Public Square Dancing Intervention on Subjective Well-Being of Middle-Aged and Elderly People:A Meta-Analysis

Objective:To understand the influence of public square dancing on the subjective well-being of middle-aged and elderly people.Methods:According to the principle of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses(PRISMA)guidelines,we search Chinese databases,such as CNKI,Wanfang Data,and VIP,and English databases,such as Proquest,Web of Science,Pubmed,Cochrane,and ScienceDirect,and collect relevant articles at home and abroad from 2006 to December 2019 for meta-analysis in January 2020.Result:A total of 10 articles were included.The meta-analysis results showed that the well-being of middle-aged and elderly people in the public square dancing intervention group was significantly higher than that of the other exercise group and control group(both P<0.01).The results of the subgroup analysis showed the following:Different durations of intervention significantly influence the intervention effect(P<0.01).No difference was found between the effect of the mixed-gender intervention and the individual female intervention(P>0.05).No significant difference was found between the groups with weekly intervention frequency(P>0.05).Conclusion:Public square dancing intervention is effective for middle-aged and elderly people’s subjective well-being.Neither mixed intervention nor the times of weekly intervention have an impact on the intervention effect.However,the length of duration of intervention influences the intervention effect.

Analysis of the impact of exercise education interventions on middle-aged and elderly people in Central-western rural China

This study aims to analyze the impact of health education effort that promote exercise activities have had on middle-aged and older people in central-western rural China.The Project for Family Health Care(PFHC)of the population in central and western China used questionnaires completed anonymously to survey 4217 randomly selected respondents in the baseline year of 2011,and 4529 in the end-line year of 2015.We used bivariate and multivariate analyses to examine the associations between several factors and regular exercise activities.The 2011 baseline year sample indicated that 90.5%of respondents knew the functions of regular exercise,but that only 45.4%participated in regular exercise activities.In the baseline multivariate model,a number of factors were positively associated with the prevalence of participation in regular exercise activities.Respondents who were women,older,retired,lived with children,had chronic diseases,and self-reported better health were more likely to participate in regular exercise.The proportion of those participating in regular exercise increased to 75.9%among the end-line year respondents after health education.This study revealed that health education interventions effectively encouraged rural middle-aged and elderly people to participate in regular exercise activities.Health education efforts of this sort for rural middle-aged and older adults should be further strengthened,and more public facilities for exercise should be provided.

Effectiveness and safety of subthreshold vibration over suprathreshold vibration in treatment of muscle fatigue in elderly people

Muscle fatigue is common in many populations,particularly elderlies.Aging increases the incidence of muscle fatigue and delays its recovery.There is a huge debate about the current treatments for muscle fatigue,particularly in elderlies.Recently,it has been discovered that mechanoreceptors have an important role as a sensory system in sensing muscle fatigue which could enhance the body's response to muscle fatigue.The function of mechanoreceptors could be enhanced by applying either suprathreshold or subthreshold vibration.Although suprathreshold vibration improves muscle fatigue,it can cause desensitization of cutaneous receptors,discomfort,and paresthesia,which are barriers to clinical use.Subthreshold vibration has been approved as a safe and effective method of training for mechanoreceptors;however,its use and effectiveness in muscle fatigue have never been tested or explained.Possible physiological effects of subthreshold vibration in the treatment of muscle fatigue include:(1)Enhancing the function of mechanoreceptors themselves;(2)Increasing the firing rate and function of alpha motor neurons;(3)Increasing blood flow to fatigued muscles;(4)Decreasing the rate of muscle cell death in elderlies(sarcopenia);and(5)Driving motor commands and allow better performance of muscles to decrease fatigue incidence.In conclusion,the use of subthreshold vibration could be a safe and effective treatment for muscle fatigue in elderlies.It could enhance recovery from muscle fatigue.Finally,Subthreshold Vibration is safe and effective in treating muscle fatigue in comparison to suprathreshold vibration.

