scholarly journals Comparing Spinomed® and Elderly Spinal Orthosis Use on Kyphosis Angle, Back Pain, and Quality of Life in Elderly With Thoracic Hyperkyphosis

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 351-360
Author(s):  
Zahra Rahimi ◽  
◽  
Seyed Mani Mahdavi ◽  
Mojtaba Kamyab ◽  
Haleh Dadgostar ◽  
...  

Objectives: Thoracic hyperkyphosis is one of the most common conditions in the elderly. The use of orthosis and exercise is one of the most effective treatments suggested, but unfortunately, there is little evidence to support this treatment. The study aimed to compare the effect of Spinomed® orthosis and elderly spinal orthosis with exercise and exercise alone on the angle of kyphosis, quality of life, and pain in the elderly with thoracic hyperkyphosis. Methods: In this study, 40 older adults aged 60 years and older with a kyphosis angle of more than 50 degrees were recruited. The participants were allocated into three groups: Spinomed® orthosis and exercise (n=14), elderly spinal orthosis and exercise (n=15), and exercise only (n=11). The groups were treated for three months. Results: There was a significant decrease in the kyphosis angle of participants in the Spinomed® orthosis and exercise groups (P=0.005). Pain score was significantly decreased in the Spinomed® orthosis and exercise group (P=0.023). There was only a significant increase in the physical component summary in the Spinomed® orthosis and exercise group (P=0.03) and the elderly spinal orthosis and exercise group (P=0.04) . Discussion: The combination of Spinomed® orthosis with exercise is the best choice to correct the kyphosis angle, reduce pain, and increase the quality of life. Elderly spinal orthosis and exercise can also improve the quality of life scores.

1991 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 74-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Meyerowitz

The population of older adults is heterogeneous and can be divided into many subgroups: the young-old, the old-old, the healthy, the sick, the frail, the mentally and physically handicapped, the ambulatory, the chair-bound, house-bound or institution-bound, and the economically advantaged and disadvantaged. This diversity is extremely important to the discussion of the oral health needs, preventive health strategies, and research agenda for the elderly. As life expectancy increases, more attention is being paid to disease prevention so that the quality of life in old age can be improved. However, the link among oral health, systemic disease, and quality of life in the elderly needs to be better-defined. There is some evidence in the literature that indicates that coronal and root caries appear to be major health problems for the elderly. This needs to be corroborated in longitudinal studies. Although periodontal disease prevalence and severity are high in some subgroups of the elderly, these appear to be in decline in the general population. Dental health-care workers must be cognizant of the oral conditions associated with systemic disease and the use of medication, a major concern in older adults. Prevention of oral disease in the elderly requires early intervention, education of the dental health team, and innovative uses of well-established preventive agents such as fluoride. An extensive research effort is needed to answer basic and applied questions regarding the oral health needs of the elderly. Federal and private funding will be necessary. The dental profession will have to demonstrate and be persuasive that money spent on research and care for the elderly is money well spent.


Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 3366
Author(s):  
Janusz Blasiak ◽  
Jan Chojnacki ◽  
Elzbieta Pawlowska ◽  
Joanna Szczepanska ◽  
Cezary Chojnacki

The continuous increase in life expectancy results in a steady increase of cancer risk, which consequently increases the population of older adults with cancer. Older adults have their age-related nutritional needs and often suffer from comorbidities that may affect cancer therapy. They frequently are malnourished and present advanced-stage cancer. Therefore, this group of patients requires a special multidisciplinary approach to optimize their therapy and increase quality of life impaired by aging, cancer, and the side effects of therapy. Evaluation strategies, taking advantage of comprehensive geriatric assessment tools, including the comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA), can help individualize treatment. As epigenetics, an emerging element of the regulation of gene expression, is involved in both aging and cancer and the epigenetic profile can be modulated by the diet, it seems to be a candidate to assist with planning a nutritional intervention in elderly populations with cancer. In this review, we present problems associated with the diet and nutrition in the elderly undergoing active cancer therapy and provide some information on epigenetic aspects of aging and cancer transformation. Nutritional interventions modulating the epigenetic profile, including caloric restriction and basal diet with modifications (elimination diet, supplementary diet) are discussed as the ways to improve the efficacy of cancer therapy and maintain the quality of life of older adults with cancer.


