Abstract
Introduction
Short sleep duration is prevalent among older adults and is associated with impaired cognitive performance. Acute exercise is shown to improve executive function in older ...adults. Few studies have investigated whether total sleep time (TST) modifies the effect of acute exercise on executive function. We examined this interrelationship using a crossover repeated-measures design.
Methods
Participants were 21 older adults aged 65.6 ± 8.0 years. After initial screening, they completed ≥3 consecutive days of wrist actigraphy (mean = 6.6 ± 2.5 days) to measure sleep. Participants then completed two study visits, consisting of 30 min of either moderate-intensity exercise or seated rest. Executive function assessments were administered approximately 90 min after each condition and included the Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT), the Flanker Test, the Symbol Digit Modality Test (SDMT), and the Stroop Color-Word Test. We divided our sample by longer and shorter TST using a median-split (≥7.5 vs. <7.5 h), and performed a repeated-measures ANCOVA (adjusted for order of study conditions) and post-hoc t-tests.
Results
There were no TST-by-exercise interactions at the p < 0.05 level. However, among short sleepers, exercise (vs. rest) worsened COWAT (ß = -3.73, p = 0.027, p for interaction = 0.08) and Flanker Test performance (ß = 4.75, p = 0.038, p for interaction = 0.10). There were no such effects in the longer sleep group (COWAT, ß = 3.67, p = 0.334; Flanker, ß = -0.47, p = 0.852). After collapsing across groups and conditions, longer TST was associated with better SDMT performance (ß = 7.03, p = 0.035), and exercise improved performance on the Stroop Color-Word Test (ß = -4.61, p = 0.048).
Conclusion
Both longer TST and acute exercise are associated with enhanced attention and inhibition. However, TST may moderate the effect of exercise on executive function. Among older adults who sleep less, acute exercise may impair verbal fluency and response interference control, suggesting acute exercise may act as an additional stressor to cognitive resources already taxed by insufficient sleep.
Support (If Any)
R01AG050507, RF1AG050745, R01AG049872, U01AG052445, R01AG057552-01, and T32-AG027668.
Background Hip injuries caused by falling are common and often catastrophic for older adults. There is thus an urgent need to develop solutions designed to mitigate fall injuries to the hip by ...reducing the forces created on the body by ground impact. Methods The goal of this narrative review was to synthesize published literature on available products developed with the expressed goal of reducing fall-related hip injuries. Results Three categories were identified: passive wearables (eg, hip protectors), active wearables (eg, instrumented belts with deployable airbags), and compliant flooring. Laboratory studies indicate that each technology can reduce peak forces induced by simulated falls. Considerable preliminary data suggest that passive wearables and compliant flooring may reduce fall-related injuries within long-term care facilities. Controlled trials of specific types of these 2 technologies, however, have produced inconsistent results. While little is known about the effectiveness of active wearables, promising early data indicate the feasibility of an instrumented belt worn around the waist to effectively deploy an airbag to protect the hips prior to ground impact. Important challenges associated with one or more identified technologies included poor adherence to instructed wear as well as the potential for significant physical or time burden to caregivers or health care professionals. Conclusions Passive wearables, active wearables, and compliant flooring have shown promise in reducing fall-related hip injuries in older adults. Still, each type of product is accompanied by limited real-world data and/or significant challenges that must be overcome to maximize effectiveness and minimize unintended side effects.
Abstract
As China’s elderly population grows, residential areas need to provide an outdoor environment for their physical and mental health in good condition. Many studies have found that better ...outdoor environments in residential areas can improve the health of the elderly and increase their happiness. The Seniors’ Outdoor Survey (SOS) tool was developed as an effective and reliable assessment tool to evaluate the needs and preferences of the elderly in outdoor spaces. This study used the SOS tool to evaluate Shuiqinggou Park in Qingdao, Shandong Province, China. The outdoor environment is divided into three parts for five domains of evaluation. The final average score of the whole environment is 84.35, the percentage is 86.9% compared with the total score, the Inter-rater ICC among trainers is 0.917, and the T-test value is 0.799. Through the results of the tools, it can be concluded that Shuiqinggou Park is a favorable outdoor space suitable and safe for the elderly. The study’s findings can help project managers and designers identify the essential outdoor characteristics for future construction and maintenance prioritization.
