Community mobility, defined as "moving [ones] self in the community and using public or private transportation", has a unique ability to promote older peoples' wellbeing by enabling independence and access to activity arenas for interaction with others. Early predictors of decreased community mobility among older men and women are useful in developing health promoting strategies. However, long-...

The aim of this study was to examine the association between body mass index and weight changes on disability transitions and mortality among Brazilian older adults. Longitudinal data from the Health, Well-Being, and Aging in Latin America and the Caribbean Study conducted in São Paulo, Brazil (2000 and 2006), were used to examine the impact of obesity on disability and mortality and of weight ...

The present study of older adults used structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the relationships between 3 executive processes underlying executive function (EF) (inhibition, task switching, updating in working memory), and 2 types of instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) (self-report, performance based). Experimental tasks of executive attention and self-report or performance-b...

BACKGROUND The National Institute for Clinical Excellence in the UK has recommended limiting the use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), partly because of the inadequacy of research into the effects of ECT on quality of life and function. AIMS To examine the effects of ECT on function and quality of life, particularly as they relate to changes in mood and cognition in the month following this...

BACKGROUND The health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of the elderly population of Yi ethnic minority, which is the seventh largest nationality in China, has been rarely reported. This study was designed to explore the HRQoL of the elderly Yi ethnicity and association between their HRQOL and functional abilities. METHODS A total of 291 Yi ethnic residents were randomly recruited from 12 rural...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE There is inconclusive evidence of the effectiveness of the Stroke Family Support Organiser (FSO) service. We report the results from a randomized controlled trial of the service. METHODS Stroke patients admitted to hospital and their informal caregivers were randomly allocated to receive the FSO service (n=126) or standard care (n=124). Outcome assessments were undertak...

PURPOSE Assess the validity of our previously published multidimensional concept of Successful Aging that integrates physiological, psychological, and sociological domains of health. DESIGN Three distinctly different populations were used to assess the discriminant and predictive validity. METHODS Data included 1438 women age 65 and older who participated in the Women's Health and Aging Stu...

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY In examining the ability of resilience, or the ability to navigate adversity in a manner that protects well-being, to buffer the impact of chronic disease onset on disability in later life, the authors tested 2 hypotheses: (a) People with greater levels of resilience will have lower levels of disability and (b) resilience will moderate the association between the onset of a...

BACKGROUND The nutritional status of the aging individual results from a complex interaction between personal and environmental factors. A disease influences and is influenced by the nutritional status and the functional capacity of the individual. We asses the relationship between nutritional status and indicators of functional capacity among recently hospitalized elderly in a general hospital...

While the economic burden of simultaneously caring for young and old family members is widely recognized, it has yet to be accurately measured. Yet, such assessments are relevant both to public policies providing support to family caregivers and to private insurance markets for long-term care. This descriptive study presents a new method to address this problem: the construction of a crosswalk ...