Dorothy Forbes

University of Alberta | UAlberta · Faculty of Nursing

For older adults with complex health conditions, transitions between care settings are common and a major risk to quality of care and patient safety. Care transition interventions have shown positive impacts on continuity of care and health service use, however, most require additional human resources (e.g., transition coach), focus on one transiti...

Objective Improving care transitions is of critical importance for older patients, especially those with complex care needs. Our study examined the “Transitions of Care” (ToC) of complex, post-acute older adults at multiple time points. The objective of this article is to identify domains relevant to health care transitions of post-acute older pati...

Objectives: Family caregivers (defined broadly as family and friends) of persons with dementia are challenged to cope with myriad stressors and changes that occur along the dementia trajectory. The purpose of this study was to explore the transitions experienced by caregivers of persons with dementia after their relative relocated to a 24-hour care...

Abstract Background Following institutionalization of a relative with Alzheimer disease and related dementias (ADRD), family carers continue to provide care. They must learn to negotiate with staff and navigate the system all of which can affect their mental health. A web-based intervention, My Tools 4 Care-In Care (MT4C-In Care) was developed by t...

Background: My Tools 4 Care (MT4C) is a Web-based intervention that was developed based on the transitions theory. It is an interactive, self-administered, and portable toolkit containing six main sections intended to support carers of community-living persons with Alzheimer's disease and related dementia and multiple chronic conditions through th...

Background Family carers of older persons with Alzheimer’s’ disease and related dementia (ADRD) and multiple chronic conditions (MCC) experience significant, complex, and distressing transitions such as changes to their environment, roles and relationships, physical health, and mental health. An online intervention (My Tools 4 Care) was developed f...

Background: Original studies published over the last decade regarding time trends in dementia report mixed results. The aims of the present study were to use linked administrative health data for the province of Saskatchewan for the period 2005/2006 to 2012/2013 to: (1) examine simultaneous temporal trends in annual age- and sex-specific dementia i...

Introduction: The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a diet that limits saturated fat consumption and encourages unsaturated fat consumption. A diet that is compatible with the WHO recommendations and of considerable interest to researchers interested in dementia is the Mediterranean diet (MeDi). What is known empirically at present about t...

Community-based services are important for improving outcomes for individuals with dementia and their caregivers. This study examined: (1) availability of rural dementia-related services in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, and (2) orientation of services toward six key attributes of primary health care (i.e., information/education, accessibil...

Background: Determining the epidemiology of dementia among the population as a whole in specific jurisdictions - including the long-term care population-is essential to providing appropriate care. The objectives of this study were to use linked administrative databases in the province of Saskatchewan to determine the 12-month incidence and prevale...

Living and working in isolated northern communities pose challenges in using evidence to inform dementia care. Purpose : To better understand the contextual dimensions of two home care centres in two Canadian northern, rural communities that influence the use of evidence from the perspectives of home care providers (HCPs). Sample : A ll clinical le...

This is the protocol for a review and there is no abstract. The objectives are as follows: To evaluate the effects of exercise interventions for preventing dementia in people with mild cognitive impairment. We refer to Forbes 2015b and Forbes 2015c for the review protocols on exercise interventions for maintaining cognitive function in cognitively...

This is the protocol for a review and there is no abstract. The objectives are as follows: To evaluate the effects ofexercise interventions on cognitive function in cognitively healthy people in late life. We refer to Forbes 2015b for the review on Exercise interventions for maintaining cognitive function in cognitively healthy people in mid life,...

This is the protocol for a review and there is no abstract. The objectives are as follows: To evaluate the effects ofexercise interventions on cognitive function in cognitively healthy people in mid life. We refer to Forbes 2015b for the review protocol on Exercise interventions for maintaining cognitive function in cognitively healthy people in la...

With increasing rates of dementia among older adults, many people will be affected by this disease; either by having the disease or by caring for a relative with dementia. Due to a shift toward home and community-based care there will be an increase in the number of family caregivers caring for persons with dementia. The caregiving experience in th...

Background: Community–based participatory research (CBPR) approaches are valuable strategies for addressing complex health and social problems and powerful tools to support effective transformation of social and health policy to better meet the needs of diverse stakeholders. Objectives: Since 1997, our team has utilized CBPR approaches to improve h...

