Preliminary experience of allied health assessments delivered face to face and by videoconference to a residential facility for elderly people

We investigated whether allied health assessments carried out via videoconferencing were comparable to assessments carried out face to face. Five allied health therapists (in dietetics, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, podiatry and speech pathology) conducted an assessment of 12 high-dependency residents both face to face and by videoconferencing. On a five-point Likert scale, the therapists' mean ratings for the efficiency and suitability of videoconferencing for assessment were significantly lower than for face to face. Their mean rating for the adequacy of their care plans was also significantly lower for videoconferencing than for face to face. However, in each case the dietician's assessments did not differ significantly between the two modalities. In 35 cases out of 60, two independent raters agreed that the therapists' care plans after the videoconferencing and face-to-face assessments were the same. However, the level of agreement between raters was only moderate (kappa=0.31). Despite the therapists' (natural) preference for face-to-face working, care plans formulated via videoconferencing were reasonably similar to those formulated in face-to-face assessment. Allied health assessments carried out by videoconferencing would therefore seem to be feasible.

The cost of allied health assessments delivered by videoconference to a residential facility for elderly people

We calculated the cost of providing allied health assessments to high-dependency residents of a rural facility for elderly people. The costs of conducting assessments via videoconferencing were compared with the costs of conducting assessments face to face. The observed costs in a three-month pilot trial were used to estimate the annual costs. Given an annual workload of 1000 occasions of service, each videoconference assessment would cost $84.93, compared with $90.25 for face-to-face assessments. Allied health assessments delivered by videoconferencing became cheaper at workloads of approximately 850 occasions of service annually. Additional increases in the workload further improved the financial viability of this approach to service delivery.

Outcomes for elderly patients with mental illness following relocation from a stand-alone psychiatric hospital to community-based extended care units

Objective: To assess the outcomes for a group of elderly patients with mental illness following their discharge from a stand-alone psychiatric facility to seven extended care units (ECUs). Method: All patients (n = 60) who were relocated to the ECUs were assessed using a number of standardized clinical and general functioning instruments at 6 months and 6 weeks pre-move, and again at 6 weeks, 6 months and 18 months post-move. Results: By 18 months post-discharge, 13 of the 60 patients (21.7%) had died and seven others had been transferred to nursing homes. Those who died were older and had significantly higher levels of physical ill health when compared to those who did not die. Changes on measures of clinical and behavioural functioning in those who remained in the study did not reach statistical significance by 18 months post-move. However, participants did demonstrate improvements in quality of life with significantly higher scores on measures of social contact and community access. Conclusions: The mortality observed in the follow-up period is likely to be related to physical ill health and old age rather than the trauma associated with relocation. While overall functioning did not improve following relocation, patients had more independence and greater access to community-based activities.

Somatosensation, circulation and stance balance in elderly dysvascular transtibial amputees

Objective: To establish the relationship between poor lower limb somatosensory and circulatory status with standing balance, falls history, age and mobility level in dysvascular transtibial amputees (TTAs). Design: Within-subjects evaluation of somatosensation, circulation and stance balance measures in dysvascular transtibial amputees. Setting: Physiotherapy department of a tertiary metropolitan hospital in Australia. Participants: Twenty-two community-dwelling unilateral dysvascular transtibial amputee volunteers, aged between 54 and 86 recruited from a metropolitan hospital outpatient amputee clinic. Main outcome measures: Lower limb vibration sense, light touch sensation and circulatory status were related to centre of pressure excursion during quiet stance, dynamic balance measures of forward and lateral reach distance, and demographic information such as falls history and mobility level. Results: Overall, poor somatosensory status was associated with poor stance balance. There was an association between poor vibration and circulation and increased centre of pressure excursion in quiet stance and reduced reach distance, whereas poor light touch was linked with even weight-bearing in quiet stance. Poor vibration sense was associated with a history of frequent falls. Conclusions: Compromised lower limb somatosensation and circulation was linked with poor balance and a history of frequent falls in the elderly dysvascular amputee population.

