[Multispectral bioimpedance and sarcopenia in the elderly].

The definition of sarcopenia includes both a loss of muscle strength and a decline in functional quality in addition to the loss of muscle protein mass. Multispectral bioimpendance allows bedside assessment of muscle mass. Using this new tool, we performed a pilot study to look for a possible correlation between muscle mass and various tests of muscle strength (grip strength, key-pitch, tip-pinch) and with functional tests (walk speed on 10 meters and Tinetti test).

[Spiritual needs and palliative care: assessment of a new care package].

The approach taken in our palliative care document regarding spiritual needs is under three headings: 1) illness in the personal and sociocultural dimension 2) communication and self-esteem 3) spirituality: religions, philosophical or other beliefs, with twenty-eight items, including several sub-items. This approach has been used in sixty-four cases. In the first quatitative analysis, we determined which were the most utilized items, that is: the stages of bereavement, the patient's awareness of his/her illness, the observation of the means of communication he or she uses, and his/her mental state.

[Muscular retraction in the elderly. Effect on posture maintenance and mobility. Proposed global physiotherapeutic treatment].

Muscle retraction at the level of the trunk and the lower limbs represents a curable cause of balance and walking disorders, as well as falls, in the older person; therefore it deserves to be recognised, assessed and treated so that elderly patients' independence can be preserved. After making the diagnosis of muscle retraction it is possible to implement a treatment regime which we have evaluated using two indicators which clearly show a functional improvement in walking and risk of falling.