Quality of Non-Surgical and Non-Pharmacological Knee Osteoarthritis Care in the Maritimes.

Objectives: To evaluate the quality and types of care individuals with mild-to-moderate knee osteoarthritis receive in the Canadian Maritime provinces, and determine associations with demographic, social, and patient-reported factors.

Methods: Individuals with knee osteoarthritis were invited to complete a healthcare quality survey based on the British Columbia Osteoarthritis (BC OA) survey. The cross-sectional descriptive observational survey assessed four healthcare quality indicators: advice to exercise, advice to lose weight, assessment of ambulatory function, and assessment of non-ambulatory function.

A standard procedure for constructing a multi-level social vulnerability index using CLSA and SOS data as working examples.

Background: The construct of social vulnerability attempts to understand social circumstances not merely as a descriptor, but as a predictor of adverse health events. It can be measured by aggregating social deficits in a social vulnerability index (SVI). We describe a standard procedure for constructing a multi-level SVI using two working examples.

Effectiveness of physical activity counselling and exercise prescription education among medical students: a systematic review.

Background: Providing physical activity counselling and prescribing exercise increases patients' activity and cardiorespiratory fitness, but healthcare providers experience challenges in promoting activity to patients. Implementing educational intervention during medical training may be an effective strategy to promote physical activity and exercise counselling/prescriptions. The purpose of this review was to evaluate the impact of educational interventions on medical students' physical activity counselling and exercise prescription perceptions and practices.

Short-term Frailty Index Fluctuations in Older Adults: Noise or Signal?

Background: Reversible short-term fluctuations in the frailty index (FI) are often thought of as representing only noise or error. Here, we assess (i) the size and source of short-term FI fluctuations, (ii) variation across sociodemographic characteristics, (iii) association with chronic diseases, (iv) correlation with age, frailty level, frailty change, and mortality, and (v) whether fluctuations reflect discrete health transitions.

Methods: Nationwide, biweekly longitudinal data from 426 community-dwelling older adults (70+) were collected in the FRequent health Assessment In Later life (FRAIL70+) study using a measurement burst design (5 122 repeated observations, median of 13 repeated observations per person).

The COVID Pandemic Worsened Physical Activity Disproportionately in Frailer Adults: A Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

Introduction: Frailty is associated with increased hospitalization and mortality and may be exacerbated with physical inactivity. The COVID-19 pandemic has heterogeneously impacted peoples' physical activity level, but the impact on the frail population is unclear.

Objective: The objective of this study is to test the hypothesis that higher frailty levels were associated with worse changes in physical activity, ability to move around the home, and do housework during the pandemic.

The association of frailty on cardiac rehabilitation goal achievement.

Introduction: Frailty is common among patients entering cardiac rehabilitation (CR). Frailty is associated with poor health outcomes; however, it is unclear if frailty influences achieving goals in CR.

Methods: We report a secondary analysis of participants who were referred to an exercise and education-based CR program from 2005 to 2015.

program allows Canadian medical students to promote physical activity and health education in local communities.

Medical student-led walk and talk programs, such as , provide a means for the medical community and community at-large to interact in a non-clinical setting. This environment can increase attendance accountability, enhance patient-provider relationships, and allow medical professionals to be leading examples of healthy, active living. We demonstrate the positive interest for this program, rationale of participants for joining, and the feasibility of its setup.

Agreement and predictive value of the clinical frailty scale in hospitalized older patients.

Purpose: Our objective was to perform an external validity study of the clinical frailty scale (CFS) classification tree by determining the agreement of the CFS when attributed by a senior geriatrician, a junior geriatrician, or using the classification tree. Additionally, we evaluated the predictive value of the CFS for 6-month mortality after admission to an acute geriatric unit.

Methods: This prospective study was conducted in two acute geriatric units in Belgium.

Integrated Service Delivery Model in Primary Care to Improve Frailty in Older Malaysians: GeKo Integrated Service Delivery.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the implementation stage of Malaysia's GeKo-Integrated Service Delivery (ISD) model for frailty management in primary care and explore its effectiveness in improving frailty scores.

Methods: The implementation stage of Malaysia's first three GeKo- ISD clinics was assessed using the WHO-ICOPE (Integrated Care of the Older Persons) scorecard. This involved evaluating documents related to the GeKo services and conducting in-depth interviews with key informants identified from those documents.

Cardiac rehabilitation and frailty: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aims: Frailty among cardiac rehabilitation (CR) participants is associated with worse health outcomes. However, no literature synthesis has quantified the relationship between frailty and CR outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine frailty prevalence at CR admission, frailty changes during CR, and whether frailty is associated with adverse outcomes following CR.

Can an active lifestyle offset the relationship that poor lifestyle behaviours have on frailty?

Objective: To examine the association of lifestyle behaviours (LSB) with physical activity (PA) and frailty; also, to examine if associations differ by sex and age.

Methods: 24,828 individuals [49.6 ± 17.

Relationship between frailty and executive function by age and sex in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

Frailty reflects age-related damage to multiple physiological systems. Executive dysfunction is often a presenting symptom of diseases characterized by cognitive impairment. A decline in cardiovascular health is associated with worse executive function.

Development and validation of a frailty index for use in the osteoarthritis initiative.

