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Objectives: Chronic pain is highly prevalent in nursing home residents and often occurs with depression as well as cognitive impairment, which can severely influence and limit the expression of pain.

Methods: The present cross-sectional study aimed to estimate the prevalence of pain, depressive mood, and cognitive impairment in association with pharmacological treatment against pain and depressive symptoms among Swedish nursing home residents.

Results: We found an overall pain prevalence of 52.8%, a prevalence of 63.1% for being in a depressive mood, and a prevalence of cognitive impairment of 68.3%. Among individuals assessed to have depressive mood, 60.5% were also assessed to have pain. The prevalence of pharmacological treatment for pain was 77.5 and 54.1% for antidepressants. Prescription of pharmacological treatment against pain was associated with reports of currently having pain, and paracetamol was the most prescribed drug. A higher cognitive function was associated with more filled prescriptions of drugs for neuropathic pain, paracetamol, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which could indicate an undertreatment of pain in those cognitively impaired.

Conclusion: It is important to further explore the relationship between pain, depressive mood, and cognitive impairment in regard to pain management in nursing home residents.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to describe a population of very old people with heart failure (HF), to analyse the use of cardiovascular drugs over time, and to explore factors influencing cardiovascular drug treatment for this group.

Methods: All participants with information regarding HF diagnosis were selected from the Umeå 85+/Gerontological Regional Database (GERDA). The people in GERDA are all ≥85 years old. Trained investigators performed structured interviews and assessments. Information regarding medications and diagnoses was obtained from the participants and from medical records. Medical diagnoses were reviewed and confirmed by an experienced geriatrician.

Results: In this very old population, the prevalence of HF was 29.6% among women and 30.7% among men. Between 2000 and 2017, there was an increase in the use of renin-angiotensin (RAS) inhibitors (odds ratio [OR] 1.107, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.072–1.144) and beta-blockers (BBs) (OR 1.123, 95% CI 1.086–1.161) among persons with HF, whereas the prevalence of loop diuretics (OR 0.899, 95% CI 0.868–0.931) and digitalis (OR 0.864, 95% CI 0.828–0.901) decreased (p < 0.001 for all drug classes). Higher age was associated with lower use of RAS inhibitors and BBs.

Conclusion: In this HF population, the use of evidence-based medications for HF increased over time. This may be a sign of better awareness among prescribers regarding the under-prescribing of guidelines-recommended treatment to old people. Higher age associated with a lower prevalence of RAS inhibitors and BBs. This might indicate that further improvement is possible but could also represent a more cautious prescribing among frail very old individuals.

Introduction: Medication-related hospital admissions (MRAs) are common among older people. Persons with cognitive impairment are especially vulnerable to adverse drug effects. At the same time, increased home health care and social support could theoretically prevent medication-related problems. This study aims to estimate the proportion of MRAs and explore their relationship with cognitive impairment in a population of acutely admitted older people.

Methods: This cross-sectional study comprised 300 individuals aged 75 years or older admitted to an acute medical ward. Two assessors identified possibly MRAs using the Assessment Tool for Hospital Admissions Related to Medications 10 (AT-HARM10). Screening for cognitive impairment was performed during ward stay using a 4-item test related to time orientation. Prevalence odds ratios between cognitive test scores and MRAs were analysed through logistic regression.

Results: Using AT-HARM10, 108 out of 300 admissions (36%) were classified as possibly MRAs by both assessors. Moreover, MRAs were least common among patients with the lowest cognitive test scores. There was an association regarding MRAs when the lowest test score was treated as a cut-off and compared against a reference category comprising all other scores (OR, 0.31 [95% CI 0.10–0.93]; p = 0.037) in a logistic regression model adjusted for cohabitation and home health care.

Conclusion: Approximately one-third of the hospital admissions among acutely admitted older people were considered at least possibly medication-related. Hence, there is still a great need to manage medication-related problems and reduce MRAs in this vulnerable population. Using a 4-item instrument to screen for cognitive impairment, there was a negative association between MRA and lowest cognitive test score. Further exploration of the relationship between MRAs and cognitive impairment may indicate appropriate components and target populations for interventions that aims to reduce the risk of MRA.

Purpose: To develop an in-depth understanding of older individuals’ attitudes and perceptions of medication management and care after discharge from hospital-to-home.

Patients and Methods: A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with selected individuals 75 years and older, discharged from hospital within the last 6–12 months, living at home, and managing their own medications. Face-to-face interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analyzed with thematic analysis.

Results: Among the 15 respondents, mean age was 83.5 years (range 75–95 years), 67% were women, and 60% lived alone. The majority (80%) managed their medications with a pill organizer or directly from the pill boxes, while 20% used dose dispensed medications. The analysis of the data led to six themes: Medication adherence, Personal responsibility, Transitions of care, Beliefs about medications, Participation (experience of participation, willingness to participate) and Accessibility (easier to reach hospital than primary care, navigating in the care system, continuity, personal chemistry).

