The Contribution of Technologies to Promote Healthy Aging and Prevent Frailty in Elderly People

2019 ◽  
pp. 142-168
Author(s):  
Cristina Albuquerque
Keyword(s):  
Elderly People ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Complementary Mechanism

In this chapter, the author discusses the contribution of technological achievements and ICT applications to prevent or reverse frailty in elderly people and to promote active and healthy aging. After a theoretical and political reflection about the issues associated to a new paradigm of aging in current societies, the author underlines the potentialities of technology as a complementary mechanism to achieve alternative and innovative responses as well as integrated and multidimensional policies and actions.

scholarly journals Thematic research clusters in very old populations (≥ 80 years): a bibliometric approach

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregorio Gonzalez-Alcaide ◽  
Sergio Palacios-Fernandez ◽  
Jose-Manuel Ramos-Rincon
Keyword(s):  
Elderly People ◽  
Bacterial Infections ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Population Aging ◽  
Publication Output ◽  
Geographic Region ◽  
Geriatric Syndromes ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Very Old ◽  
Subject Areas

Abstract Background Population aging will be one of humanity’s major challenges in the decades to come. In addition to focusing on the pathologies causing the greatest mortality and morbidity in this population, such as dementia, health research in elderly people must consider a myriad of other interlinked factors, such as geriatric syndromes, social aspects, and factors related to preserving quality of life and promoting healthy aging. This study aims to identify the main subject areas attracting research attention with regard to very old (≥ 80 years) populations. Methods Documents assigned with the medical subject heading “Aged, 80 and over” were retrieved from MEDLINE and the Web of Science. This dataset was used to determine publication output by disease, geographic region, country, and discipline. A co-word analysis was undertaken to identify thematic research clusters. Results Since the mid-2000s, there has been a boom in scientific output focusing specifically on very old populations, especially in Europe (43.7% of the documents) but also in North America (30.5%) and Asia (26%); other regions made only nominal contributions (0.5 to 4.4%). The USA produced the most research, while the most growth over the study period occurred in Japan, Spain, and China. Four broad thematic clusters were identified: a) geriatric diseases, health services for the aged, and social and psychological issues of aging; b) cardiovascular diseases; c) neoplasms, and d) bacterial infections & anti-bacterial agents. Conclusions Scientific research in very old populations covers a wide variety of interrelated topics. In quantitative terms, the top subject areas have to do with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases (including aortic valve stenosis and stroke), dementia, and neoplasms. However, other degenerative pathologies, geriatric syndromes, and different social and psychosocial aspects also attract considerable interest. It is necessary to promote more equal participation in global research on pathologies and topics related to very elderly populations, as the highest rates of population aging and the largest numbers of elderly people in the next decades will be in low- and middle-income countries.

scholarly journals Dijaloški odnos bioetike i biopolitike

Diacovensia ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 437-456
Author(s):  
Mislav Kutleša
Keyword(s):  
Human Nature ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
Human Dignity ◽  
Human Person ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Main Concern ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Value System ◽  
Independent Work

The paper seeks to establish a relationship between bioethics and biopolitics in the context of elderly people. Although aging itself is not a phenomenon, the attitude towards elderly people is highlighted as a phenomenon. Given that they often lose their psychophysical abilities and are faced with personal limitations, they inevitably face both the value system and the treatment of society. In this sense, biopolitics is manifested as the force and power whose instruments allow it to transform and shape a new culture, however, not by independent work, but relying on the help of bioethics, whose main concern is the attitude towards human dignity, life and health. Contrary to the culture of materialism and consumerism, bioethics has the task to reawaken in the modern society the meaning and value of human nature as the basis of ethics and healthy biopolitics in order to raise awareness of virtues as part of the nature of the human person. This aims to highlight the ethics of virtues as a new paradigm of biopolitics because it corresponds to that original and primordial human.

scholarly journals Nutrition and Healthy Aging: Prevention and Treatment of Gastrointestinal Diseases