Author(s):  
A.A.O. Leopoldino ◽  
R.Z. Megale ◽  
J.B.M. Diz ◽  
B.S. Moreira ◽  
D.C. Felício ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data from a prospective cohort study to investigate whether frailty is associated with pain intensity, disability caused by low back pain (LBP), and quality of life in an older population with acute non-specific LBP. Six hundred and two individuals with a mean age of 67.6 (standard deviation [SD] 7.0) years were included in the analysis. In relation to frailty status, 21.3 per cent of the sample were classified as robust, 59.2 per cent were classified as pre-frail, and 19.5 per cent were classified as frail. In the unadjusted analysis, pre-frail and frail groups showed significantly higher pain and disability scores than the robust group. Moreover, the same two groups exhibited lower scores in both physical and mental domains of quality of life than the robust group. After adjusting for socio-demographic and clinical variables, disability scores and the physical component of quality of life were significantly associated with frailty. In older adults with acute LBP, frailty is associated with more disability and worse scores in the physical component of quality of life.


2013 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. S109-S110
Author(s):  
Melanie Asbury ◽  
Amy Helstrom ◽  
Amy Benson ◽  
Shirley H. Leong ◽  
Jacob Zimmerman ◽  
...  

Diagnostics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 613
Author(s):  
Silvia Giovannini ◽  
Daniele Coraci ◽  
Fabrizio Brau ◽  
Vincenzo Galluzzo ◽  
Claudia Loreti ◽  
...  

Neuropathic pain due to a lesion or a disease of the somatosensory system often affects older people presenting several comorbidities. Moreover, elderly patients are often poly-medicated, hospitalized and treated in a nursing home with a growing risk of drug interaction and recurrent hospitalization. Neuropathic pain in the elderly has to be managed by a multidimensional approach that involves several medical, social and psychological professionals in order to improve the quality of life of the patients and, where present, their relatives.


Trials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauro Giovanni Carta ◽  
Giulia Cossu ◽  
Elisa Pintus ◽  
Rosanna Zoccheddu ◽  
Omar Callia ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Aging is marked by a progressive rise in chronic diseases with an impact on social and healthcare costs. Physical activity (PA) may soothe the inconveniences related to chronic diseases, has positive effects on the quality of life and biological rhythms, and can prevent the decline in motor functions and the consequent falls, which are associated with early death and disability in older adults. Methods We randomized 120 over-65 males and females into groups of similar size and timing and will give each either moderate physical activity or cultural and recreational activities. Being younger than 65 years, inability to participate in physical activity for any medical reason, and involvement in a massive program of physical exercise are the exclusion criteria. The primary outcome measures are: quality of life, walking speed, and postural sway. Participants are tested at baseline, post-treatment, and 6-month (24 weeks) and 12-month (48 weeks) follow-ups. Discussion This study aims at improving the quality of life, wellness, and cognitive functioning in the elderly through a low-cost affordable program of moderate physical activity. Given the growing aging of the world population and the social and economic burden of disability in the elderly, our results might have a major impact on future practices. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03858114. Registered on 28 February 2019.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 906-906
Author(s):  
Christina Whitehouse ◽  
Janell Mensinger ◽  
Michelle McKay

