An “Ecological” Constructional Test

1997 ◽  
Vol 85 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luigi Trojano ◽  
Renato Angelini ◽  
Paolo Gallo ◽  
Dario Grossi

We describe a simple, three-dimensional constructional test (the Box test), which reflects common daily-living activities, to be used for the assessment of constructional disability in elderly brain-lesioned patients. Subjects are required to put as many of 12 objects of varied shape and volume as they can into a box. To carry out the task successfully subjects have to arrange the items according to an efficient constructional strategy. We administered this test to 68 normal subjects and to 50 brain-damaged patients. Analysis indicated the Box test is easy and simple to administer and can be used without difficulty by elderly patients having focal brain damage. Performance correlated well with general intelligence and other bidimensional, conventional constructional tasks. Right or left brain lesions have a similar, significant detrimental effect on performance but probably through different mechanisms.

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tzu-Yin Lee ◽  
Henny Dwi Susanti ◽  
Kuo-Chen Hung ◽  
Su-Yueh Yang ◽  
Hui-Fen Fang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Globally, different age groups in the elderly population have experienced major shifts over time. Human life expectancy doubled from the 19th to the twentieth century and has increased to 80 years in the twenty-first century. These conditions imply economic challenges and the increasing prevalence of certain health conditions. Old age is associated with increased care needs in various aspects of daily life. This study assessed the health care needs of elderly patients with lung, liver, and colorectal cancer in Taiwan and analyzed the factors underlying their needs. Methods This cross-sectional descriptive survey assessed 234 elderly patients with diagnosis of lung, liver, and colorectal cancer in Taiwan. We investigated their health care needs and daily living functions by using the Supportive Care Needs Survey and Karnofsky Performance Status, respectively. Results Patients required the most assistance in physical functioning and daily living. Patients aged ≥85 years required more care than those aged 65–74 years in terms of information access and sexuality needs. Patients with poor functional status required more care than those capable of undertaking normal activities. Patients diagnosed as having liver cancer required more care than those with lung or colorectal cancer. Patients with advanced cancer required more physical and daily care than those with early-stage cancer. Conclusions Patients’ health care needs differed with age, primary cancer site, and functional status. Patients aged ≥85 years and those with poor function, primary liver cancer, and advanced cancer had higher care needs.


1987 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 60-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Corless ◽  
M Ellis ◽  
E Dawson ◽  
F Fraser ◽  
S Evans ◽  
...  

Selected activities of daily living were used to measure improvement in independence of long-stay elderly patients known to have low concentrations of plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D. This was a double-blind random controlled trial lasting between 8 and 40 weeks. No significant changes were found in either group.


Compensatory movement after stroke occurred when inter-joint coordination between arm and forearm for the purpose of arm transport becomes limited due to the weaknesses of the upper limb after stroke. This limitation causes an inefficiency of hand movement to perform the activity of daily living (ADL). Previous work has shown the possibility of using Kinect to assess torso compensation in typical assessment of upper limb movement in a stroke-simulated setting using a Torso Principal Component Analysis (PCA) Model. This research extends the study into evaluating Torso PCA Model in terms of orientation angles of the torso in three dimensional when performing planar activities namely circle tracing and point-topoint tracing. The orientation angles were compared to the outcome of the measurement from a standard motion capture system and Kinect’s intrinsic chest orientation angles. Based on the statistical results, Torso PCA model is concurrently valid with the clinically accepted measures of torso orientation and can be used further to analyze torso compensation in stroke patients.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomás A. Georgiou ◽  
Davide Asnaghi ◽  
Alva Liang ◽  
Alice M. Agogino

This paper describes the development and testing of a low-cost three-dimensional (3D) printed wearable hand exoskeleton to assist people with limited finger mobility and grip strength. The function of the presented orthosis is to support and enable light intensity activities of daily living and improve the ability to grasp and hold objects. The Sparthan Exoskeleton prototype utilizes a cable-driven design applied to individual digits with motors. The initial prototype is presented in this paper along with a preliminary evaluation of durability and performance efficacy.


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