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Geriatrics research

Everything we have read on geriatrics. Each paper is summarised from the full article rather than its abstract, so the limitations are in there too, and the funding wherever the paper declares it.

1,154 PAPERS · PAGE 11 OF 24 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOTCohort2019Relationships between gait variability and ambulatory activity post stroke.Topics in stroke rehabilitationStroke survivors who showed more variable step timing when walking in a busy lobby took fewer daily steps and had shorter walking bouts. This link was absent when they walked in a quiet hallway, suggesting clinic tests may miss real-world activity predictors.
• OTCohort2019Depressive symptoms in caregivers immediately after stroke.Topics in stroke rehabilitationDepressive symptoms stayed similar from 2 to 6 weeks, but 57% of caregivers had at least mild symptoms early. Uncertainty, stress, coping, support, income, and stroke-survivor function were linked to symptoms; cortisol was not.
• PTOTCase Report2019A case of an elderly hip disarticulation amputee with rheumatoid arthritis who regained the ability to walk using a hip prosthesis.Journal of physical therapy scienceAn elderly woman with rheumatoid arthritis and a hip amputation learned to walk with a hip prosthesis fitted with easier fastening. This is a single person's course, not evidence that the method works.
• OTOther2019Effects on activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living independence in patients with Alzheimer's disease when the main nursing caregiver consciously provides only minimal nursing care.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn hospitalized patients with mild Alzheimer's disease, those whose main caregiver reported providing only minimal help were more independent in basic and instrumental daily living. In moderate disease, only instrumental independence was higher; severe disease was not tested.
• PTOTCase-Control2019Stepping characteristics during externally induced lateral reactive and voluntary steps in chronic stroke.Gait & postureStroke survivors initiated voluntary steps slower than controls but reacted to perturbations just as fast. They used smaller, medial steps to recover balance, likely because weak hip muscles make the more stable lateral steps too difficult to execute quickly.
• OTRCT2019An augmented reality approach for ADL support in Alzheimer's disease: a crossover trial.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationThe augmented reality headset did not improve tea-making success: all patients succeeded without it and three failed with it, a difference not significant. Average time was 77.14s without it and 111.29s with it, and 60% called it bulky.
• PTOTSLPRCT2019Walking to your right music: a randomized controlled trial on the novel use of treadmill plus music in Parkinson's disease.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationAdding rhythmic music to treadmill training improved gait quality, balance, and walking function more than treadmill training alone in people with Parkinson's. Both groups improved, but the music group showed greater gains in the primary gait assessment.
• PTOTCohort2019Physical fitness is predictive for 5-year survival in older adults with intellectual disabilities.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDBetter fitness predicted lower 5-year mortality risk in older adults with intellectual disabilities. Manual dexterity, visual reaction time, balance, walking speed, grip strength and cardiorespiratory fitness were associated with survival.
• OTOther2019Adaptation of the Possibilities for Activity Scale for women encountering cancer (PActS-W).Australian occupational therapy journalThe PActS-W asks women after cancer surgery what activities they feel they should be doing and what they believe they could do. In 186 women, a shortened version showed consistent scores and related to quality of life. It may guide OT discussions about activity expectations.
• OTOther2019Feasibility Study Using Propensity Score Matching Methods for the Pseudo-Common Person Equating Requirement.OTJR : occupation, participation and healthMatching two groups on demographics did not make their daily living and physical function items behave like one ability. Average scores were similar, but how people answered was not, so this method cannot replace giving both tests to the same people.
• PTOTOther2019Assessment of the effects of a group intervention program used in home-dwelling elderly individuals to promote home exercise and prevent locomotive syndrome.Journal of physical therapy scienceOlder adults who attended every group session showed better walking stride and leg strength at follow-up. Those who missed sessions did not. The study had no comparison group, so it cannot show the program caused the improvements.
• OTSurvey2018Self-reported health conditions and related driving reduction in older drivers.Occupational therapy in health careMusculoskeletal conditions were the most common self-reported reason older drivers reduced driving in the past year. Women were more likely than men to report reducing driving because of health problems. Ask about joint pain, arthritis, and hip or knee replacement.