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 4337
Author(s):  
Neri Maria Cristina ◽  
d’Alba Lucia
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Gastrointestinal Diseases ◽  
The Body ◽  
Fundamental Aspect ◽  
Effective Prevention

Nutritional well-being is a fundamental aspect for the health, autonomy and, therefore, the quality of life of all people, but especially of the elderly. It is estimated that at least half of non-institutionalized elderly people need nutritional intervention to improve their health and that 85% have one or more chronic diseases that could improve with correct nutrition. Although prevalence estimates are highly variable, depending on the population considered and the tool used for its assessment, malnutrition in the elderly has been reported up to 50%. Older patients are particularly at risk of malnutrition, due to multiple etiopathogenetic factors which can lead to a reduction or utilization in the intake of nutrients, a progressive loss of functional autonomy with dependence on food, and psychological problems related to economic or social isolation, e.g., linked to poverty or loneliness. Changes in the aging gut involve the mechanical disintegration of food, gastrointestinal motor function, food transit, intestinal wall function, and chemical digestion of food. These alterations progressively lead to the reduced ability to supply the body with adequate levels of nutrients, with the consequent development of malnutrition. Furthermore, studies have shown that the quality of life is impaired both in gastrointestinal diseases, but especially in malnutrition. A better understanding of the pathophysiology of malnutrition in elderly people is necessary to promote the knowledge of age-related changes in appetite, food intake, homeostasis, and body composition in order to better develop effective prevention and intervention strategies to achieve healthy aging.

scholarly journals Idiopatic pulmonary fibrosis: A new paradigm

2017 ◽  
Vol 89 (1) ◽  
pp. 112-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
S N Avdeev
Keyword(s):  
Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis ◽  
Pulmonary Fibrosis ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
Lung Diseases ◽  
Interstitial Lung Diseases ◽  
Common Disease ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
The Past ◽  
New Evidence

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis ((IPF) is the most common disease from a group of interstitial lung diseases, which occurs mainly in middle-aged and elderly people. Over the past decade, there have been considerable changes in approaches to diagnosing and treating IPF. The paper presents an update on the epidemiology of IPF, the results of new studies of its pathogenesis, and main approaches to diagnosing the disease. In addition, there is new evidence on therapy for IPF.

scholarly journals Thematic Research Clusters in Very Old Populations (≥ 80 Years): a Bibliometric Approach

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregorio González-Alcaide ◽  
Sergio Palacios-Fernandez ◽  
Jose-Manuel Ramos-Rincon
Keyword(s):  
Elderly People ◽  
Bacterial Infections ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Publication Output ◽  
Geographic Region ◽  
Geriatric Syndromes ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Very Old ◽  
Mortality And Morbidity ◽  
Subject Areas

Abstract BackgroundPopulation aging will be one of humanity’s major challenges in the decades to come. In addition to focusing on the pathologies causing the greatest mortality and morbidity in this population, such as dementia, health research in elderly people must consider a myriad of other interlinked factors, such as geriatric syndromes, social aspects, and factors related to preserving quality of life and promoting healthy aging. This study aims to identify the main subject areas attracting research attention with regard to very old (≥ 80 years) populations.MethodsDocuments assigned with the medical subject heading “Aged, 80 and over” were retrieved from MEDLINE and the Web of Science. This dataset was used to determine publication output by disease, geographic region, country, and discipline. A co-word analysis was undertaken to identify thematic research clusters.ResultsSince the mid-2000s, there has been a boom in scientific output focusing specifically on very old populations, especially in Europe (43.7% of the documents) but also in North America (30.5%) and Asia (26%); other regions made only nominal contributions (0.5% to 4.4%). The USA produced the most research, while the most growth over the study period occurred in Japan, Spain, and China. Four broad thematic clusters were identified: a) geriatric diseases, health services for the aged, and social and psychological issues of aging; b) cardiovascular diseases; c) neoplasms, and d) bacterial infections & anti-bacterial agents.ConclusionsScientific research in very old populations covers a wide variety of interrelated topics. In quantitative terms, the top subject areas have to do with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases (including aortic valve stenosis and stroke), dementia, and neoplasms. However, other degenerative pathologies, geriatric syndromes, and different social and psychosocial aspects also attract considerable interest. It is necessary to promote more equal participation in global research on pathologies and topics related to very elderly populations, as the highest rates of population aging and the largest numbers of elderly people in the next decades will be in low- and middle-income countries.

