My name is Bernardino Cruces, 85 year-old, I am a farmer

<p>My name is Bernardino Cruces Pedraza, I am 85 years old, and I am a producer of asparagus (<em>Asparagus officinalis</em>; editor’s note) in the ejido of Acuescomac, municipality of Atenco, State of Mexico. Many important things have happened in the country throughout my life, but nothing like the pandemic we are going through. At first, I thought it was fake news, I thought it was only meant to scare the people. I remembered the news about the ‘chupacabra’ in 1994. Or maybe it was something similar to the flu, which in my opinion was just a fleeting, harmless cold.To tell you the truth, I have never believed everything the news says, but as the months went by, I realized that this disease was really dangerous. I began to understand its importance when they closed the Iztapalapa supply center since that is where I sell my asparagus. The buyer told me that the government had made the decision to close the center due to a damn virus and that, as a consequence, the price of my product would go down, which would obviously affect me economically, me and my workers. In talks with friends, we made fun of and joked about the disease. It was rumored that it was just a government ploy to weed out the senior population as it couldn’t keep paying so much support. That made me angry, made me want to curse because people from the countryside do not live off the government. We work hard and our work is the most honest and the most worthy… We are not a burden to the government. By then it was the Spring-Summer season, and I was sowing asparagus, corn, and cabbage, in order to take advantage of the good rain and temperature of May, the month of my birthday. I felt safe in the field since I knew that the air there was good and that is why I would not be infected with anything; indeed, my lungs would be cleaned. That is why I did not wear a face mask, especially when I was working on my crops. Being in the field reassures me. When I’m weeding the field, my mind fills with memories of my childhood...memories from my entire life...memories of when we were not aware of anything else in the world, not like today...memories of my father, Mr. Narciso Cruces. He dedicated his life to working in the fields and raising cattle. Ever since I had use of reason, I helped him with that work, until I was 14 years old. It was then that American household appliance companies arrived, and I started working in the General Electric factory as a welder. Through hard work, I became a floor supervisor. I worked for that company for 40 years. Despite the hard work I did in the factory, I never left my father alone with the farm and livestock activities. It was only when I retired that I returned to work full-time to crop production. I changed from corn to vegetables due to a desire to relive my childhood. I know that working in the fields does not reward sentimentality. Working in the field requires hard work, commitment, and effort. It is true that the government provides some to agricultural producers in the form of livestock feed, fertilizer, tools, and agrochemicals, but I don’t like to depend on anyone. That is why I strive not to depend on external help but to be self-sufficient, with my own work.</p>

Psychosocial Impact of COVID-19 on Elderly/Senior Population

Senior population is one of major social work and healthcare issues in highly developed countries. The aim of this study was assessing the late psychosocial consequences in seniors in Vienna and Bratislava after the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemics. The results suggest that elderly patients in contrast to children and adolescents suffer significantly more late psychosocial consequences after having coronavirus acute or chronic di- sease.

Developments in Smart Multi-Function Gait Assistive Devices for the Prevention and Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis—A Literature Review

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative condition that critically affects locomotor ability and quality of life and, the condition is particularly prevalent in the senior population. The current review presents a gait biomechanics conceptual framework for designing active knee orthoses to prevent and remediate knee OA. Constant excessive loading diminishes knee joint articular cartilage and, therefore, measures to reduce kinetic stresses due to the fact of adduction moments and joint compression are an essential target for OA prevention. A powered orthosis enables torque generation to support knee joint motions and machine-learning-driven “smart systems” can optimise the magnitude and timing of joint actuator forces. Although further research is required, recent findings raise the possibility of exoskeleton-supported, non-surgical OA interventions, increasing the treatment options for this prevalent, painful and seriously debilitating disease. Combined with advances in regenerative medicine, such as stem cell implantation and manipulation of messenger ribonucleic acid (m-RNA) transcription, active knee orthoses can be designed to incorporate electro-magnetic stimulators to promote articular cartilage resynthesis.

Effect of Aerobic Exercise on Mental Health in Older Adults: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Introduction: The recommendation of exercise programs in the senior population may benefit inactive and sedentary individuals and improve and help to treat specific health conditions. The purpose of this review is to summarize the published evidence from RCT studies of aerobic exercise interventions for mental health in older adults over the last 20 years.Methods: A literature search was conducted using electronic databases including Web of Science, PubMed/Medline, and ProQuest.Results: A total of 15 studies met the inclusion criteria. The subjects of these studies were aged 60 years or older and had various physical health statuses. In 15 studies, the mean effect size for the experimental outcome was 0.56 ± 0.39 (95%CI: 0.36–0.76). One-way ANOVA indicated no significant differences in the intervention duration [F(2,15) = 0.919, p = 0.420], subject category [F(2,15) = 0.046, p = 0.955], or measurement category [F(3,14) = 0.967, p = 0.436]. However, there were significant differences in exercise frequencies [F(2,15) = 6.03, p = 0.012].Conclusion: The available evidence suggests that aerobic exercise is beneficial for improving the mental health of adults aged 60 years and older. The intervention effect can be achieved regardless of the type of subject and the duration of the intervention. Further, the present study indicates that low-frequency, long-term and regular aerobic exercise is more effective for older adults. Therefore, we recommend that older adults to exercise at a low frequency depending on their physical condition.

