| 1. |
- Olsson, Annakarin, 1969-, et al.
(author)
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Effects of tracking technology on daily life of persons with dementia : three experimental single-case studies
- 2015
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In: American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementia. - : SAGE Publications. - 1533-3175 .- 1938-2731. ; 30:1, s. 29-40
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objectives: To investigate the effects of using tracking technology on independent outdoor activities and psychological well-being in 3 persons with dementia (PwDs) and their spouses.Methods: Three experimental single-case studies with an A1B1A2B2 design. The intervention entailed access to a passive positioning alarm and technical support. Continual daily measures of independent outdoor activities among PwDs' and spouses' worries about these activities were made during all phases.Results: Access to a tracking technology consistently increased the independent outdoor activities of 2 PwDs. One of the spouses consistently reported decreased worry during B phases, another's worry decreased only in B2, and the third showed little variability in worrying across all phases.Conclusion: Tracking technology may support PwDs to engage in independent outdoor activities and decrease spouses' worries; however, randomized controlled group studies are needed to investigate whether these results can be replicated on a group level.
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| 2. |
- Sjölund, Britt-Marie, et al.
(author)
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Incidence of ADL Disability in Older Persons, Physical Activities as a Protective Factor and the Need for Informal and Formal Care : Results from the SNAC-N Project
- 2015
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In: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 10:9
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to examine 1) the incidence of disability in Activities of Daily Living (ADL), in persons 78 years and older 2) explore whether being physical active earlier is a significant predictor of being disability free at follow-up and 3) describe the amount of informal and formal care in relation to ADL-disability.METHODS: Data were used from a longitudinal community-based study in Nordanstig (SNAC-N), a part of the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care (SNAC). To study objectives 1) and 2) all ADL-independent participants at baseline (N = 307) were included; for objective 3) all participants 78 years and older were included (N = 316). Data were collected at baseline and at 3- and 6-year follow-ups. ADL-disability was defined as a need for assistance in one or more activities. Informal and formal care were measured using the Resource utilization in Dementia (RUD)-instrument.RESULTS: The incidence rates for men were similar in the age groups 78-81and 84 years and older, 42.3 vs. 42.5/1000 person-years. For women the incidence rate for ADL-disability increased significantly from the age group 78-81 to the age group 84 years and older, 20.8 vs.118.3/1000 person-years. In the age group 78-81 years, being physically active earlier (aOR 6.2) and during the past 12 month (aOR 2.9) were both significant preventive factors for ADL-disability. Both informal and formal care increased with ADL-disability and the amount of informal care was greater than formal care. The incidence rate for ADL-disability increases with age for women and being physically active is a protective factor for ADL-disability.CONCLUSION: The incidence rate for ADL-disability increases with age for women, and being physical active is a protective factor for ADL-disability.
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| 3. |
- Sidenvall, Birgitta, et al.
(author)
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Elderly patients' meal patterns : A retrospective study
- 1996
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In: Journal of human nutrition and dietetics (Print). - 0952-3871 .- 1365-277X. ; 9:4, s. 263-272
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim of this study was to examine possible causes of malnutrition in geriatric patients on admission to hospital by evaluation and comparison of their meal pattern between periods of working, retirement and hospitalization, respectively. Forty-five consecutive patients aged 60 years or older participated. By use of modified dietary history interviews, a retrospective assessment of food intake was carried out. A qualitative system for meal classification was then applied. In the retirement period there was a strong reduction in daily eating frequency when compared to working and hospital periods. Thus, the daily intake and also distribution of energy and nutrients seem to be reduced during retirement, which might lead to nutritional deficiency.
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| 4. |
- Thunborg, Charlotta, 1965-, et al.
