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Chief editor
Abdulrazak Abyad MD, MPH, MBA, AGSF, AFCHSE
Editorial office:
Abyad Medical Centre & Middle East Longevity Institute
Azmi Street, Abdo Centre
PO Box 618
Tripoli, Lebanon
Tel: 961 6 443 684
Fax: 961 6 443 685
aabyad@cyberia.net.lb
Publisher
Lesley Pocock
medi+WORLD International
11 Colston Avenue
Sherbrooke, 3789, VIC
Australia
Tel: +61 3 9005 9847
Fax: +61 3 9012 5857
Lesleypocock@mediworld.com.au
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While all efforts have been
made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this journal,
opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily
reflect the views of The Publishers, Editor or the Editorial
Board. The publishers, Editor and Editorial Board cannot be
held responsible for errors or any consequences arising from
the use of information contained in this journal; or the views
and opinions expressed. Publication of any advertisements
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The contents of this journal
are copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for purposes of
private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted
under the Australian Copyright Act, no part of this program
may be reproduced without the permission of the publisher.
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| May
2010 , Volume 7- Issue 3 |
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Editorial
Editor: Abdulrazak Abyad
This is the third issue this
year with five papers from five areas of the World including
India , Iceland, Iran , Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
A descriptive cross sectional
study from Iceland looked at the Loneliness of Older
Persons in Home Care In Iceland. While current policy
emphasizes independent living of older people as long
as possible, studies show that being alone and loneliness
are associated with reduced quality of life. The authors'
objectives were to explore the association between loneliness
and affective, cognitive, physical and social factors
for older persons in home care. A total of 257 individuals
were assessed with the Minimum Data Set for Home Care
(InterRAI- HC) instrument. The authors conclude that
loneliness was identified in one fifth of persons in
home care, more often among widowed persons and women
with cognitive impairment and among those who assessed
their health as being poor. Sex difference was seen
with regards to affective symptoms and medication use.
Further studies are needed to understand how the needs
of lonely persons in home care can be best met.
A paper from Iran investigated
the mental health of older caregivers. Participants
were 50 caregivers who were parents of schizophrenia
patients. General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) Persian
version, demographic questionnaire, and psychiatric
records findings indicated that caregivers experienced
a high level of depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance,
and psychosomatic problems. 76% of the parents reported
disturbance in their mental health.
A paper from Saudi Arabia looked
at autonomic cardiovascular dysfunction in healthy elderly
people. Forty-nine ? 65-year olds, and forty-five ?
40-year old young adults were selected for the study.
Parameters of heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood
pressures, and ECG for each subject were recorded by
Dinamap (an automatic recorder). The postural changes
of blood pressure and heart rate were highly significant
in the elderly compared to the young adults, both in
the pre-meal and postprandial periods. The authors concluded
that the marked postural changes in blood pressure and
heart rate in the healthy elderly can be explained only
by a defect in the reaction of the cardiovascular system
in response to physiologic stimuli such as standing
upright or taking a meal.
A cross sectional pilot
study was done on four hundred and fifty community dwelling
elderly in Egypt, using a structured questionnaire adapted
from different questionnaires investigating life satisfaction
and quality of life. The authors concluded that elderly
preferences for life satisfaction and quality of life
should be considered in the future plans for psychological
well being of the Egyptian elderly.
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