Multimorbidity and the associated use of multiple medicines (polypharmacy), is common in the older population. Despite this, there is no consensus definition for polypharmacy. A systematic review was ...conducted to identify and summarise polypharmacy definitions in existing literature.
The reporting of this systematic review conforms to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist. MEDLINE (Ovid), EMBASE and Cochrane were systematically searched, as well as grey literature, to identify articles which defined the term polypharmacy (without any limits on the types of definitions) and were in English, published between 1st January 2000 and 30th May 2016. Definitions were categorised as i. numerical only (using the number of medications to define polypharmacy), ii. numerical with an associated duration of therapy or healthcare setting (such as during hospital stay) or iii. Descriptive (using a brief description to define polypharmacy).
A total of 1156 articles were identified and 110 articles met the inclusion criteria. Articles not only defined polypharmacy but associated terms such as minor and major polypharmacy. As a result, a total of 138 definitions of polypharmacy and associated terms were obtained. There were 111 numerical only definitions (80.4% of all definitions), 15 numerical definitions which incorporated a duration of therapy or healthcare setting (10.9%) and 12 descriptive definitions (8.7%). The most commonly reported definition of polypharmacy was the numerical definition of five or more medications daily (n = 51, 46.4% of articles), with definitions ranging from two or more to 11 or more medicines. Only 6.4% of articles classified the distinction between appropriate and inappropriate polypharmacy, using descriptive definitions to make this distinction.
Polypharmacy definitions were variable. Numerical definitions of polypharmacy did not account for specific comorbidities present and make it difficult to assess safety and appropriateness of therapy in the clinical setting.
To help health workers and the public recognize and deal with the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019‐nCoV) quickly, effectively, and calmly with an updated understanding. A comprehensive search from ...Chinese and worldwide official websites and announcements was performed between 1 December 2019 and 9:30 am 26 January 2020 (Beijing time). A latest summary of 2019‐nCoV and the current outbreak was drawn. Up to 24 pm, 25 January 2020, a total of 1975 cases of 2019‐nCoV infection were confirmed in mainland China with a total of 56 deaths having occurred. The latest mortality was approximately 2.84% with a total of 2684 cases still suspected. The China National Health Commission reported the details of the first 17 deaths up to 24 pm, 22 January 2020. The deaths included 13 males and 4 females. The median age of the people who died was 75 (range 48‐89) years. Fever (64.7%) and cough (52.9%) were the most common first symptoms among those who died. The median number of days from the occurence of the first symptom to death was 14.0 (range 6‐41) days, and it tended to be shorter among people aged 70 years or more (11.5 range 6‐19 days) than those aged less than 70 years (20 range 10‐41 days; P = .033). The 2019‐nCoV infection is spreading and its incidence is increasing nationwide. The first deaths occurred mostly in elderly people, among whom the disease might progress faster. The public should still be cautious in dealing with the virus and pay more attention to protecting the elderly people from the virus.
Highlights
The 2019‐nCoV infection is spreading and its incidence is increasing nationwide.
The first occurred deaths were majorly elderly people who might have faster disease progression.
Although the current mortality is lower than that of the SARS‐CoV and the MERS‐CoV, it seems that the 2019‐nCoV is very contagious.
