scholarly journals Development of a Caterpillar-Type Walker for the Elderly People

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 383
Author(s):  
Yeon-Kyun Lee ◽  
Chang-Min Yang ◽  
Sol Kim ◽  
Ji-Yong Jung ◽  
Jung-Ja Kim
Keyword(s):  
Elderly People ◽  
General Type ◽  
Walking Speed ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Walking Ability ◽  
Uneven Terrain ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Upper And Lower Extremities ◽  
Balance Ability ◽  
Improve Stability

A walker assists elderly people with age-related reduced walking ability and helps to improve stability and balance ability. However, if the general-type walker (GTW) is used on an uneven, obstacle, or sloped terrain, it may cause excessive muscle use and falls. Therefore, in this study, we developed a caterpillar-type walker (CTW) that elderly people can safely use in various terrains. Twelve elderly who were able to walk normally participated in the study. The activity of upper and lower extremity muscles, the number of obstacles overcome, and walking speed was compared and analyzed when using two types of walkers in uneven terrain, obstacle terrain, and sloped terrain. In addition, satisfaction with the use of these walkers was evaluated. When CTW was used, the activity of the muscles of the upper and lower extremities was significantly reduced compared to the use of GTW on all terrains. The walker developed in this study overcame obstacles of all heights, but the GTW failed to overcome obstacles starting from the 2 cm section. In terms of walking speed, when the CTW was used, the walking speed was higher than that of the GTW in uneven terrain and obstacle terrain. In satisfaction, there were significant differences in safety, durability, simplicity of use, comfort, and effectiveness. Through these results, it was confirmed that the CTW can efficiently and safely assist the elderly in walking on uneven terrain, obstacle terrain, and inclined terrain.

scholarly journals Four or Twelve Months' Follow-Up in the Evaluation of Functional Outcome after Hip Fracture Surgery?

2005 ◽  
Vol 94 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Heikkinen ◽  
P. Jalovaara
Keyword(s):  
Hip Fracture ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Important Variable ◽  
Walking Ability ◽  
Hip Fracture Surgery ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Walking Aids ◽  
One Year

Background and Aims: As a rule, follow-up for at least one year is recommended for fracture studies. This is considered the shortest reliable interval. Still, in the case of hip fractures of the elderly, shorter follow-up might be more practical, since the life expectancy of these patients is often short. The aim of this study was to see if a short four months follow-up period would be acceptable in hip fracture surveys. Material and Methods: Information on 196 consecutive non-pathological hip fracture patients aged 50 years or over (mean 79 years) was collected using a standardised hip fracture audit concentrating on functional measurements at admission and at four and twelve months' follow-ups. Results: 167 patients were alive at four months and 152 and at one year. The patients who died between four and twelve months had poorer functional capacity in the four-month evaluation than those who survived one year. The analysis of repeated measures, including only the patients alive at the last follow-up, showed that residential status, use of walking aids and 6 out of 10 and ADL variables (bathing, toileting, shopping, household activities, doing laundry, banking) did not change significantly. Walking ability and the rest 4 ADL variables (dressing, eating, food preparation, use of transportation) improved and pain decreased. Conclusions: Due to high mortality and age-related deterioration of functioning, no steady state i.e. “final result” is ever reached after hip fracture in the elderly. Four-month follow-up is justified as the shortest possible period, because the socioeconomically most important variable, i.e. place of living, and most of the ADL functions do not change significantly after that.

Immunosenescence of Lymphocytes T and Implications for Age-Related Disorders

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Tylutka ◽  
Barbara Morawin ◽  
Artur Gramacki ◽  
Agnieszka Zembron-Lacny
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
Cd8 T Cells ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Female Group ◽  
Major Health ◽  
Cd8 Cells ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Sex Disorders

Abstract Background. The decrease in immunity with age is still a major health concern as elderly people are more susceptible to infections and increased incidence of autoimmunity. Consequently, there is an increasing interest in immunosenescence and changes in immunology cells like T cells. The aim of our study was to find a disproportion in subpopulation of T cells as well as CD4/CD8 ratio depending on the age, gender or comorbidities. Results. In the present study, a flow cytometry was used to indicate the differences between age, sex, disorders and fat content in the CD4+ and CD8+ T cells population divided into naïve and memory cells as well as CD4/CD8 ratio in people aged 71.9± 5.8 years (females n=83, males n=16) compared to young people aged 20.6 ± 1.1 years (females n=12, males n=19). The percentage of naïve CD4+ and CD8+ cells was found to be statistically significantly lower in the elderly compared to the young. In addition, gender was observed to play an important role in the outcomes in the analysed subpopulations and in female group, who live statistically longer than males, our older group of Polish women demonstrated a significantly higher percentage of naïve lymphocytes in both the CD4+ and CD8+ populations compared to men. The CD4/CD8 ratio increases with age, which can be considered one of the markers determining longevity. Elderly people with age-related diseases (hypertension) also show an increased level of CD4/CD8 ratio as well as CD4+. Conclusion. We demonstrated that changes in the T cells population, including naïve cell population as well as CD4/CD8 ratio, are important markers which can be predictive of healthy status. In order to accurately determine longevity, gender or age-associated diseases should be taken into account.

