Parkinson disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that is 1.5 times more common in males than in females. While motor progression tends to be more aggressive in males, little is known about sex difference in cognitive progression. We tested the hypothesis that there are sex differences in cognitive dysfunction in non-demented PD. We evaluated 84 participants (38 females) with PD and

Oxidative damage increases with age in a variety of cell types, including sperm, which are particularly susceptible to attack by reactive oxygen species (ROS). While mitochondrial respiration is the main source of cellular ROS, the relationship between the rates of aerobic metabolism and ROS production, and how this relationship may be affected by age, both in sperm and in other cell types, is unclear

BackgroundThe population age 90 years and older is the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population. Only recently is it possible to study the factors that portend survival to this age. MethodsAmong participants of the Cardiovascular Health Study, we studied the association of repeated measures of cardiovascular risk factors measured over 15–23 years of follow-up and not only survival to 90 years

Objective In a substantial portion of patients with drug-induced parkinsonism (DIP), parkinsonism may persist for long periods after discontinuation of offending drugs, suggesting subtle underlying neurodegeneration. We hypothesized that patients with DIP have impaired functional connectivity (FC) of brain networks, which may determine the reversibility of parkinsonism. Methods In this case-control

The implementation of evidence-based interventions for people with dementia is complex and challenging. However, successful implementation might be a key element to ensure evidence-based practice and high quality of care. There is a need to improve implementation processes in dementia care by better understanding the arising challenges. Thus, the aim of this study was to identify recent knowledge concerning

Maximal Strength Training (MST) results in robust improvements in skeletal muscle force production, efficiency, and mass. However, the effects of MST on muscle mitochondria is still unknown. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to examine, from the molecular level to whole-muscle, mitochondrial adaptations induced by 8 weeks of knee-extension MST in the quadriceps of 10 older adults using immunoblotting

Caloric reduction (CR) is considered as the most reasonable intervention to delay aging and age-related diseases. Numerous studies in various model organisms provide the main basis for this hypothesis. Human studies exist, but they differ widely in study design, characteristics of test persons and study outcome. In this study we investigated CR in humans on a molecular level to gain a better understanding

Introduction Hypothyroidism has been implicated in many other disease conditions, including neurodegenerative diseases. Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases. The purpose of this study was to investigate the risk of PD in patients with hypothyroidism. Methods A total of 4725 patients with hypothyroidism and 4725 controls (without hypothyroidism) matched by age

Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to the risk of frailty. However, there are limited methods for evaluations of the potential association of vitamin D with frailty in a longevous (80+) population. The aim of this study was to examine the association between plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels and the risk of frailty among the Chinese community based oldest-old. Secondary analysis of data

Obesity and menopause are known as a major risk factor in the development of left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. Calorie restriction (CR) or exercise (Ex) improved metabolic status and LV function. This study aims to investigate the combined effects of Ex and CR on the cardiometabolic status, and cardiac calcium ([Ca2+]i) regulation in estrogen-deprivation, obese prediabetic rats. Female rats were fed

Objectives Changes of vasoconstriction may be measured non-invasively using pulse transit time. This study assessed the sensitivity, test-retest reliability (and validity of pulse transit time during vasoconstriction provocation and active standing, and the predictive value of pulse transit time for blood pressure drop. Methods Fifty-five younger (age < 65 years) and 31 older adults (age > 70 years)

Mutations in the gene encoding the mitochondrial carrier protein SLC25A46 are known to cause optic atrophy associated with peripheral neuropathy and congenital pontocerebellar hypoplasia. We found novel biallelic SLC25A46 mutations (p.H137R, p.A401Sfs*17) in a patient with Parkinson's disease and optic atrophy. Screening of six unrelated patients with parkinsonism and optic atrophy allowed us to identify

BackgroundSarcopenia is often conceptualized as a precursor to loss of mobility, but its effect on recovery of mobility after a hip fracture is unknown. We determined the prevalence of low muscle strength (weakness) after hip fracture using putative sarcopenia metrics (absolute grip strength, and grip strength normalized to body mass index, total body fat, arm lean mass, and weight) identified by the

BackgroundThis study examined whether biological mechanisms linking dementia caregiving with an increased risk of coronary heart disease can be modified by psychosocial interventions and which caregivers might benefit the most from an intervention. MethodsSpousal dementia caregivers were randomized to 12-week treatment with either a behavioral activation intervention (i.e., Pleasant Events Program

Background Autosomal dominant GCH1 mutations are known to cause dopa-responsive dystonia (DRD). In this case series, we confirm a variant phenotype, characterized by predominant spastic paraplegia at disease onset with development of dystonia and/or parkinsonism only decades later. Methods Clinical trajectories of four patients from three families with pathogenic variants in GCH1 are described, illustrated

The focus of this study was to identify challenges to family eldercare provision from the perspectives of both caregivers and community stakeholders. This qualitative study used data from 306 family caregivers and 116 stakeholders (aging, social, and health service professionals who work with older adults and their families) in North Dakota. Data sources included an American Association of Retired

Eldercare demands (ECD) may result in stress when finite resources needed to fulfill life roles (i.e., family, work) become scarce. ECD may be acquired, continue over time, or be relinquished. They thus may represent acute stress (immediate, severe) or chronic stress (persistent, milder). Workers at six U.S. manufacturing companies completed surveys (N = 520). ECD were operationalized as providing

Development and evaluation of supportive caregiver interventions has become a national priority. This study's aim was to evaluate how caregivers participating in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Caregiver Support Program (CSP) use and value supportive services. Qualitative semi-structured interviews (N = 50 caregivers) were the core of a mixed-methods design, and surveys (N = 160) were supplemental

It is increasingly possible for couples with differing care needs to move to nursing homes together. To our knowledge, this is the first study about spousal caregiving in this context. This study explores spouse and staff experiences when relatively healthy spouses cohabit with and provide care to their partners in Swedish nursing homes. The overarching theme, "being in-between," reflects the spouse's

Family satisfaction, while recognized as important, is frequently missing from validated measures of long-term care quality. This is the first study to compare family satisfaction across two states using validated measures and to compare the organizational and structural factors associated with higher family satisfaction with nursing home care. Data sources are family satisfaction surveys from Minnesota

This study assesses patterns of caregiving, death, and recovery after incident disability in older adults. We used the Health and Retirement Study to follow of a cohort of adults age ≥65 years in the United States with incident disability in activities of daily living (ADLs) or instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs; n = 8,713). Rates of care and function state were assessed biennially: deceased

The aim of this study is to examine formal and informal care use among community-dwelling older Korean adults. Older adults aged between 65 and 85 (N = 516) in mid-size city, selected using the probability proportional sampling method, were interviewed in person. One third reported having at least one caregiver. Compared to respondents who did not use any informal/formal care, those who used any formal

This study examined the moderating effect of gender on the relationship between cognitive social capital and formal volunteering among older adults in urban China. Cognitive social capital refers to individuals' perceptions of their social relationships in local communities. We used quota sampling to recruit 456 older adults aged 60 years and older from 16 communities of Gusu district, Suzhou city

Despite the potential of private insurance in financing long-term care (LTC), its coverage remains rather limited. This study is built on a comprehensive framework to examine the demand for LTC insurance in Hong Kong, a rapidly aging Asian society. A telephone survey was conducted in 2016 to collect data that formed a sample of 1,474 middle-aged and older adults. Multivariate analysis reveals more

To improve continuity and coordination of care in geriatric rehabilitation, an integrated care pathway was developed in the south of the Netherlands. This study aims to reach nationwide consensus on the content and structure of this locally developed pathway using a two-round Delphi study with specialized elderly care physicians (n = 37) as experts. In the first round, experts indicated their level

This study aimed to determine the proportion of older adults who recovered community mobility after hospitalization and identify factors associated with recovery. Using a random sample of 1,000 Medicare beneficiaries ≥65 years of age, we identified individuals with at least one hospitalization over 8.5 years of follow-up. Data were collected at baseline and every 6 months, including demographics, function

Patient portals (PPs), secure websites that allow patients to access their electronic health records and other health tools, can benefit older adults managing chronic conditions. However, studies have shown a lack of PP use in older adults. Little is known about the way they use PPs in community settings and specific challenges they encounter. The aim of this study was to examine the current state

Background Peak expiratory flow (PEF) and walking speed (WS) have been proposed as indicators of robustness and are independent predictors of health-related outcomes. We aimed to investigate how the co-occurrence of respiratory and physical impairments changes as a function of age, and to quantify the association of the combination of low PEF and slow WS on survival in older people. Methods This prospective

BackgroundPhysical activity (PA) is important to maintaining functional independence. It is not clear how patterns of change in late-life PA are associated with contemporaneous changes in physical performance measures. MethodsSelf-reported PA, gait speed, grip strength, timed chair stand, and leg power were assessed in 3,865 men aged ≥ 65 years at baseline (2000-02) and Year 7 (2007-09). Group-based

