scholarly journals The Relationships Between Fall Risk, Depression, Executive Dysfunctions and Daily Life of Older Adults

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Batya Engel Yeger ◽  
Yael Zilbershlag

Abstract Background: Falling is a major problem in older adults that may significantly reduce health and quality of life (QOL). Body dysfunctions that include depression, cognitive decline and executive dysfunctions may elevate fall risk and impair daily activities and QOL. Yet, most studies evaluate these body dysfunctions using laboratory measures in clinical settings. The present study aimed to: (1) compare these body dysfunctions between high/low risk fallers (2) examine the relationship between these body dysfunctions among the high risk fallers (3) explore the specific contribution of fall risk as a mediator between depression, executive dysfunctions and daily life. Methods: Participants were 123 older adults who live in the community. Depression and cognitive status were measured by the GDS-15 and the MoCA. Fall risk was determined by a questionnaire supported by the Time Up and Go test (TUG). Executive functions (EF) were assessed by the BRIEF-A and the aEFPT medication management assessment. Daily activity performance was measured by the Barthel Index of ADL and the Instrumental ADL Scale. QOL was measured by the World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief Questionnaire. Results: High fall risk was prevalent among 32% of the sample. High risk fallers had significantly lower cognitive level, higher depression, lower EF, lower daily activity performance and lower QOL. Among the high risk group, lower EF as measured in BRIEF-A scales correlated with lower performance of daily activities and lower QOL. SEM model revealed that fall risk mediated between depression, executive dysfunctions and daily life. Conclusions: Depression and executive dysfunctions are more prevalent in older adults with high fall risk and are significantly related to their daily activity performance and to their QOL. Community fall-prevention and rehabilitation programs should screen for fall risk and related body dysfunctions as expressed during daily activity performance and understand their impacts on people’s QOL.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Batya Engel Yeger ◽  
Sara Rosenblum

Abstract Background: Sensory processing is essential for the interaction with the environment and for adequate daily function. Sensory processing may be deteriorated in the elderly and restrict daily activity performance. Another factor impacted by aging which significantly affects daily activities is Executive functions (EF). Yet, most studies refer separately to the impacts of sensory processing or EF on daily activities and use clinical evaluations that do not necessarily reflect functional restrictions in real life. This study aims to describe the prevalence of altered sensory processing in the elderly as expressed in daily life scenarios and explore whether EF mediate between altered sensory processing and daily activity performance in older adults. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 167 healthy and independently functioning people living in the community and aged 65 years and older. Participants who had sufficient cognitive status and no symptoms of depression completed a demographic and health-status questionnaire, the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile, the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function–Adult Version and the Daily Living Questionnaire. Results: Altered sensory processing, and mainly by the reduced ability to register and modulate sensory input from daily environment, are prevalent in older adults. Their impacts on daily activity performance are mediated by executive dysfunctions. Conclusions: Executive dysfunctions may worsen the negative effects of altered sensory processing on daily activity performance in older adults. The interaction between executive functions and sensory processing should receive growing attention in intervention and prevention programs for older adults, with the emphasis on their expressions in peoples’ real life context.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Di Gioia Tina ◽  
Alessandro Bortolotti

Apathy refers to a set of behavioral, emotional and cognitive characteristics such as reduced interest and participation in the main activities of daily life, lack of initiative, a tendency to early withdrawal from the activities started, indifference and flattening of the affections. The work of Tierney et al.(2018) studied how much and if apathy contributes to the problems of managing daily activities and qualities and in the following work new tests have been added that could be useful to further improve the research and to improve the distinction between apathy and depression.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Batya Engel Yeger ◽  
Sara Rosenblum

Abstract Background: Sensory processing is essential for the interaction with the environment and for adequate daily function. Sensory processing may be deteriorated in the elderly and restrict daily activity performance. Another factor impacted by aging which significantly affects daily activities is Executive functions (EF). Yet, most studies refer separately to the impacts of sensory processing or EF on daily activities and use clinical evaluations that do not necessarily reflect functional restrictions in real life. This study aims to describe the prevalence of altered sensory processing in the elderly as expressed in daily life scenarios and explore whether EF mediate between altered sensory processing and daily activity performance in older adults.Methods: This cross-sectional study included 167 healthy and independently functioning people living in the community and aged 65 years and older. Participants who had sufficient cognitive status and no symptoms of depression completed a demographic and health-status questionnaire, the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile, the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function–Adult Version and the Daily Living Questionnaire.Results: Altered sensory processing, and mainly by the reduced ability to register and modulate sensory input from daily environment, are prevalent in older adults. Their impacts on daily activity performance are mediated by executive dysfunctions.Conclusions: Executive dysfunctions may worsen the negative effects of altered sensory processing on daily activity performance in older adults. The interaction between executive functions and sensory processing should receive growing attention in intervention and prevention programs for older adults, with the emphasis on their expressions in peoples’ real life context.