Relationship between Waist Circumference, Waist-Height Ratio, Body Fat Percentage, Visceral Fat and Bone Mineral Density in Middle-Aged and Elderly Zhuang of China

Objective: To understand the correlation between different degrees of obesity and bone mineral density (BMD). Methods: 772 cases (300 men and 472 females) of Zhuang over 40 years old were randomly selected. The BMD and T score were calculated by measuring the right heel bone using a quantitative-ultrasound densitometer. Body composition index of body weight, waist circumference (WC), waist height ratio (WtHR), body fat percentage (BFP) and visceral fat (VF) were measured using a bioelectrical impedance method. Results: The BMI, WC, and WtHR of the male osteoporosis group were lower than those of the normal bone mass (NBM) group (P Conclusion: BMI is positively correlated with BMD in Zhuang. BFP has a greater correlation with female BMD, and a small reduction in BFP can result in a significant decrease in BMD. BMD of male was positively correlated with abdominal obesity indicators (WC, WtHR, VF). However, abdominal obesity has no obvious effect on the promotion of BMD in women, and increased WtHR can lead to a decrease in BMD. Zhuang can appropriately increase the amount of fat within the normal weight range. At the same time, reasonable exercise and balanced nutrition to avoid excessive obesity or low body weight can reduce the incidence of osteoporosis and osteoporosis fractures.

Utility of “loco-check,” self-checklist for “locomotive syndrome” as a tool for estimating the physical dysfunction of elderly people

Aim: A new concept of locomotive syndrome has been proposed by the Japanese Orthopaedic Association. The aim of this study is to clarify the utility of its self-checklist, “loco-check,” as a tool for estimating the physical dysfunction of elderly people. Methods: Subjects were 1124 community-dwelling Japanese people, 557 men and 567 women, aged 40-89 years. Information about the seven “loco-check” items was obtained from present inquiry sheets. Physical functions were examined by grip strength, knee extension strength, walking speed and one-leg standing time with open eyes. The averages of these test values, controlled for age and BMI, were compared between the “loco-check” (+) group and the “loco-check” (-) group. Also we examined about the trend of decline of physical function, together with SF36 physical function subscale score, as the number of the items chosen increased. Results: Adjusted average values of all four physical function examinations in the “lococheck” (+) group were significantly lower than those of the “loco-check” (-) group (all, p . Also the adjusted average values of the majority of four tests were significantly lower in those who checked each of the “loco-check” items than those who did not, for most of the items. It was also revealed that the more items subjects checked, the lower the adjusted average values were, except for one-leg standing time. It was also the case with SF36 physical function subscale score. Conclusion: We showed the utility of “loco-check” as a simple tool not only for noticing the physical dysfunction of elderly people, but also for estimating the extent of it, except for balancing ability, particularly by counting the number of checked items.

Quality of life and hope in elderly people with cancer

The aim of this study was to describe the charac-teristics in Quality of Life (QoL) and hope in eld-erly people newly diagnosed with cancer, and to compare the results for those who survived six months after diagnosis with those who did not. The design of the study was a quantitative study in-cluding drop-out analysis. Data were collected pro-spectively from a group of 101 older people with cancer. The core questionnaire EORTC QLQ-C30 was used to measure QoL and Nowotny’s Hope Scale (NHS) was employed to measure hope. Par-ticipants who died within six months of diagnosis had significantly lower QoL and had more com-plaints about symptoms compared to those who survived. However, hope did not differ significantly between those who died and those who survived. Despite lower QoL score among those who died they were able to deal with their difficult situation and maintain hope in late life. This capacity seems to be an important component of hope in the elderly;thus it is essential to strengthen hope.

Intelligent Video Surveillance System for Elderly People Living Alone Based on ODVS

Intelligent video surveillance for elderly people living alone using Omni-directional Vision Sensor (ODVS) is an important application in the field of intelligent video surveillance. In this paper, an ODVS is utilized to provide a 360° panoramic image for obtaining the real-time situation for the elderly at home. Some algorithms such as motion object detection, motion object tracking, posture detection, behavior analysis are used to implement elderly monitoring. For motion detection and object tracking, a method based on MHoEI(Motion History or Energy Images) is proposed to obtain the trajectory and the minimum bounding rectangle information for the elderly. The posture of the elderly is judged by the aspect ratio of the minimum bounding rectangle. And there are the different aspect ratios in accordance with the different distance between the object and ODVS. In order to obtain activity rhythm and detect variously behavioral abnormality for the elderly, a detection method is proposed using time, space, environment, posture and action to describe, analyze and judge the various behaviors of the elderly in the paper. In addition, the relationship between the panoramic image coordinates and the ground positions is acquired by using ODVS calibration. The experiment result shows that the above algorithm can meet elderly surveillance demand and has a higher recognizable rate.