Background Sarcopenic obesity is a combination of both sarcopenia and obesity, which potentiate each other and maximize the negative influences of each, such as physical disability, morbidity, or even mortality. Objectives To describe the criteria used to identify people with sarcopenic obesity and the components of the non-pharmacological interventions used to manage it, and to evaluate the effectiveness

In the inpatient rehabilitation of older patients, estimating to what extent the patient may functionally recover (functional prognosis), is important to plan the rehabilitation programme and aid discharge planning. Comorbidity is very common in older patients. However, the role of comorbidity in making a functional prognosis is not clearly defined. The aim of this study was to investigate a modified

Previous studies have just found skeletal muscle mass decline is associated with arterial stiffness, but it is unclear whether muscle strength and physical performance as important compositions of sarcopenia are associated with arterial stiffness. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between sarcopenia, the components of sarcopenia and arterial stiffness among elderly in the community

Despite increasing digitalisation the paper-based medication list remains one of the most important instruments for the documentation and exchange of medication-related information. However, even elderly patients with polypharmacy who are at high risk for medication errors and adverse drug events, frequently do not receive or use a complete and comprehensible medication list. Increasing the use of

Previous evidence suggests that slower gait speed is longitudinally associated with cognitive impairment, dementia and falls in older adults. Despite this, the longitudinal relationship between gait speed, cognition and falls in those with a diagnosis of dementia remains poorly explored. We sought to assess this longitudinal relationship in a cohort of older adults with mild to-moderate Alzheimer Disease

Hip fractures represent a global public health issue that demands high cost both from the patient and from the society. Functional exercise in the subacute phase of a hip fracture is essential in reducing these costs. To the best of our knowledge, no qualitative study has explored the patients’ experiences in participating in an exercise program during the first month after surgery. Thus, this study

Little is known about the role of frailty in the recovery process of disability among older adults. We examined the association between frailty and recovery from activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental ADL (IADL) disability among community-dwelling Chinese older adults. Data were from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. Three waves were used. Participants ≥60 years, had frailty

Despite a non-specific nature of self-rated health (SRH), it seems to be a strong predictor of mortality. The aim of this study is to assess the association of SRH and objective health status (OH) with all-cause mortality in 70-year-old community-dwelling older people in Finland. A prospective study with 5-, 10- and 27-year follow-ups. SRH (n = 1008) was assessed with a single question and OH (n = 962)

Hip fractures constitute a major health problem in elderly people and are often fall-related. Several factors can contribute to a fall episode leading to hip fracture, including fall-risk-increasing drugs (FRIDs), which are often used by elderly people. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of medication-related falls and to assess the role of FRIDs and potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs)

The prevalence of dementia is surging that results in huge service demand in the community care services. Dementia care competence of staff working in these settings is fundamental of the care quality. This project aims to examine the effects of staff training on their competence for the anticipated challenges in dementia care and explore how the training influence their care practices. This study

China’s limited health care resources cannot meet the needs of chronic disease treatment and management of its rapid growing ageing population. The improvement and maintenance of patient’s self-management is essential to disease management. Given disease management mainly occurs in the context of family, this study proposes to validate a Couple-based Collaborative Management Model of chronic diseases

The early identification of individuals at high risk for adverse outcomes by a Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) in resource-limited primary care settings enables tailored treatments, however, the evidence concerning its benefits are still controversial. The main objective of this study was to examine the validity and reliability of the “Multidimensional Assessment of Older People in Primary

BackgroundWe compared the cost-effectiveness of 10 weeks of outreach rehabilitation (intervention) versus usual care (control) for ambulatory nursing home residents after hip fracture. MethodsEnrollment occurred February 2011 through June 2015 in a Canadian metropolitan region. 77 participants were allocated in a 2:1 ratio to receive a 10-week rehabilitation program (intervention) or usual care (control)

Age-related adipose tissue dysfunction is potentially important in the development of insulin resistance and metabolic disorder. Caloric restriction (CR) is a robust intervention to reduce adiposity, improve metabolic health, and extend healthy lifespan. Both white adipose tissue (WAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT) are involved in energy homeostasis. CR triggers the beiging of WAT in young mice, however

Objective: The objectives of this systematic review were to: 1) understand how people living with dementia are involved in making decisions; 2) explore the different decisional styles and domains of decision-making that people living with dementia experience and 3) identify what influences the level of decisional involvement of people living with dementia.Methods: A systematic review of literature

