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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.

1,442 PAPERS · PAGE 11 OF 29 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOTRCT2018Effect of physical activity on cognition and daily living activities of the elderly with mild dementia.Journal of physical therapy scienceAdding 30-minute strength and balance exercises to cognitive training improved cognition and daily function more than cognitive training alone in 60 older adults with mild dementia. Both groups also received cognitive training.
• PTRCT2018Trunk motion visual feedback during walking improves dynamic balance in older adults: Assessor blinded randomized controlled trial.Gait & postureOlder adults with self-reported balance problems improved dynamic balance after treadmill walking with on-screen trunk motion feedback. Walking alone did not improve balance, and average gains were smaller than the change usually needed to be sure an individual improved.
• PTOther2018Hip Symptoms, Physical Performance, and Health Status in Older Adults With Chronic Low Back Pain: A Preliminary Investigation.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationOlder adults with chronic low back pain were more likely to have hip symptoms: 53.7% versus 13% without pain. Those with both hip symptoms and low back pain moved more slowly and reported worse social and emotional health.
• PTOther2018Net ankle quasi-stiffness is influenced by walking speed but not age for older adult women.Gait & postureIn healthy older women, ankle resistance during walking depended on walking speed, not age. Slower walking meant less resistance. This suggests orthosis stiffness may need to be matched to speed, not age.
• PTOther2017The effect of balance exercises and computerized cognitive training on psychomotor performance in elderly.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn 29 elderly women, balance training, computerized cognitive training, and their combination each improved accuracy and reaction time on two computer tests. The combined group showed the largest changes, but the study was small and randomisation was not reported.
• PTOTCohort2017Hypervigilance to pain affects activities of daily living: an examination using the Japanese version of the pain vigilance awareness questionnaire.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn 50 elderly patients with chronic pain, hypervigilance and pain intensity were the only factors significantly linked to disability. Anxiety, depression, fear of movement, and catastrophizing did not independently predict daily living limitations.
• PTOther2017Difference between tablet methods and paper questionnaire methods of conducting a survey with community-dwelling elderly.Journal of physical therapy scienceOlder adults answered survey questions in similar time on a tablet or paper, but more tablet users had questions. Entering the data took 426 seconds for the tablet group and 1,268 seconds for the paper group.
• PTPilot2017The effect of a VR exercise program on falls and depression in the elderly with mild depression in the local community.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn 15 older adults with mild depression, 12 weeks of Wii-Fit balance games was linked with better front-to-back balance, more confidence about not falling, and lower depression and stress scores.
• PTOther2017Physical performance of elderly adults in association with thigh tissue composition: a cross-sectional study.Journal of physical therapy scienceHealthy adults aged 65 to 80 who had larger thigh muscle area and less fat inside the thigh muscle also had faster overall timed performance. This was an association, not proof that changing tissue improves performance.
• PTRCT2017Gait performance and foot pressure distribution during wearable robot-assisted gait in elderly adults.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn 30 healthy older adults, a hip-assist robot increased walking speed, cadence and stride length, lowered some leg-muscle effort, and raised foot pressure during a short walk. This shows immediate mechanical effects, not long-term rehabilitation benefit.
• PTOther2018Limbic and Basal Ganglia Neuroanatomical Correlates of Gait and Executive Function: Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment and Intact Cognition.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationOlder adults with mild cognitive impairment walked significantly slower with shorter strides only during fast-paced walking, not usual walking. Larger hippocampal and anterior cingulate brain volumes correlated with both better stride length and executive function, suggesting a shared neural basis.
• PTOTRCT2018Functional Reach, Depression Scores, and Number of Medications Are Associated With Number of Falls in People With Chronic Stroke.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationIn people with chronic stroke, more medications and higher depression scores predicted more falls. Functional reach distance also predicted falls, with a cutoff of 18.15 cm for recurrent falls. Other common tests like Berg Balance and Timed Up and Go did not distinguish fallers.
• PTOTCohort2018Prediction of falling risk after discharge in ambulatory stroke or history of fracture patients using Balance Evaluation Systems Test (BESTest).Journal of physical therapy scienceIn ambulatory stroke patients, low scores on the BESTest sections for Anticipatory Postural Adjustments and Sensory Orientation were significantly associated with falls within six months. These two specific balance components may help identify high-risk patients who appear stable enough for discharge.
