scholarly journals COVID-19 and Its Implications on Social Engagement, Physical Activity, and Psychological Well-Being for Older Adults with Alzheimer’s Disease: A Systematic Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (7) ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Cherise Kwok ◽  
Megan Pan ◽  
Gwen Farm
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie M. Faieta ◽  
Hannes Devos ◽  
Prasanna Vaduvathiriyan ◽  
Michele K. York ◽  
Kirk I. Erickson ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The growing societal and economic impact of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is further compounded by the present lack of disease-modifying interventions. Non-pharmacological intervention approaches, such as exercise, have the potential to be powerful approaches to improve or mitigate the symptoms of AD without added side effects or financial burden associated with drug therapies. Various forms and regiments of exercise (i.e., strength, aerobic, multicomponent) have been reported in the literature; however, conflicting evidence obscures clear interpretation of the value and impact of exercise as an intervention for older adults with AD. The primary objective of this review will be to evaluate the effects of exercise interventions for older adults with AD. In addition, this review will evaluate the evidence quality and synthesize the exercise training prescriptions for proper clinical practice guidelines and recommendations. Methods This systematic review and meta-analysis will be carried out by an interdisciplinary collective representing clinical and research stakeholders with diverse expertise related to neurodegenerative diseases and rehabilitation medicine. Literature sources will include the following: Embase, PsychINFO, OVID Medline, and Ovid MEDLINE(R) and Epub Ahead of Print, In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations and Daily. Inclusion criteria are participants with late onset AD and structured exercise interventions with prescribed duration, frequency, and intensity. The primary outcome of this study will center on improved or sustained cognitive functioning. Secondary outcomes will include institutionalization-related outcomes, ability in activities of daily living, mood and emotional well-being, quality of life, morbidity, and mortality. Analysis procedures to include measurement of bias, data synthesis, sensitivity analysis, and assessment of heterogeneity are described in this protocol. Discussion This review is anticipated to yield clinically meaningful insight on the specific value of exercise for older adults with AD. Improved understanding of diverse exercise intervention approaches and their specific impact on various health- and function-related outcomes is expected to guide clinicians to more frequently and accurately prescribe meaningful interventions for those affected by AD. Systematic review registration PROSPERO CRD42020175016.


2021 ◽  
Vol 53 (5) ◽  
pp. 405-422
Author(s):  
MG Figueiro ◽  
HC Kales

Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias is the collective term for a progressive neurodegenerative disease for which there is presently no cure. This paper focuses on two symptoms of the disease, sleep disturbances and depression, and discusses how light can be used as a non-pharmacological intervention to mitigate their negative effects. Bright days and dark nights are needed for health and well-being, but the present components of the built environment, especially those places where older adults spend most of their days, are too dimly illuminated during the day and too bright at night. To be effective light needs to be correctly specified, implemented and measured. Yet, without the appropriate specification and measurement of the stimulus, researchers will not be able to successfully demonstrate positive results in the field, nor will lighting designers and specifiers have the confidence to implement lighting solutions for promoting better sleep and mood in this population.