Depressive symptoms in older home care clients are common but poorly recognized and treated, resulting in adverse health outcomes, premature institutionalization, and costly use of health services. The objectives of this study were to examine the feasibility and acceptability of a new six-month interprofessional (IP) nurse-led mental health promoti...

Introduction Following hip fracture surgery, patients often experience multiple transitions through different care settings, with resultant challenges to the quality and continuity of patient care. Family caregivers can play a key role in these transitions, but are often poorly engaged in the process. We aimed to: (1) examine the characteristics of...

Rest-activity and sleep-wake cycles are controlled by the endogenous circadian rhythm generated by the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) of the hypothalamus. Degenerative changes in the SCN appear to be a biological basis for circadian disturbances in people with dementia, and might be reversed by stimulation of the SCN by light. The review examines the...

Although only 20–50% of individuals with dementia are diagnosed, early diagnosis enables patients and families to access interventions and services, and plan for the future. The current study explored the experiences of rural family caregivers in the period leading up to a diagnostic assessment at a Canadian memory clinic, their hopes and expectati...

Background In future, as the population ages, the number of people in our communities suffering with dementia will rise dramatically. This will not only affect the quality of life of people with dementia but also increase the burden on family caregivers, community care, and residential care services. Exercise is one lifestyle factor that has been i...

RÉSUMÉ Cet article discute l’échantillon d’une étude des Premières Nations plus vaste sur les décisions de soins de la démence et le partage des connaissances. L’objectif de cette étude est de mieux comprendre le processus de partage des connaissances entre les praticiens de la santé (PS), les partenaires de soins, et les personnes atteintes de dém...

RÉSUMÉ Bien que l’incontinence urinaire peut être géré d’une manière conservatrice, c’est une cause principale de la dégradation des soins de famille dans la maison. Cette étude a examiné les processus d’interaction sociale et de l’application des connaissances (AC) se rapportant à la façon dont la gestion de l’incontinence urinaire (IU) peut être...

Purpose: To examine information exchange by physiotherapists during care handoffs of patients with hip fracture in a rural health care setting. Methods: This qualitative ethnographic study used observation and interviews of 11 networks of patients with hip fracture (n=11), family caregivers (n=8), and health care providers (n=24). Patients were...

RÉSUMÉ D’ici à 2038, le nombre d’heures de soins non rémunérées aux aînés offert par les membres de la famille devraient tripler. Les membres des familles sont souvent suppliés d’aider dans le processus parce que vivre avec la démence peut inhiber la capacité pour prendre une décision. Cette étude ethnographique a soumis les relations au sein de so...

While home care has received much attention lately, little research to date has drawn on the experiences of rural multidisciplinary teams providing in-home care. Home care is typically studied in urban areas, with the tendency to expand urban practices to rural settings, often with problematic results. This paper presents findings regarding unique...

Accessing, assessing, exchanging, and applying dementia care information can be challenging in rural communities for healthcare practitioners (HCPs), persons with dementia (PWD), and their care partners. The overall purpose of this research was to enable HCPs, care partners, and PWD to use dementia care information more effectively by examining the...

TouchyTheris A., JettKathleen F., BoscartVeronique, and McClearyLynn. Ebersole and Hess’ Gerontological Nursing and Healthy Aging (Canadian Edition). Toronto, ON: Elsevier Canada, 2012 - Volume 31 Issue 3 - Dorothy Forbes

RÉSUMÉ La détection précoce de la démence est essentielle pour guider les praticiens en premier ligne de soins de santé concernant de nouvelles évaluations cliniques et des traitements. Il y a une pénurie de la littérature qui évalue l’efficacité des outils de dépistage pour prédire le développement de la démence; ainsi, nous avons effectué une rev...

RÉSUMÉ Cet article traite la façon dont les soins de la démence sont prévus pour les collectivités des Premiers Nations du sud-ouest de l’Ontario. Les données ont été saisies au moyen d’entretiens approfondis avec les prestataires de soins de santé et analysées en utilisant une méthodologie fondée sur une théorie constructiviste. Afin de comprendre...

Adapted from Ebersole and Hess’ Gerontological Nursing and Healthy Aging (3rd ed.), the first Canadian edition could not be more timely as we begin to experience the “gerontological explosion” with the first wave of baby boomers reaching age 65. Older adults are the “core business of health care” (John A. Hartford Foundation, n.d.). Nurses, as well...