• PTOTSLPOther2019Comparison of foot kinetics and kinematics during gait initiation between young and elderly participants.Journal of physical therapy scienceElderly participants walked slower with shorter strides and showed significantly lower foot joint movement, moment, and power during gait initiation compared to young participants. The reduction in mechanical output was most pronounced in the toe and midfoot joints.
• OTQualitative2018Perspectives of caregivers and volunteers on Stepping Stones for people with dementia.Hong Kong journal of occupational therapy : HKJOTCaregivers and volunteers described Stepping Stones as a comfortable group where people with dementia made friends, felt accepted, and did graded activities. Caregivers valued the parallel support group and having a shared topic at home.
• OTOther2019Work-related injuries within a large urban public school system in the Mid-Western United States.Work (Reading, Mass.)No significant overall injury trend change was found for 2014 and 2015. Slip, trip and fall and combative situations were most common among 598 reported school district injuries, and facility workers had the most severe injury burden.
• OTSurvey2019Active Ageing Level and Time Use of Elderly Persons in a Thai Suburban Community.Occupational therapy internationalOlder adults in a Thai community school had moderate active ageing overall. Those with higher active ageing spent more time in leisure, social activities, and outdoors with others. Rest and sleep took the largest part of the day.
• PTOTCohort2019Evaluating the Influence of Social Engagement on Cognitive Impairment and Mobility Outcomes Within the Boston RISE Cohort Study.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationIn older adults at risk for mobility decline, mild cognitive impairment was linked to worse mobility and lower social engagement. Higher social engagement was linked to better mobility and was associated with the cognitive impairment-mobility link, but this cannot prove causation.
• PTOTOther2019Effects of liaison between physiotherapists and occupational therapists for home-visit rehabilitation: preliminary study.Journal of physical therapy scienceBasic daily living did not differ between older adults receiving coordinated physiotherapy and occupational therapy and those receiving one discipline alone. The coordinated group had higher activity and social participation. This is a small cross-sectional study.
• OTOther2019Development and reliability of the Korean version of the Feeding Abilities Assessment.Hong Kong journal of occupational therapy : HKJOTA Korean feeding assessment for people with dementia was adapted to local meals and gave similar scores when 20 nursing-home residents were reassessed after one week and 12 were rated by two therapists. Lower scores mean more independent eating.
• OTRCT2019Impact of game mode in multi-user serious games for upper limb rehabilitation: a within-person randomized trial on engagement and social involvement.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationEngagement did not differ across competitive, co-active, and collaborative game modes. In collaborative play, healthy older adults reported more empathy and more involvement with their partner than in the other modes.
• OTOther2019Selecting slip resistant winter footwear for personal support workers.Work (Reading, Mass.)Most winter footwear personal support workers could buy had poor slip resistance on ice. Only six of 40 models met the 7° test threshold, and four of those cost more than most workers wanted to spend.
• OTSurvey2020The smartphone in the memory clinic: A study of patient and care partner's utilisation habits.Neuropsychological rehabilitationPatients and care partners in a memory clinic often use smartphones daily, but mainly for email and general features. They use built-in reminders, calendars, alarms and voice features less often, so these aids are not yet common.
• PTOTQualitative2019Older adults' perceptions of wearable technology hip protectors: implications for further research and development strategies.Disability and rehabilitation. Assistive technologyMost participants thought the hip protector idea was good, but many said they would not wear it. They worried about underwear style, visibility, dexterity, incontinence pads, mobile signal, and cost.
• PTOTSurvey2020Cardiometabolic disease, depressive symptoms, and sleep disorders in middle-aged adults with functional disabilities: NHANES 2007-2014.Disability and rehabilitationAfter accounting for other factors, adults with severe functional disability were more likely to have cardiovascular disease and diabetes than adults without disability. Adults with moderate disability were not. Depressive symptoms and sleep disorders did not explain this.
• PTOTSLPCohort2020Chronic Pain Characteristics and Gait in Older Adults: The MOBILIZE Boston Study II.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationOlder adults with multisite pain walked slower and with more variability than those with no pain, regardless of whether they were performing a concurrent mental task. Pain distribution, not the addition of a cognitive challenge, drove the gait deficits.