• PTCohort2018Inability to Perform the Repeated Chair Stand Task Predicts Fall-Related Injury in Older Primary Care Patients.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationThe chair stand score was not a predictor, but inability to perform the task was associated with higher fall-injury risk over two years. Total SPPB, gait, and balance scores were not predictors.
• PTPilot2018Evaluation of left-right difference of impulse in impact forces at stance phase: comparison of measurements on flat land and stairs.Journal of physical therapy scienceLeft-right knee imbalance while walking on flat ground did not track age, weight, height, or BMI in 8 healthy people and 1 patient. Stair knee imbalance was nearly absent in healthy 20 to 40 year olds and tracked age in those 49 and older.
• PTOTOther2018Effects of a 12-week marching in place and chair rise daily exercise intervention on ADL and functional mobility in frail older adults.Journal of physical therapy scienceFrail nursing home residents who marched in place and rose from a chair for 25 minutes daily for 12 weeks improved their ability to perform daily tasks and their walking speed. The exercise group also generated significantly more power when standing up. The non-exercise group showed no such gains.
• PTOther2018Effects of acute exercise in the sitting position on executive function evaluated by the Stroop task in healthy older adults.Journal of physical therapy scienceThe reaction times did not show an exercise-specific change, but all sitting exercises reduced the gap between easy and hard word-color trials; only finger movement stood out versus resting.
• PTRCT2018The effects of gum chewing while walking on physical and physiological functions.Journal of physical therapy scienceChewing gum while walking slightly raised heart rate during walking and the rise from rest. Overall energy expenditure and walking distance did not differ, except in some groups.
• PTOTSLPCohort2018The Association of Clinic-Based Mobility Tasks and Measures of Community Performance and Risk.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationNormal walking speed was the strongest predictor of community function and fall risk for most outcomes. Stair climbing time specifically identified those with balance confidence issues and past falls. Complex dual-task tests best captured engagement in cognitive leisure activities.
• PTCohort2018Differential associations between dual-task walking abilities and usual gait patterns in healthy older adults-Results from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging.Gait & postureFailing a narrow-walk dual task was linked to slower usual gait and smaller knee and ankle motion; failing the cognitive part was linked to longer double support and altered knee and ankle energy use.
• PTOTCohort2018Premorbid Activity Limitation Stages Are Associated With Posthospitalization Discharge Disposition.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationOlder adults who had more difficulty before hospitalization were more likely to go to post-acute care facilities or home with services. Self-care and household-task limitation stages were linked to different patterns, so ask about both.
• PTOTRCT2018Effects of long-term balance training with vibrotactile sensory augmentation among community-dwelling healthy older adults: a randomized preliminary study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationEight weeks of in-home balance training improved balance in older adults, but adding vibrotactile feedback to a smartphone trainer produced significantly greater gains. Both groups trained safely at home, though the small sample size means these results are preliminary.
• PTCase-Control2018The impact of walking speed on interlimb coordination in individuals with Parkinson's disease.Journal of physical therapy scienceWhen walking at the same treadmill speeds, adults with Parkinson's disease showed more variable left-right arm coordination than healthy adults at all speeds except the slowest. Trunk coordination also differed.
• PTOTCohort2018Preoperative Risk Factors for Postoperative Falls in Persons Undergoing Hip or Knee Arthroplasty: A Longitudinal Study of Data From the Osteoarthritis Initiative.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationPatients who had fallen in the year before hip or knee replacement, or who reported higher depressive symptoms, were significantly more likely to fall two or more times in the two years after surgery. Hip replacement carried over double the risk of multiple falls compared to knee replacement.
• PTOTCohort2018What Types of Treatment Are Provided for Patients With Carpal Tunnel Syndrome? A Retrospective Analysis of Commercial Insurance.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationMost commercially insured patients with carpal tunnel syndrome received no documented treatment or only one visit. Splinting was the most common early conservative care. Surgery occurred in 24% of patients, typically after initial conservative management. Actual practice largely matched guideline recommendations.