With the number of people living with dementia expected to more than double within the next 25 years, the demand for dementia home care services will increase. In this critical ethnographic study, we drew upon interview and participant data with persons with dementia, family caregivers, in-home providers, and case managers in nine dementia care net...

Examination of factors related to the retention or voluntary turnover of Registered Nurses (RNs) has mainly focused on urban, acute care settings. This paper explored predictors of intent to leave (ITL) a nursing position in all rural and remote practice settings in Canada. Based on the conceptual framework developed for this project, potential pre...

Background: In Canada, one in five women lives in a rural area. These rural women often experience different health challenges than urban women, including lower life expectancy, higher rates of disability and cancer, fewer available health care resources and greater distances to access health care services. Nurse practitioners [NPs] provide importa...

Very little research has been conducted in the area of depression among older home care clients using personal support services. These older adults are particularly vulnerable to depression because of decreased cognition, comorbid chronic conditions, functional limitations, lack of social support, and reduced access to health services. To date, res...

This study examined nursing aides' (NAs) perspectives of specific incidents of combative behavior from nursing home residents with dementia, particularly their attributions for the behaviors. This research is part of a larger mixed-method study exploring combative behavior as experienced by NAs. The data for this component were collected using a cr...

Using data from a sample of 169 patients, this study evaluates the acceptability and feasibility of telehealth videoconferencing for preclinic assessment and follow-up in an interprofessional memory clinic for rural and remote seniors. Patients and caregivers are seen via telehealth prior to the in-person clinic and followed up at 6 weeks, 12 weeks...

The purpose of this research was to critique the nature of rural dementia care from the perspectives of persons with dementia, their family caregivers and home care providers through a social inclusion/exclusion lens. A critical gerontology approach within a human rights framework (Townsend, 2006) was used. Three rural dementia care networks were i...

Draft interview protocol for knowledge users.

The Seniors Health Research Transfer Network (SHRTN) Collaborative is a network of networks that work together to improve the health and health care of Ontario seniors. The collaborative facilitates knowledge exchange through a library service, knowledge brokers (KBs), local implementation teams, collaborative technology, and, most importantly, Com...

The increasing prevalence of dementia in older adults will increase the demands for care from families and the health care system. Caring for a relative with dementia is often viewed as burdensome and stressful in nature; however, of late, attention has been given to the positive aspects of the caregiving journey. The purpose of this article is to...

Patient outcomes are reliant on nursing calibre, which in turn is dependent on the health of work environments and practice settings. The National Survey of the Work and Health of Nurses (NSWHN) examined a broad spectrum of nurses' work and health, with one finding of particular concern: Nurses have a higher rate of depression (1 in 10) than their...

Patient outcomes are reliant on nursing calibre, which in turn is dependent on the health of work environments and practice settings. The National Survey of the Work and Health of Nurses (NSWHN) examined a broad spectrum of nurses' work and health, with one finding of particular concern: Nurses have a higher rate of depression (1 in 10) than their...

Objective: The objective of this analysis was to identify the meaning of rurality for registered nurses (RNs) practising in rural and remote Canada. Setting and design: An existing Statistics Canada definition was used to stratify Canada's 10 provinces into urban and rural areas. As part of a national multi-method study, a random sample of RNs in t...

Patient-focused care provided by an interprofessional team has long been presented as the preferred method of primary care delivery. Community pharmacists should and can provide leadership for many clinical and managerial activities within the primary care team. To determine the extent to which community pharmacists are prepared to be members of th...

Rest-activity and sleep-wake cycles are controlled by the endogenous circadian rhythm generated by the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) of the hypothalamus. Degenerative changes in the SCN appear to be a biological basis for circadian disturbances in people with dementia, and might be reversed by stimulation of the SCN by light. The review assesses the...

To describe community satisfaction and attachment among rural and remote registered nurses (RNs) in Canada. Cross-sectional survey of rural and remote RNs in Canada as part of a multimethod study.The sample consisted of a stratified random sample of RNs living in rural areas of the western country and the total population of RNs who worked in three...

As an inherently human process fraught with subjectivity, dynamic interaction, and change, social interaction knowledge translation (KT) invites implementation scientists to explore what might be learned from adopting the academic tradition of social constructivism and an interpretive research approach. This paper presents phenomenological investig...

