Happy Elderly in the Pandemic Period with Elderly Gymnastics and Counseling Methods

Elderly is an advanced stage of the life process decreasing the body's ability to adapt to the environment. Degenerative disease is a disease that occurs due to decreased organ function, including hypertension, rhematoid arthritis, stroke, diabetes mellitus. Various strategies are pursued to improve health status and reduce morbidity in the elderly. One of them is through physical activity that is in accordance with the physical condition of the elderly and is carried out regularly. In addition, increasing knowledge through counseling which aims to help the elderly make decisions and determine a healthy lifestyle. The purpose of this activity is to improve the quality of life of the elderly. The method used is by doing elderly exercise with pre and post blood pressure checks so that it can be seen the significance of the benefits of exercise. In addition, counseling was carried out using lecture, discussion and question and answer methods. The target audience for this community service program is the elderly (elderly) in the Poskesdes Village of Benteng who are physically categorized as doing sports / physical activity for the elderly. The results of this activity show that the effectiveness of elderly gymnastics has an effect on reducing blood pressure. And from counseling, the results of the evaluation show that the elderly understand and understand the concept of healthy elderly people related to the pandemic.

Detection of Cerebral Microbleeds With Venous Connection at 7 Tesla MRI

Objective:Cerebral microbleeds (MBs) are a common finding in cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) and Alzheimer’s disease patients as well as in healthy elderly people, but their pathophysiology remains unclear. To investigate a possible role of veins in the development of MBs, we performed an exploratory study, assessing in vivo presence of MBs with a direct connection to a vein.Methods:7 Tesla (7 T) MRI was conducted and MBs were counted on Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping (QSM). A submillimeter resolution QSM-based venogram allowed identification of MBs with a direct spatial connection to a vein.Results:51 subjects (mean age [SD] 70.5[8.6] years, 37% females) participated in the study: 20 were patients with CSVD (cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) with strictly lobar MBs (n=8), hypertensive arteriopathy (HA) with strictly deep MBs (n=5), and mixed lobar and deep MBs (n=7), 72.4 [6.1] years, 30% females) and 31 were healthy controls (69.4 [9.9] years, 42% females). In our cohort, we counted a total of 96 MBs with a venous connection, representing 14% of all detected MBs on 7T QSM. Most venous MBs (86%, n = 83) were observed in lobar locations and all of these were cortical. CAA subjects showed the highest ratio of venous to total MBs (19%) (HA=9%, mixed=18%, controls=5%)Conclusions:Our findings establish a link between cerebral MBs and the venous vasculature, pointing towards a possible contribution of veins to CSVD in general and to CAA in particular. Pathological studies are needed to confirm our observations.

Effects of Balance Shoes on Balance and Postural Stability in the Elderly: A Crossover, Controlled, Randomized Single-Blind Study

The risk of falling increases with age. Individuals wearing unadapted shoes present an aggravating risk factor. The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of specifically designed balance shoes on balance and postural stability in healthy elderly people compared to that of their usual shoes. In total, 21 healthy individuals aged 65–84 years (76.0 ± 8.0 years) performed balance tests (bipedal with open or closed eyes, unipedal with open eyes, limits of stability, and step cadence) while wearing their (i) personal shoes or (ii) balance shoes (Axis Comfort Development©). Three test sessions were conducted with personal and balance shoes. The first served as the baseline, and the other two were performed after a familiarization period of several days with the personal or balance shoes. The perception of balance shoe efficiency was documented using a questionnaire. The balance shoes significantly improved bipedal balance with closed eyes. Moreover, the familiarization period significantly improved unipedal balance with open eyes. Most subjects felt safer and stabler using balance shoes. The investigated specifically designed balance shoes were effective in elderly individuals in improving postural balance compared to personal shoes. The balance shoes could, therefore, reduce the falling risk in healthy elderly people.