Selenium Status in Elderly People: Longevity and Age-Related Diseases

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (15) ◽  
pp. 1694-1706 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harry Robberecht ◽  
Tess De Bruyne ◽  
Elisabeth Davioud-Charvet ◽  
John Mackrill ◽  
Nina Hermans
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Trace Element ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
Biological Samples ◽  
Elderly Population ◽  
Selenium Concentration ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Healthy Adults ◽  
Selenium Status ◽  
Age Related

Background:Selenium (Se) is a trace element active in selenoproteins, which can regulate oxidative stress. It is generally perceived as an import factor for maintaining health in the elderly.Methods:The goal of this review is to discuss selenium concentration in biological samples, primarily serum or plasma, as a function of age and its relation with longevity. The elemental level in various age-related diseases is reviewed.Conclusion:Highest selenium values were observed in healthy adults, while in an elderly population significantly lower concentrations were reported. Variables responsible for contradictory findings are mentioned. Risk and benefits of Se-supplementation still remain under debate.

scholarly journals Long-Term Outcomes of Cervical Laminoplasty in the Elderly

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasushi Oshima ◽  
Kota Miyoshi ◽  
Yoji Mikami ◽  
Hideki Nakamoto ◽  
Sakae Tanaka
Keyword(s):  
Hazard Analysis ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Neurological Status ◽  
Cervical Laminoplasty ◽  
Long Term Outcomes ◽  
Cox Proportional Hazard ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Upper And Lower Extremities

Incidences of cervical laminoplasty in the elderly are increasing; the influence of other age-related complications and neurological status must be considered for justifying surgery. This study identified the aforementioned influence on long-term outcomes of cervical laminoplasty in patients aged ≥75 years. Thirty-seven of 38 consecutive patients aged ≥75 years who underwent cervical laminoplasty were retrospectively evaluated. Minimum 5-year follow-up was acceptable if patients were complication-free. Follow-up was terminated when neurological evaluation was not possible, owing to death or other serious complications affecting activities of daily living (ADL). Postoperative neurological changes and newly developed severe complications were investigated. Postoperatively, one patient died of acute pneumonia, one remained nonambulatory owing to cerebral infarction, and 35 were ambulatory and were discharged. At a mean follow-up of 78 months, three patients died and nine developed serious complications severely affecting ADL. Of the 25 remaining patients, 23 remained ambulatory at mean follow-up of 105 months. Cox proportional hazard analysis revealed that postoperative motor upper and lower extremities JOA scores of ≤2 and ≤1, respectively, were risk factors for mortality or other severe complications. Postoperative neurological status can be maintained in the elderly if they remain complication-free. Poorer neurological status significantly affected their ADL and mortality.

scholarly journals Lower human defensin 5 in elderly people compared to middle-aged is associated with differences in the intestinal microbiota composition: the DOSANCO Health Study

GeroScience ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Shimizu ◽  
Kiminori Nakamura ◽  
Mani Kikuchi ◽  
Shigekazu Ukawa ◽  
Koshi Nakamura ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Elderly People ◽  
Intestinal Microbiota ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Paneth Cell ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Microbiota Composition ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Human Defensin 5

AbstractRecently, aging is considered a risk factor for various diseases. Although changes in the intestinal microbiota along with aging are thought to associate with the increased disease risk, mechanisms that cause age-related transition of the intestinal microbiota remain unknown. This study aims to clarify relationships between the amount of human defensin 5 (HD5), a Paneth cell α-defensin, which is known to regulate the intestinal microbiota, and age-related differences of the intestinal microbiota composition. Fecal samples from 196 healthy Japanese (35 to 81 years old) were collected and measured HD5 concentration. HD5 concentration in the elderly group (age > 70 years old) was significantly lower than the middle-aged group (age ≤ 70 years old). Furthermore, individual age was negatively correlated with HD5 concentration (r =  − 0.307, p < 0.001). In β-diversity, the intestinal microbiota of the elderly showed a significantly different composition compared to the middle-aged. At the genus level, relative abundance of Collinsella, Alistipes, Peptococcaceae; unassigned, Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Weissella, Christensenellaceae R-7 group, Megasphaera, and [Eubacterium] eligens group was significantly higher, and Lachnospiraceae; unassigned, Blautia, Anaerostipes, Fusicatenibacter, Dorea, and Faecalibacterium was significantly lower in the elderly compared to the middle-aged. In addition, HD5 concentration was negatively correlated with Alistipes, Peptococcaceae; unassigned, and Christensenellaceae R-7 group and positively correlated with Lachnospiraceae; unassigned and Dorea. These results provide novel insights into the immunosenescence of enteric innate immunity, indicating low HD5 is suggested to contribute to the age-related differences in the intestinal microbiota and may relate to increased risk of diseases in elderly people.