(author)
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Integrating a multimodal lifestyle intervention with medical food in prodromal Alzheimer’s disease: the MIND-ADmini randomized controlled trial
- 2024
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In: Alzheimer's Research & Therapy. - : Springer Nature. - 1758-9193. ; 16
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: The Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability (FINGER) showed cognitive benefits from a multidomain lifestyle intervention in at-risk older people. The LipiDiDiet trial highlighted benefits of medical food in prodromal Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, the feasibility and impact of multimodal interventions combining lifestyle with medical food in prodromal AD is unclear.Methods: MIND-ADmini was a 6-month multinational (Sweden, Finland, Germany, France) proof-of-concept randomized controlled trial (RCT). Participants were 60–85 years old, had prodromal AD (International Working Group-1 criteria), and vascular/lifestyle risk factors. The parallel-group RCT had three arms: multimodal lifestyle intervention (nutritional guidance, exercise, cognitive training, vascular/metabolic risk management and social stimulation); multimodal lifestyle intervention + medical food (Fortasyn Connect); and regular health advice/care (control). Participants were randomized 1:1:1 (computer-generated allocation at each site). Outcome evaluators were blinded to randomization. Primary outcome was feasibility of the multimodal intervention, evaluated by recruitment rate during a 6-month recruitment phase, overall adherence in each intervention arm, and 6-month retention rate. Successful adherence was pre-specified as attending ≥ 40% of sessions/domain in ≥ 2/4 domains (lifestyle intervention), and consuming ≥ 60% of the medical food (lifestyle intervention + medical food). The secondary outcomes included adherence/participation to each intervention component and overall adherence to healthy lifestyle changes, measured using a composite score for healthy lifestyle. Cognitive assessments were included as exploratory outcomes, e.g. Clinical Dementia Rating scale.Results: During September 2017-May 2019, 93 individuals were randomized (32 lifestyle intervention, 31 lifestyle + medical food, and 30 control group). Overall recruitment rate was 76.2% (64.8% during the first 6 months). Overall 6-month retention rate was 91.4% (lifestyle intervention 87.5%; lifestyle + medical food 90.3%; control 96.7%). Domain-specific adherence in the lifestyle intervention group was 71.9% to cognitive training, 78.1% exercise, 68.8% nutritional guidance, and 81.3% vascular risk management; and in the lifestyle + medical food group, 90.3% to cognitive training, 87.1% exercise, 80.7% nutritional guidance, 87.1% vascular risk management, and 87.1% medical food. Compared with control, both intervention arms showed healthy diet improvements (βLifestyle×Time = 1.11, P = 0.038; βLifestyle+medical food×Time = 1.43, P = 0.007); the lifestyle + medical food group also showed vascular risk reduction (P = 0.043) and less cognitive-functional decline (P < 0.05, exploratory analysis). There were 5 serious adverse events (control group: 1; lifestyle intervention: 3; lifestyle + medical food: 1) unrelated to interventions.Conclusions: The multidomain lifestyle intervention, alone or combined with medical food, had good feasibility and adherence in prodromal AD. Longer-term cognitive and other health benefits should be further investigated in a larger-scale trial.
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| 5. |
- Sjölund, Britt-Marie, 1958-, et al.
(author)
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Factors associated with improvement in depressive symptoms among older persons after hospitalisation - a prospective design with two follow-ups
- 2021
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In: Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0283-9318 .- 1471-6712. ; 35:3, s. 923-928
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background Depression is a common disorder in old age and increases with hospitalisation. The aim was to investigate whether improvement in depressive symptoms after hospitalisation is associated with education level, age, gender, living situation, self-efficacy, activities in daily living and quality of life by (1) examining the prevalence of depressive symptoms at baseline and at 1st and 2nd follow-up (2) examining different factors' association with depressive symptoms at baseline and (3) examining different factors' association with improvement in depressive symptoms at baseline and at 1st and 2nd follow-up. Methods The study consisted of 145 patients, 65 years and older. Data were collected between February 2015 and September 2016 through interviews conducted using structured protocols. The instrument used was Katz index of ADL, Geriatric Depression Scale-20, Life Satisfaction Questionnaire and the General Self-Efficacy Scale. The participants were interviewed before discharge from hospital, after 1.5 month and after 3 months. Results The prevalence of depressive symptoms in older persons was high after hospitalisation. Factors associated with improvement of depressive symptoms after hospitalisation were higher educational level, improvement in activities in daily living and quality of life. Non-significant results were found for improvement of depressive symptoms and gender, age, living situation or self-efficacy. Conclusions Depression is a common health problem in older persons, especially after hospitalisation. It is therefore important that healthcare staff screen older persons for depression during hospitalisation, as this allows identification of those in need and a possibility to help them in an appropriate manner. Persons with lower educational level and depressive symptoms need special attention.
