This study clarifies the characteristics, defecation situation, and state of defecation assistance of elderly people who defecate on the bed at home and the factors leading to the planning of regular enema and disimpaction. Home-visit nurses from 298 nursing stations were asked about the characteristics of elderly people who defecate on the bed at home, decisions to or not to plan regular enemas and disimpaction, home-visit nurses’ thoughts, defecation assistance, and the defecation situation. A total of 243 cases were analyzed. A multivariate analysis revealed Parkinson’s disease, rectal constipation, and problems with the oral cavity to be factors leading to the planning of regular enemas and disimpaction. In cases of Parkinson’s disease or severe difficulties with stool excretion leading to rectal constipation or cases with inadequate oral care, which might not be provided very well organized care, home-visit nurses instructed patients to take oral stimulant laxatives on the day before the visit, used a combination of enema and disimpaction during the visit, and performed abdominal massage among other measures to promptly promote defecation within a limited amount of time, and consequently extruded a large volume of stool. The findings suggested that planning of regular enemas and disimpaction prevented patients from excreting stool outside of visiting hours and reduced the family caregivers’ burden.

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This study aimed to develop and examine the validity and reliability of a scale to measure the strength of elderly people in the care cycle.
We prepared 18 questions based on the Strength Model of Rapp and administered an anonymous self-completed questionnaire survey to elderly people(65+ yrs)certified as requiring long-term care and those who were using preventive care services. Valid responses were obtained from 212.
A confirmatory factor analysis yielded an optimal higher-order factor model with aspirations, confidence, competencies, social relations, resources, and opportunities as primary factors and internal resources and external resources as secondary factors.
A moderate significant correlation was observed between the results of the Comprehensive Environmental Questionnaire for the Elderly(CEQ)and the levels of self-esteem, which confirmed the validity of our scale under external criteria.
The ω reliability coefficient was high, confirming the internal consistency of our scale. We expect our scale to enable us to objectively evaluate the strength of elderly people and provide appropriate support.

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Objectives: The effect of galvanic vestibular stimulation(GVS)is modified by its stimulation time, polarity(the anode attached to the right side and the cathode to the left, or vice versa), and intensity. The aim of this study is to evaluate the modulation effects on the subjective postural vertical(SPV)after GVS that prolonged the stimulation time for 20 minutes at each polarity.
Methods: We administered GVS at each polarity(stimulation time: 20 min; intensity: 1.5 mA) in 20 healthy participants on two different days. We calculated each participant’s SPV before stimulation(baseline), immediately after GVS, and 10 and 20 minutes after GVS. SPVs were measured eight times in each session. We defined the mean and standard deviation of the SPV values as tilt direction and variability. Participants and experimenters were blinded to the stimulus polarity.
Results: Tilt direction was significantly biased toward the left ear with roll deviations immediately after GVS and 10 minutes after GVS compared to baseline, regardless of the stimulated polarity.
Conclusions: The present study revealed that the effect of 20-minute GVS on SPV persisted after stimulation and was biased counterclockwise, regardless of polarity, in healthy subjects. Future studies, targeting patients with stroke, are needed to explore the difference between short-term and 20-minute GVS.

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The purposes of this study were to perform the translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Self Evaluation of Breathing Questionnaire(SEBQ)into Japanese and to examine the internal consistency and face validity of the Japanese version of the SEBQ. Using published guideline, the original version was translated and cross-culturally adapted to the Japanese version. In the pilot test, 30 outpatients with musculoskeletal disorders were asked to answer the Japanese version of the SEBQ, and Cronbach’s alpha was calculated from the results of their responses. An interview about the content of the questionnaire was also conducted after the responses. The average response time was 1 minute and 59 seconds, the average total score was 11.3 points, and the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.93. In the post-pilot test interview, the majority of the respondents indicated that the questions were easy to understand and not difficult to answer by themselves. The Japanese version of the SEBQ was shown to have good internal consistency and face validity.

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Objectives: Although the incidence of dementia is increasing worldwide, evidence-based non-pharmacological treatments for patients with severe dementia are scarce. This interventional study aimed to determine the effects of doll therapy(DT)in patients with severe Alzheimer's disease(AD)from multiple perspectives: facial expression, stress response, and behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia(BPSD). Methods: The participants were diagnosed with severe AD, admitted to a psychiatric hospital, and randomly assigned to the intervention or control group. The control group underwent dementia rehabilitation, while the intervention group underwent dementia rehabilitation and DT. The duration of the study was 8 weeks in both groups. Results: The intervention group showed significantly improved facial expressions and stress responses during the DT implementation. BPSD improved significantly in the intervention group but not in the control group. Conclusions: DT was an acceptable activity for people with severe Alzheimer's disease and resulted in improvements in stress and BPSD. These results may be beneficial in terms of providing an effective non-pharmacological treatment option for patients with severe dementia.

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