J. Gerontol. Geriatr., Volume 72, Issue 3 (September 2024) – 7 articles , Pages 115-171

The prevalence of malnutrition in hospitalized older adults (over 65 years old) varies widely at a national level and a standardized methodology for an accurate assessment has not yet been established. The link between nutritional status with the Food and Nutrition Vulnerability Scale provides a more comprehensive perspective of the overall patient’s condition. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between the risk of hospital malnutrition in geriatric patients and food vulnerability in the state of Sinaloa, Mexico. The Mini Nutritional Assessment and the Food and Nutritional Vulnerability Scale were used for the analysis. Data from 276 geriatric patients aged 60-91 years were included. The results revealed that 78.26% of the participants showed mild vulnerability, while 19.56% exhibited moderate vulnerability, and 2.17% had severe vulnerability. The majority of geriatric patients presented a risk for malnutrition (58.7%) or malnutrition (15.21%). A moderate negative correlation was identified between the nutritional status score and food vulnerability (r= -0.5845, p < 0.0001). In conclusion, the Mini Nutritional Assessment significantly correlated with the Food Vulnerability Scale, suggesting that this comprehensive approach can help to establish more appropriate nutritional therapies for hospitalized geriatric patients, reducing length of hospital stay and morbidity in the older population. Full article

Background. Depression is related to incident type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, little is known on this topic in older people from the Nordic countries and how health and lifestyle characteristics of participants affect this relationship. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate whether baseline depressive symptoms predict incident T2D in Icelandic older people and whether health and lifestyle characteristics of participants, can explain the relation between depression and diabetes. Methods. We used data from the Age-Gene/Environment-Susceptibility-Reykjavik-Study (65-96 years). From the original sample of 3316 participants who finished follow-up, 2823 non-diabetic participants with a complete dataset on depressive symptoms and incident T2D at endpoint were included in this analysis. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). During a mean follow-up of 5.2 years, 103 (3.6%) of the 2823 participants developed T2D. According to the fully adjusted logistic regression model, baseline depressive symptoms in the highest category predicted incident T2D when compared to the lowest category (OR: 3.2; 95%CI: 1.3-8.2; p = 0.014). Statistical adjustment did only marginally alter the results. Subgroup analysis revealed that GDS was a significant predictor of incident T2D in most subgroups. Conclusions. In older Icelandic people, having high depressive symptoms is a predictor of incident T2D during a follow-up period of 5.2 years. These associations are independent from health and lifestyle related covariates and are observed in most subgroups of our study population. Full article

Aim. To verify the effects of physical exercise on the functional autonomy of the older people evaluated by the GDLAM protocol. Methods. This systematic review was drafted according to PRISMA recommendations and registered in PROSPERO. Study inclusion criteria considered the PICOS strategy. The search was conducted in the Embase, MEDLINE (via PubMed), Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science databases. The RoB 2.0 tool was used for bias risk assessment, and the TESTEX tool for methodological quality. The certainty of evidence level of the meta-analysis was evaluated using the GRADE method. Results. A total of 1317 publications were found. After applying selection criteria, a total of 10 randomized clinical trials were included in this systematic review, and 16 outcomes were meta-analyzed. The mean age of participants in the control group (CG) was 66.3 ± 20.4 years, and in the experimental group (EG) was 66.3 ± 21.4 years. The 299 older individuals in the experimental group who performed physical exercises significantly decreased the General Index (GI) by -4.72 [-5.75 to -3.78] compared to the 275 older individuals in the control group who did not engage in physical exercises. This decrease in GI of -4.72 signified better functional autonomy for the older individuals who engaged in physical exercises, enabling them to perform activities of daily living such as walking, rising, and dressing more quickly. Conclusions. Studies involving physical exercise as an intervention tend to improve the functional autonomy of the older people. Full article

