Effects of Daily Hand Activities on Age-Related Declines of Dynamic Motor Function in Individual Fingers

Motor Control ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 283-294
Author(s):  
Tomoko Aoki ◽  
Koji Kadota
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Motor Function ◽  
Ring Finger ◽  
Daily Activities ◽  
Finger Tapping ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Single Finger ◽  
Hands On ◽  
Middle Ring

The present study examined the effects of daily activities of the hands on finger motor function in older adults. Maximum tapping frequency with each finger during single-finger tapping and alternate movements of index–middle, middle–ring, and ring–little finger pairs during double-finger tapping were compared between older adults who used their hands actively in their daily lives and those who did not. The active participants had significantly faster tapping rates for the ring finger in the single-finger tapping and the middle–ring finger pair in the double-finger tapping than did the inactive participants. Thus, daily activity of the hands in older adults could be effective at preventing the loss of dynamic motor function in individual fingers, especially with greater difficulty in movement, resulting from the degeneration with age.

Temporal and Force Characteristics of Rapid Single-Finger Tapping in Healthy Older Adults

Motor Control ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 518-534
Author(s):  
Tomoko Aoki ◽  
Hayato Tsuda ◽  
Hiroshi Kinoshita
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Finger Tapping ◽  
Movement Speed ◽  
Young Males ◽  
Motor Abilities ◽  
Single Finger ◽  
Older Subjects ◽  
Young Subjects ◽  
Middle Ring ◽  
Force Characteristics

The purpose of this study was to examine finger motor function in terms of temporal and force characteristics during rapid single-finger tapping in older adults. Ten older and 10 young males performed maximum frequency tapping by the index, middle, ring, or little finger. Nontapping fingers were maintained in contact with designated keys during tasks. Key-contact force for each of the fingers was monitored using four force transducers. The older subjects had slower tapping rates of all fingers during single-finger tapping than the young subjects. The average forces exerted by the nontapping fingers were larger for the older subjects than for the young subjects during tapping with the ring and little fingers. The ranges of the nontapping finger forces were larger for the older subjects during tapping by the middle, ring, and little fingers than for the young subjects. Thus, the motor abilities of the fingers evaluated by rapid single-finger tapping decline in older adults compared with young adults in terms of both movement speed and finger independence.

scholarly journals Effects of Isolation Among Older Adults Due to Coronavirus Restrictions

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 483-484
Author(s):  
Cynthia Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Daily Activities ◽  
New Disease ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Us

Abstract Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 35 residents in a Maryland condominium, four to six months after the presence of the epidemic in the US was recognized in mid-March. The objective was to determine to what extent the restrictions resulting from the presence of a new disease was affecting older adults in their daily lives, and in their plans for the future. All respondents were over the age of 60 and half were more than 80 years old. Two-thirds lived by themselves; most others lived with a husband or wife. Respondents for the most part were following guidelines to wear masks, practice social distancing and avoid close contact with persons outside their homes, including other family members. Over half had already made dramatic changes in their daily activities. Some found an opportunity to develop new skills, had connected with people from the past, or had become more introspective. Others, while exhibiting some of the same characteristics, were more focused on the restrictions they faced, and were more aware than ever of the limited amount of time left in their lives. Differences between respondents in the emphasis of their perspectives are explored, by age, gender, and other characteristics.

Catalyst to Connection: When Technical Difficulties Lead to Social Support for Older Adults

2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (9) ◽  
pp. 1167-1185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Francis ◽  
Travis Kadylak ◽  
Taj. W. Makki ◽  
R. V. Rikard ◽  
Shelia R. Cotten
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Ties ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Ict Use ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Impact

Information and communication technology (ICT) use can mitigate the negative impact of various age-related threats, such as isolation and loneliness, by facilitating connection with social ties and access to social support. Although research regarding various uses and benefits of ICTs among older adults has increased, there is limited research regarding the impact of technical difficulties on older adults’ well-being. Our study explores technical difficulties encountered, how older adults cope with ICT failure, and the various forms of social support that may result as a consequence of accessing technical support. We use data from nine semistructured focus groups conducted with older adults in the Midwest region of the United States. Results show that older adults may adapt new strategies for coping with the technical difficulties that arise from regular ICT use. Furthermore, as older adults incorporate ICTs into their daily lives and seek assistance from social ties and experts, they may also be indirectly combating the threat of isolation and loneliness.

scholarly journals Age-related Changes in Ongoing Thought Relate to External Context and Individual Cognition

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 967-967
Author(s):  
Adam Turnbull ◽  
Giulia Poerio ◽  
Feng Lin ◽  
Jonathan Smallwood
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Experience Sampling ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Lifestyle Changes ◽  
Aging Research ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Age Related Changes

