Transforming Primary Care for Older Canadians Living With Frailty
Frail Elderly SyndromeIt is well known that older Canadians are high users of health care services. What is less well known is that the health care system is not well-designed to meet the needs of those who use it most. Older persons look to their primary care practitioners to assess their needs and coordinate their care. Unfortunately, the health concerns of older persons are often missed in too-short office visits. They may need care from a variety of providers and services, but this care is often not well-coordinated. Older persons and their caregivers are the experts in their own needs and preferences, but often do not have a chance to participate fully in treatment decisions or care planning. As a result, they may have health problems that are not properly assessed, managed or treated resulting in poorer health, as well as preventable and expensive emergency department visits and hospital stays. Improving the health of older Canadians means identifying health problems early. It means providing timely supports so that manageable concerns do not spiral out of control. And, above all, it means helping health care providers actively engage older patients and their family caregivers as partners in care. Patients want to make informed choices about their health and the care they receive, based on their personal values, preferences and goals, and informed by available evidence. Nine primary care clinics in three provinces (Quebec, Ontario, Alberta) will use a quick screening tool to identify older patients who are at risk of becoming frail. This will help initiate referral to health care or support services where necessary. Innovative technology will be used to streamline the referral process and help assist older adults in decision-making about their care. With support from the Canadian Frailty Network (CFN, formerly TVN), researchers, collaborators, health care providers and older adults from across Canada will work together to transform primary health care for frail elderly Canadians.
Edoxaban and Frailty in Senior Individuals
Atrial FibrillationEdoxaban, has shown in clinical registration trials a significant reduction of major bleeding compared to warfarin, especially in elderly patients. Efficacy and safety of edoxaban will be assessed in a cohort of very elderly patients (≥80 years of age) with NVAF. A secondary analysis will correlate outcomes with frailty defined according to SHARE-FI (not-frail, pre-frail or frail).
Effects of Sarcopenia on General Health Status in Elderly: a Population-based Study
SarcopeniaSarcopenic Obesity1 moreThis is a observational study, that aimed to determine the prevalence of sarcopenia using European Wording Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) algorithm in a general elderly population in Algarve region (Portugal). Because muscle is metabolically active tissue, sarcopenia may also contribute to the development of some of the metabolic disorders associated with aging. However, the risk factors associated with sarcopenia are poorly understood. Thus, a cross-sectional survey of a sample of 274 elderly adults aged 60 or over, were included in the study. Correlations of sarcopenia with functional level, lipid and glycemic profile, nutritional and physical activity level, fall risk, quality of life, and self-reported comorbidities will be studied.
Cognitive Frailty in Older Adults: The Role of Technology in Physical Activity Enhancement
Mild Cognitive ImpairmentFrailtyThis study intends to determine if smart watches and mobile phone application prompts can complement physical activity as a preventive intervention by motivating participants to exercise, so as to improve their physical and cognitive outcomes. The investigators hypothesize that technology will help increase engagement in physical activity for the intervention group relative to the control group and subsequently improve cognitive and physical outcomes.
Effect of Behavioral Lifestyle Intervention on Frailty in Older Adults With Diabetes
FrailtyWeight2 moreThe study team want to see if changes in lifestyle and behaviors and self-monitoring of diet and physical activity in older adults who have type 2 Diabetes (T2D) may help to prevent or reduce frailty. Frailty occurs in older adults and leads people to have falls, become disabled, require nursing home placement, and have increased risk of death. T2D is one of the major risk factors for frailty. T2D is a significant problem in older adults and is known to increase the risk of future frailty.
A Technology-based Intervention to Support Older Adults in Living Independently
Older PeopleFrailtyThe general objective of this study is to test the usability and efficiency of the SAVE prototype, a technology-based support for enabling older adults to keep their independent and active lives in their homes and maintain their social relationships for as long as possible.
Physiology of Vestibular Dysfunction and Clinical Implications
Dysfunction of Vestibular SystemAccidental Falls1 moreVestibular dysfunction is a known contributor to imbalance and fall risk, and may be a precursor to the frailty phenotype seen in the elderly population. A recent study found that vestibular dysfunction is common in the US population, and that the prevalence of this impairment increases steeply with age. However, it is unknown whether the aging process has global effects on the vestibular end-organ or whether specific structures, e.g. the semicircular canals or the otoliths, are selectively impaired. Moreover, the clinical implications of specific deficits of the vestibular end-organ are unclear. As such, the aims of this proposed research are: 1) to evaluate whether the normative aging process is predominantly associated with dysfunction of the semicircular canals (as measured by caloric and angular vestibulo-ocular reflex testing) or of the otoliths (as measured by vestibular-evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) testing); 2) to determine if there are any characteristic clinical features associated with the subtypes of vestibular dysfunction; and 3) to assess whether dysfunction of the semicircular canals or of the otoliths is associated with a higher risk of frailty and falls. The investigators plan to pursue these aims through a cross-sectional and prospective cohort study of a group of individuals age 70 and above. Vestibular physiologic tests will be administered to all study participants, and test results will be correlated with baseline clinical symptoms and frailty status as well as prospective one-year fall risk. A greater understanding of vestibular physiologic deficits and clinical implications in older individuals can inform the development of rational vestibular rehabilitation strategies that may more effectively mitigate the frailty phenotype and reduce fall risk.
Frailty and Body Composition in the Elderly Cancer Patients Treated With Chemotherapy
CancerThe investigators could hypothesize that age-related changes in body composition parameters play a role in the variable tolerance to chemotherapy in the elderly.
Pre-Frailty Risk in Cardiovascular Surgery
Post Cardiac SurgeryFrailty is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), recent data has shown significant association between pre-frailty and the risk of incident for CVD, irrespective of any classical cardiometabolic risk factors, suggesting that targeting pre-frailty as a potentially reversible risk factor for CVD in the elderly. Patients with high levels of frailty have an increased risk in post-operative period, with more time in mechanical ventilation, length of stay and complications (stroke and death) compared to patients with low frailty levels. The investigators hypothesized that pre-frailty patients also have a higher surgical risk compared to no-frailty patients.
Emergency Surgery in the Elderly: Comparison of Frailty Index and Surgical Risk Score
SurgeryEmergencyEMERGENCY GENERAL SURGERY IN GERIATRIC PATIENTS: EPIDEMIOLOGY, AND EVALUATION OF FACTORS AFFECTING MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY