Motor inhibition during voluntary gait initiation in young and older adults.

Based on a novel approach, this study explores feasibility and relevance of an inhibition task for studying age-related differences in motor inhibition during gait initiation. When presented with a go-signal, young adults (YA, n = 24) and older adults (OA, n = 55) were required to promptly initiate gait. Participants completed 3 blocks of 12 gait trials.

Circadian disturbances, anxiety and motor disturbances differentiate delirium superimposed on dementia from dementia-only.

Background: To ensure adequate treatment, individuals with delirium superimposed on dementia (DSD) need to be differentiated reliably from those with dementia only (DO). Therefore, we aimed to examine the clinical indicators of DSD by assessing motor subtypes, cognitive performance and neuropsychiatric symptoms in DSD and DO patients.

Methods: Cross-sectional design with the Delirium-Motor-Subtyping Scale (DMSS), Mini-Mental-State-Examination (MMSE), Clock-Drawing-Test (CDT), DemTect, and Neuropsychiatric Inventory assessed after admission to an acute hospital.

Age-related effects of immediate and delayed task switching in a targeted stepping task.

The ability to quickly adapt steps while walking is pivotal for safe mobility. In a previous study of immediate switching between the two stepping tasks, older adults (OAs) performed worse than young adults (YAs). However, it remained unclear whether this difference was due to an inability to learn the tasks or an inability to quickly switch.

Effects of Cognitive Inhibition Preceding Voluntary Step Responses to Visual Stimuli in Young and Older Adults.

Objectives: Age-related changes in executive functions, especially inhibitory control, correlate to decreased balance control and increased fall risk. However, only a few studies focused on the performance of tasks integrating balance and inhibitory control. This study aims to determine the effects of cognitive inhibition preceding the initiation of voluntary steps in young and older adults.

Clinical teaching in applied health science: effects of a student-led journal club on aging and physical activity.

Background: This project aims to investigate the effects of a student-led journal club on students' critical thinking and clinical application skills in the academic field of aging and physical activity.

Methods: A pre-post design analysis with data collected in four successive cohorts of the program M.Sc.

Multidimensional interventions to increase life-space mobility in older adults ranging from nursing home residents to community-dwelling: a systematic scoping review.

Background: Life-space mobility (LSM) is an important aspect of older adults' real-life mobility. Studies have shown that restricted LSM is a risk factor for many adverse outcomes such as low quality of life and mortality. Therefore, an increasing number of interventions aim to enhance LSM.

Circadian aspects of mobility-related behavior in patients with dementia: An exploratory analysis in acute geriatric psychiatry.

Background: Analyzing patients' mobility-related behavior may improve the assessment of motor behavior in dementia, however, few studies addressed circadian aspects of mobility. This cross-sectional explorative study analyzed the timing of peak mobility-related behavior, the prevalence of mobility-related sundowning and nocturnal mobility-related behavior and associated clinical characteristics in acute geriatric psychiatry.

Methods: Mobility-related behavior of 73 patients (M: 81 years) was measured over 48 h using lower-back worn hybrid motion sensors.

Physical activity monitoring-based interventions in geriatric patients: a scoping review on intervention components and clinical applicability.

Objective: To identify and analyze the components applied in interventions using physical activity (PA) monitoring in geriatric patients and determine their feasibility and applicability.

Methods: A systematic search in six databases (PubMed, Embase, SPORTDiscus, CINAHL, Web of Science, and GeroLit) was conducted to identify studies reporting interventions that included the application of a PA monitor in adults aged ≥ 60 years with a clinical diagnosis. PA monitor interventions were analyzed regarding their feedback, goal-setting and behavior change technique (BCT) components.

A scoping review of voluntary gait adaptability tasks requiring cognitive demands in older adults.

