Assessment of rehabilitation potential in frail older people

Abstract Falls are an important health threat among frail older people. Physicians are often the first to contact for health issues and can be seen as designated professionals to provide fall prevention. However, it is unknown what they exactly do and why regarding fall prevention. This study aims to describe what physicians in the Netherlands do during daily practice in regards to fall prevention. About 65 physicians (34 practices) located throughout the Netherlands were followed up for 12 months. When a physician entered specific ICPC-codes related to frailty and falls in the Hospital Information System, the physician received a pop-up asking if the patient is frail. If so, the physician subsequently completed a questionnaire. The physicians completed 1396 questionnaires. More than half (n=726) of the patients had experienced a fall in the previous year and/or had a fear of falling (FOF) and 37% of these patients received fall prevention. Physicians did not know of 20% of the patients if they had experienced a fall and of 29% of the patients if they had a FOF. The three most often treated underlying causes were mobility problems, FOF and cardiovascular risk factors. The results show that physicians are not always aware of a patient’s fall history and/or FOF and that only part of these patients receives fall prevention. Hence, it might be important to develop and implement strategies for systematic fall risk screening and fall prevention provision in the primary care setting to reduce falls among frail older people.

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Perceptions of providing safe care for frail older people at home: A qualitative study based on focus group interviews with home care staff

Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences ◽

10.1111/scs.13027 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Anastasia Silverglow ◽

Lena Johansson ◽

Eva Lidén ◽

Helle Wijk

Keyword(s):

Focus Group ◽

Qualitative Study ◽

Home Care ◽

Older People ◽

Care Staff ◽

Frail Older People ◽

Focus Group Interviews ◽

Group Interviews ◽

Safe Care ◽

At Home

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Newer anti-diabetic therapies with low hypoglycaemic risk-potential advantages for frail older people

Hospital Practice ◽

10.1080/21548331.2021.1905414 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Demelza Emmerton ◽

Ahmed Abdelhafiz

Keyword(s):

Older People ◽

Frail Older People ◽

Risk Potential

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Implementation of an innovative web-based conference table for community-dwelling frail older people, their informal caregivers and professionals: a process evaluation

BMC Health Services Research ◽

10.1186/1472-6963-12-251 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

Sarah HM Robben ◽

Marieke Perry ◽

Mirjam Huisjes ◽

Leontien van Nieuwenhuijzen ◽

Henk J Schers ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older People ◽

Process Evaluation ◽

Informal Caregivers ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Frail Older People ◽

Web Based

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Effectiveness of Multimodal Training on Functional Capacity in Frail Older People: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Journal of Aging and Physical Activity ◽

10.1123/japa.2017-0188 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 26 (3) ◽

pp. 407-418 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Pedro Lopez ◽

Mikel Izquierdo ◽

Regis Radaelli ◽

Graciele Sbruzzi ◽

Rafael Grazioli ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older People ◽

Fixed Effects ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Maximum Strength ◽

Controlled Trials ◽

Cochrane Central Register ◽

Frail Older People ◽

Timed Up And Go ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Multimodal Training

In this meta-analysis, we investigated the effect of resistance training (RT) alone or included in a multimodal training on physical frailty outcomes, and whether different variables of RT prescription affect these outcomes. We identified 15 relevant studies searching through MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, SPORTDiscus, and PEDro database. Postintervention standardized mean difference scores were computed and combined using fixed effects meta-analysis. Analyses have shown positive effects of interventions on maximum strength, gait speed, and Timed Up and Go test. Further analyses have shown significant greater effect of shorter periods on maximum strength. Regarding RT prescription, percentage of one-repetition maximum showed significant effect on physical variables, whereas RT based on rate of perceived effort presented lower effect in the Timed Up and Go test. Although multimodal training is an effective intervention to increase physical capacity, caution should be taken regarding the period and the method to control RT intensity to optimize enhancements in frail older people.

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