Functional Capacity in Later Life: Meaning and Measurement

1982 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 364-365
Author(s):  
Linda K. George
Keyword(s):  
Functional Capacity ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Life Meaning

The managed immune system: protecting the womb to delay the tomb

2008 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodney R Dietert ◽  
Michael S Piepenbrink
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Functional Capacity ◽  
Developmental Toxicity ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Environmental Chemicals ◽  
Late Gestation ◽  
Early Postnatal Development ◽  
The Status ◽  
Novel Target

The developing immune system serves as a novel target for disruption by environmental chemicals and drugs, and one that can significantly influence later-life health risks. Specific immune maturational events occur during critical windows of pre- and early postnatal development that are not effectively modeled using adult exposure-assessment or general developmental toxicity screens. The range of postnatal health risks linked to developmental immunotoxicity (DIT) is influenced, in part, by the natural progression of prenatal-neonatal development. In this progression, the pregnancy itself imposes a Th2-bias in utero, and this produces a delay in the acquisition of Th1 functional capacity in the newborn. The status of Th1 regulatory and Th17 populations may also be important in immune function/dysfunction considerations. The necessary shift from a Th2 preferred capacity in late gestation to a more balance functional capacity in the neonate can be disrupted by xenobiotics leaving the child with increased vulnerability to a range of potential diseases. Knowledge of environmental factors that facilitate effective immune functional maturation as well as those xenobiotics capable of disrupting the process is important in strategies to reduce the incidence of diseases such as childhood asthma. Because hormesis has been shown to be an important factor in modulation of the adult immune system, it becomes even more important to understand potentially opposing dose-response effects for the immune system of the fetus, neonate, and juvenile. The direct linkage between immune dysfunction and chronic disease has become abundantly apparent in recent years. Therefore, a more comprehensive and effective approach for the protection of the developing immune system can help to reduce the incidence of later-life chronic diseases.

scholarly journals The Social Support–Health Link Unraveled: Pathways Linking Social Support to Functional Capacity in Later Life

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 616-626
Author(s):  
Bianca Suanet ◽  
Marja J. Aartsen ◽  
Emiel O. Hoogendijk ◽  
Martijn Huisman
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Functional Capacity ◽  
Initial Level ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Latent Growth ◽  
Indirect Path ◽  
Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam ◽  
Aging Study ◽  
Longitudinal Aging Study

Objective: Despite evidence that social support is strongly related to health, very little is known about the mechanisms underlying this association. This study investigates whether physical activity, depressive symptoms, and chronic diseases mediate the associations between social support and functional capacity. Method: Data from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam on 954 participants, aged 75 and older, covering 9 years, are analyzed with latent growth mediation models. Results: Only the indirect path from the initial level of emotional support to the initial level of functional capacity through the initial level of depressive symptoms was significant. All mediators however were significantly associated with the level of and changes in functional capacity. Models with reversed pathways were estimated, but model fit was worse. Discussion: Because only initial levels of social support relate to functional capacity, and changes in social support do not, older adults likely receive the support they need.

scholarly journals ‘You're never too old’: beliefs about physical activity and playing sport in later life

2001 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 777-798 ◽  
Author(s):  
BEVAN C. GRANT
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Functional Capacity ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Physical Object ◽  
Older Population ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Personal Level ◽  
Societal Level ◽  
Psychological Challenge

It was evident from interviews with 15 men and women over 70 years of age that the experiences derived from being physically active and playing sport in later life are expansive, dynamic and completely imbued with multiple interpretations. Furthermore, their beliefs support the notion that the physically active body should be considered more than a physical object, as it represents a conscious, feeling, thinking and reflective self. The findings signify much is to be gained by regularly partaking in deliberate physical activity during later life although this is not always as easy as it sounds. At a personal level, changes in functional capacity and dealing with the sometimes ailing body can serve as a deterrent. From a broader perspective, the stigma associated with being older also poses a significant physical, sociological and psychological challenge, particularly during the initial phases. In conclusion, the study discusses why change must occur at a personal and societal level before a greater proportion of the older population become more physically active.