Conclusion: The included respondents who were older individuals, living at home and managing their own medications, expressed that they were medical adherent and self-managing. Two important aspects which were seen were difficulties to reach primary care on their own initiative and the lack of continuity with the same physician over a longer period of time.

Background: The use of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) is a problem since it might contribute significantly to adverse drug reactions and hospital admissions among elderly with major neurocognitive disorder (NCD). To assess the appropriateness of drug treatment, different explicit criteria have been developed.

Objectives: To investigate and compare the prevalence of PIM users among elderly with major NCD on a nationwide basis using 3 different explicit criteria. Furthermore, the study aimed to investigate factors associated with the use of PIMs.

Methods: This nationwide register-based study included 35,212 people, 65 years or older, diagnosed with major NCD and registered in the Swedish registry for cognitive/dementia disorders up to June 30, 2017 and alive December 31, 2017. PIMs were identified using 3 different explicit criteria; the Swedish quality indicators, the EU(7)-PIM list and the AGS Beers Criteria. PIM use was defined as having collected a minimum of one PIM at least once between July 01 – December 31, 2017.

Results: The numbers of people using one or more PIMs were 7629 (21.7%) according to the Swedish quality indicators, 11,838 (33.6%) according to the EU(7)-PIM list, and 12,002 (34.1%) according to AGS Beers Criteria. Antipsychotics, antithrombotic agents and anxiolytics were the most frequently used PIM class according to the different assessment tools, respectively. The use of PIMs was positively associated with vascular dementia and Lewy body dementia/Parkinson's disease dementia, regardless of the assessment tool used. However, the association between using at least one PIM and age, sex, MMT-value and frontotemporal dementia, differed depending on the criteria used.

Conclusions: The different results and included PIMs indicate the different perspectives on PIMs between criteria, which make it difficult to compare the results. However, psychotropic drug use requires further highlighting, as well as the association between PIM use and different types of major NCD.

Background: People with major neurocognitive disorder might be susceptible to drug-induced QT interval prolongation due to the presence of a number of concomitant risk factors.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of QT-prolonging drugs and QT-prolonging drug–drug interactions and associated factors among older people with major neurocognitive disorder.

Methods: In this register-based study, we obtained information regarding QT-prolonging drug use in a large population of older people with major neurocognitive disorder, through record linkage between the Swedish registry for cognitive/dementia disorders, and the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register. QT-prolonging drugs were identified according to the CredibleMeds online database and interactions using the Janusmed interaction database. Drug use was defined as one or more filled prescriptions during a 6-month timeframe, July 01 to December 31, 2017. Associations between people with a QT-prolonging drug and the factors of age and gender were analysed through multiple logistic regression.

Results: Of 35,212 people included in the study, 41.6% had one or more QT-prolonging drug prescribed. The most commonly prescribed drug was donepezil, with a prevalence of 25.0%, followed by citalopram and escitalopram, representing 14.5% and 3.9% of prescriptions in the study population, respectively. Significant associations were found between QT-prolonging drug use and the factors of younger age and female gender. The most prevalent interaction was between citalopram and donepezil (2.7%), followed by the combination of escitalopram and donepezil (0.7%).

Conclusions: In this population of older people with major neurocognitive disorder, QT-prolonging drugs and interactions that increase the risk of torsade de pointes were prevalent. Due to the presence of many risk factors in this population, it is important to continuously evaluate current QT-prolonging drugs and concomitant drug treatment in each individual.

Background: Poor medication adherence is prevalent among older people. To optimize therapeutic outcomes, it is crucial to understand the underlying causes and perceptions.

Objective: We aimed to investigate the extent of self-reported medication adherence and associated factors among older people admitted to hospital.

Methods: Individuals living at home aged ≥ 75 years with an emergency admission at a university hospital between September 2018 and September 2021 were included. Participants answered the Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS-5) questionnaire upon admission regarding their prescribed long-term medications. Participants with a MARS-5 score of 23–25 were defined as adherent and with a score of 5–22 as nonadherent. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate possible factors independently associated with self-reported medication adherence.

Results: A total of 261 individuals were included. The mean age was 84 years (standard deviation 5.7) and the mean MARS-5 score was 23.9 (standard deviation 1.8). Overall, 227 (87%) participants were classified as adherent to their prescribed treatment, while 34 (13%) participants were classified as nonadherent. Participants with cognitive impairment (odds ratio = 0.40, 95% confidence interval 0.18–0.90, p = 0.027) and depression (odds ratio = 0.29, 95% confidence interval 0.10–0.87, p = 0.028) had a lower odds of reporting adherence to their medications.

Conclusions: The majority of individuals aged ≥ 75 years who were recently hospitalized rated themselves as adherent to their prescribed medications according to MARS-5. Future studies would benefit from adding more possible explanatory factors and combining a self-reported assessment with a more objective measurement of medication adherence.

