This study assessed the feasibility of conducting 3 nonpharmacological interventions with older adults in dementia, exploring the effects of chair yoga (CY), compared to music intervention (MI) and chair-based exercise (CBE) in this population. Using a cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT), 3 community sites were randomly assigned 1:1:1 to CY, MI, or CBE. Participants attended twice-weekly 45-minute sessions for 12 weeks. Thirty-one participants were enrolled; 27 safely completed the interventions and final data collection (retention rate of 87%). Linear mixed modeling was performed to examine baseline and longitudinal group differences. The CY group improved significantly in quality of life compared to the MI group (CY mean = 35.6, standard deviation [SD] = 3.8; MI mean = 29.9, SD = 5.3, P = .010). However, no significant group differences were observed in physical function, behavioral, or psychological symptoms (eg, for mini-PPT: slopetime = 0.01, standard error [SE] = 0.3, P = .984 in the CBE group; slopetime = −0.1, SE = 0.3, P = .869 in the MI group; slopetime = −0.3, SE = 0.3, P = .361 in the CY group) over the 12-week intervention period. Overall, this pilot study is notable as the first cluster RCT of a range of nonpharmacological interventions to examine the feasibility of such interventions in older adults, most with moderate-to-severe dementia. Future clinical trials should be conducted to examine the effects of nonpharmacological interventions for older adults with dementia on health outcomes.

OBJECTIVES We aimed to estimate incident frailty risks of prescription drugs for pain and for sleep in older US adults. DESIGN Longitudinal cohort. SETTING Health and Retirement Study. PARTICIPANTS Community‐living respondents aged 65 years and older, excluding individuals who received recent treatment for cancer (N = 14 208). Our longitudinal analysis sample included respondents who were not frail at baseline and had at least one follow‐up wave with complete information on both prescription drug use and frailty, or date of death (N = 7201). MEASUREMENTS Prescription drug use for pain and sleep, sociodemographics, other drug and substance use, and Burden frailty model components. Multivariable drug use stratified hazard models with death as a competing risk evaluated frailty risks associated with co‐use and single use of prescription drugs for pain and for sleep. RESULTS Proportions endorsing prescription drug use were 22.1% for pain only, 6.8% for sleep only, and 7.7% for both indications. Burden frailty model prevalence was 41.0% and varied significantly by drug use. Among non‐frail individuals at baseline, proportions endorsing prescription drug use were 14.9%, 5.6%, and 2.2% for the three indications. Prescription drug use was associated with increased risk of frailty (co‐use adjusted subhazard ratio [sHR] = 1.95; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.6‐2.4; pain only adjusted sHR = 1.58; CI = 1.4‐1.8; sleep‐only adjusted sHR = 1.35; CI = 1.1‐1.6; no use = reference group). Cumulative incidence of frailty over 8 years for the four groups was 60.6%, 50.9%, 45.8%, and 34.1%. Sensitivity analyses controlling for chronic diseases associated with persistent pain resulted in minor risk reductions. CONCLUSION Prescription pain and sleep drug use is significantly associated with increased incidence of frailty. Research to estimate effects of pain and sleep indications and of drug class–specific dosage and duration on incident frailty is indicated before advocating deprescribing based on these findings. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:2474–2481, 2019

IntroductionMore than 50 million people worldwide are living with dementia in 2020, and this number is expected to double every 20 years. Physical exercise is a growing field in non-pharmacological interventions for dementia care. Due to public health measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, more people have considered adapting to technology-based exercise via digital devices. This scoping review will explore evidence relating to the use of technology-based group exercise by people with dementia or mild cognitive impairment.Methods and analysisThis review will follow the Joanna Briggs Institute scoping review methodology to review literature published between June and December 2021. This review is designed to identify existing types of technology-based group exercise interventions for people with dementia. The review will provide a synthesis of current evidence on the outcome and impacts of technology-based group exercise. The context of this review will include homes, assisted living facilities and memory care services but exclude hospitals. The review will include a three-step search strategy: (a) identify keywords from MEDLINE and Embase, (b) search using the identified keywords in databases (MEDLINE/PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, PsychInfo and Google) and (c) review references from included studies to identify additional studies. Only studies in English will be included. Four researchers will independently assess titles and abstracts and then review the full text of the selected articles, applying the inclusion criteria. The extracted data will be presented in tables and summarised narratively.Ethics and disseminationScoping review data will be collected from publicly available articles; research ethics approval is not required. The findings will be disseminated to healthcare practitioners and the public through a peer-reviewed publication and conference presentations.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many social work students and educators had to switch gears quickly and replace face-to-face courses with online delivery. While most had had experience with remote learning, the unexpected and immediate transition was challenging. Students and educators who had chosen in-person instruction had to adapt quickly to a learning paradigm for which they had not planned, while simultaneously coping with the anxieties brought on by the pandemic, such as economic hardships, threat of illness, and new family responsibilities. The pandemic has engendered fear, trauma, grief, and loss, all of which negatively affect instruction and learning. This reflection paper identifies special challenges and issues with regard to teaching and learning in social work clinical practice courses brought on by the pandemic . Utilizing the theoretical frameworks of ambiguous loss, interpersonal neurobiology, and the here and now approach, this paper suggests effective teaching methods and collaborative learning strategies to inform social work education during academic disruption in this and future emergencies (e.g., natural disasters). It is suggested that social presence, as well as group cohesion among students and between students and instructors, can serve as a protective factor to ensure continued productive motivation for teaching and learning while facing the challenges that are experienced during such times.

Background Little research has been conducted on telehealth‐based interventions in older adults. There has been no study of the use of telehealth‐based online chair yoga (CY) to improve physical activity and manage dementia symptoms and socialisation for older adults with dementia who are socially isolated. Objectives The study identified benefits, challenges and facilitators in participating in remotely supervised online CY from the perspective of older adults with dementia and their caregivers, including what would help them to participate in online interventions. Methods In a qualitative descriptive design, four online focus groups (two pre‐intervention and two post‐intervention) conducted via videoconference explored the benefits, challenges and facilitators in participating in a remotely supervised twice‐weekly, 8‐week online CY intervention. A total of 17 participants (eight people with dementia and nine family caregivers) attended the focus groups. The data were subjected to thematic analysis. Results Thematic analysis of data identified three themes from the perspectives of older adults with dementia and their caregivers: (a) benefits (e.g. sleep and relaxation, emotional regulation, flexibility, muscle strength, convenience, caregiver–participant connection), (b) challenges (e.g. technological setup) and (c) lessons learned (e.g. inclusion of caregiver, yoga instructor, visual cues, socialisation, safety). The online intervention was beneficial to participants, who reported that they wanted to continue home‐based online CY practice. Conclusion Convenience was the major advantage for the participant to continue to practice online CY. The online intervention offered virtual socialisation, which could be significant for motivating older adults to continue the CY program. Implications for Practice Gerontological nurses could add CY as a nonpharmacological component of a treatment plan and monitor older adults' progress during the online intervention. The home‐based online CY intervention should be prioritised to promote health and wellness in socially isolated older adults with dementia.