• OTOther2019Harnessing smartphone technology and three dimensional printing to create a mobile rehabilitation system, mRehab: assessment of usability and consistency in measurement.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationOlder adults and people with stroke rated a smartphone and 3D printed home practice system as easy to learn and relevant to daily tasks. The app counted movements correctly, but day-to-day measurement was inconsistent for some activities.
• PTOTSLPNarrative Review2019Models of Traumatic Brain Injury in Aged Animals: A Clinical Perspective.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairPreclinical TBI research overwhelmingly uses young animals, leaving a gap in understanding how aging and common comorbidities like diabetes or hypertension affect recovery. Current animal models fail to replicate the clinical reality of elderly patients, limiting the translation of new treatments to geriatric care.
• PTOTRCT2019The Applicability of a High-Intensity Functional Exercise Program Among Older People With Dementia Living in Nursing Homes.Journal of geriatric physical therapy (2001)Older adults with mild to moderate dementia in nursing homes attended a high-intensity exercise program at a median rate of 82.5%. Most achieved moderate to high intensity. Adverse events were minor and temporary. People with non-Alzheimer's dementia exercised with higher strength intensity than those with Alzheimer's.
• PTOTPilot2019Dynamic stability during increased walking speeds is related to balance confidence of older adults: a pilot study.Gait & postureOlder adults with lower balance confidence stopped walking at slower speeds on a treadmill. Their instability, measured by step-to-step variability, increased just before they chose to stop. This suggests confidence relates to actual control limits, not just fear.
• PTOTCohort2019Retraining walking over ground in a powered exoskeleton after spinal cord injury: a prospective cohort study to examine functional gains and neuroplasticity.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationWith repeated powered exoskeleton training, people with severe spinal cord injury walked for about an hour each session, and some gained balance or strength. Brain-to-spine signals did not change, and no control group means recovery cannot be proven.
• PTOTSLPPilot2019The effectiveness of transverse abdominis training on balance, postural sway and core muscle recruitment patterns: a pilot study comparison across age groups.Journal of physical therapy scienceOlder adults showed the greatest improvement in balance after a single 15-minute session of transverse abdominis training, reducing sway significantly more than younger groups. Functional reach did not improve. This suggests immediate neuromuscular benefits for older patients, but results are preliminary.
• PTOTCohort2019Instrumental activities of daily living and number of daily steps in frail older females.Journal of physical therapy scienceFrail older women who could prepare meals and do housework took significantly more daily steps than those who needed help. Overall step counts were very low, averaging under 2,000 steps per day.
• PTOTSLPCohort2019Relationship between the nutritional state of elderly people in need of support or nursing care and jaw-opening force and tongue pressure.Journal of physical therapy scienceBetter nutritional scores correlated with stronger jaw-opening force in 25 care-dependent elders, but not with tongue pressure. Low jaw force may signal malnutrition risk, though the small sample limits certainty.
• PTOTCohort2020Physical Function and Frailty for Predicting Adverse Outcomes in Older Primary Care Patients.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationPhysical function tests predicted hospitalizations and self-rated health as well as frailty measures in older adults. The patient-reported LLFDI was the only predictor of falls over two years, while the SPPB predicted emergency visits. Screening choice may depend on whether performance or patient-reported data is preferred.
• PTOTRCT2020Does a novel exergame challenge balance and activate muscles more than existing off-the-shelf exergames?Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA new exergame package elicited significantly larger weight shifts than an off-the-shelf game in all directions. Muscle activity remained low overall, though some games sustained activity longer. Motivation was high and similar across all games tested.
• PTOTCohort2020Spatio-temporal gait variables predicted incident disability.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn 4121 Japanese older adults, slower walking, shorter stride, slower steps, and more variable stride were associated with later need for long-term care support. More abnormal gait measures meant higher risk.
• PTOTSLPCohort2020Prevalence of physical and mental health conditions in Medicare-enrolled, autistic older adults.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic older adults had significantly higher odds of nearly every physical and mental health condition compared to non-autistic peers. This included high risks for epilepsy, Parkinson’s, gastrointestinal issues, and suicidality. Clinicians should anticipate complex comorbidities in this population.