Purpose: Voluntary gait adaptability is a complex construct that requires cognitive demands and dynamic balance control; it also has implications for the daily lives of older adults. This ability has been extensively studied, however, a comprehensive overview of appropriate tasks for measuring voluntary gait adaptability in older adults is lacking. Our scoping review aimed to identify existing voluntary gait adaptability tasks for older adults, summarize the specific methodological features requiring cognitive demands found in previous studies, and categorize these tasks according to experimental procedure and setup.

Age-related effects of repeated task switching in a novel voluntary gait adaptability task.

Age-related effects of task switching have been extensively studied based on cognitive tasks and simple motor tasks, but less on complex cognitive-motor tasks involving dynamic balance control while walking. The latter tasks may especially be difficult and relevant for older adults in terms of safe mobility in daily life. The aim of the present study was, therefore, to examine age-related changes in task-switching adaptability using a novel voluntary gait adaptability test protocol.

Evidence-based yet still challenging! Research on physical activity in old age.

Preserving functional health and quality-of-life in old age is a major goal and global challenge in public health. The high rate of sedentary behavior that is characteristic of the older adult population exacerbates impairments of physiological and structural systems that are typically seen in the aging process. Achieving an understanding of the profound influence of physical activity on all aspects of health in old age is the driving force behind the emergence of "physical activity in old age" as a growing area of research.

Evaluation of a novel technology-supported fall prevention intervention - study protocol of a multi-centre randomised controlled trial in older adults at increased risk of falls.

Background: Increasing number of falls and fall-related injuries in an aging society give rise to the need for effective fall prevention and rehabilitation strategies. Besides traditional exercise approaches, new technologies show promising options for fall prevention in older adults. As a new technology-based approach, the hunova robot can support fall prevention in older adults.

Short-term aerobic exercise for depression in acute geriatric psychiatry: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Major depression is one of the main mental illnesses in old age, with acute exacerbated episodes requiring treatment in geriatric psychiatry. A meta-analysis showed that aerobic exercise in moderate intensity has large effects in older adults with major depression, but there is no evidence of aerobic exercise in geriatric psychiatry. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the feasibility and effects of an ergometer-based aerobic exercise on depressive symptoms.

Post-discharge Mortality in Patients With Delirium and Dementia: A 3-Year Follow Up Study.

Background: Delirium and dementia are prominent psychiatric diseases in old age and connected with poor outcomes for people affected. Nevertheless, there is a lack of knowledge concerning the long-term prognosis of patients with dementia and delirium. This study analyzes mortality, readmission rates and discharge destinations of patients with dementia or delirium superimposed on dementia (DSD) within 3 years after discharge from hospital.

Balance tasks requiring inhibitory control; a scoping review of studies in older adults.

Background: Age-related changes in inhibitory control (IC) affect cognitive as well as physical functioning, but how it affects performance of tasks that integrate IC and balance control is unclear. This review study aims to identify specific tasks that have been used to determine effects of IC on balance performance in older adults, and analyse task-specific features as well as reported effects.

Methods: Based on a comprehensive literature search, a scoping review considered all studies that involved IC as part of static or dynamic balance tasks in healthy adults over 65.

Effectiveness of an individually tailored home-based exercise rogramme for pre-frail older adults, driven by a tablet application and mobility monitoring: a pilot study.

Objectives: To gain first insight into the effectiveness of a home-based exercise programme for pre-frail older adults with independent use of novel ICT technology.

Methods: A pilot study. Forty pre-frail older adults joined a six-month home-based exercise programme using a tablet PC for exercise administration and feedback, and a necklace-worn motion sensor for daily physical activity registration.

Sarcopenia in geriatric psychiatry: feasibility of the diagnostic process and estimation of prevalence within a hospital context.

Background: Sarcopenia is an age-related progressive and general skeletal muscle disease associated with negative consequences such as falls, disability, and mortality. An early-stage diagnosis is important to enable adequate treatment, especially in geriatric psychiatry. However, there presently is little information about the feasibility of diagnostic procedures and the prevalence of sarcopenia in clinical geriatric psychiatry settings.