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| 6. |
- Tuvesson, Hanna, et al.
(author)
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Life weariness and suicidal thoughts in late life : a national study in Sweden
- 2018
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In: Aging & Mental Health. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1360-7863 .- 1364-6915. ; 22:10, s. 1365-1371
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objectives: This study aimed at investigating the point prevalence of life weariness and suicidal thoughts and their relationship with socio-demographic characteristics in a population of older adults in Sweden. Method: Data from 7913 individuals aged 60 years and older were drawn from the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care, a collaborative study in Sweden. Life weariness and suicidal thoughts were measured by one item derived from the Montgomery–Åsberg Depression Rating Scale. A multinomial regression model was used to investigate the relationships of socio-demographic characteristics with life weariness and suicidal thoughts. Results: Living in urban and semi-urban areas, being of advanced age, being divorced and having lower educational levels were related to life weariness. Living in a residential care facility, being widowed or unmarried, being born in a non-Nordic European country and experiencing financial difficulties were related to both life weariness and suicidal thoughts. Sex was found to be unrelated to either life weariness or suicidal thoughts. Conclusion: This study found that several socio-demographic variables were associated with life weariness and suicidal thoughts among older adults. Specific attention to older individuals with these characteristics may be warranted as they might be more vulnerable to life weariness and suicidal thoughts.
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| 7. |
- Mamhidir, Anna-Greta, et al.
(author)
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Underweight, weight loss and related risk factors among older adults in sheltered housing--a Swedish follow-up study.
- 2006
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In: J Nutr Health Aging. - 1279-7707 .- 1760-4788. ; 10:4, s. 255-62
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Medial displacement of the navicular has been considered a major explanation for residual forefoot adduction (FFA) in congenital clubfoot and also a frequent reason for dissatisfaction after limited surgery. In this study, it was hypothesized that there would be an association between the degree of medial displacement of the navicular and residual FFA in clubfeet. The position of the navicular was retrospectively measured by ultrasonography in 49 clubfeet in 35 children at ages 3 to 6 years and correlated to residual FFA measured on footprints and radiographs (talo-first metatarsal angle). In the 49 clubfeet, the navicular was significantly more medially displaced toward the medial malleolus than in the 21 contralateral normal feet (P < 0.001). However, there was no correlation between the degree of medial displacement of the navicular and the degree of FFA measured on footprints (P = 0.690) or on radiographs (P = 0.390). Thus, there were clubfeet with straight forefoot and a medially displaced navicular, that is, "spurious correction," and clubfeet with FFA and the navicular in correct position in relation to the head of the talus. Both patient satisfaction and foot score declined with larger FFA. The results support the view that ultrasonography is a helpful tool for assessing the position of the navicular. The critical issue for analysis is whether the FFA is due to malalignment in the talonavicular joint or more distally.
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| 8. |
- Wimo, Anders, et al.