• PTOTPilot2020Changes in standing stability with balance-based torso-weighting with cerebellar ataxia: A pilot study.Physiotherapy research international : the journal for researchers and clinicians in physical therapyLight torso weights helped people with cerebellar ataxia stand longer and sway less when balance was challenged, but did not improve walking speed. The weights were safe in this small pilot, suggesting potential for stability support but not faster mobility.
• PTOTCohort2020Function and Caregiver Support Associated With Readmissions During Home Health for Individuals With Dementia.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationIn home health for dementia, patients most dependent in mobility and self-care were more likely to be readmitted within 30 days. Cognitive and caregiver support deficits also tracked with readmission, but mobility and self-care links remained after adjustment.
• PTOTCohort2020Shorter gastrocnemius fascicle lengths in older adults associate with worse capacity to enhance push-off intensity in walking.Gait & postureShorter calf muscle fibers in older adults correlated with worse ability to push off against resistance, independent of strength. This suggests muscle fiber length, not just force, limits high-demand walking tasks like climbing or accelerating.
• OTCohort2020Associated Risk Factors for Depression and Anxiety in Adults With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: Five-Year Follow Up.American journal on intellectual and developmental disabilitiesDuring follow-up, depression and anxiety rose in adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. More chronic conditions, autism, hearing impairment, older age, female sex, and smoking were linked with higher risk.
• OTSurvey2020Utilization of driving and other transportation rehabilitation in the National Health and Aging Trends Study.Disability and health journalAmong older adults who reported using rehabilitation in the past year, 128 of 1,335 reported using it to improve driving. Those living alone, separated, divorced or never married were less likely to report driving rehabilitation than those married or living with a partner.
• OTPilot2020A Mobile App Directory of Occupational Therapists Who Provide Home Modifications: Development and Preliminary Usability Evaluation.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesOTs rated a prototype home-modification referral app useful and easy to use. Older adults varied, and two completed no tasks. It is not shown to improve access.
• PTOTOther2020Association between preoperative sleep disturbance and low muscle mass in patients with gastrointestinal cancer.Journal of physical therapy sciencePreoperative patients with gastrointestinal cancer who reported poor sleep quality were significantly more likely to have low muscle mass than those with good sleep quality. This association persisted after adjusting for inflammation and depression. Screening for sleep quality may help identify patients at risk for sarcopenia before surgery.
• PTOTOther2020Burden and Patterns of Multimorbidity: Impact on Disablement in Older Adults.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationA higher count of chronic conditions was linked to worse strength, walking, activity and participation in older adults with mobility problems. Specific disease patterns were not linked to these outcomes. The count may be more useful than the condition mix.
• OTOther2020Factors affecting cognition and emotion in patients with traumatic brain injury.NeuroRehabilitationLonger loss of consciousness was linked to worse everyday memory and agitation in patients with traumatic brain injury. Lesion location was linked to executive test performance and mood, but this was an assessment study, not a treatment trial.
• PTOTCase-Control2020The influence of trunk muscle strength on walking velocity in elderly people with sarcopenia.Journal of physical therapy scienceElderly people with sarcopenia walked significantly slower than those without, despite having similar leg strength. Their trunk extension strength was markedly lower, and they walked with a more forward-leaning posture. Assessing trunk strength may help explain slow walking in sarcopenia.
• PTOTOther2020Adverse effects of the coexistence of locomotive syndrome and sarcopenia on the walking ability and performance of activities of daily living in Japanese elderly females: a cross-sectional study.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn Japanese elderly females, having both locomotive syndrome and sarcopenia was linked to slower Timed Up and Go times and worse daily activity scores than having locomotive syndrome alone or neither condition.
• PTOTPilot2020Unsupervised low-intensity home exercises as an effective intervention for improving physical activity and physical capacity in the community-dwelling elderly.Journal of physical therapy scienceUnsupervised home exercises increased moderate-intensity activity in older women. Resistance band work also improved lung capacity. Both groups exceeded WHO weekly activity guidelines after six months, suggesting low-intensity home routines are feasible and effective for maintaining activity levels.
• PTOTCohort2020Association of Physical Activity and Cognitive Activity With Disability: A 2-Year Prospective Cohort Study.Physical therapyHigh physical activity and high cognitive activity were linked to the lowest rate of 2-year disability onset in older Japanese adults. Cognitive activity without high physical activity was not linked to lower disability.