【Purpose】This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of upper limb coordinated motions and relationship to dynamic balance for adolescents in special school for mentally retarded children. 【Methods】Participants were 30 adolescents with special school intellectual class and 29 healthy adolescents. We examined the walking test in a straight line, finger conflict, pronation and supination of the forearm and upper limb gross dexterity through box and block test. We analyzed the data by performing an unpaired t-test and Fisher's exact test. 【Results】Many adolescents with special school were unable to perform each motion, and their box and block test was significantly lower than that of healthy adolescents. Many of the adolescents who were unable to perform a motion were unable to perform other motions in the adolescents with special school. The BBT of the dominant hand was significantly lower in the adolescents with special school who failed the walking test in a straight line than those who didn’t failed. 【Conclusions】The adolescents with special school have decreased dynamic balance, finger conflict, pronation and supination of the forearm and upper limb gross dexterity in comparison with the healthy adolescents. Our results suggest that it is important to assess by combining upper limb coordinated motions and dynamic balance for understanding the characteristics of the adolescents with special school.

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Purpose: This study aimed to clarify the information about care recipients that visiting nurses focus on to facilitate the continuation of home care for older adults who live alone and require long-term care. Method: Eight visiting nurses were interviewed and the data were qualitatively analyzed. 　Results: 1） All the nurses were women. Their ages ranged from the late 20s to early 40s and all had at least 5 years of experience as a nurse. Experience as a visiting nurse was less than 1 year in two nurses, 1-5 years in two nurses, more than 5-10 years in two nurses, and more than 10 years in two nurses. 2） Analysis revealed 25 subcategories in the following nine categories: changes in usual physical condition; appearance of psychological symptoms; changes in decline of cognitive function; link to medical treatment; risk of falls; potential measures to take if a sudden change in condition occurs; sleeping environment; accepting attitude regarding the service; and availability of informal support. Nurses not only focus on the care recipient’s physical condition, but also on whether he/she can manage sudden changes in health condition or the surrounding environment by him/herself. Nurses also focus on the care recipient’s sociability in considering his/her formal and informal support, suggesting that they place emphasis on information for preventive care.

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