scholarly journals Internet use and self-assessed health among older people: an update using SHARE data (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aida-Isabel Tavares
Keyword(s):  
Digital Divide ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Elderly Persons ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Share Data ◽  
Self Assessed Health ◽  
The Relationship

BACKGROUND Ten years ago, an age-related digital divide was identified, where the elderly were a group of people at risk of losing the benefits of a digital society. Since then a 'new' generation of elderly has emerged. We are now updating previous studies on the relationship between self-assessed health and internet use by elderly persons. OBJECTIVE The two aims of this work are to find a relationship between self-assessed health and internet use by elderly people in European countries and to ascertain whether this relationship differs in countries with a more developed eHealth policy. METHODS Individual data from the SHARE survey version 6.0.0 published in 2017 for 18 countries are used. An ordered logistic regression is estimated for all the countries in the sample and for two subsets of countries which differ in their eHealth performance. RESULTS Results show that elderly people who use the internet tend to report better health status. The estimated coefficient equals 0.288 (p=0.00). This relationship is stronger in countries with higher eHealth performance where the estimated coefficient equals 0.413 (p=0.00). In countries with lower eHealth performance, that coefficient equals 0.148 (p=0.00). CONCLUSIONS This study showed that internet use is a determinant of self-assessed health among the elderly. There are lines for future research such as explaining 'why' and 'how' trust may influence the relationship between internet use and self-assessed health and examining the digital divide due to socioeconomic inequality.

scholarly journals New Methods, Old Brains—A Systematic Review on the Effects of tDCS on the Cognition of Elderly People

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Siegert ◽  
Lukas Diedrich ◽  
Andrea Antal
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Cortical Excitability ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Brain State ◽  
Novel Treatments ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
Age Related Cognitive Decline

The world's population is aging. With this comes an increase in the prevalence of age-associated diseases, which amplifies the need for novel treatments to counteract cognitive decline in the elderly. One of the recently discussed non-pharmacological approaches is transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). TDCS delivers weak electric currents to the brain, thereby modulating cortical excitability and activity. Recent evidence suggests that tDCS, mainly with anodal currents, can be a powerful means to non-invasively enhance cognitive functions in elderly people with age-related cognitive decline. Here, we screened a recently developed tDCS database (http://tdcsdatabase.com) that is an open access source of published tDCS papers and reviewed 16 studies that applied tDCS to healthy older subjects or patients suffering from Alzheimer's Disease or pre-stages. Evaluating potential changes in cognitive abilities we focus on declarative and working memory. Aiming for more standardized protocols, repeated tDCS applications (2 mA, 30 min) over the left dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex (LDLPFC) of elderly people seem to be one of the most efficient non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) approaches to slow progressive cognitive deterioration. However, inter-subject variability and brain state differences in health and disease restrict the possibility to generalize stimulation methodology and increase the necessity of personalized protocol adjustment by means of improved neuroimaging techniques and electrical field modeling.

An Approach to Adapt the Product Functionality to the Abilities of Seniors

2011 ◽  
pp. 127-153
Author(s):  
Kristin Paetzold
Keyword(s):  
Elderly People ◽  
Aging Process ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Medical Conditions ◽  
Domestic Environment ◽  
Considerable Potential ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Complex Development ◽  
Technical Systems

Elderly people are restricted in their efficiency due to the aging process. Technical systems provide a considerable potential to support the elderly in their domestic environment. It is important, to focus not only on aspects of ergonomics and operability, but the functionality of the products themselves should be stronger in these considerations. To be able to support the designers in their complex development tasks at first typical age-related restrictions and medical conditions from an engineer’s point of view will be described in the framework of this presentation, as well as, the influence of the biography on the use of technique will be analyzed. Considering these aspects, an approach for classification and structuring can be derived, in which typical symptoms and their characteristics are related to appropriate product requirements.

scholarly journals Salivary Antioxidant Barrier, Redox Status, and Oxidative Damage to Proteins and Lipids in Healthy Children, Adults, and the Elderly

