Tooth loss and periodontitis in older individuals: results from the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care

BACKGROUND Due to the increasing number of older people, there is a need for studies focused on this population. The aims of the present study are to assess oral and systemic conditions in individuals aged 60 to 95 years with access to dental insurance. METHODS Probing depths (PDs), tooth loss, alveolar bone levels, and systemic health were studied among a representative cohort of older individuals. RESULTS A total of 1,147 individuals in young-old (aged 60 or 67 years), old (aged 72 or 78 years), and old-old (aged ≥81 years) age groups were enrolled, including 200 individuals who were edentulous, in this study. Annual dental care was received by 82% of dentate individuals. Systemic diseases were common (diabetes: 5.8%; cardiovascular diseases: 20.7%; obesity: 71.2%; elevated C-reactive protein [CRP]: 98.4%). Serum CRP values were unrelated to periodontal conditions. Rates of periodontitis, defined as ≥30% of sites with a distance from cemento-enamel junction to bone of ≥5 mm, were 11.2% in women in the young-old age group and 44.9% in men in the old-old age group. Individuals in older age groups had a higher likelihood of periodontitis defined by bone loss and cutoff levels of PD ≥5 mm (odds ratio: 1.8; 95% confidence interval: 1.2 to 2.5; P <0.01). A total of 7% of individuals in the old-old age group had ≥20 teeth and no periodontitis. Systemic diseases, dental use, or smoking were not explanatory, whereas age and sex were explanatory for periodontitis. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of periodontitis increased with age. Sex seems to be the dominant explanatory factor for periodontitis in older individuals. Despite frequent dental visits, overall oral health in the oldest age cohort was poor.

Serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and immunoglobulins in an older Swiss cohort: results of the Senior Labor Study.

BACKGROUND Vitamin D and the components of humoral immunity play important roles in human health. Older people have lower 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) serum levels than younger adults. We aimed to determine the levels of 25(OH)D serum concentrations in healthy senior citizens and to study their relationship to the levels of components of humoral immunity. METHODS A total of 1,470 healthy Swiss men and women, 60 years or older, were recruited for this study. A total of 179 subjects dropped out of the study because of elevated serum concentrations of C-reactive protein. Fasting blood sera were analyzed for 25(OH)D with the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and for parathyroid hormone (PTH), immunoglobulins and complement C4 and C3 concentrations with immunoassays. The percentage of participants in each of the four 25(OH)D deficiency groups--severely deficient (<10 ng/ml), deficient (10 to 20), insufficient (21 to 29 ng/ml) and normal (>=30 ng/ml)--were statistically compared. The relationship of the major components of the humoral system and age with 25(OH)D levels was also assessed. RESULTS About 66% of the subjects had insufficient levels of 25(OH)D. Normal levels of 25(OH)D were found in 26.1% of the subjects of which 21% were males and 30.5% were females (total study population). Severely deficient levels of 25(OH)D were found in 7.98% of the total study population. Low levels of 25(OH)D were positively associated with IgG2 (P = 0.01) and with C4 (P = 0.02), yet were inversely related to levels of IgG1 and IgA (P < 0.05) and C3 (P = 0.01). Serum levels of total IgA, IgG, IgG2 and IgG4 peaked together with 25(OH)D during late summer. CONCLUSIONS Approximately two-thirds of the healthy, older Swiss population presented with Vitamin D insufficiency. The incremental shift in IgA and C3 levels might not necessarily reflect a deranged humoral immune defense; however, given the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, the importance of this condition in humoral immunity will be worth looking at more closely. This study supports the role of vitamin D in the competent immune system.

International variation in GP treatment strategies for subclinical hypothyroidism in older adults: a case-based survey

