Prevention of falls in the elderly in the home: promoting active ageing

Objective: To determine the frequency of falls and identify risk factors in the homes of the elderly under the Home Care Service of a village in Alentejo (Portugal). Method: Exploratory, descriptive study. The target group were elderly persons under the Home Care Service (23). The questionnaire consists of open and closed questions, and was based on the Jefferson Area Board for Aging Safety in the Home Assessment; Instrument to Assess the Risk of Falls and Adaptations to Prevent Falls at Home. Results: Of the 23 seniors, 13 were men; the mean age was 85; 10 widowers; 11 live alone; 12 cannot read or write; 17 have experienced falls, loss of balance being the main cause. They report changes in vision (21), hearing (14) and rheumatic diseases (14); hypertension (19); they use 4 or more drugs on a daily basis (16). Conclusion: The physiological changes associated with ageing may increase the risk of falls. Due to the consequences, it is a priority field in community intervention.

La Ciudad Arrugada. ¿Qué lugar para los Mayores en la Ciudad Creativa?

El envejecimiento es un reto para las ciudades que identifican la creatividad como un factor estratégico para el desarrollo sostenible. Este reto es más exigente en el contexto en que la creatividad es vista como motor de la transformación urbana y social, ja que el envejecimiento parece en todo opuesto a la imagen de las ciudades creativas, comúnmente representadas como jóvenes, innovadoras, dinámicas e interactivas. Este texto pretende dar visibilidad al papel y potencial contribución de las personas mayores en el diseño de ciudades creativas. Metodológicamente, se utilizan datos recogidos en el ámbito de un proyecto educativo de iniciación a la investigación científica, desarrollado en 2015 en la ciudad de Évora (sur de Portugal, Europa), cuyo centro histórico es Patrimonio de la Humanidad por la UNESCO desde 1986. Para esta investigación se entrevistó mayores residentes en el centro histórico de Évora por lo menos diez años y se hicieron etnografías urbanas en diferentes calles de la ciudad. Los resultados alrededor de las trayectorias sociales, del cotidiano y de los modos de apropiación de la calle sirven como base para una reflexión exploratoria sobre el papel, la contribución y el valor de las personas mayores en la (re)invención creativa de la (suya) ciudad.

Quinn’s Leadership Roles: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis Study in Portuguese Health Services

Purpose: To evaluate psychometric properties of Quinn’s leadership questionnaire (CFV questionnaire; 1988) to the Portuguese health services. Design: Cross-sectional study, using the Quinn’s leadership questionnaire, administered to registered nurses and physicians in Portuguese health care services (N = 687). Method: Self-administered survey applied to two samples. In the first (of convenience; N = 249 Portuguese health professionals) were performed exploratory factor and reliability analysis to the CFV questionnaire. In the second sample (stratified; N = 50 surgical units of 33 Portuguese hospitals) was performed confirmatory factor analysis using LISREL 8.80. Findings: The first sample supported an eight-factor solution accounting for 65.46% of the variance, in an interpretable factorial structure (loadings> .50), with Cronbach’s α upper than .79. This factorial structure, replicated with the second sample, showed reasonable fit for each of the 8 leadership roles, quadrants, and global model. The models evidenced, generally, nomological validity, with scores between good and acceptable (.235 < x2/df < 2.055 e .00 < RMSEA < .077). Conclusions: Quinn’s leadership questionnaire presented good reliability and validity for the eight leadership roles, showing to be suitable for use in hospital health care context. Key-Words: Leadership; Quinn’s CVF questionnaire; health services; Quinn’s competing values.