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• As part of the COVID-19 measures, many (group) activities in long-term care facilities were cancelled. • The downscaling of certain activities for residents had a negative impact on caregivers' exhaustion and ability to provide care and support. • An adequate balance of different types of meaningful activities, with varying supervision levels, is beneficial for residents and caregivers. In the Netherlands, a national visitor-ban was in place in LTCFs during the first outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020. Meaningful activities were cancelled or downscaled, while others were performed more often. It is known that a lack of activities has several negative effects on residents, while the impact on caregivers remains largely unexplored. Here we investigate the influence of the down- and upscaling of activities on caregivers' physical and emotional exhaustion and their perceived ability to provide care and support. Downscaling of activities for residents, in particular watching television and musical activities, had a negative impact on caregivers' emotional exhaustion. The downscaling of watching television increased caregivers 'physical exhaustion. Furthermore, the downscaling of both activities had a negative impact on caregivers' perceived ability to provide ADL care and emotional support. This study triggers the need for more knowledge about the function of meaningful activities for residents, from a LTCF caregivers' perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Meaningful activities tend to decline during transitions of care. • Maintaining meaningful activities during transitions is experienced as important. • The facilitators and barriers can be used to develop transitional care strategies. • Maintaining meaningful activities during transitions is an under-researched area. This systematic review summarizes the experiences with maintaining meaningful activities for persons with dementia during transitions of care, including related barriers and facilitators, and interventions and strategies. A systematic search was performed in eight databases. The methodological quality was assessed with the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Four articles were included; one describing the transition from home to hospital and vice versa, and three describing the transition from home to nursing home. The narrative synthesis revealed a decrease of meaningful activities after transition. Facilitators of and barriers to maintaining meaningful activities during transitions were related to the person with dementia, informal caregivers, healthcare professionals and organization of care, as well as the environment. Interventions and strategies focused on continuously adjusting meaningful activities to the person. To conclude, maintaining meaningful activities during transitions is an under-researched area. Several recommendations are provided for healthcare professionals and organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After discharge, stroke survivors and their informal caregivers need support from their social networks to resume their most valued activities. Rehabilitation professionals could help them establish a strong support system. Explore how older stroke survivors and their primary informal caregivers expect to resume their valued activities after discharge, and discover their ideas about involving, informing and educating their family members, friends and important others during inpatient rehabilitation so that, once home, they will have adequate support. We conducted semi-structured interviews with stroke survivors from three geriatric rehabilitation centres and their primary informal caregivers, used the pictures of daily activities to elicit their perspectives, and applied a descriptive and interpretive design to data analysis. Many participants had no concrete idea about how to resume their activities after discharge but nevertheless were optimistic they would. They expected help to be available and saw no need for professionals to involve their network during inpatient rehabilitation. However, once they had insight into the challenges to expect after discharge, they often appreciated the idea of professionals contacting their network. To better understand the challenges after discharge, it was helpful if professionals provided concrete, honest information about the stroke's consequences for daily life. Actually doing daily activities also helped gain better insights. To enhance insight in the need of social support after discharge, we suggest that rehabilitation professionals are honest about what to expect and let stroke survivors explore their valued activities in a realistic context more often. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Most activity interventions for people with dementia in long-term care are facilitated. • Non-facilitated meaningful activities included music/stimulated family presence, animal-like social robot, lifelike dolls. • Some beneficial effects for agitation, emotional wellbeing, feelings of pleasure, engagement and sleep quality. • Future research into the potential benefits of non-facilitated meaningful activities is needed in rigorously designed RCTs. This systematic review sought to evaluate the effectiveness of non-facilitated meaningful activities for older people with dementia in long-term care facilities. Searches were conducted in PubMed; CINAHL; EMBASE; Web of science; PsycINFO; Cochrane; ProQuest; and ClinicalTrials.gov to identify articles published between January 2004 and October 2019. A total of six studies were included. Results implied that current randomised controlled trials or controlled trials about non-facilitated meaningful activities for people with living dementia in long-term care facilitates are limited, but those included in this review were of adequate methodological quality. Meaningful non-facilitated activities, such as music, stimulated family presence, animal-like social robot PARO/plush toy and lifelike dolls, may have beneficial effects on agitation, emotional well-being, feelings of pleasure, engagement, and sleep quality. However, there remains a lack of conclusive and robust evidence to support these psychological and physiological effects of non-facilitated meaningful activities for older people with dementia living in long-term care facilities by care staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Within