Background: The Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI) evaluates the development and progression of osteoarthritis. Frailty captures the heterogeneity in aging. Use of this resource-intensive dataset to answer aging-related research questions could be enhanced by a frailty measure.

Relation between frailty and hypertension is partially mediated by physical activity among males and females in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

Frailty reflects the heterogeneity in aging and may lead to the development of hypertension and heart disease, but the frailty-cardiovascular relationship and whether physical activity modifies this relationship in males and females are unclear. We tested whether higher frailty was positively associated with hypertension and heart disease in males and females and whether habitual movement mediated this relationship. The relationship between baseline frailty with follow-up hypertension and heart disease was investigated using the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging at 3-year follow-up data (males: = 13,095; females: = 13,601).

Age- and sex-specific associations of frailty with mortality and healthcare utilization in community-dwelling adults from ontario, Canada.

Background: Understanding how health trajectories are related to the likelihood of adverse outcomes and healthcare utilization is key to planning effective strategies for improving health span and the delivery of care to older adults. Frailty measures are useful tools for risk stratification in community-based and primary care settings, although their effectiveness in adults younger than 60 is not well described.

Methods: We performed a 10-year retrospective analysis of secondary data from the Ontario Health Study, which included 161,149 adults aged ≥ 18.

Myths and Methodologies: Understanding the health impact of head down bedrest for the benefit of older adults and astronauts. Study protocol of the Canadian Bedrest Study.

Weightlessness during spaceflight can harm various bodily systems, including bone density, muscle mass, strength and cognitive functions. Exercise appears to somewhat counteract these effects. A terrestrial model for this is head-down bedrest (HDBR), simulating gravity loss.

The Pictorial Fit-Frail Scale Malay Version (PFFS-M): Predictive Validity Testing in Malaysian Primary Care.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between Pictorial Fit Frail Scale-Malay version (PFFS-M) and adverse outcomes, such as falls, new disability, hospitalisation, nursing home placement, and/or mortality, in patients aged 60 and older attending Malaysian public primary care clinics. We assessed the baseline PFFS-M levels of 197 patients contactable by phone at 18 months to determine the presence of adverse outcomes. 26 patients (13.

Prognostic accuracy of 70 individual frailty biomarkers in predicting mortality in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

The frailty index (FI) uses a deficit accumulation approach to derive a single, comprehensive, and replicable indicator of age-related health status. Yet, many researchers continue to seek a single "frailty biomarker" to facilitate clinical screening. We investigated the prognostic accuracy of 70 individual biomarkers in predicting mortality, comparing each with a composite FI.

How to construct a frailty index from an existing dataset in 10 steps.

Background: The frailty index is commonly used in research and clinical practice to quantify health. Using a health deficit accumulation model, a frailty index can be calculated retrospectively from data collected via survey, interview, performance test, laboratory report, clinical or administrative medical record, or any combination of these. Here, we offer a detailed 10-step approach to frailty index creation, with a worked example.

Impact of Hospitalization on Patients Ability to Perform Basic Activities of Daily Living.

Functional independence is dictated by the ability to perform basic activities of daily living (ADLs). Although hospitalization is associated with impairments in function, we know less about patients' functional trajectory following hospitalization. We examined patients' ability to do basic ADLs across pre-admission, admission, and follow-up (discharge or two-weeks post-admission) and determined which factors predicted changes in ADLs at follow-up.

Can Leucine Supplementation Improve Frailty Index Scores?

Sarcopenia and frailty are important conditions that become increasingly prevalent with age. There is partial overlap between the two conditions, especially in terms of the physical aspects of the frailty phenotype: low grip strength, gait speed, and muscle mass. This study examined whether administration of the essential branched-chain amino acid leucine, besides improving sarcopenia, may reduce frailty assessed by frailty index (FI) in older institutionalized people living in nursing homes.

The association between frailty and perceived physical and mental fatigability: The Long Life Family Study.

Background: Higher levels of frailty, quantified by a frailty index (FI), may be linked to fatigue severity as tasks become more physically and mentally demanding. Fatigue, a component of frailty research, has been ambiguous and inconsistent in its operationalization. Fatigability-the quantification of vulnerability to fatigue in relation to specific intensity and duration of activities-offers a more sensitive and standardized approach, though the association between frailty and fatigability has not been assessed.

Reliability of the Frailty Index Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

Background: Consistent and reproducible estimates of the underlying true level of frailty are essential for risk stratification and monitoring of health changes. The purpose of this study is to examine the reliability of the frailty index (FI).

Methods: A total of 426 community-dwelling older adults from the FRequent health Assessment In Later life (FRAIL70+) study in Austria were interviewed biweekly up to 7 times.

Impact of 14 Days of Bed Rest in Older Adults and an Exercise Countermeasure on Body Composition, Muscle Strength, and Cardiovascular Function: Canadian Space Agency Standard Measures.

Introduction: Head-down bed rest (HDBR) has long been used as an analog to microgravity, and it also enables studying the changes occurring with aging. Exercise is the most effective countermeasure for the deleterious effects of inactivity. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of an exercise countermeasure in healthy older participants on attenuating musculoskeletal deconditioning, cardiovascular fitness level, and muscle strength during 14 days of HDBR as part of the standard measures of the Canadian Space Agency.