Background: There is limited evidence about the impact of treatment for subclinical hypothyroidism, especially among older people. Aim: To investigate the variation in GP treatment strategies for older patients with subclinical hypothyroidism depending on country and patient characteristics. Design and setting: Case-based survey of GPs in the Netherlands, Germany, England, Ireland, Switzerland, and New Zealand. Method: The treatment strategy of GPs (treatment yes/no, starting-dose thyroxine) was assessed for eight cases presenting a woman with subclinical hypothyroidism. The cases differed in the patient characteristics of age (70 versus 85 years), vitality status (vital versus vulnerable), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) concentration (6 versus 15 mU/L). Results: A total of 526 GPs participated (the Netherlands n = 129, Germany n = 61, England n = 22, Ireland n = 21, Switzerland n = 262, New Zealand n = 31; overall response 19%). Across countries, differences in treatment strategy were observed. GPs from the Netherlands (mean treatment percentage 34%), England (40%), and New Zealand (39%) were less inclined to start treatment than GPs in Germany (73%), Ireland (62%), and Switzerland (52%) (P = 0.05). Overall, GPs were less inclined to start treatment in 85-year-old than in 70-year-old females (pooled odds ratio [OR] 0.74 [95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.63 to 0.87]). Females with a TSH of 15 mU/L were more likely to get treated than those with a TSH of 6 mU/L (pooled OR 9.49 [95% CI = 5.81 to 15.5]). Conclusion: GP treatment strategies of older people with subclinical hypothyroidism vary largely by country and patient characteristics. This variation underlines the need for a new generation of international guidelines based on the outcomes of randomised clinical trials set within primary care

Risk factors for depressed mood amongst a community dwelling older age population in England: cross-sectional survey data from the PRO-AGE study.

BACKGROUND The Quality and Outcomes Framework in the United Kingdom (UK) National Health Service previously highlighted case finding of depression amongst patients with diabetes or coronary heart disease. However, depression in older people remains under-recognized. Comprehensive data for analyses of the association of depression in older age with other health and functional measures, and demographic factors from community populations within England, are lacking. METHODS Secondary analyses of cross-sectional baseline survey data from the England arm of a randomised controlled trial of health risk appraisal for older people in Europe; PRO-AGE study. Data from 1085 community-dwelling non-disabled people aged 65 years or more from three group practices in suburban London contributed to this study. Depressed mood was ascertained from the 5-item Mental Health Inventory Screening test. Exploratory multivariable logistic regression was used to identify the strongest associations of depressed mood with a previous diagnosis of a specified physical/mental health condition, health and functional measures, and demographic factors. RESULTS Depressed mood occurred in 14% (155/1085) of participants. A previous diagnoses of depression (OR 3.39; P < 0.001) and poor vision as determined from a Visual Function Questionnaire (OR 2.37; P = 0.001) were amongst the strongest factors associated with depressed mood that were independent of functional impairment, other co-morbidities, and demographic factors. A subgroup analyses on those without a previous diagnosis of depression also indicated that within this group, poor vision (OR 2.51; P = 0.002) was amongst the strongest independent factors associated with depressed mood. CONCLUSIONS Previous case-finding strategies in primary care focussed on heart disease and diabetes but health-related conditions other than coronary heart disease and diabetes are also associated with an increased risk for depression. Complex issues of multi-morbidity occur within aging populations. 'Risk' factors that appeared stronger than those, such as, diabetes and coronary heart disease that until recently prompted for screening in the UK due to the QOF, were identified, and independent of other morbidities associated with depressed mood. From the health and functional factors investigated, amongst the strongest factors associated with depressed mood was poor vision. Consideration to case finding for depressed mood among older people with visual impairment might be justified.

Street crossing behavior in younger and older pedestrians: an eye- and head-tracking study

BACKGROUND: Crossing a street can be a very difficult task for older pedestrians. With increased age and potential cognitive decline, older people take the decision to cross a street primarily based on vehicles' distance, and not on their speed. Furthermore, older pedestrians tend to overestimate their own walking speed, and could not adapt it according to the traffic conditions. Pedestrians' behavior is often tested using virtual reality. Virtual reality presents the advantage of being safe, cost-effective, and allows using standardized test conditions. METHODS: This paper describes an observational study with older and younger adults. Street crossing behavior was investigated in 18 healthy, younger and 18 older subjects by using a virtual reality setting. The aim of the study was to measure behavioral data (such as eye and head movements) and to assess how the two age groups differ in terms of number of safe street crossings, virtual crashes, and missed street crossing opportunities. Street crossing behavior, eye and head movements, in older and younger subjects, were compared with non-parametric tests. RESULTS: The results showed that younger pedestrians behaved in a more secure manner while crossing a street, as compared to older people. The eye and head movements analysis revealed that older people looked more at the ground and less at the other side of the street to cross. CONCLUSIONS: The less secure behavior in street crossing found in older pedestrians could be explained by their reduced cognitive and visual abilities, which, in turn, resulted in difficulties in the decision-making process, especially under time pressure. Decisions to cross a street are based on the distance of the oncoming cars, rather than their speed, for both groups. Older pedestrians look more at their feet, probably because of their need of more time to plan precise stepping movement and, in turn, pay less attention to the traffic. This might help to set up guidelines for improving senior pedestrians' safety, in terms of speed limits, road design, and mixed physical-cognitive trainings.