2021 ◽  
Vol 147 ◽  
pp. 111287
Author(s):  
Evan Campbell ◽  
Fanny Petermann-Rocha ◽  
Paul Welsh ◽  
Carlos Celis-Morales ◽  
Jill P. Pell ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 50-50
Author(s):  
Ha Neul Kim ◽  
Seok In Nam

Abstract Since 1980s professionals and social service providers have focused on aging at the place where people lived. This is the initial concept of the Aging in Place (AIP). Over 40 years, the topics have developed and extended to other disciplines welcoming different perspectives in the study of AIP. Therefore, this study aims to understand the overall research trends in Aging in Place (AIP) studies using text mining analysis to track the evolvement of AIP subtopics not only in Gerontology but also in various fields. To identify the topic trends, we collected the titles, abstracts, and keywords from 1,372 international articles that were published from 1981 to 2019. Then, keywords were extracted and cleaned based on precedent literature and discussions. We analyzed the keywords based on the degree of centrality and visualized the keyword-networks using VOSviewer and Pajek. Top-most popular keywords are “independent living”, “housing”, “older adults”, “home care”, “daily life activity” and “quality of life.” The change in topic trends shows that in the 1980s to early-2000s, research focused on organization and management level of intervention, home(housing) for the older adults, long term care. In the mid-2010s, health-related topics such as daily life activity, health service, health care delivery and quality of life have emerged. Recently, the topics have extended further to technology, caregiver, well-being, and environment design, environmental planning that support independent living of oneself. The research result shows that the interdisciplinary approach regarding AIP is not only inevitable but also encouraged for an in-depth discussion of the field.


Author(s):  
Fan Zhang ◽  
Dezhi Li

Due to the poor functioning in daily living activities, community-dwelling older adults spend more time in their neighborhood environment. The perceived neighborhood environment is crucial to their quality of life (QoL). To explore the complex influences of perceived neighborhood environment on QoL, a questionnaire was designed to measure their perception of each factor of neighborhood environment and each domain of QoL. Based on collected data, the reliability test was applied to revise the questionnaire. Multiple linear regression (MLR) and structural equation modeling (SEM) were adopted to hypothesize and test the integrated model for community-dwelling older adults. The results show that community-dwelling older adults’ perceptions of neighbor support, facilities related to physical exercise and recreation, and accessibility to facilities impact their overall QoL with diverse coefficients of 0.437, 0.312, and 0.295, respectively; neighbor support (0.207) on physical health; sidewalk condition (0.134), natural environment (0.260), and facilities related to daily life (0.165) on psychological health; and neighbor support (0.298), facilities related to daily life (0.206), and design-related safety (0.225) on social relationship. This revealed that perceptions of neighborhood environment have diverse impacts on their QoL. This study can provide targeted retrofit strategies for communities to enhance QoL of community-dwelling older adults efficiently.


2020 ◽  
Vol 52 (7S) ◽  
pp. 138-139
Author(s):  
Sebastian Proschinger ◽  
Jens Bansi ◽  
Annette Rademacher ◽  
Niklas Joisten ◽  
Alexander Schenk ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 136-137
Author(s):  
Christy Babu ◽  
Lincy George ◽  
K. Krishnakumar

Deprescribing can be defined as the process of stopping a medication or reducing its dose to reduce adverse effects and improve health outcomes. Elderly people with co morbidities usually have a risk of adverse drug events and these events can only be treated by medicines. Despite the benefits offered by these medicines, older patients are at a high risk of harm caused by these medications. The use of multiple medications for treating the comorbidities may also leads to severe health problems. Deprescribing help to reduce the risk related to inappropriate medicines. Deprescribing is usually a patient centered process which helps to withdraw drugs which are harmful to be prescribed to older patients. Several explicit and implicit tools have been developed internationally to identify these inappropriate medications. Deprescribing of inappropriate medicines would help to reduces drug-related harm and improves the quality of life of older adults. Keywords: Deprescribing, polypharmacy, older adults


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 397-397
Author(s):  
Graham Rowles ◽  
Habib Chaudhury ◽  
Daniel R Y Gan

Abstract Since Chaudhury’s seminal work (2008), spatial ethnographies of the everyday lives of people living with dementia(PLWD) have proliferated. From an experiential perspective, geographies of home (Blunt & Varley, 2004) and geographies of dementia may overlap significantly. We conducted a meta-ethnographic synthesis of n=28 articles to identify points of convergence and divergence in these literatures using comparative thematic analysis with NVivo 12. Whereas geographies of home highlight at-homeness (e.g., ontological safety and daily activities), geographies of dementia underscore communal and civic participation (e.g., social relationships). These themes converge around “social identity” which may be an important construct that helps PLWD feel at home. The quality of life of PLWD in the community may be influenced by prior (and present) experiences of at-homeness. These become more pertinent as older adults shelter in place. We discuss the implications of these findings in relation to relational models of personhood-in-community (Swinton, 2020) and community gerontology.


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