Measuring the Cognitive Impact of Laughter on Elderly People with Mild Cognitive Impairment in Japan

Objective: To evaluate the effect of laughter on cognition in elderly with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) through an appropriately designed intervention. Methods: The intervention involved watching a Japanese comedy routine (Manzai) for approximately twenty minutes, once a week for ten weeks. Participants were asked to paint, as a simple exercise, in addition to watching the show. Twenty-seven patients with MCI from the convalescent ward of a general hospital in the Kansai region of Japan. We measured cognition by evaluating five cognitive function domains before (baseline) and after the intervention. We used the Wilcoxon signed rank test, a distribution-free method, to compare baseline and post-intervention data. Ethical Consideration: Participants were given a document explaining the study. Only those who officially agreed to participate were enrolled. Results: Mean age of patients was 85.0 ± 2.8 years;average education was 8.6 ± 2.8 years. Three cognitive function domains had significantly different average scores after the intervention: 1) Exercise: 44.4 ± 8.9 points at baseline, 36.3 ± 10.2 post-intervention (p = 0.014);2) Word memory: 40.6 ± 7.2 at baseline, 43.1 ± 8.8 post-intervention (p = 0.002);and 3) Animal name recollection: 35.3 ± 8.4 at baseline, 38.1 ± 9.0 post-intervention (p = 0.003). Discussion: The intervention led to significantly higher cognitive scores in exercise, word memory, and animal name recollection domains, suggesting that interventions focused on laughter and simple exercise may improve cognition in elderly patients with MCI.

Blood Glucose Sensor Systems for Elderly People

Electrochemical blood glucose sensors were developed with use of enzymes and an electron mediator.Electrodes were patterned on a resin plate,and a reagent layer containing an enzyme and an electron mediator was disposed on the electrodes in a dried state.A sample chamber to which the soluble reagent layer was exposed was assembled with the enzyme-loaded electrodes to hold a certain volume of blood in the sensor.The fabricated sensors enabled rapid and precise measurements of blood glucose of oneself.The sensor systems combined with the customized hand-held meter especially for the sensor were maintenance-free chiefly due to disposable sensors,and would be simple and easy enough to be operated by elderly people.

Virtual Nursing Using Deep Belief Networks for Elderly People (DBN-EP)

The demand for better health services has resulted in the advancementof remote monitoring health, i.e., virtual nursing systems, to watch and supportthe elderly with innovative concepts such as being patient-centric, easier to use,and having smarter interactions and more accurate conclusions. While virtual nursing services attempt to provide consumers and medical practitioners with continuous medical and health monitoring services, access to allied healthcare expertssuch as nurses remains a challenge. In this research, we present Virtual NursingUsing Deep Belief Networks for Elderly People (DBN-EP), a new framework thatprovides a virtual nurse agent deployed on a senior citizen’s home, workplace, orcare centre to help manage their health condition on a continuous basis. Using thismethod, healthcare providers can assign various jobs to nurses by utilizing a general task definition mechanism, in which a task is defined as a combination ofmedical workflow, operational guidelines, and data gathered from a remotelymonitored virtual nursing system. Practitioners are in charge of DBN-EP andmake treatment decisions for patients. This allows a DBN-EP to act as a personalized full-time nurse for a client by carrying out practitioner support activitiesbased on information gathered about the client’s health. An electronic PersonalHealth Record (ePHR) system, such as a specialized web portal and mobile apps,could provide such patient information to elderly person family members and carecentres. We created a prototype system using a DBN-EP system that allows traditional client applications and healthcare provider systems to collaborate. Finally,we demonstrate how this system may benefit the elderly through a result anddebate.

