Preventing frailty with the support of a home-monitoring and communication platform among older adults-a study protocol for a randomised-controlled pilot study in Sweden

Empowering Physical Functions in Older Women With Sarcopenia Through Aomori Gymnastics: A Prospective, Observational, Nested Case-Control Study in Aomori Prefecture

BACKGROUND

Japan faces rapid population aging, resulting in significant health challenges such as sarcopenia and frailty, which affect the independence and quality of life of older adults. This study evaluated the effectiveness of Aomori gymnastics, a culturally tailored exercise program, in improving physical function in older women with sarcopenia, over a three-month period.

METHODS

This prospective observational study included 24 older women divided into three groups based on their living conditions: community-dwelling participants attending preventive care programs (Groups 1 and 2) and residents of a long-term care facility (Group 3). The participants performed Aomori gymnastics daily for three months. Physical function was assessed at baseline, 1 month, and three months using the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), grip strength, curl-ups, forward bend from a long sitting position, one-leg stance, and 10-m walk tests. Data were analyzed using generalized linear mixed models and the Mann-Whitney U test.

RESULTS

Significant improvements in SPPB scores were observed between the sarcopenia and non-sarcopenia groups at baseline and one month (p < .05), these differences were not observed at three months. Participants with sarcopenia showed marked improvement in physical function, approaching the level of those without sarcopenia after three months of daily exercise. Adherence was higher among long-term care facility residents than among community-dwelling participants, which is likely due to the severe winter weather in the Aomori Prefecture.

CONCLUSION

Aomori gymnastics is an effective and low-cost intervention that can significantly improve physical function in older women with sarcopenia. Implementing this program in communities and care facilities can enhance the quality of life and independence of older adults, particularly in regions with harsh weather conditions.

CAREUP: An Integrated Care Platform with Intrinsic Capacity Monitoring and Prediction Capabilities

This paper describes CAREUP, a novel older adult healthy aging support platform based on Intrinsic Capacity (IC) monitoring. Besides standard functionalities like storing health measurement data or providing users with personalized recommendations, the platform includes novel intrinsic capacity assessment and prediction algorithms. Older adults' performance is continuously monitored in all five IC domains-locomotion, psychology, cognition, vitality, and sensory capacity-based on measurement results and answers to questionnaires gathered using the platform's mobile applications. The users are also presented with a machine learning-based prediction of how their intrinsic capacity might change over the following years. The platform's operation was successfully tested with the participation of older adults and their caregivers in three countries: Austria, Italy, and Romania.

Integrating frailty interventions into existing care models: a comprehensive approach to enhancing patient outcomes in chronic disease management

Frailty syndrome (FS) is a complex and multifaceted condition commonly observed in old adults patients with chronic diseases, often accompanied by cognitive impairments. This review explores the integration of frailty interventions into existing care models to improve patient outcomes, focusing on four key areas. First, it emphasizes the importance of comprehensive assessment tools to identify frailty and cognitive impairments early, facilitating targeted care planning. Second, it highlights the value of personalized interventions, such as dietary modifications, exercise programs, and cognitive training, tailored to individual patient needs and preferences. Third, the review underscores the critical role of multidisciplinary care teams in providing holistic and coordinated care, leveraging the expertise of diverse healthcare professionals. Finally, it examines the potential of technological innovations and caregiver support systems in enhancing frailty management and addressing the challenges posed by cognitive impairments. By integrating these approaches, this review presents a patient-centered framework aimed at mitigating the impact of frailty and improving long-term outcomes. The findings emphasize the need for a unified strategy that combines personalized care, interdisciplinary collaboration, and technological advancements to address the multifaceted challenges of frailty in chronic disease management.

POSITIVE: experiences of an intervention aiming for reversing and preventing frailty using a home monitoring and communication platform within primary health care

BACKGROUND

Frailty is increasing worldwide as the population ages. Physical activity is one component that has been shown to hinder and even reverse the process. The POSITIVE system (i.e., maintaining and imPrOving the intrinSIc capaciTy Involving primary care and caregiVErs) is a prevention program that consists of home-monitoring equipment and a communication platform to support the initial treatment of frailty symptoms in primary health care. The participants, older aged (+ 70) frail persons and those at risk for frailty, took part in the program that promoted physical activity at home for six months. The aim was to explore and describe older persons' experiences of participating in a new prevention program using the POSITIVE system including technological tools intended to prevent the development of frailty.

METHODS

Nine interviews were conducted about experiences of participating in an intervention including use of technological tools to support physical activity. Qualitative content analysis was applied.

RESULTS

Two themes revealed: (1) Perceptions of being old are seldom positive, and (2) A rewarding and fruitful participation in the project with suggestions for improvement. Becoming older was related to physical pain and tiredness reducing the performance of former meaningful activities as well as an increase in mental stress. There was also a tendency to postpone the start of everyday activities, and in general, fewer activities were planned for one day than at younger ages. Participating in a physical activity intervention, including the use of technical tools, was considered meaningful and added motivation for engaging in other physical activities, this despite some difficulties with technical tools provided by the program. The contact with health care and the research team was appreciated. In addition, contact with other participants was requested and reported to be highly valued if added to the intervention, which could have been an expression of loneliness.

CONCLUSION

Participation in a prevention program motivated activities and social interaction. Adding opportunities for participants to meet each other is suggested for improving the intervention in terms of increasing the social dimensions. Our findings conclude that despite difficulties with handling the technical tools for the home-monitoring and communication platform, participation in the POSITIVE intervention was in general a positive experience.