Introduction: Psychotropic drugs are utilized against neuropsychiatric symptoms among people with major neurocognitive disorder (NCD) despite well-documented risks, and older people in nursing homes are expected to be more frequently exposed to those medicines. This study compared psychotropic drug use and associated factors between older people with major NCD and matched references.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included individuals from three national registries in Sweden. References were randomly matched 1:1 by age and sex from the Swedish Total Population Register. Drug use was defined as at least one prescription fill from 1 July to 31 December 2019 and presented as proportion of drug users. In addition, ORs regarding psychotropic drug use and associated factors use were analysed using generalized estimating equations.

Results: There were 102,419 complete matching pairs alive on 31 December 2019. The proportions of psychotropic drug users were 59% in the population of people with major NCD and 28% in the reference group. Moreover, there was a substantial number of individuals in nursing homes who had been treated with antipsychotics but who, for unknown reasons, had not been diagnosed with major NCD. Psychotropic drug use was positively associated with both major NCD and nursing home residency. The difference in drug use in relation to major NCD was more pronounced among people living in ordinary homes.

Conclusion: Despite well-documented risks in people with cognitive impairment, psychotropic drug use was overall high and positively associated with both major NCD and nursing home residency. Taken together, interventions to better target neuropsychiatric symptoms in older people are warranted. Hypnotic drug use among older people in general as well as antipsychotic drug exposure among older people in nursing homes appear to be two important focus areas.

Background: To achieve the best treatment of heart failure, it is important to use all recommended drugs at their target doses. Given that underuse of medications can occur in individuals with cognitive impairment, we investigated the filled prescriptions and target doses of heart failure medication for older individuals with and without cognitive impairment as well as associated factors.

Methods: The study was based on two separate datasets. The first dataset, which was based on data from questionnaires sent to nursing homes in Sweden, included 405 individuals with heart failure. The data were linked with the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register and the National Patient Register to obtain information regarding filled prescriptions of heart failure medications and heart failure diagnoses among the population. In the second dataset, medical records of individuals aged 75 years or older admitted to a hospital in northern Sweden were reviewed and individuals with heart failure were identified. Target doses of heart failure medications were evaluated in 66 individuals who lived at home.

Results: Filled prescriptions of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists and loop diuretics were significantly more common in individuals without cognitive impairment (OR 1.087; 95% CI 1.026–1.152, p < 0.05) and (OR 1.057; 95% CI 1.017–1.098, p < 0.05), respectively. There were no significant differences between individuals with and without cognitive impairment in terms of achieving target doses for any of the drug classes. A higher age was associated with fewer filled prescriptions and less ability to reach the target doses of beta blockers (OR 0.950; 95% CI 0.918–0.984, p < 0.05) and (OR 0.781; 95% CI 0.645–0.946, p < 0.05), respectively.

Conclusions: Our results suggest that individuals with cognitive impairment are partly undertreated for heart failure in that they had fewer filled prescriptions of important heart medications. Separately, the relatively low proportion of older individuals reaching target doses is an important observation and indicates that treatment of heart failure could be further optimised among older individuals.

Background: Swallowing difficulties in the oral cavity or pharynx (i.e., oropharyngeal dysphagia) are a common problem in the aging population, which may result in severe consequences, such as malnutrition, aspiration pneumonia, and mortality. Identifying oropharyngeal dysphagia and its associated factors is essential for establishing better healthcare policies in nursing homes. In this study, we aimed to describe the oropharyngeal dysphagia prevalence among nursing home residents, and to investigate the association between dysphagia and potentially related factors in a large survey of nursing home residents in Sweden, including individuals with various degrees of cognitive impairment. A secondary aim was to compare findings between years on oropharyngeal dysphagia and its associated factors.

Methods: This study is based on two cross-sectional surveys performed in 2007 and 2013, including 4,995 individuals living in nursing homes in the Region of Västerbotten, Sweden. Data were collected from caregivers’ reports regarding swallowing ability, nutritional status, chewing ability, and other baseline characteristics, such as cognitive function and activity of daily living (ADL). Data were analyzed using logistic regression models to calculate the odds of the association between oropharyngeal dysphagia and associated factors.

Results: Oropharyngeal dysphagia was reported in 14.9% (95% CI: 13.9–16.0) of the nursing home residents. An adjusted model revealed that oropharyngeal dysphagia was associated by severe cognitive impairment (OR: 1.56, 95% CI: 1.14–2.12) and ADL independence (OR: 0.81 95% CI: 1.82–2.66) among nursing home residents. We also identified the following as independently associated factors of dysphagia: reduced nutritional status (OR: 1.84, 95% CI: 1.49–2.27), artificial nutrition (OR: 6.33, 95% CI: 2.73–14.71), and clinical signs of aspiration (OR: 10.89, 95% CI: 8.40–14.12).

Conclusions: Oropharyngeal dysphagia was reported among approximately 15% nursing home residents and was associated with cognitive impairment and ADL capability. Furthermore, reduced nutritional status and artificial nutrition were also associated with oropharyngeal dysphagia. Implementing routine protocols in nursing homes may help detect oropharyngeal dysphagia and manage oropharyngeal dysphagia among residents.