Comparison of Factors Related to Elderly People’s Purpose of Life in Japan and Thailand

Purpose: In the present study, the features of “purpose of life” of elderly persons in Japan and Thailand are clarified by focusing on this concept and its related factors, and through the comparison of the results of Japan and Thailand. Methods: The Japanese subjects consist of the elderly aged 60 or older. The Thai subjects consist of the elderly aged 60 or older who live in Thailand. A sum of 250 subjects (men and women) per country will be studied. They were asked about their individual attribution and maintenance of healthy condition. Moreover, 19 items were examined as events leading to life purpose. These items were measured using the Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale, General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL). Results: Data from 200 elderly people (male: 67, female: 133) in Thailand and 234 elderly people (male: 49, female: 185) in Japan were used in the analysis. Regarding an “Events Leading to Life Purpose,” it was suggested that “activities to enhance learning and culture” and “neighbors and friends, and socializing with acquaintances” helped both in Japan and Thailand. Moreover, “elderly persons’ club activities” and “child” were effective in Thailand, while “spouse” and “grandchild” were effective in Japan. Moreover, Model 1 (event, disease → purpose of life → mental health, and IADL) that became purpose of life for both countries was adopted. Conclusion: In order to improve older adults’ mental health and ADL by improving “purpose of life”, it is required to increase the events leading to life purpose and to prevent illness for both countries. In particular, “activities to enhance learning and culture” and “neighbors and friends, and socializing with acquaintances” was the activity which raises “purpose of life”. Then, “elderly persons’ club activities” and “child” were effective in Thailand, while “spouse” and “grandchild” were effective in Japan.

The Poverty Alleviation Model for the Solitary Elderly People in the Poor Mountainous Areas of Southwest China: Analysis of "Five Batches Project" in Xundian County

The solitary elderly people in rural areas are not only an important part of the rural population,but also an important issue that can not be ignored in the battle to get rid of poverty. In recent years,according to the working thinking of ' accurate statistics,scientific arrangement,classified implementation,and rapid progress',Xundian County has gone through joint exploration and practice at the county and township levels,and has found out the path of work of ' Five Batches Project' to solve the problem of poverty alleviation for the solitary elderly people and make them live in their own homes. This has effectively solved the problem of safe and stable housing for 4 443 solitary elderly people in the county. It has found a new way to solve the housing problem of the solitary elderly people. At the end of 2017,the incidence of poverty in the county dropped to 0. 35%,and it was successfully listed as one of the first counties in Yunnan Province to get rid of poverty. Based on field research and interviews,this paper analyzes and summarizes the concrete methods,main achievements,practical experience,lessons and reference of the poverty alleviation model of ' Five Batches Project' in Xundian County to solve the problem of housing for the elderly,in order to provide necessary reference for the poor counties in Yunnan Province and other similar provinces( cities,autonomous regions) to solve the problem of housing for ' solitary elderly people' in Yunnan Province.

Relationship between platelet-lymphocyte ratio and carotid atherosclerosis in middle-aged and elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Objective:To investigate the relationship between platelet-lymphocyte ratio(PLR)and carotid atherosclerosis(CAS)in middle-aged and elderly patients with T2DM.Methods:A total of 420 middle-aged and elderly patients with T2DM who were hospitalized in the Endocrinology Department of our hospital from September 2018 to September 2020 and were examined by ultrasound were selected as the subjects.The carotid artery intima-media thickness(CIMT)was examined by color Doppler ultrasonography,including normal CIMT group(n=111),CIMT thickening group(n=103)and CAS plaque group(n=206).The differences of serum PLR levels among the three groups were compared.Multivariate Logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between PLR and CAS plaque formation.The receiver operating curve(ROC)was used to evaluate the value of multivariate Logistic regression model(Logit P)in the diagnosis of CAS lesions.Results:The mean value of PLR in CAS plaque group(127.86±48.54)was significantly higher than that in CIMT normal group(109.15±48.35).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that after adjusting for other confounding factors,the increase of PLR was an independent risk factor for the occurrence of CAS plaque.ROC showed that the efficacy of multivariate Logit P model in the diagnosis of CAS plaque was(AUC=0.807,95%CI=0.759-0.858).Conclusions:PLR is one of the important risk factors for the occurrence of CAS lesions.At the same time,the multivariate Logistic regression model established in this study has clinical reference value in predicting CAS lesions in middle-aged and elderly patients with T2DM.

