Do financial hardships affect health? A study among older adults in Switzerland.

Background: A growing number of studies have underlined the relationship between socioeconomic status and health. Following that literature, we explore the causal effect of financial hardships on changes in health at older ages. Rather than traditional measures of socioeconomic variables, we study the role of financial hardships.

Executive function and prospective falls: a 6-year longitudinal study in community-dwelling older adults.

Background: Older people with impaired executive function (EF) might have an increased fall risk, but prospective studies with prolonged follow-up are scarce. This study aimed to investigate the association between a) EF at baseline; b) 6-year decline in EF performance; and fall status 6 years later.

Methods: Participants were 906 community-dwelling adults aged 65-69 years, enrolled in the Lausanne 65 + cohort.

Fear of falling and all-cause mortality among young-old community-dwelling adults: a 6-year prospective study.

This study investigated whether fear of falling (FOF) measured by two different instruments, the Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I) and the single question on FOF and activity restriction (SQ-FAR), is associated with mortality at 6-year follow-up. Participants ( = 1359, 58.6% women) were community-dwelling persons enrolled in the Lausanne cohort 65 + , aged 66 to 71 years at baseline.

Development and validation of a knowledge-based score to predict Fried's frailty phenotype across multiple settings using one-year hospital discharge data: The electronic frailty score.

Background: Most claims-based frailty instruments have been designed for group stratification of older populations according to the risk of adverse health outcomes and not frailty itself. We aimed to develop and validate a tool based on one-year hospital discharge data for stratification on Fried's frailty phenotype (FP).

Methods: We used a three-stage development/validation approach.

Instrumented 5-Time Sit-To-Stand Test: Parameters Predicting Serious Falls beyond the Duration of the Test.

Background: Falls are a major cause of injuries in older adults. To evaluate the risk of falls in older adults, clinical assessments such as the 5-time sit-to-stand (5xSTS) test can be performed. The development of inertial measurement units (IMUs) has provided the possibility of a more in-depth analysis of the movements' biomechanical characteristics during this test.

Does the frailty phenotype at the age of 66 to 71 predict death? A 14-year survival analysis of the Lc65+ study.

Background: Frailty is a health characteristic resulting from the loss of physiological reserve of multiple organs, leading to exposure to adverse outcomes, and is possibly reversible in its earliest stages. It is identified by a specific phenotype that contributes to the practice of geriatric medicine, where it is considered a potential target for preventive action. This phenotype has recently attracted interest in other medical specialties for risk assessment before stressful interventions in older adults.

Trajectories of phenotypical frailty over a decade in young-old community-dwelling adults: results from the Lc65+ study.

Background: Few studies have examined the frailty trajectories of young-old adults using Fried frailty phenotype. Dropouts due to death were rarely taken into account. This longitudinal study aimed to identify trajectories with and without adjustment for non-random attrition and to analyse related factors.

Potentially inappropriate prescriptions: Associations with the health insurance contract and the quality of the patient-physician relationship?

Context: Potentially Inappropriate Prescriptions (PIP) are often used as an indicator of potential drug overuse or misuse to limit adverse drug events in older people.

Objective: To determine whether PIP exposure differs as a function of the patient's health insurance scheme and the patient-physician relationship.

Methods: Our dataset was collected from two surveys delivered to two cohorts of the Swiss Lc65+ study, together with a stratified random sample of older people in the Swiss canton of Vaud.

FRAILTY, SARCOPENIA AND LONG TERM CARE UTILIZATION IN OLDER POPULATIONS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW.

This systematic literature review documents the link between frailty or sarcopenia, conceptualized as dimensions of physical health, and the use of long-term care services by older individuals. Long-term care services include formal and informal care provided at home as well as in institutions. A systematic review was performed according to PRISMA requirements using the following databases: PubMed-Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Academic Search Premier.

Slowness Predicts Mortality: A Comparative Analysis of Walking Speed and Moberg Picking-Up Tests.

Objectives: Slow walking speed (WS) is predictive of mortality but may be difficult to measure, which compromises the assessment of frailty, based on Fried et al's phenotype. The timed Moberg picking-up test (MPUT), developed to evaluate hand's function, was found moderately but significantly correlated with WS. We compared the relationship between slowness, assessed by MPUT and WS tests, and mortality.

Validity of the older people quality of life-7 domains (OQoL-7) scale.

Background: The Older people Quality of Life-7 domains (OQoL-7) is a 28-item multidimensional questionnaire developed to measure community-dwelling older people's QoL. The OQoL-7 assesses both importance of and satisfaction in seven QoL domains (Material resources; Close entourage; Social and cultural life; Esteem and recognition; Health and mobility; Feeling of safety; and Autonomy). This study aimed to investigate concurrent and construct validity of the OQoL-7.

Factors associated with going outdoors frequently: a cross-sectional study among Swiss community-dwelling older adults.

Objective: This study examines potential risk and protective factors associated with going outdoors frequently among older persons, and whether these factors vary according to physical limitations.

Design: Cross-sectional analysis.