Abstract Understanding how age-related changes in cognition manifest in the real world is an important goal for aging research. One means of capturing these changes involves “experience sampling” participant’s self-reported thoughts as they go about their daily lives. Previous research using this method has shown age-related changes in ongoing thought: e.g., older adults have fewer thoughts unrelated to the here-and-now. However, it is currently unclear how these changes reflect cognitive aging or lifestyle changes. 78 younger adults and 35 older adults rated their thought contents along 20 dimensions and the difficulty of their current activity in their daily lives. They also performed cognitive tasks in the laboratory. In a set of exploratory analyses using Principal Component Analysis (PCA), we found that older adults spent more time thinking positive, wanted thoughts, particularly in demanding contexts, suggesting they may use different strategies to regulate their emotions. In line with previous research, older adults spent less time mind wandering about their future selves. Past-related thought related to episodic memory differently in older and younger adults. Additionally, PCA analyses performed separately in older and younger adults showed high similarity to an analysis performed on the combined sample, suggesting a similar structure to ongoing daily life thought in older and younger adults. These findings inform the use of experience sampling to understand cognitive aging, highlighting the need to consider content along multiple dimensions as well as the context in which thoughts are reported when analyzing aging ongoing thought.

scholarly journals When home becomes a cage: Daily activities, space-time constraints, isolation and the loneliness of older adults in urban environments

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 322-337
Author(s):  
Bohumil Frantál ◽  
Pavel Klapka ◽  
Eva Nováková
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Daily Activities ◽  
Cultural Events ◽  
Time Space ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Sport Activities ◽  
Spatial Isolation ◽  
Positive Effect

AbstractThe geography of ageing is addressed in this article by providing new empirical evidence about the significant role of daily activities on the perceptions of isolation and loneliness. The developed model of socio-spatial isolation is based on data from time-space diaries and questionnaires completed by older adults living in three cities in the Czech Republic. The study suggests that socio-spatial isolation is a multicomponent (consisting of passivity, isolation and loneliness components), place-dependent and gendered issue. The passivity is significantly associated with the income and leisure sport activities. The isolation can be well predicted by the age, gender and education, and the frequency of work and specific leisure activities, which are constrained by health conditions, financial opportunities and spatial mobility. Particularly trips to nature, sport activities, cultural events, get together with friends, and visits to restaurants have a positive effect on reducing isolation. Women, particularly those who raised more children, more likely feel lonely in old age when family contacts are reduced. Visits to restaurants, shopping malls and cultural events have a positive effect on reducing loneliness. A constrained mobility and higher time consumption for necessary activities also proved to be an age-related and gendered problem. In this respect, policy interventions should seek to improve flexible work opportunities, the digital skills of older people, and the accessibility and safety of public transport with regard to perceived constraints, which is gaining in importance in the Covid-19 era.

scholarly journals A Pilot Study Exploring Age Differences in Presence, Workload, and Cybersickness in the Experience of Immersive Virtual Reality Environments

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew T. Dilanchian ◽  
Ronald Andringa ◽  
Walter R. Boot
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Activities Of Daily Living ◽  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Daily Living ◽  
Emotional Health ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Adoption Of Technology ◽  
Age Related

Research is often focused on understanding barriers to the use and adoption of technology to support older adults’ (65+) instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), such as communication, banking, and transportation. Less attention is paid to technology to support enhanced activities of daily living (EADLs), activities that enrich our daily lives, even though they have the potential to improve wellbeing, promote physical and emotional health, and reduce stress. Here, we explored how older adults interacted with commercial virtual reality (VR) to investigate the feasibility of using VR as an EADL support system. Older adults navigated different VR environments, including environments that were meditation, exploration, and game-oriented. Of particular interest was whether older adults (N = 20) psychologically experienced differing degrees of presence within virtual environments compared to younger adults (N = 20), and potential barriers to use as assessed by measures of workload and system usability. Given previously observed age-related differences in cybersickness, this was also assessed as a potential barrier. Compared to younger adults, older adults expressed a greater sense of presence in virtual environments, with nonsignificant differences in perceived workload and usability according to most measures. Contrary to expectations, older adults reported significantly less cybersickness compared to younger adults. Results suggest that VR is a promising means to support older adults’ EADLs.

scholarly journals Exploring the lived experience of older adults with dual sensory impairment

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter Wittich ◽  
Marie-Celine Lorenzini
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Low Vision ◽  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Qualitative Description ◽  
Sensory Impairment ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Dual Sensory Impairment

