Blog Archives
Rhythmic stepping exercise under cognitive conditions improves fall risk factors in community-dwelling older adults: Preliminary results of a cluster-randomized controlled trial
Objective: The purpose of this pilot trial was to evaluate whether a 24-week program of rhythmic stepping exercise (RSE) would be effective in improving physical function and reducing fear of falling in older adults. Participants: Four units (n = 52) randomized into an RSE group (two units, n = 25) and a non-rhythmic stepping exercise (NRSE) group (two units, n = 27) participated in a pilot cluster randomized controlled trial. Methods: Each exercise group received 60 min group training sessions once a week for 24 weeks. Measurement was based on the difference in physical functions between the RSE and NRSE groups. Results: Significant differences were observed between the two groups for locomotive function with significant group × time interaction. Relative risk was calculated as 2.778 (95% CI: 1.030-7.492) for fear of falling for participants in the NRSE group compared with patients in the RSE group (p = 0.037). Conclusions: The results of this pilot trial suggest that the RSE program is more effective in improving locomotive function and fear of falling.
Maximum Phonation Time in Healthy Older Adults
Conclusions
MPTs were longer in this group of older adults than previously reported and did not vary significantly with age or gender. Additionally, across a single short sampling session, measurements were relatively stable across three trials of MPTs.
from the Journal of Voice
Working Memory Training in Older Adults: Evidence of Transfer and Maintenance Effects
Few studies have examined working memory (WM) training-related gains and their transfer and maintenance effects in older adults. This present research investigates the efficacy of a verbal WM training program in adults aged 65–75 years, considering specific training gains on a verbal WM (criterion) task as well as transfer effects on measures of visuospatial WM, short-term memory, inhibition, processing speed, and fluid intelligence. Maintenance of training benefits was evaluated at 8-month follow-up. Trained older adults showed higher performance than did controls on the criterion task and maintained this benefit after 8 months. Substantial general transfer effects were found for the trained group, but not for the control one. Transfer maintenance gains were found at follow-up, but only for fluid intelligence and processing speed tasks. The results are discussed in terms of cognitive plasticity in older adults.
from Psychology and Aging
Alcohol Consumption and Domain-Specific Cognitive Function in Older Adults: Longitudinal Data From the Johns Hopkins Precursors Study
Discussion. Results suggest that higher alcohol consumption in midlife may impair some components of executive function in late life.
from the Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences
Factors influencing rehabilitation decisions of adults with acquired hearing impairment
Several rehabilitation interventions yielding comparable outcomes are available to adults with acquired hearing impairment. However, the reasons why people choose particular interventions and not others have not been systematically investigated. This study explored the factors influencing the rehabilitation decisions of adults with acquired hearing impairment. Four options (hearing aids, group communication program, individual communication program, and no intervention) were discussed using shared decision making with 153 adults with acquired hearing impairment who had not previously received hearing rehabilitation. A selected sub-sample of 22 participants described the factors that influenced their decision during a semi-structured interview. Using qualitative content analysis, seven categories of factors influencing rehabilitation decisions were identified: (1) convenience; (2) expected adherence and outcomes; (3) financial costs; (4) hearing disability; (5) nature of intervention; (6) other people’s experiences, recommendations, and support; and (7) preventive and interim solution. All categories of factors were a positive influence for a particular intervention for some participants and a negative influence for the same intervention for other participants. The results support a client-centred approach to decision making.
from the International Journal of Audiology
Semantic verbal fluency in two contrasting languages
This cross-linguistic study investigated Semantic Verbal Fluency (SVF) performance in 30 American English-speaking and 30 Finnish-speaking healthy elderly adults with different cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Despite the different backgrounds of the participant groups, remarkable similarities were found between the groups in the overall SVF performance in two semantic categories (animals and clothes), in the proportions of words produced within the first half (30 seconds) of the SVF tasks, and in the variety of words produced for the categories. These similarities emerged despite the difference in the mean length of words produced in the two languages (with Finnish words being significantly longer than English words). The few differences found between the groups concerned the types and frequencies of the 10 most common words generated for the categories. It was concluded that culture and language differences do not contribute significantly to variability in SVF performance in healthy elderly people.
Poor vision accompanied with other sensory impairments as a predictor of falls in older women
Conclusion: the impact of vision impairment on fall risk was higher when accompanied with other sensory and balance impairments, probably because the presence of other impairments prevented the reception of compensatory information about body posture and environment being received from other sensory sources. When aiming to prevent falls and their consequences in older people, it is important to check whether poor vision is accompanied with other impairments.
from Age and Ageing
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