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mateusz Maciejczyk ◽  
Anna Zalewska ◽  
Jerzy Robert Ładny
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Oxidative Damage ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Redox Status ◽  
Antioxidant Systems ◽  
Healthy Children ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Oxidative Damage To Proteins

Despite the proven role of oxidative stress in numerous systemic diseases and in the process of aging, little is still known about the salivary redox balance of healthy children, adults, and the elderly. Our study was the first to assess the antioxidant barrier, redox status, and oxidative damage in nonstimulated (NWS) and stimulated (SWS) saliva as well as blood samples of healthy individuals at different ages. We divided 90 generally healthy people into three equally numbered groups based on age: 2–14 (children and adolescents), 25–45 (adults), and 65–85 (elderly people). Antioxidant enzymes (salivary peroxidase (Px), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT), and superoxide dismutase-1 (SOD)), nonenzymatic antioxidants (reduced glutathione (GSH) and uric acid (UA)), redox status (total antioxidant capacity (TAC), total oxidant status (TOS), and oxidative stress index (OSI)), and oxidative damage products (advanced glycation end products (AGE), advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP), and malondialdehyde (MDA)) were evaluated in NWS and SWS as well as in erythrocyte/plasma samples. We demonstrated that salivary and blood antioxidant defense is most effective in people aged 25–45. In the elderly, we observed a progressive decrease in the efficiency of central antioxidant systems (↓GPx, ↓SOD, ↓GSH, and ↓TAC in erythrocytes and plasma vs. adults) as well as in NWS (↓Px, ↓UA, and ↓TAC vs. adults) and SWS (↓TAC vs. adults). Both local and systemic antioxidant systems were less efficient in children and adolescents than in the group of middle-aged people, which indicates age-related immaturity of antioxidant mechanisms. Oxidative damage to proteins (↑AGE, ↑AOPP) and lipids (↑MDA) was significantly higher in saliva and plasma of elderly people in comparison with adults and children/adolescents. Of all the evaluated biomarkers, only salivary oxidative damage products generally reflected their content in blood plasma. The level of salivary redox biomarkers did not vary based on gender.

scholarly journals THE EXAMINATION OF SHORT HANDWRITTEN RECORDS EXECUTED BY PERSONS OF THE ELDERLY AND SENILE AGE

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 291-308
Author(s):  
D. Gaydamakina ◽  
O. Drobysheva ◽  
L. Grinenko ◽  
O. Matsiuk
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
Musculoskeletal System ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
The Body ◽  
Handwriting Analysis ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Forensic Practice ◽  
Diagnostic Signs ◽  
The Stability

Nowadays, the objects of forensic handwriting analysis are often become short handwritten records of elderly people and senile. The study of such records is one of the most difficult when conducting handwriting examination. This is due to the nature of this object, which is often subjected to changes due to insufficient written practice, influence of age-related changes in the body or conditions common for the elderly people and senile, frequent execution of short handwritten records in unusual conditions, and sometimes with the help of other people, limitations in the studied graphic material. The article attempts to substantiate and systematize theoretical knowledge on the study of short handwritten records executed by elderly and senile people through analyzing the literature and forensic practice on the study of this type of objects, establishing individual patterns of handwriting, explaining the nature of diagnostic signs occurrence, determining the structure of the process for solving the mentioned tasks. Cases from practice and related problematic aspects of solving identification and diagnostic tasks are considered. The main characteristics of impaired ability (sensory, amnestic and motor aphasia) to write are given. Literature sources are analyzed, which consider the physiological mechanisms of the formation of writing skills and the features of their changes due to various conditions in elderly and senile people. Handwriting can undergo changes owing to aging of the body. Disorder of hand-eye coordination, conditions of the musculoskeletal system, nervous system, circulatory disorders, inherent for elderly and senile people, affect the stability of handwriting features. Testaments, contracts of sale and donation, bank documents are often signed by people of elderly and senile age shortly before death resulting from a serious long illness after experiencing such conditions as stroke or myocardial infarction. It is the aging of the body that is accompanied by deterioration in the state of health, impaired vision, muscle weakness, depletion of the nervous system, decreased mobility of the musculoskeletal system and impaired blood circulation. Features of writing motor skill functioning in the elderly and senile people lead to a slowdown in the tempo of movement, decrease in their amplitude and speed, decrease in the plasticity of movements. The correct ratio of such signs as proficiency and coordination of movements is of great importance. In addition, short handwritten records executed by the elderly and senile people contain a limited amount of graphic material. At the moment of executing a short recording, even under normal conditions, the performer needs a certain adaptation to a situation, which can not be performed while rare or occasional execution of a single short record. Therefore, the stability of a skill while executing short recording has an increased spread, and selective variability has low thresholds.

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