Falls and older people: preventative interventions

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 288-292
Author(s):  
Alison E While
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Tai Chi ◽  
Exercise Programme ◽  
Community Settings ◽  
District Nurses ◽  
Fall Risks ◽  
Public Health Challenge ◽  
Preventative Interventions ◽  
Mental And Physical Health ◽  
Falls Management

Falls among older people are a major public health challenge, because the sequelae of falls can be severe, both in terms of mental and physical health repercussions. Building on an earlier article that discussed the reasons why older people fall, this article describes the interventions that may help reduce falls among older people. Four interventions which could be applied within UK community settings, namely, the Otago programme, the falls management exercise programme, tai chi and home assessment and modification are outlined here. District nurses are well placed to contribute to a reduction in falls among older people by identifying those susceptible to fall risks among their clients and putting in place the necessary interventions to minimise them.

Falls and older people: understanding why people fall

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 173-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison E While
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Older People ◽  
Preventive Interventions ◽  
Older Person ◽  
Falls Risk ◽  
Health Challenge ◽  
District Nurses ◽  
Public Health Challenge

Falls are common among older people and a major public health challenge. This article describes why falls are more common among older people, the potential causes of falls and what assessments should be undertaken to inform preventive interventions. District nurses are well placed to contribute to the understanding of why an older person has had a fall as part of a falls risk assessment.

scholarly journals Evidence-Based Chinese Medicine for Hypertension

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Wang ◽  
Xingjiang Xiong
Keyword(s):  
Chinese Medicine ◽  
Tai Chi ◽  
Clinical Evidence ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Hypertensive Patients ◽  
Primary Endpoints ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Public Health Challenge

Hypertension is an important worldwide public -health challenge with high mortality and disability. Due to the limitations and concerns with current available hypertension treatments, many hypertensive patients, especially in Asia, have turned to Chinese medicine (CM). Although hypertension is not a CM term, physicians who practice CM in China attempt to treat the disease using CM principles. A variety of approaches for treating hypertension have been taken in CM. For seeking the best evidence of CM in making decisions for hypertensive patients, a number of clinical studies have been conducted in China, which has paved the evidence-based way. After literature searching and analyzing, it appeared that CM was effective for hypertension in clinical use, such as Chinese herbal medicine, acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping, qigong, and Tai Chi. However, due to the poor quality of primary studies, clinical evidence is still weak. The potential benefits and safety of CM for hypertension still need to be confirmed in the future with well-designed RCTs of more persuasive primary endpoints and high-quality SRs. Evidence-based Chinese medicine for hypertension still has a long way to go.

scholarly journals Evaluation of selected forms of physical activity of older people - pilot study

2012 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 23-28
Author(s):  
Anna Ogonowska-Słodownik
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older People ◽  
Tai Chi ◽  
Subjective Evaluation ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Borg Scale ◽  
Nordic Walking ◽  
Measurement Tools ◽  
The University ◽  
Work Done

Abstract Introduction: Regular physical activity can prevent sharp decline in the level of physical fitness of older people [1]. Both the quantity and quality of physical activity are important [2]. The aim of this study was to evaluate selected forms of physical activity of older people in terms of intensity of effort. Material and methods: In the study participated 10 women at the age of 73.6 ± 6.5 years, from the Third Age University at the University of Physical Education in Warsaw. The study included four forms: gymnastics, Nordic walking, dancing and Tai Chi. The study used IDEEA device (Intelligent Device for Energy Expenditure and Activity) and a pulse recorder (Polar). In addition, each of the woman immediately after class evaluated its intensity with the 20 points Borg Scale. Results: The results indicate a large diversity of physical activity in terms of work done, energy consumption, heart rate. Nordic Walking classes were most intense (2.8 kJ/min, 3.5 kcal/min, 101.5 beats/min) and Tai Chi was least intense (0.5 kJ/min, 1.6 kcal/min , 65 beats/ min). Subjective evaluation of intensity (Borg Scale) of the trainings confirms the values obtained by the objective methods - quite heavy (14 points) in Nordic Walking and very light (10 points) in Tai Chi. Conclusions: There is a need for a reliable analysis of proposed forms for the elderly in Poland. Using multiple measurement tools will help to increase the objectivity of the evaluation and defining their impact on the capabilities of older people. A comprehensive assessment can be used in programming physical activity for older people.

scholarly journals Isolation of Biofilm Producing Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus from Hospitalized Orthopaedic Patients in Kano State, Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-74
Author(s):  
D.A. Oche ◽  
U. Abdulrahim ◽  
A.S. Oheagbulem ◽  
B.O. Olayinka
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Methicillin Resistance ◽  
Meca Gene ◽  
Community Settings ◽  
Potential Threat ◽  
Orthopaedic Patients ◽  
Nasal Swabs ◽  
Public Health Challenge

Biofilm formation and resistance to methicillin are among the factors that makes Staphylococcus aureus a very important human pathogen in both health-care and community settings. This study investigated methicillin-resistance among biofilm-producing S. aureus isolated from 49 orthopaedic in-patients within a 3 months period. Wound swabs, nasal swabs, bed swabs and urine samples were collected from each patient. The samples were cultured and screened for presence of S. aureus while the micro-titre plate method was used to detect biofilm producing isolates. PCR technique was finally used to detect the presence of mecA gene in methicilin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) isolates. Findings reveal 14.8% of bacterial isolates were Staphylococcus aureus of which 96.4% were biofilm-producers. However, strong biofilm producers constitute 11.1%. The mecA gene was detected in 15.8% of the MRSA isolates. Therefore, MRSA among biofilm-producing S. aureus is a potential threat primarily to the community of National Orthopaedic Hospital Dala and a major public health challenge. Keywords: Biofilm, Methicillin-resistance Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), mecA gene, Orthopaedic patient

Development of a mobile application to screen and manage fall risks in older people

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Zahra Taheri-Kharameh ◽  
Agneta Malmgren Fänge ◽  
Eva Ekvall Hansson ◽  
Saeed Bashirian ◽  
Rashid Heidarimoghadam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Mobile Application ◽  
Fall Risks
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