Author(s):  
Vanessa Silva Lins ◽  
Marcia Queiroz de Carvalho Gomes

A demência é uma das principais causas de incapacidade entre a população idosa, sua prevalência vem crescendo com o aumento da longevidade e vem se tornando um problema de saúde pública. O idoso acometido por demência tem as ocupações e o desempenho ocupacional bastante comprometido, necessitando da assistência do terapeuta ocupacional. O objetivo do presente estudo é analisar as contribuições da Terapia Ocupacional na atenção ao idoso com demência, descritas nas produções científicas publicadas em periódicos na área de saúde. Trata-se de uma revisão sistemática, do tipo integrativa, realizada na plataforma BIREME, nas bases de dados da LILACS, SciELO e MEDLINE, usando os descritores “Demência AND Terapia Ocupacional” e “Doença de Alzheimer AND Terapia Ocupacional”, nos idiomas português e espanhol. Foram encontrados 33 artigos, desse total foram selecionados para análise 07 artigos, que estavam dentro dos critérios de inclusão. Esta revisão permitiu constatar que, apesar da tímida produção de publicações de terapeutas ocupacionais acerca da demência, nos dois idiomas pesquisados, a Terapia Ocupacional vem ampliando seu escopo de ação, para além das tradicionais abordagens cognitivas e centradas apenas no idoso, avançou na promoção de práticas preventivas e no manejo de sintomas psicológicos e comportamentais, que envolvem tanto o ambiente físico quanto o ambiente social do idoso. A Terapia Ocupacional tem desenvolvido e utilizado instrumentos próprios da profissão, tais como a DADL-Br e a COPM, fortalecendo sua identidade e especificidade. Vem contribuindo para a qualidade de vida e bem-estar do idoso com Demência e seus cuidadores/familiares, promovendo uma atenção integral e contextualizada. Abstract Dementia is one of the leading causes of disability among the elderly population. Its prevalence has increased with longevity growth and it has become a public health problem. The older adults person affected by dementia has his/her occupations and occupational performance quite compromised, requiring Occupational Therapy assistance. The objective of the present study is to analyze Occupational Therapy assistance contributions to the elderly with dementia, described in the scientific productions published in health journals. It is a review of the integrative type, performed in BIREME platform, in the databases of LILACS, SciELO and MEDLINE, using the descriptors "Dementia AND Occupational Therapy" and "Alzheimer's Disease AND Occupational Therapy", in Portuguese and Spanish.We have found 33 articles, from which 7 articles were selected for analysis, according to the inclusion criteria.This review showed that, in spite of the small number of publications about the performance of dementia in both languages, Occupational Therapy has expanded its scope of action. Beyond cognitive approaches focused on the older adults, it has been making progress on preventing and managing psychological and behavioral symptoms, involving both the physical and social environment of the older adults. Occupational Therapy has developed and used its own tests and evaluations, such as DADL-Br and COPM, strengthening its identity and specificity. It contributes to the quality of life and well-being of the elderly with Dementia and their caregivers / family, promoting integrated and contextualized care.Keywords: Dementia, Alzheimer's Disease, Elderly; Occupational Therapy.


2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer L. Etnier

Alzheimer's disease is a chronic illness characterized by clinical cognitive impairment. A behavioral strategy that is being explored in the prevention of Alzheimer's disease is physical activity. Evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) testing the effects of physical activity for cognitively normal older adults supports that physical activity benefits cognitive performance. Evidence from prospective studies supports a protective effect of physical activity with reductions in the risk of cognitive decline ranging from 28% to 45%. RCTs with cognitively impaired older adults also generally support positive effects with greater benefits evident for aerobic interventions. Research examining the potential moderating role of apolipoprotein E (APOE) has yielded mixed results, but the majority of the studies support that physical activity most benefits those who are at greatest genetic risk of Alzheimer's disease. Future directions for research are considered with an emphasis on the need for additional funding to support this promising area of research.


BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. e032605 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Katherine Huffman ◽  
Jason Brian Reed ◽  
Theresa Carpenter ◽  
Steve Amireault

IntroductionPhysical activity (PA) is an important aspect for health and well-being, yet many older adults do not maintain their PA long term. The identification of key factors that are associated with, and likely causally related to, older adults’ PA maintenance is a crucial first step towards developing programmes that are effective at promoting long-term PA behaviour change. The purpose of this protocol is to outline a systematic review that will examine the relationship between four motives (ie, satisfaction, enjoyment, self-determination and identity) and older adults’ PA maintenance.Methods and analysisStudies that investigated PA maintenance with a sample mean age ≥55 years will be included. Five electronic databases (PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, SPORTDiscus, PsycINFO and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses) were searched on 6 April 2018 with no publication date limit (ie, from inception). One reviewer screened 100% of titles and abstracts (k=21 470) while a random subsample (20%) was screened independently by two reviewers. An update of the search was run on 1 October 2019. All studies for which the full text was retrieved will be independently screened by two reviewers. Data pertaining to study sample, design, motives, PA (eg, measurement validity evidence, study definition of maintenance) and essential bias domains (eg, bias due to missing data) will be extracted. Study-level effect sizes will be calculated, and if the number of studies is ≥5, a random-effects meta-analysis will be performed using inverse-variance methods; a narrative synthesis will be performed otherwise.Ethics and disseminationThe university’s Human Research Protection Program determined that the proposed study qualifies as exempt from the Institutional Review Board review under Exemption Category 4 (PROPEL #: 80047007). Results will be published in a peer-review journal, and the findings will help inform future interventions with older adults.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42018088161.


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