Objective. Motor analogies may be a useful tool for helping older people to learn or relearn complex sequences of movements, such as those involved in activities of daily living. Rather than provide explicit movement instructions, an analogy can be used to relate the to-be-learned skill to a familiar concept. This study tested whether a motor analogy may be a useful tool for helping older people to learn an activity involving a complex sequence of movements. Methods. Twenty-four older adults learned to tie a bowline knot, either by traditional explicit instructions or by a ‘rabbit’ story analogy. Participants were asked to tie the knot as rapidly and correctly as possible. After one year, a delayed recall test of the movement sequence was conducted. Results. Analysis revealed no significant differences between the groups with respect to reaction time (p = .66), movement time (p = .80), or movement fluency (p = .22). After one year, participants in the explicit group required significantly fewer cues to recall the knot compared to participants in the analogy group (p = .003). Conclusions. Story analogies are allegorical and may not be superior to explicit instructions when it comes to helping older adults to learn, and retain, complex sequences of movements. Full article

Dizziness is a common complaint among older adults and one of the most important risks for falls. Objectives. This study aimed to report falls, physical capacity, and self-rated health in men and women with and without dizziness in a population-based sample of 70-year-olds, and to investigate which factors may be associated with falls and dizziness. Methods. A cross-sectional population-based sample from 1203 70-year-olds (644 women, 559 men, response rate 72%) was surveyed regarding dizziness, falls, physical capacity, medications, and self-rated health. Physical capacity level was assessed using the six-minute walk test, chair stand test, and tandem standing test with eyes opened and closed. Results. Dizziness was more commonly reported among women than among men (p < 0.0001) and associated with decreased self-rated health and physical levels among both men and women. Dizzy women tended to fall more often, performed worse in fitness measurements (chair stand, tandem standing), exercised less frequently, and went for walks less often than non-dizzy women. The number of medications and dizziness were identified as having significant associations with falls. Conclusions. To experience dizziness already at the age of 70 affects health and physical levels in both men and women, and dizzy women tended to fall more often than non-dizzy women. We suggest that dizziness among older adults should be carefully evaluated regarding medications, physical function, and treatable causes, and when needed, postural training and vestibular rehabilitation should be initiated to avoid future falls and improve quality of life. Full article

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is one of the most debilitating conditions known today that can affect anyone. It is considered one of the great emergencies of the ever-increasing future. Understanding the needs of patients and the difficulties of caregivers can make a difference and improve the quality of life for both the patient and caregiver. Aim: To measure family overload and identify possible areas of intervention among a population of Italian caregivers. Methods: All caregivers who daily interact with the relative with PD and signed the informed consent were included. Nevertheless, I would add a short explanation on the source of recruitment. The study was conducted by administering 137 questionnaires to caregivers of Parkinson’s patients from February to June 2021. Each caregiver was presented with the research project with their prior consent, and only after they had given their consent was it possible to complete the online questionnaire, which was published on the various sites of caregivers and associations for people with Parkinson’s disease. The data collection instrument, consisting of a socio-demographic section and the Caregiver Overload Scale, was administered to each participant. Results: A total of 137 caregivers participated in the study, showing a greater perceived burden in those “engaged” civilly (p = .002) and who care for patients with advanced PD (p = .023). They also reported that their lives were significantly changed both socially (p = .014) and occupationally (p < .001). Conclusions: The study found that the caregivers interviewed were moderately overloaded according to the Caregiver Overload Scale, so it is clear that recognizing the importance of this role and providing the necessary support to caregivers simplifies the diagnostic-therapeutic process, favors and preserves the person’s autonomy. Full article

Objective: Few studies have analysed the impact of age on the severity and duration of Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome (AWS), and the results are contradictory. We aimed to investigate the effects of age on the severity and duration of AWS during inpatient detoxification. Methods: This study was a retrospective cohort study in the inpatient facility of Brijder Addiction Care, The Hague, the Netherlands. The total sample consisted of 141 patients with AWS: 59 patients aged < 55 years and 82 patients aged ≥ 55 years. Patients were treated with a standard detoxification protocol. The Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol (CIWA-Ar) was used to assess the severity and duration of AWS. Other outcome variables were the duration of hospital stay and the occurrence of delirium, falls, and seizures. Results: The maximum CIWA-Ar score, first CIWA-Ar score, time to achieve a CIWA-Ar score < 10, and duration of hospital stay were not different between the age groups. The numbers of delirium, falls, and seizures were too small to test the statistical significance of the difference between age groups. In multivariate analyses adjusted for gender, units of alcohol used per day, somatic diseases, and benzodiazepine use, age (as a continuous variable) was neither associated with severity nor with duration of AWS. Conclusions: Age was not a significant predictor of severity or duration of AWS in multivariate analyses. Full article