• PTOTCohort2018Three-Year Changes in Physical Activity and Subsequent Loss of Ability to Walk 400 m in Older Adults: The InCHIANTI Study.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationOlder adults who stayed or became more active over 3 years were less likely to later be unable to complete a 400 m walk. The paper reports a link, not proof that activity prevents mobility loss.
• PTOTOther2018Promoting activity, independence and stability in early dementia and mild cognitive impairment (PrAISED): development of an intervention for people with mild cognitive impairment and dementia.Clinical rehabilitationPrAISED is a home-based, tailored balance, strength, dual-task and functional activity programme for mild dementia or mild cognitive impairment. It is not proven to reduce falls or improve independence; it is ready for testing.
• PTCohort2018Cognition and mobility show a global association in middle- and late-adulthood: Analyses from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.Gait & posturePoorer cognitive test scores were linked to slower walking, longer chair stands and worse balance, but the links were small. The links were stronger in older adults.
• PTOTSLPRCT2018Changes in cognitive function after a 12-week exercise intervention in adults with Down syndrome.Disability and health journalTwelve weeks of home-based video exercise did not significantly change attention or reaction time. However, participants doing two sessions per week showed large improvements in memory tasks compared to those doing one, though the study was not powered to confirm this.
• PTCase-Control2018Anticipatory postural responses prior to protective steps are not different in people with PD who do and do not freeze.Gait & postureAnticipatory postural responses before protective steps were not different in people with Parkinson's who freeze compared to those who do not. Freezing may stem from poor coupling of the response to the step rather than the response size itself.
• PTOTRCT2018The effects of gait training using powered lower limb exoskeleton robot on individuals with complete spinal cord injury.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationTwo men with complete spinal cord injury walked faster and reported less effort using a new powered exoskeleton than with a traditional knee-ankle-foot orthosis. They also put the device on and took it off more quickly. No falls or skin injuries occurred.
• PTOther2018The sensitivity and specificity of the Falls Efficacy Scale and the Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale for hemiplegic stroke patients.Journal of physical therapy scienceABC correctly identified 92.0% of non-fallers but only 41.3% of fallers; FES identified 69.8% of fallers but only 63.9% of non-fallers among 99 hemiplegic stroke patients.
• PTRCT2018Automatic application of neural stimulation during wheelchair propulsion after SCI enhances recovery of upright sitting from destabilizing events.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA wheelchair sensor detected 93% of simulated collision trials and triggered trunk stimulation, but turn detection was too slow to be effective. In four people with spinal cord injury, stimulation reduced forward lean after collisions in two participants.
• PTOther2018Adaptation and post-adaptation effects of haptic forces on locomotion in healthy young adults.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA steady pull on the hand from a virtual leash made walking faster, lengthened stride and reduced double-limb support in 13 healthy young adults. Some changes remained after the pull stopped, but this was a lab test, not evidence of treatment benefit.
• PTOTCohort2018Rehabilitation Utilization for Falls Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults in the United States in the National Health and Aging Trends Study.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationRecurrent falls strongly predict receiving fall-related rehabilitation, but lower education and Hispanic ethnicity reduce access even after accounting for falls. Therapists should not assume clinical need alone drives referrals, as demographic barriers persist.
• PTOTOther2018Quantification of upper limb position sense using an exoskeleton and a virtual reality display.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA robot and virtual arm let 30 healthy adults identify the smallest elbow angle differences of 7.0 and 5.9 degrees. Repeated scores were fair to good, but shifted slightly after one week, and only healthy adults were tested.
• PTOTRCT2018Recalibrating disparities in perceived and actual balance abilities in older adults: a mixed-methods evaluation of a novel exergaming intervention.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationOlder adults who played a supervised balance game for eight short sessions showed a closer match between perceived and actual balance. Some gained confidence; others recognised limits and reduced risky movements. Falls were not measured.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2018What influences decisions about ongoing stroke rehabilitation for patients with pre-existing dementia or cognitive impairment: a qualitative study?Clinical rehabilitationStroke clinicians said dementia knowledge, family history, gut instinct and service limits drove decisions. Many expected pre-existing dementia to mean poor rehab potential, so patients needing more time were deprioritised or moved to compensatory care.