Pharmacokinetic considerations relating to tacrolimus dosing in the elderly

Relaxation of the upper age limits for solid organ transplantation coupled with improvements in post-transplant survival have resulted in greater numbers of elderly patients receiving immunosuppressant drugs such as tacrolimus. Tacrolimus is a potent agent with a narrow therapeutic window and large inter- and intraindividual pharmacokinetic variability. Numerous physiological changes occur with aging that could potentially affect the pharmacokinetics of tacrolimus and, hence, patient dosage requirements. Tacrolimus is primarily metabolised by cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A enzymes in the gut wall and liver. It is also a substrate for P-glycoprotein, which counter-transports diffused tacrolimus out of intestinal cells and back into the gut lumen. Age-associated alterations in CYP3A and P-glycoprotein expression and/or activity, along with liver mass and body composition changes, would be expected to affect the pharmacokinetics of tacrolimus in the elderly. However, interindividual variation in these processes may mask any changes caused by aging. More investigation is needed into the impact aging has on CYP and P-glycoprotein activity and expression. No single-dose, intense blood-sampling study has specifically compared the pharmacokinetics of tacrolimus across different patient age groups. However, five population pharmacokinetic studies, one in kidney, one in bone marrow and three in liver transplant recipients, have investigated age as a co-variate. None found a significant influence for age on tacrolimus bioavailability, volume of distribution or clearance. The number of elderly patients included in each study, however, was not documented and may have been only small. It is likely that inter- and intraindividual pharmacokinetic variability associated with tacrolimus increase in elderly populations. In addition to pharmacokinetic differences, donor organ viability, multiple co-morbidity, polypharmacy and immunological changes need to be considered when using tacrolimus in the elderly. Aging is associated with decreased immunoresponsiveness, a slower body repair process and increased drug adverse effects. Elderly liver and kidney transplant recipients are more likely to develop new-onset diabetes mellitus than younger patients. Elderly transplant recipients exhibit higher mortality from infectious and cardiovascular causes than younger patients but may be less likely to develop acute rejection. Elderly kidney recipients have a higher potential for chronic allograft nephropathy, and a single rejection episode can be more devastating. There is a paucity of information on optimal tacrolimus dosage and target trough concentration in the elderly. The therapeutic window for tacrolimus concentrations may be narrower. Further integrated pharmacokinetic-pharmaco-dynamic studies of tacrolimus are required. It would appear reasonable, based on current knowledge, to commence tacrolimus at similar doses as those used in younger patients. Maintenance dose requirements over the longer term may be lower in the elderly, but the increased variability in kinetics and the variety of factors that impact on dosage suggest that patient care needs to be based around more frequent monitoring in this age group.

A simple lifestyle score predicts survival in healthy elderly men

Background. Although improvements in life expectancy have been attributed in part to the adoption or a more prudent lifestyle, few studies have examined the association of lifestyle with survival, using several lifestyle factors simultaneously, in a healthy elderly population. Methods. We investigated the association of health related behaviors with mortality in 7989 men aged 65 to 83 years participating in a population-based trial in Perth, Western Australia, by calculating a lifestyle score as a simple tally of flow many or eight prudent behaviors each individual followed. Results. Invitations to screening produced a corrected response of 70.5%. Out of a possible score of 8.46% of men had a score of less than 5. Within 5 years, a total of 703 men (9%) had died from any cause. The hazard ratio in men with a low lifestyle score was 1.3 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.1-1.5] compared with men with a score of 5 or more. Conclusions. Lifestyle remains an important predictor of mortality even in old age. Survival in older men without a history of cardiovascular disease can potentially be enhanced by promoting a healthy lifestyle. © 2004 Elsevier Inc, All rights reserved.

Effectiveness of screening for risk of medical emergencies in the elderly

Study objective: UK government policy mandates the introduction of 'intermediate care services' to reduce emergency admissions to hospital from the population aged 75 years or more. We evaluated one of these initiatives-the Keep Well At Home (KWAH) Project-in a West London Primary Care Trust. Design: KWAH involves a two-phase screening process, including a home visit by a community nurse. We employed cohort methods to determine whether KWAH resulted in fewer emergency attendances and admissions to hospital in the target population, from October 1999 to December 2002. Results: estimated levels of coverage in the two phases of screening were 61 and 32%, respectively. The project had not maintained records of which additional health and social care services had been delivered following screening. The rates of emergency admissions to hospital in the 9 months before screening were similar in practices that did and did not join the project (rate ratio (RR) = 1.05; 95% CI 0.95-1.17), suggesting absence of volunteer bias. Over the first 37 months of the project, there was no significant impact on either attendances at Accident & Emergency departments (RR = 1.02; 95% CI 0.97-1.06) or emergency admissions of elderly patients (RR = 0.98; 95% CI 0.93-1.05). Conclusion: the KWAH Project has been ineffective in reducing emergency admissions among the elderly. Significant questions arise in relation to selection of the screening instruments, practicality of achieving higher coverage of the eligible population, and creation of a new postcode lottery.

Contribution of the collagen I alpha 1 and vitamin D receptor genes to the risk of hip fracture in elderly women

Context and Objective: Hip fracture is partially genetically determined. The present study was designed to examine the contributions of vitamin D receptor (VDR) and collagen I alpha 1 (COLIA1) genotypes to the liability to hip fracture in postmenopausal women. Design: The study was designed as a prospective population-based cohort investigation. Subjects: Six hundred seventy-seven postmenopausal women of Caucasian background, aged 70 +/- 7 yr (mean +/- SD), have been followed for up to 14 yr. Sixty-nine women had sustained a hip fracture during the period. Main Outcome: Atraumatic hip fractures were prospectively identified through radiologists' reports. Bone mineral density (BMD) at the hip and lumbar spine was measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Genotypes: The TaqI and SpI COLIA1 polymorphisms of the VDR and COLIA1 genes were determined. Using the Single Nucleotide Polymorphism database, VDR TT, Tt, and tt genotypes were coded as TT, TC, and CC, whereas COLIA1 SS, Ss, and ss were coded as GG, GT, and TT. Results: Women with VDR CC genotype (16% prevalence) and COLIA1 TT genotype (5% prevalence) had an increased risk of hip fracture [odds ratio (OR) associated with CC, 2.6; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.2-5.3; OR associated with TT, 3.8; 95% CI, 1.3-10.8] after adjustment for femoral neck BMD (OR, 3.4 per SD; 95% CI, 2.3-5.0) and age (OR, 1.4 per 5 yr; 95% CI, 1.1-1.7). Approximately 20 and 12% of the liability to hip fracture was attributable to the presence of the CC genotype and TT genotype, respectively. Conclusion: The VDR CC genotype and COLIA1 TT genotype were associated with increased hip fracture risk in Caucasian women, and this association was independent of BMD and age.