Survey on the Use of Information and Communication Technology Tools in Educating Caregivers of Elderly People with Dementia —Analysis from Ichushi and PubMed

This study aimed to clarify the use of computer simulations in educating caregivers of elderly people with dementia. Thesaurus words in articles indexed in Ichushi and PubMed were analyzed using commercially available “Trend Search” text-mining software developed by FUJITSU. The analysis maps relational words in the articles, with line size and distance between words showing the strength of the relation. For ethical purposes, articles were anonymized for analysis. The search was conducted using the query phrases “elderly people with dementia AND simulation”, and retrieved four articles from Ichushi (2007-2010) and 16 from PubMed (1992-2012). The search results revealed that little research has been done on this subject, and highlighted opportunities to further investigate the use of ICT tools in educating caregivers of elderly people with dementia.

Behavioral Risk Factors for Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases in Adults and Elderly People in the City of Ribeirão Preto—SP

Aims: to analyze the presence and simultaneity of behavioral risk factors for chronic non-communicable disease (NCD) in adults and the elderly. Methods: quantitative, cross-sectional and observational study. Healthy and unhealthy eating are classified according to the frequency of food consumption. Smoking is expressed by the percentage of smokers. Harmful alcohol consumption by the percentage of individuals who consumed alcoholic beverages at least once in the last 30 days. Classification of the level of physical inactivity required to practice at least 150 minutes of physical activity. Results: the sample constituted 719 people, 535 adults and 184 elderly. The behavioral risk factor reported by most adults 499 (93.3%) and elderly 156 (84.8%) was unhealthy eating. Frequency 72% higher of smoking, four times higher of harmful alcohol consumption and 10% higher of unhealthy food among adults when compared to the elderly. The simultaneity between risk factors was 39% greater in adults than in the elderly. Discussion: risk factors evaluated in this study are key aspects of the development of NCDs. Adults have 2.43 times the chance of presenting two risk factors and 7.73 times the chance of presenting three in relation to the elderly. Conclusion: To achieve more effective and differentiated results, knowing and directing measures to control behavioral risk factors, whether isolated or concurrent, requires specific knowledge.

The Impact of a Pet, in This Case a Dog, on Physical Activity, Independence, Social Contacts, Health and Quality of Life of Elderly People

In a rural area near Munich, 52 persons aged 65 years and older were interviewed in person about health and social life circumstances. Findings: Dog owners take significantly longer walks than people who do not own dogs, averaging more than 120 minutes daily (p < 0.0001). On average, people who do not own a dog walked 38 minutes, cat owners 17 minutes. 94% of the dog owners were active daily compared to 14% of those who do not own a dog. Dog owners go to the doctor on average 5.3 times per year, people who do not own a dog 7.8 times. There was no difference between the two groups in regard to the use of medication. 80% would not move to a residential home for the elderly because of the dog, and 87% would want to take the dog along. 50% of the dog owners and 41% of those who do not own a dog had on average more than 3 contacts with other people, 6% of the dog owners and 23% of those who do not own a dog had less than one contact per day. 19% of the dog owners and 36% of those who do not own a dog would describe themselves as reserved in dealings with people. 71% stated that the dog had been very useful to help them overcome the loss of a person close to them. The W-5 [Wellbeing Five score] for dog owners was an average value of 75%, for those who did not own a dog 71%. Depression was uniformly distributed in both groups. The BMIs in both groups were similar. There was no correlation to the length of the daily walk.

