activity (PA) tool best suited for assessment of PA in community-dwelling older adults with multiple chronic conditions (MCC). PA can positively influence physical and psychological health in this population. Although self-report PA tools exist, little is known about the psychometric properties and feasibility of using these tools in older adults with MCC. A systematic literature review from 2000 to 2018 was conducted of studies reporting on the psychometric properties and feasibility of 18 self-report PA tools for community-dwelling older adults (≥ 65 years) to determine the suitability of these tools for use in older adults with MCC. Based on an assessment of the available evidence for the psychometric properties and feasibility of 18 different self-report PA tools, the Physical Activity Assessment Scale for the Elderly (PASE) is recommended as the best-suited self-report PA tool for older adults with MCC.

Discordance between self-reports and medical records reflects patient and provider factors that have implications for management and research. This study investigated discordance and socio-demographic factors that explain concordance. A purposive sample of 402 disabled older persons was interviewed using a structured questionnaire. The highest concordances were found for diabetes, cardiovascular accident (CVA), and cancer while the lowest were evident for arthritis, and renal and gastrointestinal conditions. Significant explanatory factors included (a) age for explaining concordance in hypertension; (b) ethnicity in explaining concordance in arthritis and cancer; (c) marital status in explaining concordance in thyroid diseases; (d) education in explaining concordance in gastrointestinal conditions; and (e) functional status in explaining concordance in respiratory, gastrointestinal, and thyroid diseases. Co-morbidity increased concordance for all health conditions and decreased concordance for hypertension. Further investigation is needed to examine the reasons for the disparities between the two sources of information.

A review of the literature shows that only a weak connection exists between objective memory tests and self-evaluation memory questionnaires. The object of the present study was to explore which of the mnemonic, affective or psychosocial factors influence subjective evaluation of the memory function. This study is composed of a self-evaluation memory questionnaire, an ecologic-type objective memory evaluation, two affective state measures, anxiety and depression, and an inventory of life events. Sixty elderly persons took part in the study. They were divided into two groups, with attribution to a group depending on whether or not they considered themselves to have problems with memory Results supported the hypothesis that subjective and objective evaluations of memory comprise different components. Contrary to an objective test, self-evaluation of memory is strongly related to affect rather than being a perfect representation of actual mnemonic ability and this in spite of the ecological character of the memory test.

The authors conducted a systematic review of studies examining correlations between assessments of function obtained using self-report and those obtained using performance-based measures for community-dwelling older adults.