Aim: This study investigated the association between frailty awareness-defined as understanding the term "frailty" and its meaning-and actual frailty status as well as oral frailty among community-dwelling older adults.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among adults ≥65 years old residing in the community. Data were collected via a postal survey assessing frailty awareness, status (using a health assessment questionnaire for the national screening program for older adults in Japan), and oral frailty (using the Oral Frail Index-8). Frailty awareness was divided into three categories: Awareness I (aware of both the term and its meaning), Awareness II (aware of the term only), and Awareness III (unaware of both). Associations between frailty awareness and frailty outcomes were analyzed using the chi-square test and multivariate logistic regression.

Results: A total of 1,758 respondents (age 77.0±6.9 years old) were included. The prevalence of frailty was 32.6%, while that of oral frailty was 55.5%. Among the participants, 38.4% were classified as Awareness I, 18.3% as Awareness II, and 43.3% as Awareness III, respectively. Lower frailty awareness was significantly associated with higher rates of frailty and oral frailty (p < 0.001). In logistic regression analyses, compared with Awareness I, the odds ratios (ORs) for frailty were 1.57 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.16-2.13, p = 0.004) for Awareness II and 2.06 (95% CI, 1.60-2.64, p < 0.001) for Awareness III. Compared with Awareness I, the ORs for oral frailty were 1.58 (95% CI, 1.20-2.08, p = 0.001) for Awareness II and 1.91 (95% CI, 1.53-2.40, p < 0.001) for Awareness III.

Conclusions: Lower frailty awareness was associated with an increased likelihood of both frailty and oral frailty among community-dwelling older adults, suggesting that improving frailty knowledge may contribute to effective frailty prevention and management.

Aim: To develop a dementia and delirium nursing education program for nurses in acute care hospitals with the aim of enhancing their practical competencies. The program, based on person-centered care, included a 60-minute workshop and regular case conferences held two to three times per week. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of the program by examining changes in nurses' knowledge and self-efficacy regarding dementia and delirium nursing, as well as patient outcomes, including falls, self-removal of tubes or catheters, and the use of physical restraints.

Methods: The program was conducted over a three-month period from November 2023 to January 2024 in a gastrointestinal surgical ward of an acute care hospital with a 7:1 nurse-to-patient ratio. Twenty-five nurses participated in this study. Questionnaires assessing knowledge and self-efficacy were administered before and after intervention. Patient outcome data, including falls, self-removal of tubes or catheters, and use of physical restraints, were collected from the medical records and compared before and after the intervention.

Results: Nurses' knowledge and self-efficacy significantly improved after the intervention. Although the total number of patients with dementia and delirium increased significantly, the incidents of self-removal of tubes or catheters and the use of physical restraints significantly decreased. Falls decreased from two to zero, although this difference was not statistically significant.

Conclusions: The program was effective in improving nurses' knowledge and self-efficacy in dementia and delirium care and in reducing self-removal of tubes or catheters, as well as reducing the use of physical restraints.