Search results for "FUNCTIONAL"
showing 10 items of 4822 documents
Objectively measured physical activity and physical performance in old age
2017
Abstract Background: Physical performance is a key factor that determines how older people cope with daily tasks and maintain independency. There is strong evidence suggesting that physical activity (PA) is important in maintaining physical performance in old age. However, most studies have been done using self-reported PA. Our aim was to explore the association between objectively measured PA and physical performance in old age. Methods: We studied 695 participants (mean age 70.7 years, SD 2.7) from the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study. Physical performance was assessed with the Senior Fitness Test (SFT) and PA with a multisensory activity monitor SenseWear Pro 3 Armband. Results: Total volume …
Frail elderly with and without cognitive impairment at the end of life: Their emotional state and the wellbeing of their family caregivers.
2017
Abstract Purpose of the study (1) To identify the main predictors of the emotional state of the frail elderly at the end-of-life and that of their primary family caregivers, taking into consideration the presence/absence of significant cognitive impairment in the patient and (2) to analyse the relationship between the emotional state of the patient and that of their primary family caregiver. Methods Our study is cross-sectional. 85 frail elderly patients at the end-of-life and their primary family caregivers participated. Information on the following aspects was collected: (1) From the patients: Socio-demographics, Functional independence, and Cognitive and Emotional state; (2) From the car…
Are changes in pain, cognitive appraisals and coping strategies associated with changes in physical functioning in older adults with joint pain and c…
2019
Background As the population ages, the number of people with chronic diseases increases. Frequently, older people suffer from joint pain together with other chronic diseases, which can lead to decreased physical functioning. Aims To investigate the associations of the changes in cognitive appraisals, coping strategies and pain with the change in physical functioning in older people, who have chronic pain and chronic diseases. Methods Elderly persons (n = 407, mean age 77 years, and 62% female), with self-reported joint pain and at least two chronic diseases, filled in questionnaires about cognitive appraisals, coping strategies, pain intensity and physical functioning at baseline, at 6- and…
Multisensory integration in hemianopia and unilateral spatial neglect: Evidence from the sound induced flash illusion.
2016
Recent neuropsychological evidence suggests that acquired brain lesions can, in some instances, abolish the ability to integrate inputs from different sensory modalities, disrupting multisensory perception. We explored the ability to perceive multisensory events, in particular the integrity of audio-visual processing in the temporal domain, in brain-damaged patients with visual field defects (VFD), or with unilateral spatial neglect (USN), by assessing their sensitivity to the 'Sound-Induced Flash Illusion' (SIFI). The study yielded two key findings. Firstly, the 'fission' illusion (namely, seeing multiple flashes when a single flash is paired with multiple sounds) is reduced in both left- …
Longitudinal assessment of health-span and pre-death morbidity in wild type
2018
The increase in human life expectancy is accompanied by age-related cognitive and motor disability, thus raising the demand for strategies toward healthy aging. This requires understanding the biology of normal aging and late-life functional phenotypes. Genetic model organisms, such as Drosophila melanogaster, can help identifying evolutionary conserved mechanisms underlying aging. Longitudinal assessment of motor performance of more than 1000 individual flies revealed age-related motor performance decline and specific late-life motor disabilities. This allows defining heath- and ill-span and scoring late-life quality of individual flies. As in mammals, including humans, onset, duration, se…
Physical function and lean body mass as predictors of bone loss after hip fracture: a prospective follow-up study
2020
Abstract Background: Predictors of bone deterioration after hip fracture have not been well characterized. The aim of this study was to examine the associations of physical function and lean body mass (LBM) with loss of bone density and strength in older people recovering from a hip fracture. Methods: A total of 81 over 60-year-old, community-dwelling men and women operated for a hip fracture participated in this 1-year prospective follow-up study. Distal tibia total volumetric bone mineral density (vBMDTOT, mg/cm³) and compressive strength index (BSI, g²/cm⁴) and mid-tibia cortical vBMD (vBMDCO, mg/cm³) and bending strength index (SSI, mm³) were assessed in both legs by peripheral quantita…
Effect of cognitive impairment on basic activities of daily living in hip fracture patients: a 1-year follow-up.
2007
Background and aims: To compare changes in basic self-care activities in various cognitive groups of hip fracture patients by the Katz Index of Independence in activities of daily living (ADL). Methods: 117 community-dwelling elderly subjects with acute hip fracture (age 67–92 years), referred to the geriatric unit of Jyvaskyla Central Hospital for rehabilitation, participated in the study. Basic self-care activities were evaluated by the Katz ADL Index and cognition by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Results: Prior to hip fracture, the patients in the lowest MMSE group had a significantly lower Katz Index than the other three groups (p<0.001). Disability increased in a statistica…
Gait reveals bilateral adaptation of motor control in patients with chronic unilateral stroke.
2008
Background and aims: Functional brain imaging has shown that bilateral brain reorganization may occur after unilateral cerebral damage. The present study searched for evidence of bilateral motor control changes in gait in patients with chronic unilateral stroke. Methods: Gait variables (temporal and spatial parameters, footprint peak times (FPPT) and footfall times (FFT)) were recorded in 48 patients with chronic unilateral stroke at their preferred speed, and in 10 healthy volunteers walking from very slowly to very fast on a pressure sensor walkway. The data were divided into 4 groups according to gait velocity. The functional outcome of stroke was measured by the Barthel Index. Results: …
Quantitative analysis of modified functional muscle–bone unit and back muscle density in patients with lumbar vertebral fracture in Chinese elderly m…
2018
Objectives: Bone mineral density (BMD) is associated with muscle mass and quality, but little research has been done on functional muscle–bone unit and back muscle density in patients with lumbar vertebral fracture. This study used the “modified functional muscle–bone unit” concept and measured back muscle density to investigate muscle–bone interaction difference between the fracture and control group. Methods: This was a case–control study. A total of 52 elderly male patients (mean age 75 years) with lumbar vertebral fracture (cases) and 52 control healthy subjects were enrolled. Cross-sectional area (CSA) and density of paravertebral muscle were measured in quantitative computed tomograph…
Group fitness activities for the elderly: an innovative approach to reduce falls and injuries
2013
Aim The aim of this study was to examine the opportunity to adopt, for the elderly, already validated function ability tests to better understand how to prevent falls and injuries and to better plan group fitness activities like ballroom dance classes (e.g., Valzer, Polka, Mazurka). Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted. The Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and the Barthel Index (BI) were administered and the occurrence of falls during the previous 2 years was evaluated by anamnesis. One hundred and twenty-two elderly subjects living in Palermo city participated to the study. According to the anamnesis, subjects were divided into two groups: experimental group (EG) and control group (CG). T…