scholarly journals Efforts to Achieve Healthy Aging

2008 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. IMI.S976
Author(s):  
Ping-Chung Leung
Keyword(s):  
Elderly People ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Good Health ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Strenuous Exercise ◽  
Natural Processes ◽  
Professional Groups ◽  
Traditional Belief ◽  
Internal Balance

Longevity is a blessing as long as good health is not lost. However, the tendency to have a decline on normal physiological activities is inevitable because of the natural processes of degeneration at all levels: molecular, cellular and organic. Hence, the elderly people frequently suffer from cardiovascular problems and skeletal deteriorations that gradually develop to disabilities. Awareness of factors leading to unhealthy aging has led to the formation of different professional groups that aim at the maintenance of health of aging community. The approach tends to be target orientated for the European and US groups, aiming at hormonal replacements and detoxification. In contrast, the oriental groups have been keeping their traditional belief of prevention and internal balance, using nutritional arrangements and non-strenuous exercise as means of maintaining health.

scholarly journals Comprehensive public health action for our aging world: the quintessence of public health policy

2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 555-556 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandul Yasobant
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Public Health Action ◽  
Health Action ◽  
Policies And Programs ◽  
Aging World

The number of elderly people is increasing rapidly because of decreasing mortality rates and increasing lifespans throughout the world. Policies and programs for elderly people are limited, and existing programs/policies are not implemented effectively towards the goal of healthier aging. Unlike other public health issues and actions, there is an urgent need to build an evidence-based comprehensive public health action policy for healthy aging.

scholarly journals Dynamics of Variation in Physical Capacity of Elderly People

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (91) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lina Kreivėnaitė ◽  
Vytautas Streckis ◽  
Kristina Visagurskienė ◽  
Alfonsas Buliuolis ◽  
Asta Lileikienė
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
Aerobic Capacity ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Physical Capacity ◽  
Trunk Flexion ◽  
Elderly Males ◽  
Flexor Muscles ◽  
Research Period

Research background and hypothesis. Increase in physical capacity and ftness can lead to additional improvements in health status, which is so important for healthy aging. Most scientists emphasize the physical activity decline in people of all ages. Therefore, it is important to assess health-related physical capacity and encourage people of various ages to improve their health, physical ftness and the quality of their life. Hypothesis – a signifcant decline in physical capacity of the elderly will be identifed during the research period. Research aim – to identify the variation dynamics of physical capacity indices of elderly people. Research methods. 60–69-year-old males and females were selected for the data analysis (n = 244). The anthropometric data and the physical capacity test results of trunk flexion, sit ups, balance and 1000 meter run were analysed. Physical capacity tests were carried out on the basis of the ‘Euroft’ test methodology. The methods of descriptive statistics were used for the data analysis. Research results. Body balance (43.8%) and aerobic capacity (20.8%) of the elderly males signifcantly declined (p < 0.05) during the experimental period. However, improvement in the flexibility of males 16.5% (p < 0.05) was identifed. The capacity of trunk flexor muscles of elderly females improved signifcantly by 39.3%, while the balance – by 18.1% (p < 0.05). Analysis of the results in reference to gender showed that the balance, the capacity of trunk flexor muscles and aerobic capacity of elderly females increased signifcantly in comparison with males (p < 0.05). Nevertheless, the flexibility variation of males was higher than the one of females (p < 0.05) at the end of the research period. Discussion and conclusions. The balance and aerobic capacity of elderly males signifcantly decreased, whereas the flexibility improved. The capacity of trunk flexor muscles and balance of elderly females resulted in a statistically signifcant increase. In reference to the gender aspect it was determined that the majority of physical capacity results of elderly females statistically signifcantly developed more than the physical capacity results of males. Keywords: physical capacity, elderly people, ‘Euroft’.