Housing plans and urban rehabilitation in Spain, 1992-2012

This paper explores the urban rehabilitation projects promoted by the Spanish Government between 1992 and 2012 through housing plans. The analysis is based on the comparison of programmes and estimations gathered in these plans with actual housing production within this period in order to find the connection between sectoral housing planning and real estate cycles in these last twenty years. During the period under review, six state housing plans, that were mainly focused on the promotion of newly-constructed state-subsidised housing, were developed, including the Areas of Integrated Rehabilitation programmes (ARI programmes). In spite of the relevance and growing complexity of these programmes, these played a subsidiary role in the government housing policy and were insignificant regarding the whole real estate production in this period.

O idoso e sua participação - aspectos da vida urbana componentes da cidade amiga do idoso

Esta investigação teve por objetivo analisar a participação de idosos em direção à promoção da saúde considerando a articulação com oito aspectos da vida urbana do projeto cidade amiga do idoso (espaços abertos e prédios, transporte, moradia, participação social, respeito e inclusão social, participação cívica e emprego, comunicação e informação, e apoio comunitário e serviços de saúde) do bairro Vila Tibério, município de Ribeirão Preto, estado de São Paulo, Brasil. Trata-se de pesquisa descritiva de abordagem qualitativa sustentada pelos conceitos e princípios da promoção da saúde, a partir da perspectiva da participação social e do estabelecimento de ambientes saudáveis, motivo do alinhamento com os aspectos da vida urbana do Projeto Cidade Amiga do Idoso. A pesquisa atendeu aos preceitos éticos, sendo sua realização aprovada por Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa. A captação do empírico se deu por meio da realização de grupos focais com base no Protocolo de Vancouver, desenvolvido pelo Government of British Columbia, somando 32 idosos e 6 representantes de prestadores de serviços em 5 grupos focais. Adicionalmente, foi aplicado instrumento de avaliação funcional para verificar condição de independência ou dependência dos 32 idosos, sendo feita avaliação qualitativa da capacidade autorreferida pelos idosos, segundo a escala utilizada. Realizou-se análise de conteúdo na vertente temática para o material dos grupos, com a identificação de três temas: território: lugar de vida e cidadania, formação de redes de suporte social ao idoso e participação dos idosos na vida do bairro. A violência, o abandono presentes no território, em especial nos espaços coletivos, trazem preocupação e medo aos idosos, pois dificultam a livre circulação no território. Por outro lado, há no bairro certa tradição e possibilidade de serem construídas relações de amizade e apoio, que permitem ao idoso sentir-se acolhido, sendo enfatizado que as relações de amizade e mesmo as institucionalizadas, como por exemplo, o trabalho dos agentes comunitários de saúde, são necessárias às relações de convivência e sustentação na vida dos idosos. É trazida a importância dos jornais do bairro e de seu papel como elemento constitutivo da rede apoio na área de comunicação e informação dentro do território. A vinculação ao mundo do trabalho, com atividades remuneradas, ainda é uma forma que os idosos encontram de se manterem próximos aos amigos e participantes da vida em comunidade. Há dificuldade em ampliar a participação dos idosos por diferentes motivos que vão desde a dificuldade de mobilidade dentro do bairro, acesso à informação sobre as atividades disponíveis, ausência de canais mais ágeis de comunicação, baixa adesão aos processos de participação social no campo da saúde e assistência social, trabalho dos idosos como cuidadores de outros idosos familiares ou de netos. Situações que dificultam maior adesão aos processos de participação social, embora seja assinalada a importância destes processos para a melhoria do bairro. O conjunto dos resultados aponta que os idosos apresentam muitas dificuldades para ampliar sua participação nos processos coletivos no bairro, que por vezes se mostra hostil em suas condições a este grupo. Por outro lado se fazem presentes potencialidades, nas brechas e sugestões que indicam a possibilidade para se situarem no processo de construção da Promoção da Saúde no território em que estão inseridos, utilizando de suas características, perfis de vida e atuação para agir com autonomia e constituírem-se como protagonistas dos processos e de ações no território. Com a ciência dos limites, credita-se a esta investigação a possibilidade de que os elementos aqui discutidos possam oferecer subsídios para que as políticas voltadas ao envelhecimento saudável nos âmbitos da saúde, segurança, educação, assistência social, dentre outras possam se repensadas ou reestruturadas