The public should still be cautious in dealing with the virus and pay more attention to protecting the elderly people from the virus.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Aging is a global problem, and dietary nutrition of the elderly has a very obvious impact on their physical health. A survey of 242 elderly people who can take care of themselves was conducted with ...the aim of improving the quality of life of the elderly as well as providing a scientific basis for the development of appropriate nutritional interventions. The weight, biochemistry and daily diet of the elderly were analyzed, and the data were sorted out using relevant excel tables, and the results were analyzed by software to understand the healthy nutritional status of the elderly. The results showed that with the increase of age, the weight and obesity level of the elderly decreased significantly. In terms of nutritional intake, salt, oil, vegetables, potatoes and cereals were appropriate, eggs were slightly higher, legumes were lower, and fruits, milk and aquatic products were insufficient. There is a situation of irrational dietary structure. It is necessary to adjust the dietary structure in daily life in a timely manner, and formulate a scientific and reasonable dietary program according to the actual situation of the elderly, so as to make the elderly nutritionally balanced and improve their quality of life. At the same time, publicity on reasonable diets should be strengthened, so that the elderly can understand nutritional knowledge.
BackgroundThe COVID‐19 pandemic and associated social distancing measures have profoundly impacted society and social contact patterns, with older people disproportionately affected. Concerns have ...been raised about a resulting pandemic of loneliness in older people, although the current evidence is mixed. This study provides a unique perspective on the prevalence of loneliness in a population cohort of older people before the pandemic, followed up after the introduction of social restrictions.MethodsData analysis was conducted using Wave 3 of the longitudinal Cognitive Function and Aging Study II (2018–2019) and a sub‐study focusing on experiences during the COVID‐19 pandemic (2020). The sample comprised 379 adults aged over 75 living in Cambridge, Newcastle, and Nottingham. Multivariable binary logistic regression was conducted to identify correlates of prevalent loneliness, adjusted for confounding covariates, during the pandemic. The prevalence of loneliness during the pandemic was compared to loneliness in 2018–2019.ResultsPrevalence of loneliness in this sample during the pandemic was 25.1% (95% CI 20.9%–29.7%) compared to 17.2% (95% CI 13.7%–21.3%) in 2018–2019 (χ2 = 14.1, p < 0.01). Variables associated with increased odds of prevalent loneliness included: prior loneliness, living alone, female gender, living in an area of higher deprivation, frequent pre‐pandemic social contact at community groups, and separation from family during the pandemic, adjusted for age and sex. Weekly technology‐mediated contact using telephone or video calls was associated with lower odds of loneliness.ConclusionsCOVID‐19 recovery plans should address loneliness in older people. Target groups should include those who have previously been lonely, people who live alone, those living in deprived areas, and those who had previously been socially active through community groups.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Preparing for the Challenges of Population Aging in Asia discusses the challenges posed by a rapidly aging population and identifies needed research to help policymakers better respond to them. While ...the percentage of elderly people in nearly every nation is growing, this aging trend is particularly stark in parts of Asia. Projections indicate that the portion of the population age 65 and older will more than triple in China, India, and Indonesia and more than double in Japan between 2000 and 2050, based on data from the United Nations. Moreover, this demographic shift is coinciding with dramatic economic and social changes in Asia, including changing family structures and large-scale migrations from rural to urban areas.
These trends raise critical questions about how nations can develop policies that best support health and economic well-being in large and growing populations at older ages. Governments in Asia still have time to determine the best ways to respond to the unfolding demographic transformation, but taking advantage of this window of opportunity will require new research to shed light on the status and needs of the aging population. Currently the research base on aging in this region is relatively underdeveloped. This book identifies several key topics for research to inform public policy, including changing roles in the family; labor force participation, income, and savings; and health and well-being of the public.
Aging is characterized by an insufficiency to maintain homeostasis under stress conditions and this insufficiency is associated with a decrease in vitality and an increase in the vulnerability of the ...individual being a priority care group, therefore, 150 elderly people, each with a significant family member and/or caregiver, have been included in the study, representing a census sample, since it represents 100% of the adults registered in the Ambato Canton care centers. , people of the age groups corresponding to the elderly according to the WHO criteria, between the ages of 60 and 70, without distinction of race or gender, with cognitive capacity, being a priority attention group. The objectives are based on characterizing and designing nursing strategies according to the needs for holistic well-being. Descriptive statistics of the characteristics of the participating individuals were performed and the scores of the questionnaires were compared before and after the application of the strategies using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics by means of the parametric Student's T test, as appropriate, the analysis of association of variables. The significance level will be p<0.05.
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