scholarly journals Construction and validation of an educational gerontotechnology on frailty in elderly people

2020 ◽  
Vol 73 (suppl 3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia Roberta Dias Torres Silva ◽  
Sarah Giulia Bandeira Felipe ◽  
Khelyane Mesquita de Carvalho ◽  
Marcia Teles de Oliveira Gouveia ◽  
Fernando Lopes Silva Júnior ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Elderly People ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Educational Video ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Content Validation ◽  
Methodological Study ◽  
Educational Content ◽  
Suitability Assessment ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Three Stages

ABSTRACT Objective: to construct and validate an educational gerontechnology on frailty in elderly people. Method: a methodological study developed in three stages: educational video construction, validation by expert judges and elderly people. Validation was carried out by 22 judges and 22 elderly people. Educational Content Validation Instrument was used for judges and questions adapted from the Suitability Assessment of Materials questionnaire for elderly people. For validation, agreement criterion greater than 80% was considered, verified using Content Validation Index and binomial test. Results: the video addresses recommendations for elderly people at risk of frailty and health-promoting habits, using cordel literature. An agreement greater than 80% was verified in all items assessed by judges and the target audience. Conclusion: the video proved to be valid in terms of content and appearance by judges and elderly people, with the potential to mediate health-promoting educational practices in healthy aging.

scholarly journals Application of Clinical Aging Indicators for the Assessment of Neurological Health via Screening Among Residents of the Almaty Region

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erkin Nurguzhayev ◽  
Renat Iliyev ◽  
Dmitriy Mitrokhin ◽  
Altynay Karimova
Keyword(s):  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Medical Examination ◽  
Neurological Dysfunction ◽  
Elderly Persons ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Adequate Treatment ◽  
Life Expectancy At Birth ◽  
Life Years

Introduction. Life expectancy at birth is considered to be a primary indicator of public health success. However, an increase in life expectancy is meaningless if it is not accompanied by an equivalent increase in the number of life years without disability such as physical, cognitive, and psychological abilities. The main consequences of disease leading to neurological dysfunction are directly related to issues such as the inability to walk, talk, learn, live in society, or take care of oneself. The objective of the study was to conduct a medical examination of elderly people as a part of the scientific program "Development of a model (program) of anti-aging to provide active longevity of elderly people of Kazakhstan.”Methods. As part of a pilot study, we assessed the presence of the following clinical indicators of aging: cognitive impairment (MMSE test), pyramidal symptoms,and  ataxia. We conducted medical examination (screening) among 150 elderly persons in Almaty City Polyclinic #8 and 287 elderly persons in Central Regional Clinic of Rayimbek Area, Almaty region aged 45 and above.Results. The results show that the intensity of changes is directly dependent on the age of the study groups. The cognitive function is the most affected and depends on the age of examinees. The changes are more expressed among residents of Almaty region. The average MMSE score in Almaty was 28.2 (age group of 45-49 years) and 25.8 (age group of 80 and above), and 27.3 and 24.0 respectively  in Almaty region. The various symptoms among residents of Almaty tend to stabilize after 65 years, however, the frequency of ataxia continues to grow and increases significantly after 75 years.Conclusions. Considering that important risk factors of neurological disorders are cerebrovascular diseases of various origins (primarily hypertension, atherosclerosis, and diabetes), an adequate treatment of these diseases will increase a healthy lifespan. Furthermore, it is necessary to conduct additional research for possible methods of reducing existing morbidities so that healthy aging can be achieved.

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