Introduction. Ischemic stroke is caused by artery blockage, resulting in damage to brain tissue. A significant factor in the further treatment of a patient is not only the time to reach a specialist centre, but also the state of hydration of the organism. Clinical situations involving the excess or deficiency of water can have extremely serious consequences for the functioning of the body and subsequent stroke-related disorders. One of the increasingly common methods of evaluating the composition of the human body is by electrical bioimpedance. Objective. The aim of the study was to assess the state of human body hydration measured by bioimpedance in patients with an early stage of ischemic stroke. Methods and materials. The examination involved 81 patients with ischemic stroke in the Neurology Department, Subdivision of Stroke Treatment at the Province Specialist Hospital in Lublin, Poland, in 2015. Measurement of the composition and outer and intracellular space of the human body by the Whole Body Bioimpedance (WBIA) method was performed using the Body Composition Monitor (BCM) (Fresenius Medical Care GmbH, Bad Homburg, Germany). Results. A group of patients were been examined with the use of the BIA apparatus three times: on the first, seventh, and tenth day of hospital stay, to determine the level of body hydration. Comparative analysis of data showed that on the first day of hospitalization all the measurements of electrical bioimpedance parameters in the patients were significantly different from those of the control group. In the case of TBW, ECW, ICW, the patients' scores were significantly higher than those of the control group. Only with respect to the over-hydration index, the patients achieved a significantly lower score than the control group. Conclusions. Assessment of hydration status in patients with a diagnosed stroke indicates a slight dehydration in relation to the control group, but falling within the scope of normovolaemia, according to bioimpedance measurement standards.

The family situation of seniors affected the level of quality of life. Living with their relatives may be expected to be favourable for seniors because it translates into better performance in physical, psychological and social domains. Loneliness, which frequently accompanies old age, leads to the deterioration of the quality of life.

Introduction. Existential attitudes distinguished by G. Reker express the meaning of life and affect the way individuals perceive themselves, the reality as well as their ability to cope with challenges. Thus, it can be assumed that life attitudes also determine burnout understood as a syndrome of psychological symptoms that occur in professionally active people due to chronic occupational stress. Objective. The aim of the study is to examine which existential attitudes determine burnout in nurses employed in rural primary healthcare settings in Poland Material and methods. The study sample comprised 120 nurses employed in rural primary healthcare settings in Poland. The Life Attitude Profile-Revised (LAP-R) adapted by R. Klamut and The Link Burnout Questionnaire (LBQ) adapted by A. Jaworowska were used in the research. Results. The stronger the belief of the surveyed nurses concerning life goals they possess and the more internally coherent they are, the lower psychophysical exhaustion they experience. Whereas, psychophysical exhaustion rises with an increase in the need for introducing changes in life. Relationship deterioration and disillusion decrease with the level of engagement in seeking new goals in life. The sense of professional ineffectiveness drops if the belief of the nurses that they possess life goals gets stronger. Moreover, the stronger the meaning of life becomes, the stronger the professional ineffectiveness of the nurses is. Conclusions. The analyses performed proved that some existential attitudes are predictors of burnout in nurses employed in rural areas. The research results can be applied in the development of prevention and aid programs to enhance the quality of nurses' personal and professional performance.

Introduction. The answer to current social and health needs of people aged over 60 are the multidirectional and carefully planned, comprehensive activation and rehabilitation activities carried out as part of Daycare Centres (DCC). The aim of creating and the functioning of DCCs deployed all over Poland is to improve the health and psychophysical fitness of this group of people. Health factors and psychophysical fitness determine the ability to live independently, both today, and later in life. Objective. The objective of the study was to assess the impact of comprehensive ambulatory rehabilitation, including tailored endurance training preceded by an ergospirometry test, on indicators demonstrating the ability to live independently and the risk ratio of future health problems in the elderly. Materials and method. 60 people participating in a rehabilitation cycle implemented as part of the services provided to patients aged over 60 in the DCC of the Witold Chodźko Institute of Rural Medicine (IMW) in Lublin comprised the sample. The tests were carried out in the test-retest model on the first and last day of the kinesiotherapy cycle. Patients were tested using standardized Barthel, I-ADL and VES-13 questionnaires. The rehabilitation programme applied included systemic kinesiotherapy (endurance training) with a load determined according to individual exercise capacity, determined on the basis of a ergospirometry test, and varied rehabilitation activities resulting from the condition of the locomotor system, as provided for under the project. Results. After completing the rehabilitation cycle, patients obtained higher results in comparison to the tests carried out before the beginning of the cycle in the Barthel index used to measure functional efficiency (Z = 5.41; p = 0.001), as well as lower in the I-ADL scale used to test the degree of dependence on the help of others when performing complex activities of everyday life (Z = 2.63; p = 0.009) and in VES-13 scale used to assess the risk of geriatric health problems (Z = 5.47; p = 0.001). Conclusions. As the result of the use of comprehensive rehabilitation, including obligatory endurance training, desired changes were achieved in terms of fitness and independence in performing advanced daily activities and reducing the risk of geriatric health problems.

Introduction. As a result of involution processes and diseases, changes occur in the human body, as a result of which, psychophysical fitness declines with age. Comprehensive rehabilitation is the way of improving and maintaining health condition, including, among others, the appropriate level of physical activity and the quality of affective functioning. This type of program was carried out as part of the Outpatient Healthcare Home (DDOM) at the Witold Chodźko Institute of Rural Health in Lublin.Aim. The objective of the present study was to assess the impact of comprehensive ambulatory rehabilitation, including tailored endurance training preceded by an ergospirometry test, on indicators demonstrating the level of involvement in daily physical activities and the severity of depressive symptoms of patients over 60 years of age receiving health services at DDOM.Material and methods. The study involved 60 seniors participating in the rehabilitation cycle implemented as part of the services provided to patients at DDOM of the Witold Chodźko Institute of Rural Health in Lublin. The tests were carried out in the test-retest model on the first and last day of the kinesiotherapy cycle. The tests were performed with use of International Physical Activity Questionnaire IPAQ and Geriatric Depression Scale GDS. The patient rehabilitation program included adapted systemic kinesiotherapy (endurance training with a load determined according to individual exercise capacity, as determined on the basis of the ergospirometry test) and local kinesiotherapy and physical therapy adapted to the needs resulting from the condition of the musculoskeletal system.Results. After the completion of the rehabilitation cycle we compared the tests carried out before it, and the patients received higher scores in the scales of IPAQ questionnaire for measuring weekly, intensive and mode-rate physical activity and time required for walking and were less likely to spend their time sitting or lying down. There were also lower scores of the respondents in GDS scale used to assess the severity of depressive symptoms.Conclusions. As a result of the rehabilitation program applied, DDOM patients simultaneously obtained the desired changes in the level of involvement in physical activity and minimization of the intensity of depressive symptoms.