Effects of Acupunch Exercises on the Frail Older Adults in Long-Term Care Facilities
FrailtyExerciseFrailty is a complex elderly problem and a precursor of functional degradation in elder adults. The aim of this study will to test the effects of acupunch exercises on the frail older adults in long-term care facilities.
A 3-month Cycle of Virtual Guided Tours to Promote Health in Older Community Members in a Context...
Social IsolationQuality of Life2 moreSocial isolation is defined as the objective and/or subjective reduction of number and quality of interpersonal contacts leading to a loss of an individual's social role and stigmatization. It is a major problem in Canadian society with a high prevalence in the older population (30% in individuals aged 65 and over, representing 1.5 million individuals). Social isolation is associated with a wide range of mental and physical health problems that leads to an increase in the use of health and social services. This issue increased with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic which attacking your society at its core. Social distancing and in particular home confinement exacerbated social isolation of frailer groups like the elderly people. In 2016, the International Federation on Ageing reported that "the main new problem facing seniors in Canada is maintaining their social contacts and activities". This highlights the need for efficient and effective interventions to improve the social inclusion of older adults experiencing social isolation. Research suggests that art-based activities carried out at museums have significant benefits for older adults experiencing social isolation, and may foster social inclusion, well-being, quality of life and mitigate frailty. Yet few studies have examined empirically the effects of museum art-based activities in older adults experiencing social isolation. In 2019, the principal investigator of this research conducted an experimental pilot study based on a pre-post intervention (i.e., 3-month cycle of weekly guided tours carried out at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA)), single arm, prospective and longitudinal follow-up named "Effects of Montreal Museum of Fine Arts visits and older community dwellers with a precarious state: An experimental study", which indicated the potential of museum tours to improve social inclusion, well-being, the quality of life and frailty in older community members experiencing social isolation. However, these studies were performed before the COVID-19 crisis and were in-site activities. The principal investigator hypothesizes that a 3-month cycle of virtual weekly MMFA tours may induce changes in well-being, quality of life and health condition in older community dwellers participating like the 'Beautiful Thursday' cycle, and that this activity can prevent the worsening of vulnerability and social isolation due to social distancing.
Integrated Care and Lower Extremity Strength Training Among Community-Dwelling Frail Older Adults...
FrailtyObjective: To determine the differential effectiveness of integrated care (IC) and lower extremity strength training (LEST) among community-dwelling frail older adults in Taiwan. Method: The investigators randomize participants at Bei-Hu site from the "Intervention study of Geriatric Frailty, Osteoporosis, and Depression in a Community Based Randomized Trial" into 12 weeks of either IC or LEST. Outcome assessments are performed at baseline, 12 weeks and 6 months after initiation of the interventions. Interventions: IC: Participants visit the study site with health education, social activities, warm up, stretch, and low intensity resistance exercise for about 1 hour per week. If any medical problems or functional decline suspected during the visit, the case manager refers participants to their primary care physicians for further managements. LEST: Participants receive 2 sessions of 30-minute lower extremity strength straining using isotonic strength training machines each week. The intensity is set at 60-80% of 1 repetition maximum (RM). Evaluation of the exercise protocol are repeated every 2 weeks for individualized adjustments
Connect-Home Clinical Trial
Transitional CareCaregivers3 moreThis study will test whether transitional care targeting care needs of seriously ill, skilled nursing facility (SNF) patients and their caregivers will help to improve SNF patient outcomes (preparedness for discharge, quality of life, function and acute care use) and caregiver outcomes (preparedness for the caregiving role. caregiver burden and caregiver distress).
Mobile Health Intervention to Support Healthful Diet
FrailtyThis will be a pilot clinical trial to evaluate preliminary efficacy of a newly designed mobile intervention designed to support healthy eating in old people. The main scientific premise of this project is that mobile approaches are feasible for behavioral and metabolic improvements in the population of people 65+ with mild-to-moderate frailty. Specific Aim of this project is to describe feasibility, acceptability and initial efficacy of the newly designed mobile intervention in a pilot RCT. The pilot RCT, comparing usual care to usual care plus mobile intervention, will provide data on the sensitivity of outcome measures and estimated effect size to inform a larger RCT. Primary outcomes for the pilot RCT will include change in adherence to Mediterranean diet (MedD) score, change in insulin sensitivity measures, feasibility and acceptability. Secondary outcomes include MedD knowledge, self-efficacy, outcome expectation, self-regulation, social support, platform use and anthropometric and functional measures.
Implementing 3-Step Workout for Life in Home Health
FrailtyDisability or Chronic Disease Leading to DisablementThe purpose of this project is to study how to adapt and implement the 3-Step Workout for Life program in a local home health agency. A series of learning cycles will be conducted to adjust the treatment dose and delivery mode. The specific aims include to evaluate the implementation outcomes and clinical outcomes, and to identify facilitators and barriers associated with the implementation.
The Effects of Functional Power Training on Frail and Pre-frail Community - Dwelling Older Adults...
FrailtyMuscle WeaknessTo investigate the efficacy of a 12-week Functional Power Training (FPT) program in pre-frail and frail community-dwelling older adults in Singapore for the management of physical frailty. The proposed study will provide information on the benefits of FPT on physical performances of older adults and help to shape future exercise recommendations to slow or reverse the onset and severity of physical frailty.
Piloting Prehabilitation Before Abdominal Surgery
FrailtyFrail Veterans are at increased risk for poor surgical outcomes, and as the Veteran population grows older and more frail, there is a critical need to identify effective strategies for reducing surgical risks for these patients. Prior research shows that inter-disciplinary rehabilitation strategies deployed after surgery enhance recovery and improve outcomes by building strength and improving nutrition. We believe that similar improvements may be obtained by using similar interventions before surgery to "prehabilitate" patients' capacity to tolerate the stress of surgery. The proposed research will examine the feasibility of a new, prehabilitation intervention aimed at improving postoperative surgical outcomes through preoperative exercise training and nutritional supplementation. Findings from the study will inform the design of a larger randomized controlled trial of the prehabilitation intervention. If proven effective, prehabilitation could benefit as many as 42,000 frail Veterans who are scheduled for major elective surgery each year.
Psychosocial Stress and Aging in HIV
HIVAging3 moreThis study will begin to assess the association between perceived stress and enhanced aging in persons living with HIV (PLWH). The investigators suspect this relationship may be mediated by increased aging within the immune system and subsequent low-level inflammation that commonly leads to multiple illnesses and frailty as one ages. The findings from this study will identify potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets to improve the health of aging PLWH which could also apply to HIV-uninfected populations.
Ambulatory Geriatric Evaluation - Frailty Intervention Trial
Frail ElderlyDeathsThe main purpose of this randomised controlled trial is to study if a Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) and follow up for community-dwelling elderly people can improve outcomes such as health and health-related quality of life among both patients and relatives, feeling of safety among both patients and relatives and reduce costs, compared with usual care.