Effects of comprehensive geriatric intervention on physical performance among people aged 75 years and over.
Background and aims: We studied the effects of comprehensive geriatric assessment and multifactorial intervention on physical performance among older people. Methods: In a 3-year geriatric development project with an experimental design, 668 participants aged 75–98 were assigned to intervention (n=348) or control (n=320) groups. The intervention group received comprehensive geriatric assessment with an individually targeted intervention for 2 years. The outcome measures—performance in the Timed Up-and-Go (TUG), 10-meter walking and Berg Balance Scale tests 2 were gathered annually during the intervention and the 1-year follow-up after it. Results: With linear mixed models, over the 2-year i…
Impact of missing data mechanism on the estimate of change: a case study on cognitive function and polypharmacy among older persons
Piia Lavikainen,1,2 Esko Leskinen,3 Sirpa Hartikainen,1,2 Jyrki Möttönen,4 Raimo Sulkava,5 Maarit J Korhonen6 1Kuopio Research Centre of Geriatric Care, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland; 2School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland; 3Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland; 4Department of Social Research, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; 5Department of Geriatrics, Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland; 6Department of Pharmacology, D…
Comprehensive geriatric assessment decreases prevalence of orthostatic hypotension in older persons
Background: Orthostatic hypotension (OH) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality among older people. We have studied whether its prevalence can be reduced by a Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA). Study design and setting: 1000 randomly-selected persons aged ≥75 years were divided into intervention ( n = 500) and control groups ( n = 500). We focused on those subjects in whom an orthostatic blood pressure test had been performed at least once during the study period (2004–2007) ( n = 365 and 332 for intervention and control groups, respectively). A CGA, including evaluation of the adequacy of the medication, was performed annually in the intervention group but not in th…