The availability, accessibility and acceptability of services are critical factors in rural health service delivery. In Canada, the aging population and the consequent increase in prevalence of dementia challenge the ability of many rural communities to provide specialized dementia care. This paper describes the development, operation and evaluatio...

Little attention has been given to the perceptions of formal care providers on the nature and quality of home- and community-based dementia care. The purpose of this descriptive interpretive research was to explore formal care providers' perceptions of their experiences with Canadian home- and community-based dementia care. Participants within thre...

With the aging of the population, especially in Canadian rural areas, providing home care services will be particularly challenging as care is needed by increasingly vulnerable rural older adults in increasingly vulnerable rural settings with fewer services, supports, and caregivers. The purpose of this paper is to present examples of the federal (...

Practising physicians frequently seek advice on the most effective interventions for dementia. In this article, we provide practical guidance on nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic interventions for the management of mild to moderate dementia based on recommendations from the Third Canadian Consensus Conference on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Deme...

Cholinergic projection systems play a role in modulating cortical activity through activation of muscarinic receptors. Brain regions containing cholinergic neurons include the nucleus basalis of Meynert (NBM) and the medial septal nuclei (MSN), which send diffuse projections to cortex.

This article presents a participatory action knowledge translation (PAKT) framework for creating a learning organization to implement and sustain evidence-based practice in health services. Developed and piloted in the home care sector in Ontario, Canada, the PAKT framework inextricably intertwines organizational, team and individual effort in a ne...

Background: The management of mild to moderate dementia presents complex and evolving challenges. Practising physicians are often uncertain about the appropriate approaches to issues such as the disclosure of the diagnosis, driving and caregiver support. In this article, we provide practical guidance on management based on recommendations from the...

This study piloted a knowledge translation (KT) intervention promoting evidence-based home care through social interaction. A total of 33 providers organized into 5 heterogeneous, geographically defined action groups participated in 5 researcher-facilitated meetings based on the participatory action model. The KT evidence reflects an empowering par...

Few trials examined these important outcomes. In addition, family caregiver outcomes and use of health care services were not reported in any of the included studies. There is some evidence that physical activity delays the onset of dementia in healthy older adults and slows down cognitive decline to prevent the onset of cognitive disability. Studi...

Thirty-five percent of Canadians over the age of 85 have dementia, and up to 90% of their home care is provided by family and friends. The purpose of this study was to explore the use and satisfaction with home and community-based services for persons with dementia from the perspectives of family caregivers. The study was conducted using an interpr...

This study piloted a knowledge translation (KT) intervention promoting evidence-based home care through social interaction. A total of 33 providers organized into 5 heterogeneous, geographically defined action groups participated in 5 researcher-facilitated meetings based on the participatory action model. The KT evidence reflects an empowering par...

The purpose was to examine the use and availability of home and community-based services by men and women with dementia using data from the 2003 Canadian Community Health Survey. Variables of interest were based on the Andersen and Newman model and included predisposing, enabling, need, and use of health service variables, perceived unmet health an...

Beliefs about the causes of events have implications for emotional reactions, distress, expectations for the future, and behavioral responses. In this article we report on two issues: the organizational context that contributes to nursing aide (NA) assault and reporting, and serendipitous findings that arose from investigating unexpected response r...

The purpose was to examine the use and availability of home and community-based services by men and women with dementia using data from the 2003 Canadian Community Health Survey. Variables of interest were based on the Andersen and Newman model and included predisposing, enabling, need, and use of health service variables, perceived unmet health an...

The objective of this analysis was to identify the meaning of rurality for registered nurses (RNs) practising in rural and remote Canada. An existing Statistics Canada definition was used to stratify Canada's 10 provinces into urban and rural areas. As part of a national multi-method study, a random sample of RNs in these rural strata, plus all RNs...

Canadians are experiencing increased life expectancy and chronic illness requiring end-of-life care. There is limited research on the multiple roles for family members providing home-based palliative care. Based on a larger ethnographic study of client-family-provider relationships in home-based palliative care, this qualitative secondary analysis...

Background: There is some evidence that physical activity delays the onset of dementia in healthy older adults and slows down cognitive decline to prevent the onset of cognitive disability. Studies using animal models suggest that physical activity has the potential to attenuate the pathophysiology of dementia. 'Physical activity' refers to 'usual...