dementia care, there remains a general lack of coherence in evidence-based knowledge on issues of importance for subjective experiences of quality of life in people with dementia. The aim of the meta-aggregation was to investigate experiences related to quality of life in people with dementia living in institutional settings. Method: A meta-aggregation inspired by the Joanna Briggs Institute was undertaken. A systematic search was conducted in four databases and additional studies were found in the reference lists of the included studies. Only studies in English, Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian were considered, with publication dates from 2007 to 2018. Findings: Ten original qualitative studies were included. Using critical appraisal, methodological quality was assessed. We extracted five main categories: acceptance and adaptation; autonomy; personhood; social connectedness; and activities. Conclusion: Significant findings for future occupational therapy in dementia care concerned the importance of coming to terms with the illness and life situation, while being able to experience feelings of autonomy, independence, and personhood. Meaningful social relationships and activities, individualized flexible routines and regulations, and adjusted physical environments with room for privacy were also prioritized in order to achieve high quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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With life expectancy on the rise and the baby boomer generation growing older, Alzheimer's disease (AD) will affect more individuals and families than ever before. Therefore, it is imperative that healthcare providers identify the objective and perceived factors which positively and negatively affect the experience of progressing through AD. The goal of this exploratory qualitative research is to begin to develop an in-depth description of the perceptions related to life satisfaction in early-to mid-AD from the patient and caregiver perspectives. A convenience sample of four community-dwelling AD patients and caregivers were recruited from a local Alzheimer's Association support group. Semi-structured interviews were conducted together with participants and caregivers. The major findings of this study uncovered a process by which 1) changes in activity occur in response to the diagnosis 2) dyads discover new ways in which to mutually adapt and cope and 3) the person with dementia remains meaningfully engaged in their lives with a generally positive perception of quality of life (QoL). These preliminary findings are a promising line of research and have implications for Alzheimer's patients, their families, and person-centered care. By accounting for individual levels of baseline engagement and taking each patient's perspective into account, nurses have the ability to identify individual changes over time and positively impact the patient's QoL. Further studies with larger and more diverse samples are needed to expand upon this preliminary framework. • The analysis uncovered an overarching evolution of self-identity. • Major themes included changes in activity, mutual adaptation, and remaining engaged. • Transitional factors included faith and hope, support groups, other social support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Life balance inventory assesses congruence between desired and actual time spent in relevant activities. • LBI was translated and back-translated in different European subsamples. • Limited support for test-retest reliability and construct validity of the LBI. • Although useful in goalsetting,to use LBI in (international) research, further research is warranted. Life balance is defined as "a satisfying pattern of daily activity that is healthful, meaningful, and sustainable to an individual within the context of his or her current life circumstances". To assess life balance, the self-report instrument Life Balance Inventory (LBI) has been developed in the US. The aim of this study was to evaluate cross-cultural, construct validity and test-retest reliability of translated versions of the LBI in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) within different European cultures (Dutch, Flemish, Slovenian, and Spanish). The LBI was translated according to the principles of forward/backward translation and the cultural adaption process of patient-reported outcomes and evaluated in people with MS in each country/language area. LBI (score range 1–3; higher scores refer to better balance) was registered twice with an interval of 7 days to evaluate test-retest reliability using Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICCs) and Bland Altman analyses. To evaluate construct validity, Pearson correlations of the LBI with quality of life, fatigue, depression and self-efficacy were explored. The total sample (n = 313, 50 ± 11 years of age, MS duration 13 ± 8 years) consisted of five subsamples: Dutch (n = 81, 74% women, 54 ± 9.6 years of age), Flemish 1 (n = 42, 57% women, 49 ± 12 years), Flemish 2 (n = 105, 63% women, 50 ± 10.6 years), Slovenian (n = 48, 79% women, 44 ± 11.2 years) and Spanish (n = 37, 62% women, 47 ± 9.0 years). Baseline total LBI scores differed between subsamples (F (4, 312)=7.19, p < 0.001). ICC [95% CI] of total LBI was 0.88 [0.83–0.92] (Flemish 2), 0.65 [0.39–0.82] (Flemish 1), 0.55 [0.37–0.69] (Dutch), 0.45 [0.15–0.67] (Spanish) and 0.35 [0.07–0.59] (Slovenian). Systematic error was present in one sample; no proportional bias occurred. Correlations ranged from 0.05 to 0.55 for quality of life and self-efficacy, from −0.50 to 0.05 for fatigue and from −0.44 to −0.28 for depression, not fully supporting the hypotheses. The study results provide limited support for test-retest reliability, cross-cultural and construct validity of the LBI in different European subsamples. Although LBI may serve as a supportive tool in goalsetting in rehabilitation, the current version of LBI is not recommended for (international) research purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information on the Domicilary Patients' Scheme in Auckland, New Zealand and the history of occupational therapy in the country. It discusses the types of illnesses treated by the center. It cites the factors that have influenced the establishment of occupational therapy in the country. It presents a background on the development of the system of training.