BMC geriatrics
-
Multicenter Study
Restricted activity and persistent pain following motor vehicle collision among older adults: a multicenter prospective cohort study.
Restricted physical activity commonly occurs following acute musculoskeletal pain in older adults and may influence long-term outcomes. We sought to examine the relationship between restricted physical activity after motor vehicle collision (MVC) and the development of persistent pain. ⋯ Among older adults experiencing MVC, those reporting bed rest or reduced activity 6 weeks after the collision reported higher pain and pain interference scores at 6 months. More research is needed to determine if interventions to promote activity can improve outcomes after MVC in older adults.
-
To estimate the long-term change in health related quality of life (HRQoL) following low-trauma fractures among individuals receiving home care (HC) services or living in long-term care (LTC) facilities using linked healthcare administrative data from Ontario, Canada. ⋯ Based on the analysis of one of the largest studies on HRQoL to date, among individuals living in LTC facilities or receiving HC services, fractures have a significant permanent impact on HRQoL up to 3 years following fracture.
-
Due to the demographic transition with a growing number of old and oldest-old persons the absolute number of fragility fractures is expected to increase in industrialized countries unless effective preventive efforts are intensified. The main causes leading to fractures are osteoporosis and falls. The aim of this study is to develop population based models of the potential impact of fall-prevention exercise and oral bisphosphonates over the coming decade. ⋯ Unrealistic high treatment and participation rates of the two analysed measures are needed to achieve substantial effects on the expected burden of femoral fractures at present and in the future.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Impact of a transition nurse program on the prevention of thirty-day hospital readmissions of elderly patients discharged from short-stay units: study protocol of the PROUST stepped-wedge cluster randomised trial.
In France, for patients aged 75 or older, it has been estimated that the hospital readmission rate within 30 days is 14 %, a quarter being avoidable. Some evidence suggests that interventions "bridging" the transition from hospital to home and involving a designated professional (usually nurses) are the most effective in reducing the risk of readmission, but the level of evidence of current studies is low. Our study aims to assess the impact of a care transition program from hospital to home for elderly admitted to short-stay units. ⋯ Our study makes it possible to evaluate the specific effect of a bridging intervention involving a designated professional intervening before, during, and after hospital discharge. The strengths of the study design are methodological and practical. It permits the estimation of the intervention effect using between- and within-cluster comparisons; the study of the fluctuations in unscheduled hospital readmission or emergency visit rates; the participation of all clusters in the intervention condition; the implementation of the intervention in each cluster successively.
-
Observational Study
The geriatric depression scale and the timed up and go test predict fear of falling in community-dwelling elderly women with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a cross-sectional study.
Fear of falling is a common and potentially disabling problem among older adults. However, little is known about this condition in older adults with diabetes mellitus. The aims of this study were to investigate the impact of the fear of falling on clinical, functional and gait variables in older women with type 2 diabetes and to identify which variables could predict the fear of falling in this population. ⋯ The fear of falling in community-dwelling older women with type 2 diabetes mellitus is associated with frailty, depressive symptoms and dynamic balance, functional mobility and gait deficits. Furthermore, both the GDS-15 and the TUG test predict a fear of falling in this population. Therefore, these instruments should be considered during the assessment of diabetic older women with fear of falling.