(author)
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Cohort Effects in the Prevalence and Survival of People with Dementia in a Rural Area in Northern Sweden
- 2016
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In: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. - 1387-2877 .- 1875-8908. ; 50:2, s. 387-396
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Recent studies suggest that trends in cardiovascular risk may result in a decrease in age-specific prevalence of dementia. Studies in rural areas are rare.Objectives: To study cohort effects in dementia prevalence and survival of people with dementia in a Swedish rural area.Methods: Participants were from the 1995-1998 Nordanstig Project (NP) (n = 303) and the 2001-2003 Swedish National study on Aging and Care in Nordanstig (SNAC-N) (n = 384). Overall 6-year dementia prevalence and mortality in NP and SNAC-N were compared for people 78 years and older. Logistic regression analyses were used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for dementia occurrence using the NP study population as the reference group. Cox regression models were used to analyze time to death.Results: The crude prevalence of dementia was 21.8% in NP and 17.4% in SNAC-N. When the NP cohort was used as the reference group, the age- and gender-adjusted OR of dementia was 0.71 (95% CI 0.48-1.04) in SNAC-N; the OR was 0.47 (0.24-0.90) for men and 0.88 (0.54-1.44) for women. In the extended model, the OR of dementia was significantly lower in SNAC-N than in the NP cohort as a whole (0.63; 0.39-0.99) and in men (0.34; 0.15-0.79), but not in women (0.81; 0.46-1.44). The Cox regression models indicated that the hazard ratio of dying was lower in the SNAC-N than NP population.Conclusions: Trends toward a lower prevalence of dementia in high-income countries seem to be evident in this Swedish rural area, at least in men.
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| 9. |
- Blomqvist, Sven, Universitetslektor, 1964-, et al.
(author)
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Using augmented reality technology for balance training in the older adults : a feasibility pilot study
- 2021
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In: BMC Geriatrics. - : BioMed Central. - 1471-2318. ; 21
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Impaired balance leading to falls is common in the older adults, and there is strong evidence that balance training reduces falls and increases independence. Reduced resources in health care will result in fewer people getting help with rehabilitation training. In this regard, the new technology augmented reality (AR) could be helpful. With AR, the older adults can receive help with instructions and get feedback on their progression in balance training. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the feasibility of using AR-based visual-interactive tools in balance training of the older adults.; Methods: Seven older adults (66-88 years old) with impaired balance trained under supervision of a physiotherapist twice a week for six weeks using AR-based visual-interactive guidance, which was facilitated through a Microsoft HoloLens holographic display. Afterwards, participants and physiotherapists were interviewed about the new technology and their experience of the training. Also, fear of falling and balance ability were measured before and after training.; Results: Five participants experienced the new technology as positive in terms of increased motivation and feedback. Experiences were mixed regarding the physical and technical aspects of the HoloLens and the design of the HoloLens application. Participants also described issues that needed to be further improved, for example, the training program was difficult and monotonous. Further, the HoloLens hardware was felt to be heavy, the application's menu was difficult to control with different hand manoeuvres, and the calibration took a long time. Suggestions for improvements were described. Results of the balance tests and self-assessment instruments indicated no improvements in balance performance after AR training.; Conclusions: The study showed that training with the new technology is, to some extent, feasible for the older adults, but needs further development. Also, the technology seemed to stimulate increased motivation, which is a prerequisite for adherence to training. However, the new technology and training requires further development and testing in a larger context.
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| 10. |
- Olsson, Annakarin, et al.
(author)
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Persons with early-stage dementia reflect on being outdoors : a repeated interview study
- 2013
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In: Aging & Mental Health. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1360-7863 .- 1364-6915. ; 17:7, s. 793-800
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objectives: The aim of this study was to describe how persons with early-stage dementia reflect on being outdoors. Method: Data were collected through repeated interviews with a purposive sample of 11 persons with early-stage dementia in Sweden during the period 2009-2010 and were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Results: Informants described being outdoors as a confirmation of the self. Confirmation of their ability to maintain desired activities, despite the dementia disease, was important to the informants. However, some confirmations were not positive; the realisation that one could no longer perform certain activities could be devastating. Two sub-themes emerged: shifting between still being part of it all' and a sense of grief and loss and striving to keep on despite perceived barriers. Past, but no longer possible, outdoor activities were greatly missed and the informants longed to be able to perform these activities once again. To resolve possible difficulties associated with being outdoors, the informants used various adaptation strategies. Despite the described barriers, being outdoors was of great value to them. Conclusion: Independent outdoor activities seem to contribute to the well-being and feelings of self-worth among persons with early-stage dementia who want to be and are able to be outdoors. If a person with dementia, despite cognitive limitations, wants and is able to engage in outdoor activities, it is important for relatives and health-care staff to encourage and facilitate this, for example, by discussing adaptation strategies to deal with orientation problems.
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