Abstract Prior research suggests that diabetes is a risk factor for falling. Moreover, older adults with diabetes are more likely to experience hip fractures when compared to older adults without diabetes. Research has also shown a relationship between fear of falling and quality of life. This study aimed to examine the moderating role of diabetes in the relationship between fear of falling (FoF) and quality of life (QoL) among older adults in a program for all-inclusive care for the elderly (PACE). This was a retrospective single cohort study that included 84 older adults in a PACE program located in the Northeastern United States. Participants were 55 years of age or older (M=70.33; SD=6.46) and cognitively intact. Diabetes diagnosis (n=46) was determined according to chart review. Fear of Falling was assessed with the Falls Efficacy Scale-International, and the Short Form 12v2 (SF-12v2) was used to measure the quality of life, including physical and mental domains. Hayes’ Process Macro was used to conduct moderation analyses (model 1) controlling race, gender, age, and comorbidities. Alpha was set at .10 to account for low power to detect interaction effects with small groups. Our results indicate the interaction between diabetes status and FoF was significant for mental QoL (p=.09) and not significant for physical QoL (p=.99). The association between FoF with lower mental QoL was stronger for patients with diabetes than for patients without diabetes; this finding was not replicated for physical QoL. Regardless of diabetes status, physical QoL significantly decreased as FoF increased.


2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. 304
Author(s):  
Alicia Nevriana ◽  
Pandu Riono ◽  
Tri Budi W. Rahardjo ◽  
Adji Kusumadjati

Decreasing cognitive function of the elderly is one of the most common problems that might affect their quality of life. Music is an element that is  believed to be able to contribute to the quality of life of the elderly. However, whether musical activities that are done throughout the life span related to cognitive function is unclear. In this research, we evaluated the association between lifetime musical activities and cognitive function. Fifty three older adults from three nursing homes in East Jakarta were selected and interviewed regarding their characteristics and lifetime musical activities. Cognitive function was also measured using Mini Mental State Examinaion (MMSE). The results of this preliminary study revealed that a possibility of an association between lifetime musical activities and cognitive function of the elderly was indicated. The result also showed that the participants who were not actively involved in musical activities during their lifetime were twice more likely to develop cognitive function impairment than the elderly who were actively involved in musical activities, after being adjusted by the characteristics. These correlational results suggest the beneficial effect of musical activities throughout the life span on cognitive functioning for the elderly.Penurunan fungsi kognitif merupakan salah satu masalah umum pada lanjut usia yang mampu memengaruhi kualitas hidup mereka. Musik merupakan sebuah elemen yang dipercaya mampu berkontribusi terhadap kualitas hidup mereka. Meski demikian, hubungan antara aktivitas musikal yang dilakukan sepanjang hidup dan fungsi kognitif lansia belum diketahui secara pasti. Pada penelitian ini, hubungan antara aktivitas musikal sepanjang hidup dan fungsi kognitif dievaluasi. Lima puluh tiga lansia penghuni panti tresna werdha di Jakarta Timur dipilih dan diwawancarai terkait karakteristik dan aktivitas musikal sepanjang hidup mereka. Fungsi kognitif juga diukur menggunakan MMSE. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan adanya kemungkinan asosiasi antara aktivitas musikal sepanjang hidup dan fungsi kognitif lansia. Hasil penelitian juga menunjukkan bahwa partisipan yang tidak aktif melakukan aktivitas musikal sepanjang hidupnya dua kali lebih berpeluang untuk mengalami gangguan fungsi kognitif dibandingkan dengan mereka yang aktif melakukan aktivitas musikal, sete-lah disesuaikan dengan karakteristiknya. Hasil korelasi ini mengisyaratkan pengaruh bermanfaat dari aktivitas musikal sepanjang hidup terhadap fungsi kognitif lansia.


Author(s):  
Pedro C. Santana-Mancilla ◽  
Luis E. Anido-Rifón

In the world, many older adults are living alone for most of the day. This work propose the use of the television set, a medium well known by seniors, to improve the way that seniors and their caregivers can track daily activities such as medication intakes reminders. Two evaluations were held, a heuristic usability assessment early on the design process and an evaluation of the technology adoption. Both evaluations generated initial evidence that the system supported elders in achieving a better quality of life.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document