Determination of a Cut-Off Point of a Scale for Achievement Motive in Geriatrics That Predicts the Frequency of Undertaking Instrumental Activities of Daily Living in Community-Dwelling Elderly People

Background: Among elderly people, rehabilitation is important for reducing the risk of falls and hospitalization and to maintain an independent life for longer. Motivation is a factor for elderly people to lead an active daily life and leave home more frequently. Purpose: The purposes of this study were to determine the optimal cut-off point in the Scale for Achievement Motive in Geriatrics (SAMG) that could identify individuals as inactive or active, based on the Frenchay Activities Index (FAI), and to compare characteristics between active and inactive groups classified by the cut-off point. Methods: A cross-sectional study of 285 community-dwelling elderly people measured SAMG and FAI and physical function. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to calculate the area under the curve (AUC) that was the optimal cut-off point for the SAMG total score, with the associated sensitivity and 1-specificity when compared with the FAI results. Demographic parameters and physical function were compared between two groups defined by cut-off point. Results: The AUC was 0.78, the optimal cut-off for SAMG total score for indicating inactivity was ≤48, the sensitivity was 77.98% and the 1-specificity was 75.00%. The group with SAMG score >48 was characterized by a significantly higher proportion of women, fewer people sharing a house, and participation in more hobbies. Discussion: A cut-off point of 48 in the SAMG could be a predictive index of motivation toward goals for individuals with inactive daily activities. The group with score higher than the cut-off was characterized by more women, fewer people living together, and more hobbies than the group with lower scores.

Effects of the self-management training program on self-management behavior and blood pressure levels among elderly people with hypertension

Objective:To determine the effects of the Self-Management Training Program on self-management behavior and blood pressure(BP)levels among elderly people with hypertension(HT).Methods:This study was based on a quasi-experimental design using sampling groups composed of elderly residents of Pathum Thani Province with HT.Simple random sampling was applied to two sampling groups,an experimental group and a control group.However,the experimental group had been on the Self-Management Training Program based on the Creer concept.The Program’s contents included small-group health-education sessions and the patients’manual,Self-Management Training Skills for Self-Management Behavior.Small group discussions were held for self-reflection,to stimulate follow-up for self-management behavior training during home visits.The Self-Management Training Program was compared with programs involving the more usual care.Data were collected using the Self-Management Behavior for Hypertension Control Questionnaire and BP assessment tests.Data were analyzed using a descriptive statistic,chi-square test,pair t-test,repeated-measures Analysis of Variance(ANOVA),and repeated-measures Analysis Covariance(ANCOVA).Results:It was found that at 13 weeks after entering the program,the experimental group demonstrated a significantly lower systolic and diastolic BP with a baseline statistical significance(P<0.005),and that at the 4th week and the 13th week,there was a decrease in BP in the experimental group.The experimental group also had above-baseline self-management behavior scores that were higher than in the control group(P<0.01).Conclusions:Results from this study show that the Self-Management Program was useful for BP control and promoted sustainable self-management behavior.

Effects of Water Immersion in Different Water Depths on Respiratory Function and Respiratory Muscle Strength among Elderly People: An Observational Study

The aim was to investigate the effect of three water levels (umbilical, 4th rib, and clavicular) on the respiratory function and respiratory muscle strength among elderly. Spirometry and respiratory strength were measured on land as baseline data. Next, water depth conditions were determined randomly, and spirometry and respiratory muscle strength were measured at each water level. The Vital Capacity and Expiratory reserve volume in the clavicular level were significantly lower than those in the land and umbilical trials. No significant difference was observed in other respiratory functions. Chest circumference and respiratory muscle strength were not significantly different among all conditions.

Text Mining Analysis of Efficiency of the Continuously Implemented Gathering Type Action Plan for Male Elderly People Obtained

Aim: To clarify transformation of the participants’ consciousness for rebuilding the community and its factors from the discussion contents by actions for male elderly people in Town A in Fukushima prefecture. Design: This study was an action research. Method: The author verbalized discussion contents of the action conducted in 2018-2019 and analyzed them for each year by the text mining method. Results: The word appearance frequency was high in the order of “Person” and “Town A” in both years. One large word network was formed in 2018 and its topic was about what the participants feel in their life in Town A. Two large word networks were formed in 2019 and their topic was about the community participation including difficulty in motivating others such as how people who do not participate can feel like joining it.