• PTOTSurvey2018Occupation-based differences in shared perceptions of older resident needs within multidisciplinary care teams: a cross-sectional study of care workers, nurses, and therapists linked to older residents.Journal of physical therapy scienceStaff in Japanese care facilities disagreed with each other on what residents wanted. They also missed autonomy needs, underestimating desires for household chores, money management, and exercise.
• PTCase Report2018Feasibility of robot-based perturbed-balance training during treadmill walking in a high-functioning chronic stroke subject: a case-control study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationOne high-functioning stroke survivor completed thirty robot sideways-push sessions while walking. After training he could be assessed at 90 N sideways pushes, and his walking and balance tests improved.
• PTOther2018Effects of task velocity and center of mass acceleration during Y-Balance Test in elderly females with good and poor visual acuity.Journal of physical therapy scienceElderly women with poorer corrected binocular vision reached less far and moved slower on the Y-Balance Test. Their center of mass acceleration was higher when reaching forward.
• PTRCT2018The feasibility and positive effects of a customised videogame rehabilitation programme for freezing of gait and falls in Parkinson's disease patients: a pilot study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationSupervised customised videogame training added to unchanged medication and deep-brain stimulation was feasible for 10 PD patients with refractory freezing and falls: all completed 18 sessions, acceptability rose, and gait and balance scores improved. Most benefits were not maintained at 3 months.
• PTOTSLPCohort2018Can Older Adults Accurately Report Their Use of Physical Rehabilitation Services?Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationMost older Medicare patients accurately reported using PT, OT or speech therapy in the past year. But under-reporting was more likely for Black adults, adults 85 or older, those with less than high school, proxy answers, and inpatient rehab.
• PTOther2018Validation of the Narrowing Beam Walking Test in Lower Limb Prosthesis Users.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationIn 40 established prosthesis users, the Narrowing Beam Walking Test gave lower scores to fallers than non-fallers and separated them better than Berg, TUG, FSST, and ABC. It may be useful for balance assessment, but it was not tested for predicting future falls.
• PTOTCohort2018Age-related changes in the tactile pressure sensitivity threshold in the sole of the foot in diabetic patients.Journal of physical therapy scienceOlder diabetic patients had higher tactile pressure sensitivity thresholds in their feet, meaning they needed stronger pressure to feel it. This age-related decline was stronger than the effect of how long they had had diabetes. Clinicians should test the heel as well as the forefoot.
• PTRCT2018Trainer in a pocket - proof-of-concept of mobile, real-time, foot kinematics feedback for gait pattern normalization in individuals after stroke, incomplete spinal cord injury and elderly patients.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationShoe sensors gave verbal gait feedback to adults after stroke, incomplete spinal cord injury, or older age. The trained foot angle or timing moved toward normal during the training visits, but walking speed and Timed Up and Go did not improve.
• PTRCT2018Effect of noisy galvanic vestibular stimulation in community-dwelling elderly people: a randomised controlled trial.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationDuring eyes-open standing, weak noisy electrical stimulation at the mastoids reduced sway path and side-to-side and front-to-back sway speed in 32 independent older adults; sham did not.
• PTOther2018Dynamic balance assessment using an unstable board in community-dwelling elderly people.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn high-functioning older adults, a portable unstable board measured front-to-back sway, and greater sway went with poorer performance on common balance tests. Side-to-side sway did not go with those tests.
• PTCase-Control2018Using machine learning to identify patterns of lifetime health problems in decedents with autism spectrum disorder.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchPeople with autism who died had more lifetime health problems, including epilepsy, long-term medication use and side effects, motor problems, choking, urinary, digestive and ear issues, but fewer records for alcohol abuse, hypertension and metastatic cancer. These are patterns, not treatment effects.
• PTOTCohort2017Factors Affecting Mortality and Hospital Admissions after Hip Surgery among Elderly Patients with Hip Fracture in Hong Kong - Review of a Three-Year Follow-Up.Hong Kong journal of occupational therapy : HKJOTThree years after hip fracture surgery, 33.4% of these older patients had died and 71.7% had been readmitted. Male patients, delayed surgery, low albumin, cognitive impairment, and assisted walking or low discharge independence flagged higher risk.