Geriatrics Commons^™

Does Physical Activity Moderate The Association Between Shorter Leukocyte Telomere Length And Incident Coronary Heart Disease? Data From 54,180 Uk Biobank Participants, Meiruo Xiang, Luke C. Pilling, David Melzer, Ben Kirk, Gustavo Duque, Rui Liu, George A. Kuchel, Andrew R. Wood, Brad Metcalf, Breno S. Diniz, Melvyn Hillsdon, Chia-Ling Kuo

Health Science Faculty Publications

Telomere shortening is a biological aging hallmark. The effect of short telomere length may be targeted by increased physical activity to reduce the risk of multiple aging-related diseases, including coronary heart disease (CHD). The objective was to assess the moderation effect of accelerometer-based physical activity (aPA) on the association between shorter leukocyte telomere length (LTL) relatively in the population sample and incident CHD. Data were from the UK Biobank participants with well-calibrated accelerometer data for at least 6.5 days (n = 54,180). Relative mean LTL at baseline (5–6 years prior to aPA assessment) was measured in T/S ratio, using a …

Elderly Bleeding Risk Of Direct Oral Anticoagulants In Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis Of Cohort Studies, Jessika Lobraico-Fernandez, Salma Baksh, Eric C. Nemec

Physician Assistant Studies Faculty Publications

Introduction The 2014 American Heart Association (AHA)/American College of Cardiology (ACC)/Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) guidelines recommend anticoagulation to reduce clot formation and the risk of thromboembolic events in patients with atrial fibrillation but does not specify guidelines for the elderly population. Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are newer US FDA-approved alternatives to warfarin and include dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban and edoxaban. The efficacy of DOACs is heavily researched, but few studies have evaluated their bleeding risk. Objectives This systematic review and meta-analysis investigates which DOAC has the lowest bleeding risk in elderly patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). Methods CINAHL and MEDLINE …

Delirium Prevention, Identification And Management In The Oncology Setting: A Unique Partnership With Patients And Their Family Caregivers, Mary Kate Eannielo, Christine M. Waszynski, Kerry A. Milner

Nursing Faculty Publications

Significance & Background: Delirium affects a significant number of hospitalized adults each year resulting in negative patient outcomes and family caregiver distress. Clinical identification of delirium by nurses and use of family caregivers as part of a multicomponent delirium prevention strategy are not consistently implemented in the practice setting despite being best practice.Purpose: An interdisciplinary team in this 800 bed level one trauma center has been created to create and implement this best practice delirium protocol. The purpose of this initiative was to incorporate the family caregiver into this existing multicomponent delirium prevention, detection and management protocol. Interventions: Consistent implementation …

Determining Risk Of Falls In Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis Using Posttest Probability, Michelle M. Lusardi, Stacy Fritz, Addie Middletown, Leslie Allison, Mariana Wingood, Emma Phillips, Michelle Criss, Sangita Verma, Jackie Osborne, Kevin Chui

All PTHMS Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND:

Falls and their consequences are significant concerns for older adults, caregivers, and health care providers. Identification of fall risk is crucial for appropriate referral to preventive interventions. Falls are multifactorial; no single measure is an accurate diagnostic tool. There is limited information on which history question, self-report measure, or performance-based measure, or combination of measures, best predicts future falls.

PURPOSE:

First, to evaluate the predictive ability of history questions, self-report measures, and performance-based measures for assessing fall risk of community-dwelling older adults by calculating and comparing posttest probability (PoTP) values for individual test/measures. Second, to evaluate usefulness of cumulative …

Use Of The Term "Elderly", Dale Avers, Marybeth Brown, Kevin Chui, Rita A. Wong, Michelle M. Lusardi

All PTHMS Faculty Publications

Using the term elderly for a person who is robust and independent as well as for a person who is frail and dependent says little about the individual.

Are Scores On The Ppt Useful In Determination Of Risk Of Future Falls In Individuals With Dementia?, Mary K. Farrell, Richard A. Rutt, Michelle M. Lusardi, Ann K. Williams

All PTHMS Faculty Publications

Individuals with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease (AD), exhibit both a progressive decline in cognitive function and accumulating difficulty with physical function.¹ As cognitive impairment begins, individuals will initially demonstrate difficulties with short-term memory and with instrumental activities of daily living. As the dementia progresses, individuals will increasingly demonstrate difficulties with long-term memory, communication, and basic activities of daily living.

Physical Activity And Cognitive-Health Content In Top-Circulating Magazines, 2006–2008, Anna E. Greer, Sara J. Corwin, Daniela B. Friedman

All PTHMS Faculty Publications

Physical activity may promote cognitive health in older adults. Popular media play an important role in preventive health communication. This study examined articles discussing associations between physical activity and cognitive health in top-circulating magazines targeting older adults. 42,753 pages of magazines published from 2006 to 2008 were reviewed; 26 articles met inclusion criteria. Explanations regarding the link between physical activity and cognitive health were provided in 57.7% of articles. These explanations were generally consistent with empirical evidence; however, few articles included empirical evidence. Physical activity recommendations were presented in 80.8% of articles; a wide range was recommended (90–300 min of …

White Paper: Walking Speed: The Sixth Vital Sign, Stacy Fritz, Michelle M. Lusardi

All PTHMS Faculty Publications

Walking speed is "almost the perfect measure." This review summarizes the strong psychometric properties of walking speed and robust evidence for using this clinical measurement. Walking speed is easily measurable, clinically interpretable, and a potentially modifiable risk factor. For these reasons, using WS as the sixth vital sign is both pragmatic and essential.

Determinants Of Balance Confidence In Community-Dwelling Elderly People, Janine Hatch, Kathleen M. Gill-Body, Leslie G. Portney

All PTHMS Faculty Publications

Background and Purpose. The fear of falling can have detrimental effects on physical function in the elderly population, but the relationship between a persons' confidence in the ability to maintain balance and actual balance ability and functional mobility is not known. The extent to which balance confidence can be explained by balance performance, functional mobility, and sociodemographic, psychosocial, and health-related factors was the focus of this study.

Subjects. The subjects were 50 community-dwelling elderly people, aged 65 to 95 years (X̄=81.7, SD=6.7).

Methods. Balance was measured using the Berg Balance Scale. Functional mobility was measured using the Timed Up & …

Preparing Students For Ebp, Pamela Levangie

All PTHMS Faculty Publications

Describes one particular approach to teaching evidence-based practice in physical therapy. At Sacred Heart University students begin course work that is foundational to preparing them for evidence-based practice. In the first semester of study, they take a Concepts in Measurement unit. During the second semester, I teach a semester-long Clinical Research course that focuses on understanding concepts of clinical research and on critical review of physical therapy literature. During the third and fourth semesters of study, when they are doing their clinical coursework, the emphasis is on the concepts of validity and reliability of the tools they use. The students …