Search results for "Daily living"
showing 10 items of 396 documents
Does the longevity of one or both parents influence the health status of their offspring?
2013
According to the findings of some recent studies, the centenarians' offspring appear to represent a promising model for research on longevity and healthy aging. This study compares the health status and the functional status of three groups of subjects: 1. individuals with two long-lived parents (one of whom centenarian), 2. individuals with only one long-lived (centenarian) parent, and 3. individuals with no long-lived parents. The goal is to verify whether the centenarians' offspring display any advantage over the offspring of both non-long-lived parents and to evaluate whether the longevity of the non centenarian parent provides a further advantage. A total of 374 subjects (mean age appr…
Birth Size and Childhood Growth as Determinants of Physical Functioning in Older Age: The Helsinki Birth Cohort Study
2011
The study reports on the associations of infant and childhood anthropometric measurements, early growth, and the combined effect of birth weight and childhood body mass index with older age physical functioning among 1,999 individuals born in 1934–1944 and belonging to the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study. Physical functioning was assessed by the Short Form 36 scale. Anthropometric data from infancy and childhood were retrieved from medical records. The risk of lower Short Form 36 physical functioning at the mean age of 61.6 years was increased for those with birth weight less than 2.5 kg compared with those weighing 3.0–3.5 kg at birth (odds ratio (OR) = 2.73, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.57…
Epidemiology and Characteristics of Episodic Breathlessness in Advanced Cancer Patients. An Observational Study
2016
Abstract Context Episodic breathlessness is a relevant aspect in patients with advanced cancer. Objectives The aim of this study was to assess the different aspects of this clinical phenomenon. Methods A consecutive sample of patients with advanced cancer admitted to different settings for a period of six months was surveyed. The presence of background breathlessness and episodic breathlessness, their intensity (numerical scale 0–10), and drugs used for treatment were collected. Factors inducing episodic breathlessness and its influence on daily activities were investigated. Results Of 921 patients, 29.3% ( n = 269) had breathlessness and 134 patients (49.8%) were receiving drugs for backg…
Effect of Systematic Intensive Care Unit Triage on Long-term Mortality Among Critically Ill Elderly Patients in France
2017
Importance The high mortality rate in critically ill elderly patients has led to questioning of the beneficial effect of intensive care unit (ICU) admission and to a variable ICU use among this population. Objective To determine whether a recommendation for systematic ICU admission in critically ill elderly patients reduces 6-month mortality compared with usual practice. Design, Setting, and Participants Multicenter, cluster-randomized clinical trial of 3037 critically ill patients aged 75 years or older, free of cancer, with preserved functional status (Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living ≥4) and nutritional status (absence of cachexia) who arrived at the emergency departme…
Health disparities, and health behaviours of older immigrants & native population in Norway
2022
We aimed to investigate and compare activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental ADL (IADL), poor self-rated health and the health behaviours among immigrants and the native population in Norway. We present results from analysis of two Norwegian surveys, (Living Conditions Survey on Health from 2015, Living Conditions Survey among Immigrants 2016). Using logistic regression models, odds ratios were estimated for functional ability, self-reported health, and health behavior among immigrants, with Norwegian born being the reference category. The first model was controlled for age and gender and the second model was additionally adjusted for educational level. Our analysis included 5343 part…
Integration of an in-home monitoring system into home care nurses' workflow: A case study.
2019
Abstract Background The healthcare system faces a major challenge in caring for an increasingly ageing population as this task requires more resources than are currently available. Adopting monitoring technologies could enable more efficient care practices and support ageing in place. Objectives To investigate how the use of an in-home motion monitoring system can be integrated into home care nurses’ workflows and to uncover the factors behind system adoption. Design A single case study adopting a qualitative approach. Setting A home care unit serving older adults living in independent living residences within an apartment complex. Method Multiple data collection methods were used including…
Changes in Intensity of Physical Exercise as Predictors of Depressive Symptoms among Older Adults: An Eight-Year Follow-Up
2000
Abstract Background. Epidemiological research suggests that regular physical activity may be associated with reduced depressive symptoms. The present study examines the predictive value of physical exercise in relation to depressive symptoms among samples of adults aged 65+ during an 8-year period. Methods. The subjects (N = 663) who participated both at the baseline (1988) and the follow-up (1996) interviews were selected for the analyses. The dependent variable depressive symptoms was assessed by the Finnish modified version of Beck's 13-item depression scale. The independent variable was the intensity of physical exercise. Results. The intensity of physical exercise decreased among the o…
Nociceptive Primitive Reflexes in Neurologically and Cognitively Healthy Aging Subjects
2019
ABSTRACT:Background:To assess the prevalence of three nociceptive primitive reflexes (nPR), i.e., glabellar tap, snout reflex, and palmomental reflex, in neurologically and cognitively healthy (NCH) aging subjects.Objective:To investigate whether nPR are cross-sectionally associated with white matter hyperintensities (WMH), lacunes, atrophy of the caudate nuclei, and global brain atrophy.Methods:A total of 1246 NCH subjects aged 45–91 years were included in the study and underwent standard brain MRI. Atrophy of the caudate nuclei and global brain atrophy were assessed through the bicaudate ratio (BCr) and lateral ventricles to brain ratio (LVBr), respectively. WMH were assessed through visu…
Health-related quality of life and psychological well-being in elderly patients with haemophilia
2011
Many persons with severe haemophilia reach seniority thanks to effective treatment. There is no information on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of these patients, who had lived for many years when regular replacement therapy was unavailable. Italian patients with severe haemophilia aged ≥65 years born in the 1940s or earlier were compared with men without bleeding disorders matched for age and geography. HRQoL was assessed via generic and disease-specific questionnaires. Potential associations with concomitant illnesses, orthopaedic status, physical functioning, cognitive status and depression were evaluated. In addition, the newly adapted HRQoL questionnaire specific for elderly pers…
The MRC dyspnoea scale by telephone interview to monitor health status in elderly COPD patients
2010
SummaryDyspnoea is the most common symptom associated with poor quality of life in patients affected by Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). While COPD severity is commonly staged by lung function, the Medical Research Council (MRC) dyspnoea scale has been proposed as a more clinically meaningful method of quantifying disease severity in COPD. We wished to assess whether this scale might also be useful during telephone surveys as a simple surrogate marker of perceived health status in elderly patients with COPD.We conducted a comprehensive health status assessment by telephone survey of 200 elderly patients who had a physician diagnosis of COPD. The telephone survey contained 71 it…