Sleep disturbances in aging: a theoretic and empiric analysis

Symptom correlates in the gero-oncology population

OBJECTIVES

To review recently published studies that describe the presence of selected cancer-related symptoms and relationships between them in the gero-oncology population.

DATA SOURCES

Research studies, review articles, and government documents.

CONCLUSION

Cancer-related symptoms have been studied for over two decades, yet little is known about the functional effects of age on the disease experience.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE

Nurses are encouraged to consider symptoms related to other chronic illnesses that contribute to an older person's daily living when planning oncology nursing care.

Music for sleep disturbance in the elderly

Twenty-five elderly, community-based subjects with self-perceived sleep disturbances participated in this descriptive pilot study. Subjects listened to classical and New Age music before bedtime when a sleep disturbance was identified. Daily logs were kept by each participant to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. Twenty-four (96%) of the subjects reported improved sleep using this self-administered intervention.

Night life: nocturnal behavior patterns among hospitalized elderly

1. In contrast to previous studies where elderly living in an institution were found to demonstrate a consistent, predictable pattern of nocturnal activity, hospitalized elderly were found to be asleep less and awake more over a period of 3 consecutive nights. 2. Medication, treatments, and assessment were scheduled with little regard for the hospitalized elderly's need for restorative sleep. 3. Each time an elderly patient was awakened, it took him or her at least 30 minutes to return to sleep. 4. Nurses are advised to determine and maintain as much as possible the patient's usual bedtime routine, keep interruptions during the night to a minimum, schedule medications and treatments efficiently, decrease noise, and medicate for pain as appropriate.

Sleep patterns of aged persons in long-term care facilities

The nursing staff of long-term care facilities are often faced with the decision of whether or not to administer sleep medication when it is ordered 'prn'. This decision should be made on the basis of information contained in the patient's nursing sleep history as well as knowledge regarding the effects of sleep medication. This study was carried out to assess the factors involved in changes in sleep patterns of elderly patients in long-term care facilities and to evaluate the extent of use of the nursing sleep history. The sleep patterns of 102 elderly patients (mean age 78.7 years) in three long-term care facilities were assessed by means of interview questionnaire. Patients' records indicated that 71% were receiving some type of sleep medication on a regular basis. A quantitative analysis of their responses indicated that there were significant shifts in sleep patterns following admission. Only 54% of the patients in this study had a nursing sleep history and this contained only minimal information. The results indicate that the nursing sleep history is under-utilized. A better appreciation of the patient's sleep requirements could lead to a reduction in the amount of sleep medication given and an improvement in the general well-being of the long-term care elderly population.