Psychosocial and non-psychosocial risk factors for the new diagnosis of diabetes in elderly women

Objectives: Determine psychosocial variables associated with the new diagnosis of diabetes in elderly women. Examine whether variables remained significant predictors after controlling for non-psychosocial risk factors and the frequency of doctor visits. Research design and methods: A longitudinal cohort study was conducted using data from 10 300 women who completed a survey in 1996 and 1999. The women were aged between 70 and 74 years of age in 1996. The were asked to provide self-reports on a number of psychosocial and non-psychosocial variables in 1996 and on whether they had been diagnosed for the first time with diabetes in the 3-year period. The relationships between the potential risk factors and new diagnosis of diabetes were examined using binary logistic regression analysis. Results: Univariate results showed that not having a current partner, having low social support and having a mental health index score in the clinical range were all associated with higher risks of being diagnosed with diabetes for the first time. However the multivariate results showed that only a mental health index score in the clinical range and not having a current partner provided unique prediction of being newly diagnosed with diabetes. Of the non-psychosocial variables measured, only having a high BMI and hypertension were associated with increased risks of new diagnosis, while there was also evidence of a U shaped relationship between alcohol consumption and new diagnosis. Even after adjusting for frequency of doctor visits and non-psychosocial risk factors, a mental health index in the clinical range proved to still be a significant risk factor. Conclusions: A score on the mental health index that is within the clinical range is an independent risk factor for the new diagnosis of diabetes in elderly women. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Measuring mobility in frail older people: reliability and validity of the Physical Mobility Scale

Objectives: The study was designed to show the validity and reliability of scoring the Physical Mobility Scale (PMS). PMS was developed by physiotherapists working in residential aged care to specifically show resident functional mobility and to provide information regarding each resident's need for supervision or assistance from one or two staff members and equipment during position changes, transfers, mobilising and personal care. Methods: Nineteen physiotherapists of varying backgrounds and experience scored the performances of nine residents of care facilities from video recordings. The performances were compared to scores on two 'gold standard' assessment tools. Four of the physiotherapists repeated the evaluations. Results: The PAIS showed excellent content validity and reliability. Conclusions: The PAIS provides graded performance of physical mobility, including level of dependency on staff and equipment. This is a major advantage over existing functional assessment tools. There is no need for specific training for physiotherapists to use the tool.

Inflammatory markers are associated with ventilatory limitation and muscle dysfunction in obstructive lung disease in well functioning elderly subjects

Background: Inflammatory markers are increased in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD) and are hypothesised to play an important part in muscle dysfunction and exercise intolerance. Methods: The Health Aging and Body Composition ( Health ABC) study is a prospective observational cohort of well functioning individuals aged 70 - 79 years. A cross sectional analysis of the baseline data was conducted to examine the association between inflammatory markers and ventilatory limitation, muscle strength, and exercise capacity. These associations were compared in participants with and without obstructive lung disease ( OLD). Results: Of the 3075 participants enrolled in the Health ABC cohort, OLD was identified by spirometric testing in 268 participants and 2005 participants had normal spirometric results. Of the participants with OLD, 35%, 38%, and 27% participants had mild, moderate, and severe OLD, respectively. Participants with OLD had lower quadriceps strength (102.5 Nm v 108.9 Nm, p = 0.02), lower maximum inspiratory pressure (64.7 cm H2O v 74.2 cm H2O, p< 0.0001), higher systemic interleukin (IL)-6 levels (2.6 pg/ml v 2.2 pg/ml, p< 0.0001), and higher C-reactive protein (CRP) levels (3.5 mg/l v 2.5 mg/l, p< 0.0001) than those with normal spirometry. In participants with OLD and those with normal spirometry, forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) was associated with IL-6 ( adjusted regression coefficients (beta) = -5.3 (95% CI -9.1 to -1.5) and -3.1 (95% CI -4.3 to -1.9), respectively). IL-6 and TNF were also associated with quadriceps strength among participants with OLD and those with normal spirometry (beta = -6.4 (95% CI -12.8 to -0.03) and -3.4 (95% CI -5.4 to -1.3), respectively, for IL-6 and beta = -10.1 (95% CI -18.7 to -1.5) and -3.8 (95% CI -7 to -0.6), respectively, for TNF). IL-6, quadriceps strength, and maximum inspiratory pressures were independent predictors of reduced exercise capacity in both groups. Conclusions: In well functioning elderly subjects with or without OLD, IL-6 is associated with reduced FEV1, quadriceps strength, and exercise capacity.