Validation of a mobility item bank for older patients in primary care

Background: To develop and validate an item bank to measure mobility in older people in primary care and to analyse differential item functioning (DIF) and differential bundle functioning (DBF) by sex. Methods: A pool of 48 mobility items was administered by interview to 593 older people attending primary health care practices. The pool contained four domains based on the International Classification of Functioning: changing and maintaining body position, carrying, lifting and pushing, walking and going up and down stairs. Results: The Late Life Mobility item bank consisted of 35 items, and measured with a reliability of 0.90 or more across the full spectrum of mobility, except at the higher end of better functioning. No evidence was found of non-uniform DIF but uniform DIF was observed, mainly for items in the changing and maintaining body position and carrying, lifting and pushing domains. The walking domain did not display DBF, but the other three domains did, principally the carrying, lifting and pushing items. Conclusions: During the design and validation of an item bank to measure mobility in older people, we found that strength (carrying, lifting and pushing) items formed a secondary dimension that produced DBF. More research is needed to determine how best to include strength items in a mobility measure, or whether it would be more appropriate to design separate measures for each construct.

A relaxation technique enhances psychological well-being and immune parameters in elderly people from a nursing home: A randomized controlled study

Background: The aging process involves a decline in immune functioning that renders elderly people more vulnerable to disease. In residential programs for the aged, it is vital to diminish their risk of disease, promote their independence, and augment their psychological well-being and quality of life. Methods: We performed a randomized controlled study, evaluating the ability of a relaxation technique based on Benson’s relaxation response to enhance psychological well-being and modulate the immune parameters of elderly people living in a geriatric residence when compared to a waitlist control group. The study included a 2-week intervention period and a 3-month follow-up period. The main outcome variables were psychological well-being and quality of life, biomedical variables, immune changes from the pre-treatment to post-treatment and follow-up periods. Results: Our findings reveal significant differences between the experimental and control groups in CD19, CD71, CD97, CD134, and CD137 lymphocyte subpopulations at the end of treatment. Furthermore, there was a decrease in negative affect, psychological discomfort, and symptom perception in the treatment group, which increased participants’ quality of life scores at the three-month follow-up. Conclusions: This study represents a first approach to the application of a passive relaxation technique in residential programs for the elderly. The method appears to be effective in enhancing psychological well-being and modulating immune activity in a group of elderly people. This relaxation technique could be considered an option for achieving health benefits with a low cost for residential programs, but further studies using this technique in larger samples of older people are needed to confirm the trends observed in the present study. Trial registration: International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number Register ISRCTN85410212.

Ageing Modernity: Growing old in the EU in the 21st Century. EU Centre in Singapore Background Brief No. 7, December 2012

How do urban growth and an ageing population affect or inform planning at the national and regional level in the European Union? At a time when economic stagnation, environmental concerns and demographic changes are affecting social and political discourses, they are also influencing urban form and development. Furthermore, as people are living longer, they still have much to contribute in their later years to their communities and to the economy. As a result, the policy and urban design paradigm is shifting as the relative importance of older people grows. By looking at the connections between ageing, design and the environment, and the role of policy and planning strategies, this brief seeks to understand how the EU plans for an ageing population and attempts to reshape communities in an increasingly challenging socioeconomic context. This brief looks at some of the regional initiatives and guidelines and highlights the role the EU is playing in influencing some of the development trends, particularly those in urban centres.

Health of an aging America : 1989 bibliography : a guide to reports about older Americans.

Mode of access: Internet.

The Minority elderly in America : an annotated bibliography /

Item 447-A-6

The President's fiscal year 1989 budget proposal : how it would affect programs for older Americans : an information paper /

"Serial no. 100-G."

Coping with eldercare [microform] : a growing challenge in the workplace : hearing before a subcommittee of the Committee on Government Operations, House of Representatives, One Hundredth Congress, second session, October 28, 1988.

CIS Microfiche Accession Numbers: CIS 89 H401-23

Older pedestrian characteristics for use in highway design /

"February 1995."