Objective. With the aging of the population, the prevalence of combined age-related vision and hearing impairments continues to rise. This increase results in a higher likelihood for low vision practitioners to serve older adults with dual sensory impairment (DSI). In order to ultimately provide optimal services to this population, the purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of older adults with DSI, examine their perceptions of their loss and identify the obstacles they face in their daily lives. Method. Twenty-nine older adults (age range 60 to 100) with DSI were interviewed about their experience of living with DSI. These interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a phenomenological approach through qualitative description. Results. Inter-rater reliability assessment between the two students who conducted the coding was high (kappa = .85). Six themes emerged from the interviews, three of which described participant priorities before the onset of their DSI (diagnosis, symptoms and treatments), and three summarizing concerns thereafter (barriers, facilitators and experiences with assistive technology). The later focused on activities of daily living and leisure activities, as well as specific experiences when coping with DSI. Discussion. The description of participants’ perception and experience with their sensory impairments can help low vision practitioners understand their clients’ perspective and their rehabilitation priorities in order to improve the practitioners –patient relationship. Furthermore, in a more general way, this study enables a better understanding of individuals living with DSI.

Effects of Aging on Hippocampal and Anterior Temporal Activations during Successful Retrieval of Memory for Face–Name Associations

2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 200-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takashi Tsukiura ◽  
Atsushi Sekiguchi ◽  
Yukihito Yomogida ◽  
Seishu Nakagawa ◽  
Yayoi Shigemune ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Age Difference ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Fmri Study ◽  
Job Titles ◽  
Job Title ◽  
Successful Retrieval ◽  
Effects Of Aging

Memory for face–name associations is an important type of memory in our daily lives, and often deteriorates in older adults. Although difficulty retrieving face–name associations is often apparent in the elderly, there is little neuroscientific evidence of age-related decline in this memory. The current fMRI study investigated differences in brain activations between healthy young and older adults during the successful retrieval of people's names (N) and job titles (J) associated with faces. During encoding, participants viewed unfamiliar faces, each paired with a job title and name. During retrieval, each learned face was presented with two job titles or two names, and participants were required to choose the correct job title or name. Retrieval success activity (RSA) was identified by comparing retrieval-phase activity for hits versus misses in N and J, and the RSAs in each task were compared between young and older adults. The study yielded three main findings. First, the hippocampus showed significant RSA in both tasks of N and J, and the activity was greater for young compared to older subjects. Second, the left anterior temporal lobe (ATL) showed greater RSA in N than in J, but there was no age difference in the activity in this region. Third, functional connectivity between hippocampal and ATL activities in both retrieval tasks was higher for young than for older adults. Taken together, age-related differences in hippocampal activities and hippocampus–ATL connectivity could contribute to age-related decline in relational memory and to complaints of poor retrieval of people's names by older adults.

scholarly journals A Qualitative Analysis of the Relationship Between Older Adults’ Daily Lives and Life Outlook

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 608-608
Author(s):  
Isabella Bouklas ◽  
Giancarlo Pasquini ◽  
Renee Gilbert ◽  
Cindy Bergeman ◽  
Stacey Scott
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Adult Development ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Comparative Method ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Use Of Time ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Dialectical Relationship

Abstract Leading theories of adult development suggest age-related changes in one’s life perspective and changes in one’s priorities are reflected in daily behavior. The present study explored how older adults understand their current lives through a qualitative study of midwestern Americans. Twenty-four participants (Mage= 69.53 years; age range=63-78 years) from the Notre Dame Study of Health & Well-Being (Whitehead & Bergeman, 2014) completed semi-structured interviews in which they were asked about turning points across their lives. Inductive analysis using the constant comparative method (Maykut & Morehouse, 1994) resulted in 10 life-domains based on common descriptions across participants. These domains represented the ways in which participants understood their identities over the course of their lives, as well as their organization and use of time and space in daily life. Participants’ descriptions of both general life outlook and daily life informed one another, revealing the dialectical relationship between micro-level behaviors and macro-level attitudes.

scholarly journals The Rio Health Gym Program: Daily life, leisure and health of older adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marielle Cristina Gonçalves Ferreira ◽  
Luiz Fernando Rangel Tura ◽  
Rafael Celestino da Silva ◽  
Márcia de Assunção Ferreira
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Daily Living ◽  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Daily Activities ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
The Social ◽  
The City

Abstract Objective: to identify the activities performed by older adults as part of the Rio Health Gym Program in their daily lives, and analyze the contributions of these practices to their health and quality of life. Method: a qualitative, exploratory and descriptive study was conducted using interviews with 30 older adults who attended a health center in the city of Rio de Janeiro (RJ). Lexicographic analysis was performed using the Alceste software program. Results: five lexical classes were generated. Physical and leisure activities comprised classes 2 and 3. The statements that made up the lexical classes showed that older adults carried out their daily activities with autonomy and independence. According to their assessment, the activities promote the integration of participants, increase social participation and benefit health and quality of life. They attribute their proactivity to participation in the social group. Conclusion: the activities bring diversity to daily living, increase socialization and leisure opportunities, and consequently improve the health of older people by facilitating social relationships.

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