Mobility in community-dwelling older adults; what are its determinants?

Background: Based on a conceptual framework, Kuspinar and colleagues analysed life-space mobility in community-dwelling older adults. However, a number of earlier mobility studies that used the same framework remained undiscussed. This correspondence article addresses similarities and differences between these studies, as well as highlight issues that need to be addressed to improve our understanding of mobility determinants in older adults.

Quantifying Circadian Aspects of Mobility-Related Behavior in Older Adults by Body-Worn Sensors-An "Active Period Analysis".

Disruptions of circadian motor behavior cause a significant burden for older adults as well as their caregivers and often lead to institutionalization. This cross-sectional study investigates the association between mobility-related behavior and subjectively rated circadian chronotypes in healthy older adults. The physical activity of 81 community-dwelling older adults was measured over seven consecutive days and nights using lower-back-worn hybrid motion sensors (MM+) and wrist-worn actigraphs (MW8).

Effects of multimodal agility-like exercise training compared to inactive controls and alternative training on physical performance in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Multimodal exercise training (MT) as a time-efficient training modality promotes a wide range of physical dimensions. Incorporating agility-like training aspects (coordination, changes of direction and velocity) into MT may further enhance physical outcomes highly relevant for activities of daily living. This meta-analysis investigated the effects of multimodal agility-like exercise training (MAT) on physical and cognitive performance compared to inactive (IC) and active controls (AC) in older adults.

Motility in Frail Older Adults: Operationalization of a New Framework and First Insights into Its Relationship with Physical Activity and Life-Space Mobility: An Exploratory Study.

In order to design effective interventions to prevent age-related mobility loss, it is important to identify influencing factors. The concept of "motility" by Kaufmann et al. subdivides such factors into three categories: "access", "skills", and "appropriation".

Effectiveness of a Home-Based Rehabilitation Program After Total Hip Arthroplasty Driven by a Tablet App and Remote Coaching: Nonrandomized Controlled Trial Combining a Single-Arm Intervention Cohort With Historical Controls.

Background: Recent technological developments such as wearable sensors and tablets with a mobile internet connection hold promise for providing electronic health home-based programs with remote coaching for patients following total hip arthroplasty. It can be hypothesized that such a home-based rehabilitation program can offer an effective alternative to usual care.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a home-based rehabilitation program driven by a tablet app and remote coaching for patients following total hip arthroplasty.

Quantifying Habitual Physical Activity and Sedentariness in Older Adults-Different Outcomes of Two Simultaneously Body-Worn Motion Sensor Approaches and a Self-Estimation.

Applicable and accurate assessment methods are required for a clinically relevant quantification of habitual physical activity (PA) levels and sedentariness in older adults. The aim of this study is to compare habitual PA and sedentariness, as assessed with 1) a wrist-worn actigraph, 2) a hybrid motion sensor attached to the lower back, and 3) a self-estimation based on a questionnaire. Over the course of one week, PA of 58 community-dwelling subjectively healthy older adults was recorded.

[Smartphone-based health promotion in old age : An explorative multi-component approach to improving health in old age].

Background: As age-related health problems are often related to a combination of physiological, psychological and social aspects, it has been proposed that multi-component interventions might be particularly effective to improve older peoples' health. The present study used a smartphone-based approach to promote health through activities including physical as well as cognitive components performed in a daily life context.

Methods: This study investigated the effects of different health-related variables (e.

A Structured Physical Exercise Program Reduces Professional Caregiver's Burden Caused by Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Acute Dementia Care: Randomized Controlled Trial Results.

Physical exercise is an effective treatment approach for neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS), but it is unknown whether the reduction of NPS has an impact on professional caregiver's burden. A randomized controlled trial in acute dementia care with N = 70 patients, n = 35 per group, was conducted. The intervention group (IG) received an exercise program, the control group a social stimulation program.