A Systematic Review of Wearable Sensors for Monitoring Physical Activity

This article reviews the use of wearable sensors for the monitoring of physical activity (PA) for different purposes, including assessment of gait and balance, prevention and/or detection of falls, recognition of various PAs, conduction and assessment of rehabilitation exercises and monitoring of neurological disease progression. The article provides in-depth information on the retrieved articles and discusses study shortcomings related to demographic factors, i.e., age, gender, healthy participants vs patients, and study conditions. It is well known that motion patterns change with age and the onset of illnesses, and that the risk of falling increases with age. Yet, studies including older persons are rare. Gender distribution was not even provided in several studies, and others included only, or a majority of, men. Another shortcoming is that none of the studies were conducted in real-life conditions. Hence, there is still important work to be done in order to increase the usefulness of wearable sensors in these areas. The article highlights flaws in how studies based on previously collected datasets report on study samples and the data collected, which makes the validity and generalizability of those studies low. Exceptions exist, such as the promising recently reported open dataset FallAllD, wherein a longitudinal study with older adults is ongoing.

Loss of Faith and Decrease in Trust in a Higher Source During COVID-19 in Germany

Many people relied on their faith as one resource in order to cope during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Germany, between the eighteen months from June 2020 to November 2021, different participants at different times were assessed during different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. The total sample of this continuous cross-sectional survey consisted of 4,693 participants. Analyses revealed that with the 2nd wave of the infection and its 2nd lockdown, trust in a Higher Source, along with praying and meditation decreased. Also, the sharp increase in corona-related stressors was associated with a decline of wellbeing and a continuing loss of faith. These developments were observed in both Catholics and Protestants, and in both younger and older persons. In addition, the long phases of insecurity and social isolation lacking the significant support usually given by religious communities may have likewise challenged the religious-coping capacities of religious/spiritual people themselves.

Effects of Shopping Rehabilitation on Older People’s Daily Activities

In an aged society, the deterioration of physical and cognitive functions is prevalent. To motivate the rehabilitation of older persons, an initiative known as “shopping rehabilitation” incorporates shopping as an element of a nudge. The purpose of this study was to clarify motor function changes and cognitive functions of participants during shopping rehabilitation, through a semi-experimental study. We measured changes in the Kihon Checklist score before and after rehabilitation interventions. A paired t-test was used to analyze changes in the overall score of the basic checklist before and after the rehabilitation intervention. In December 2020, 59 participants answered the Kihon Checklist after their shopping rehabilitation intervention. During the 6-month intervention period, the number of participants with a checklist score of 8 or higher was significantly reduced after the intervention (p = 0.050). In the sub-analysis, the score improved significantly for the group with families (p = 0.050). Improvement was observed in the group living alone, but the difference was not significant (p = 0.428). The shopping rehabilitation intervention improved the Kihon Checklist score. Continuous observations and research are necessary to measure the long-term effects of shopping rehabilitation and the mechanisms that foster their maintenance and effects.

Experiences and practices of caregiving for older persons living with dementia in African countries: A qualitative scoping review

Background The increasing awareness and diagnosis of dementia in Africa necessitate documentation of caregiving practices to understand local patterns and improve the quality of care. Caregiving in African communities is rooted in informal-communal social organization. This scoping review analyses caregiver characteristics and experiences, and practices of caregiving for persons living with dementia in Africa. Methods A total of 152 references were retrieved, with 64 references obtained from PubMed, 85 from AJOL, and three from Scopus. Based on the relevance of titles, 83 references were further retained from PubMed (64), AJOL (16), and Scopus (3). A rapid review of abstracts was done in Distiller SR, and finally, six relevant articles were content-analyzed using Atlas ti 8.4 qualitative analysis software. Results All six included studies were published between 2003 and 2018. Four themes were identified: article characteristics, caregiver characteristics, caregiver in context, and caregiver potentialities (challenges and opportunities). Studies reported findings from research conducted in four African countries: three from Nigeria, and one each from South Africa, Egypt, and Tanzania. Caregivers of persons living with dementia typically had eight years or less of formal education, were unpaid, and spent a daily average of 13 hours in caregiving. Cultural thresholds and individual caregiver differences underlie the interpretation of stressors across cultures. Caregivers lack the right training and information as well as support systems to improve their role performance and reduce accumulated stress. Conclusion In African countries, informational and educational platforms are essential for improved individual dementia caregiving, vis-à-vis strengthened roles of governments, and religious/traditional leaders and organizations.

Vulnerability and quality of life of older persons in the community in different situations of family care

ABSTRACT Objective: to correlate socio-contextual aspects, physical vulnerability and quality of life of older persons in the community in different situations of family care. Methods: epidemiological, a cross-sectional and analytical study, with elderly people in the community (n=769), with application of the instruments: Vulnerable Elders Survey-13 (VES-13), World Health Organization Quality of Life for Older Persons (WHOQOL-OLD) and the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF); and socio-contextual data questionnaire. Results: the population assessed presented an average of regular quality of life in both the WHOQOL-BREF and the WHOQOL-OLD. Older non-vulnerable persons (62.2%) and those with close family contact (82.6%) have a better quality of life than the vulnerable (p<0.0001). Conclusion: lower quality of life scores and more distant families are related to vulnerable elderly people; thus, the assessment of family proximity and physical vulnerability of older persons is shown to be an important factor in improving quality of life.