Are There Any Cognitive Benefits of Computer-Based Foreign Language Training for Healthy Elderly People? – A Mini-Review

The purpose of this mini-review is to investigate if there are any cognitive benefits of computer-based foreign language training for healthy older individuals aged 55+ years. The author conducted a literature search of peer-reviewed English written research articles found in Pub Med, Web of Science and Scopus. The findings of this mini-review reveal that the research on the cognitive benefits of computer-based foreign language training for healthy older individuals is small-scale. The limited research findings of only three relevant studies indicate that these computer-based foreign language training programs may bring cognitive benefits for healthy elderly people, especially as far as the enhancement of their cognitive functions such as working memory are concerned. In addition, the authors of these studies suggest that foreign language learning is a useful activity for healthy older adults since it has the benefits of being meaningful (an advantage over other cognitive training approaches) and provides the chance for acquiring important skills that can benefit other aspects of life, such as travel or communication. In conclusion, the author of this mini-review also provides several implications for practice and future research.

Effects of musical improvisation as a cognitive and motor intervention for the elderly

Music has been debated as a positive factor for the health of elderly people. In a randomized study, the researchers compared an intervention based on percussion and musical improvisation with a choir activity. The objective was to investigate whether improvisation would influence the executive functioning and motor skills of healthy elderly people. A set of instruments for psychological and motor assessment was used before and after the procedure. Differences were found in the performance of the participants of the improvisation group in the Clock Drawing Test suggesting possible gains in executive function. There were gains, regardless of the group, in part A of the Trail Making Test, which indicates a sustained attention. No evidence of motor effects was found in this study. The results suggest that musical activities can contribute to the prevention of cognitive decline caused by aging.

FEATURES OF RESISTANCE TO HYPOXIA IN ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE

FEATURES OF RESISTANCE TO HYPOXIA IN ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE E. O. Asanov, Yu. I. Golubova, I. A. Dyba, S. O. Asanova Abstract Aim: to study the features of resistance to hypoxia in elderly patients with COPD. Material and methods. We examined 46 elderly patients with COPD and 18 apparently healthy elderly people. Hypoxia resistance was determined by performing a hypoxic test with inhalation of 12 % O2 for 20 minutes. The state of ventilation and blood saturation were assessed. Results. Hypoxia caused the reduction of SpO2 and the development of arterial hypoxemia in elderly patients with COPD, which were more significant than in healthy elderly people. It was found that among elderly patients with COPD and healthy elderly subjects there were people with preserved and reduced resistance to hypoxia. However, reduced resistance to hypoxia was much more common in elderly patients with COPD. Decreased resistance to hypoxia in elderly patients with COPD was associated with the degree of bronchial obstruction: deterioration of bronchial passability led to reduced resistance to hypoxia. Elderly patients with COPD with reduced resistance to hypoxia had a decrease in the ΔVE/ ΔSpO2 ratio and a slow ventilation response to hypoxic exposure. Conclusions. Among healthy elderly people and elderly patients with COPD there were subjects with reduced and preserved resistance to hypoxia. Decreased resistance to hypoxia was much more common in elderly patients with COPD. Decreased resistance to hypoxia was more common in patients with moderate than mild bronchial obstruction. Elderly patients with COPD with reduced resistance to hypoxia had reduced ventilation response to hypoxia and chemoreflex sensitivity. Key words: COPD, older age, resistance to hypoxia, ventilation, saturation. Ukr. Pulmonol. J. 2021;29(3):36–40:

APPLICATION OF A BATTERY OF EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS IN HEALTHY ELDERLY: A PILOT STUDY

Background: Several studies demonstrate that healthy elderly people present impairments in different executive functions (for example, inhibition, updating and alternation). However, these works use tasks that measure reaction time as a dependent variable, and it is already known that processing speed decreases with age. Objective: As a consequence of that, this study aimed to test a battery of representative executive tests. This freely accessible battery includes 2 tests for each executive domain (inhibition, updating and alternation), controls the effects of processing speed, as the participants themselves regulate the time of stimulus presentation (paradigm - self-paced) and all responses were given verbally (thus controlling the effect of psychomotor speed). Methods: For this pilot study, 13 healthy elderly females (M=68.23, SD=6.13) were evaluated, each one performed a total of 6 executive tests. For the inferential statistical analysis, the t test of repeated measures with a bootstrap of 5000 resamplings was used. Results: As a result, we observed that in the executive blocks, participants obtained fewer correct answers per unit of time than in the control blocks, demonstrating that the executive block is in fact evaluating an executive function regardless of the processing speed. Conclusion: As a pilot study, this battery proved to be effective and easy to apply in elderly population.