510 - EFFECT OF SLEEP DEPRIVATION ON SOCIAL RESILIENCE THROUGH ΔFOSB ACTIVATION

Introduction:Stress can have a variety of detrimental effects on humans. From depression and anxiety to schizophrenia, stress plays a factor in the development of these diseases through neurochemical changes in the brain and elevated levels of hormones. Among the geriatric population, decreased sleep levels are known to be a frequent issue; insomnia rates among the senior population are much higher in frequency compared to any other age group. Sleep deprivation also leads to major consequences in the brain and sleep disruption is linked to neuropsychological illness; however, the specific mechanisms involved in these effects are not understood. This study focuses on the resilient effects of ΔFosB, a protein known to mediate resilience to stress and the direct effect of sleep deprivation on ΔFosB expression in areas known to mediate resilience to social stress. We hypothesize that ΔFosB may be part of the mechanism through which sleep alters resilience to social stress.Methods:Mice were sleep-deprived for an eight-hour period for five days. After sleep deprivation they were subject to social defeat and underwent avoidance testing. The brains of these mice were removed, and immunohistochemistry analysis was conducted to determine ∆FosB expression in various sections of the brain.Results:The preliminary findings of this study indicates that sleep is altered in resilient animals and that sleep deprivation may lead to increased resilience to social defeat. The most significant decrease in ∆FosB expression was found in the prelimbic cortex, a change associated with resilience, and which was observed after chronic sleep deprivation. Contrarily, there was also an increase of ∆FosB expression in the nucleus accumbens.Conclusion:These findings indicate that changes in ∆FosB activation in the brain is a significant factor for promoting resilient behavior in situations of social stress. In particular, a decrease in ∆FosB activation in the PLC plays a role in explaining how sleep deprivation contributes to decreased social resilience in situations of social stress.

A New Interprofessional Community-Service Learning Program, HATS (Health Ambassador Teams for Seniors) to Improve Older Adults Attitudes about Telehealth and Functionality

Senior population health often is underrepresented in curricula for medical and allied health students. Furthermore, entrenched and dense curricular schedules preclude interprofessional teams from clinical experiences related to senior population health. Community service learning potentially offers the opportunity to engage interprofessional students with a panel of older adults to assess health promotion metrics over time. To test this educational concept, we created Health Ambassador Teams for Seniors, also known as HATS. Utilizing a telehealth platform, interprofessional student teams were tasked with older adult wellness promotion. The annual Medicare wellness exam served as a template for patient encounters which was enhanced with key elements of geriatric assessment such as gait and balance, cognition, and functional evaluations. The objective was to have dyads of interprofessional students conduct telehealth visits and gather healthcare data to be used for serial patient encounters and track functional trajectories over time. As a proof of concept, pilot telehealth encounters with medical, physical therapy, nursing and occupational therapy students revealed that data on older adult functional performances such as gait speed, Timed Up and Go test (TUG), and Mini-Cog test could be acquired through telehealth. Equally importantly, trainees received diverse feedback from faculty, peers and volunteer patients. A Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) data repository allows trainees to track patient trends relative to their health promotion recommendations as well as handoff their patient panel to the next set of trainees. The HATS program promises to strengthen the Geriatric Workforce, especially with senior population health.

Herbal Plethora For Management Of Neurodegenerative Disorders: An Invigorating Outlook

Objective: Oxidative stress, proteasomal impairment, mitochondrial dysfunction, and accumulation of abnormal protein aggregates have shovelled a major section of senior population towards neurodegenerative disorders. Although age, genetic and environmental factors are thought to play a significant role, drug abuse is considered to be a potent trigger in Parkinsonism among the young generation. The present study is a critical examination on herbal resources for attenuation of neurodegeneration. Materials and Methods: The following electronic databases have been used to search for literature: MEDLINE, Scopus, PubMed and EMBASE Results : Paying heed to the prevalence in neurodegenerative disorders-Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s; the current review encompasses the pathogenesis of neurodegeneration at cellular level and possible prospects to overcome the challenge sailing through the ocean of herbal boon. The United States-Alzheimer’s Association states, deaths attributable to heart disease in the country fell by 11% between 2000 and 2015, while deaths from neurodegenerative diseases increased by a staggering 123% making it, the world’s sixth leading cause of death. The irreversible pathological damage amounts to cognitive loss, dementia, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson’s disease (PD) Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Various herbal drugs like Brahmi, Shankhpushpi and Amla are reported to be rich in phytoconstituents like, flavonoids, glycosides, alkaloids, fatty acids, sterols, tannins, saponins, and terpenes that have remarkable antioxidant potential and could be explored for the same to prevent neuronal necrosis. Conclusion: It is also believed that herbal medicines are more effective and less toxic than synthetic drugs.

Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practices of people toward Japanese Encephalitis in endemic areas of Nepal

Japanese encephalitis is a serious vector borne viral zoonotic disease, particularly in Asia and Northern Australia. In Nepal, JE cases were reported in 63 out of 75 districts up until the year 2005. The aim of this study was to assess the level of knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) toward JE and associated factors. A structured questionnaire was used to gather information on the KAP of people in endemic areas. Accordingly, 397 respondents demonstrated a desirable attitude, while half of the population exhibited desirable knowledge and practices. Age was found to be a significant factor for knowledge, wherein the senior population had better awareness of the vectors of JE. Moreover, education and occupation were found to be significant factors for KAP scores with an increase in level of education leading to an increase in desirable characteristics. This study determined that the characteristics of the surrounding environment were prominent factors. A significant number of people were not aware of the JE vaccine even though the government has made it available to most of the population of Nepal. Thus, more effective awareness programs should be implemented to increase the KAP of the population with regard to JE.