Background: The increase in longevity due to the reduction of premature deaths has led to an increase of the number of people with dementia. The objective of the present work was to analyze the profile of the European population with dementia aged more than 50.Methods: The sample of individuals aged 51 or more years was taken from a European database within the last wave of the SHARE Project (Wave

Objective: To investigate the influence of instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) on cognitive impairment of the older adults' population in southern Brazil.Methods: A longitudinal, population-based and home-based study that evaluates the older adults population (60 years or older) living in the city of Florianópolis, Southern Brazil. The sample at the baseline (2009/2010) was composed by 1

Objectives: The present study sets out to investigate the relation of cognitive abilities to well-being and its interplay with key life course proxies of cognitive reserve and social capital in a large sample of older adults.Method: Three thousand eighty older adults served as sample for the present study. Physical well-being (EuroQoL-5D questionnaire) and psychological well-being (Satisfaction with

Objectives: Emerging evidence suggests that social networks may protect against the development of dementia among older adults. In this study we analysed the association between social networks, the apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 allele, and dementia. We also investigated whether there were gender-specific patterns in this respect.Method: The analyses used population-based longitudinal data from Gothenburg

Objectives: This study investigated the association between healthy lifestyle comprised of multiple domains, gender, and cognitive function in older Chinese people in Hong Kong.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis with data from 1,831 community-dwellers aged 65 years and above. Participants' basic demographics, comorbidity, and six lifestyle factors: diet; smoking; alcohol drinking; and

Objective: To evaluate associations between depression and individual cognitive domains and how changes in depressive symptoms relate to cognition three years later in the context of Mexico, a developing country experiencing rapid aging.Method: Data comes from the 2012 and 2015 waves of the Mexican Health and Aging Study (n = 12,898, age 50+). Depression is ascertained using a modified Center for Epidemiologic

Compared to the literature on Alzheimer's disease (AD), less is known about the emotional distress of caregivers of persons with amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI). This study describes and compares emotional distress due to neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) among children and spousal caregivers of aMCI or mild AD care recipients. It also examined the association between the frequency and severity

Objectives: We examined differences in the severity of neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) according to sex and identified NPS-related clinico-demographic and psychosocial factors among community-living patients with amnestic-mild cognitive impairment (a-MCI) or mild Alzheimer's disease (AD).Method: Overall, 111 patients (44 males, 67 females) with mild a-MCI (n = 64) or mild AD (n = 47) were included

Objectives: Young onset dementia (YOD) often comes with neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) that are burdening for patients and caregivers and are predictors for institutionalization. The course of NPS in institutionalized patients with YOD is unknown. This study aims to fill this gap.Method: This study is part of the BEYOND-study, a descriptive longitudinal cohort study of institutionalized YOD patients

Objectives: The life event of retirement may be associated with changes in levels of depressive symptoms. The use of polynomial group-based trajectory modelling allows any changes to vary between different groups in a sample. A new approach, estimating these models using B-splines rather than polynomials, may improve modelling of complex changes in depressive symptoms at retirement.Methods: The sample

Objectives: Although a national consensus exists on the need to increase the rates of advance care planning (ACP) for all adults, racial/ethnic differences in ACP have been consistently observed. This study investigated the intersection of racial/ethnic differences and the number of chronic health conditions on ACP among middle-aged and older adults in the United States.Method: Responses from 8,926

AbstractObjectives: A common cognitive complaint of older adulthood is distractibility, or decline in ability to concentrate and maintain focus, yet few evidence-based interventions exist to address these deficits. We implemented s pilot trial of an evidence-based executive function training program, to investigate whether training in applied goal-directed attention regulation and problem solving would

Objectives: Fear of falling (FOF) causes excess disability in nursing home (NH) residents and is associated with vision and hearing impairment. We explored factors associated with FOF in 225 NH residents with vision, hearing or dual sensory impairment.Methods: We explored age, gender, cognition, depression, social engagement, illness burden, falls, physical function, mobility, falls self-efficacy and

Objective: Over the last decade, the literature relating to older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people's preferences for social and emotional wellbeing services has grown. However, little evidence exists in relation to older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people's experiences of services relating to social and emotional wellbeing. This paper highlights older Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Background: Given the importance of ethnic culture in family caregiving and recent Chinese immigrant population growth, this study explored effects of multiple filial piety traits-filial expectation, self-rated filial performance, and filial discrepancy-on psychological well-being of Chinese immigrants who care for older parents (adult-child caregivers) in the United States.Methods: This study used