BMI is commonly used indicator of malnutrition and 18.5-24.9 kg/m(2) is generally regarded optimal. However, there is an ongoing debate on ideal range for elderly. BMI cut-off values vary also between ethnic groups. We aimed to investigate relationships between BMI, functional status and malnutrition in elderly living in a nursing home in Turkey. BMIs of 254 residents were calculated. Chronic d...

PURPOSE The number of elders in institutions has increased as family supporting systems have changed in Korea. The purpose of this study were to understand the life satisfaction among elders in institutions and to identify the factors influencing on life satisfaction. METHODS The instruments used were Yun(1982)'s scale modified Memorial University of Newfoundland Scale for Happiness(MUNSH) in...

OBJECTIVE To contribute to fall prevention by studying the epidemiological profile, mortality, and functional evolution of elderly persons with hip fracture, in Brazil, in the year following a fracture. METHOD Fifty-six elderly patients aged 60 years and over with hip fracture secondary to a fall and admitted in 2000 were included. In addition to the medical record data, patients or their gua...

BACKGROUND Accurately detecting markers of early functional decline (FD) are essential to support older people to successfully age in place; however, these markers are poorly understood. We tested the hypothesis that compromised mental quality of life after a minor health crisis could be an early predictor of FD. METHODS This longitudinal observational cohort study was conducted in the emerge...

BACKGROUND To evaluate the effects of a case management intervention for frail older people (aged 65+ years) by cost and utility. MATERIALS AND METHODS One hundred and fifty-three frail older people living at home were randomly assigned to either an intervention (n = 80) or a control group (n = 73). The 1-year intervention was carried out by nurses and physiotherapists working as case manager...

OBJECTIVES The Groningen Activity Restriction Scale (GARS) is a non-disease-specific instrument to measure disability in activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). It was developed in studies of Dutch samples consisting of elderly or chronically ill people. The psychometric properties of the GARS demonstrated in these studies were highly satisfactory. T...

INTRODUCTION Cognitive testing in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is essential for establishing diagnosis, monitoring progression, and evaluating treatments. Assessments should ideally be brief, reliable, valid, and reflect clinically meaningful changes. There is a lack of instruments that meet all these criteria. In the Capturing Changes in Cognition (Catch-Cog) study, we seek to correct these defici...

BACKGROUND The health of older adults declines over time, but there are many ways of measuring health. It is unclear whether all health measures decline at the same rate or whether some aspects of health are less sensitive to aging than others. METHODS We compared the decline in 13 measures of physical, mental, and functional health from the Cardiovascular Health Study: hospitalization, bed d...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the reliability of an instrument for classifying elderly people regarding their capacity for self-care, which was developed to assist occupational therapists in attending elderly people at primary healthcare units. METHODS Stability and internal consistency tests were carried out. To validate the instrument, tests were applied to a sample of 30 individuals aged 60 years ...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a community-based, low-intensity exercise programme in older adults from socio-economically and historically disadvantaged communities. DESIGN Three community centres were selected: two were allocated to the same 20-week, twice-weekly exercise program (EX1, n=38; EX2, n=32); and a third to relaxation classes (control/CTL; n=21...