Theorizing about Aging Well: Constructing a Narrative

2005 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sherry Ann Chapman
Keyword(s):  
Life Events ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Life Meaning ◽  
Conceptual Frameworks ◽  
Multiple Selves ◽  
Underlying Assumption ◽  
Recent Interest ◽  
Aging Well

ABSTRACTAging well is new, again. The recent interest is part of a 50-year period of research. Contradictory conceptualizations of aging well create an opportunity to consider assumptions that underlie the concept. In this paper, through the construction of an aging-well, theorizing narrative, an underlying assumption is identified in past aging-well conceptual frameworks: to age well is to achieve self-integration in relation to particular sets of resources or forms of engagement. The narrative relates how more recent aging-well theorizing is being shaped by a growing interest in later-life meaning-making. Evidence is presented of a contemporary shift toward describing aging well as the negotiation of the co-construction and reconstruction of multiple selves in an ongoing, open-ended process of meaning-making amid later-life events and transitions. The paper concludes with implications for future research.

Clinical Update: Functional Capacity Evaluations and Disability

1998 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 4-5
Author(s):  
Glenn Pransky
Keyword(s):  
Direct Observation ◽  
Functional Capacity ◽  
Work Capacity ◽  
Functional Capacity Evaluation ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Validity Of Results ◽  
Job Tasks ◽  
Capacity Evaluation ◽  
Physical Abilities ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract According to the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, a functional capacity evaluation (FCE) measures an individual's physical abilities via a set of activities in a structured setting and provides objective data about the relationship between an impairment and maximal ability to perform work activities. A key distinction between FCEs and self-reported activities of daily living is that the former involve direct observation by professional evaluators. Numerous devices can quantify the physical function of a specific part of the musculoskeletal system but do not address the performance of whole body tasks in the workplace, and these devices have not been shown to predict accurately the ability to perform all but the simplest job tasks. Information about reliability has been proposed as a way to identify magnification and malingering, but variability due to pain and poor comprehension of instructions may cause variations in assessments. Structured work capacity evaluations involve a set of activities but likely underestimate the individual's ability to do jobs that involve complex or varying activities. Job simulations involve direct observation of an individual performing actual job tasks, require a skilled and experienced evaluator, and raise questions about expense, time, objectivity and validity of results, and interpretation of results in terms of the ability to perform specific jobs. To understand the barriers to return to work, examiners must supplement FCEs with information regarding workplace environment, accommodations, and demotivators.

Clinical Update: Functional Capacity Evaluations—An Update

1999 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 4-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Welch
Keyword(s):  
Job Performance ◽  
Functional Capacity ◽  
Injury Risk ◽  
Disability Evaluation ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Submaximal Effort ◽  
Lack Of Sleep ◽  
Overall Performance ◽  
Time Required ◽  
Specific Limitation

Abstract Functional capacity evaluations (FCEs) have become an important component of disability evaluation during the past 10 years to assess an individual's ability to perform the essential or specific functions of a job, both preplacement and during rehabilitation. Evaluating both job performance and physical ability is a complex assessment, and some practitioners are not yet certain that an FCE can achieve these goals. An FCE is useful only if it predicts job performance, and factors that should be assessed include overall performance; consistency of performance across similar areas of the FCE; consistency between observed behaviors during the FCE and limitations or abilities reported by the worker; objective changes (eg, blood pressure and pulse) that are appropriate relative to performance; external factors (illness, lack of sleep, or medication); and a coefficient of variation that can be measured and assessed. FCEs can identify specific movement patterns or weaknesses; measure improvement during rehabilitation; identify a specific limitation that is amenable to accommodation; and identify a worker who appears to be providing a submaximal effort. FCEs are less reliable at predicting injury risk; they cannot tell us much about endurance over a time period longer than the time required for the FCE; and the FCE may measure simple muscular functions when the job requires more complex ones.

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