Setting And Participants: Community-dwelling participants of the Lausanne cohort Lc65+ in 2016, aged 68-82 years (n=3419).

Is Fear of Falling Associated With Incident Disability? A Prospective Analysis in Young-Old Community-Dwelling Adults.

Objectives: Fear of falling (FOF) is common in older people and is related to negative outcomes. This study aimed to investigate whether 2 different instruments, the Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I) and the single question on FOF and activity restriction (SQ-FAR), were associated with incident disability at 3 years.

Design: Prospective observational study.

Measuring Slowness in Old Age: Times to Perform Moberg Picking-Up and Walking Speed Tests.

Objectives: Slowness is a marker of frailty captured by the Fried phenotype by a walking speed test which, for health or logistical reasons, is sometimes difficult to perform. The Moberg picking-up test (MPUT) is another timed functional test. It measures hand motor activity and might represent an alternative to assess slowness when the walking speed cannot be evaluated.

Blood pressure control and complex health conditions in older adults: impact of recent hypertension management guidelines.

The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) 2017 guidelines for hypertension management lowered blood pressure (BP) thresholds to 130/80 mmHg to define hypertension while the European Society of Cardiology and the European Society of Hypertension (ESC/ESH) 2018 guidelines retained 140/90 mmHg. Both guidelines recommend adapting management for older patients with complex health conditions, without however clear indications on how to adapt. Our aims were to assess the impact of lowering BP thresholds on the prevalence of elevated BP and BP control, as well as the proportion of participants with a complex health condition across these BP categories.

Sleep characteristics and self-rated health in older persons.

Purpose: It remains unclear, how much older persons' sleep problems are due to age-related changes in sleep architecture and pattern, or whether they are a consequence of health problems. This work aimed to examine the association between sleep characteristics and self-rated health, taking into account potential confounders.

Methods: Data about sleep, including sleep efficiency (ratio of sleep duration to the amount of time spent in bed, considered as good if > 85%), as well as health-rated characteristics were self-reported by community-dwelling persons enrolled in the Lausanne cohort 65+ study (n = 2712, age 66-75 years).

Use of healthcare services and assistive devices among centenarians: results of the cross-sectional, international5-COOP study.

Objectives: To measure the use of healthcare services and assistive devices by centenarians in five countries.

Design: Cross-sectional study using a survey questionnaire.

Setting: Community-dwelling and institutionalised centenarians living in Japan, France, Switzerland, Sweden and Denmark.

A Single Question as a Screening Tool to Assess Fear of Falling in Young-Old Community-Dwelling Persons.

Objectives: Fear of falling (FOF) is common in older persons and related to negative outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between 2 FOF measures: the Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I) and the single question on FOF and activity restriction (SQ-FAR). Factors associated with disagreement between the 2 measures were further examined.

Older People's Health-Related Behaviors: Evidence from Three Cohorts of the Lc65+ Study.

Baby-boomers might be more health-conscious than earlier birth cohorts, but limited evidence has been produced so far. To investigate such changes, this study compared health-related behaviors at age 65 to 70 among three successive five-year birth cohorts (pre-war: born 1934-1938; war: born 1939-1943 and baby-boom: born 1944-1948) representative of the community-dwelling population. Information about alcohol use, smoking, physical activity, and nutrition was compared across the three cohorts ( = 4,270 participants) using Chi-squared test.

Impact of urine and mixed incontinence on long-term care preference: a vignette-survey study of community-dwelling older adults.

Background: In view of population aging, a better knowledge of factors influencing the type of long-term care (LTC) among older adults is necessary. Previous studies reported a close relationship between incontinence and institutionalization, but little is known on opinions of older citizens regarding the most appropriate place of care. This study aimed at evaluating the impact of urine and/or fecal incontinence on preferences of community-dwelling older citizens.

Formal home care use by older adults: trajectories and determinants in the Lc65+ cohort.

Background: Given the increasing importance of formal home care services in policies dedicated to elder care, there is major interest in studying individuals' characteristics determining their utilization. The main objective of this research was to quantify, during a 6-year timeframe, home care use trajectories followed by community-dwelling participants in a cohort study of older adults. The secondary objective was to identify factors associated with home care utilization using Andersen's Behavioural Model of Health Services Use.

Blood pressure in relation to frailty in older adults: A population-based study.

In frail older adults, low blood pressure (BP) might be associated with worse health outcomes and hypertension management in this population is highly debated. Using data from a population-based study of older adults, we assessed the association between frailty and BP. We used data collected between 2014 and 2016 from 3157 participants aged between 67 and 80 years in the Lausanne cohort Lc65+.

Readiness to accept health information and communication technologies: A population-based survey of community-dwelling older adults.

Introduction: The development of health information and communication technologies (HICTs) could modify the quality and cost of healthcare services delivered to an aging population. However, the acceptance of HICTs - a prerequisite for users to benefit from them - remains a challenge. This population-based study aimed to 1) explore the acceptance of HICTs by community-dwelling older adults as well as the factors associated to the overall acceptance/refusal of HICTs; 2) identify the factors associated with confidentiality (i.