International Journal of Aging Research

Purpose: Our study is planned for determining the relation of some qualitative and quantitative parameters of freezing phenomenon and walking in patients with Idiopathic Parkinson’s Disease (IPD). Methods: 87 patients (37 -%42.5 female, 50-%57.5 male) in ErciyesUniversity Faculty of Medicine Neurology Department involved in this study. Patients were evaluated by demographic data, Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Hoehn- Yahr Scale, the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), freezing, 6 meter walking time, step count, rotation and related to step parameters. Results: Hoehn- Yahr Scale for the involved patients between 1-3, 14 out of their was 1(%16.1) and 17 out of their was 3 (%19.5). Freezing phenomenon was determined in 34 (%39.1) of the patients. There were no statistically difference between freezing and non-freezing patients about age, gender, education, profession, marital status and MMSE (p>0.05). Statistically difference were obsorved between freezing and non-freezing groups about UPDRS, rotation time 360 degrees from right, rotation time 360 degrees from left, balance defect at 360 degrees right rotation, 6m walking time, step count, hesitating gait, arrhythmic stepping, opening arms outside while walking (p

With the continuous development of urbanization and aging, the rate of empty-nest old man in rural areas in China continues to rise. Due to the “Healthy China” strategy proposed by the 19th CPC National Congress and the changing family structure in rural areas, the vulnerable elders in rural vulnerable population have been placed in a prominent place. It is urgent to solve mental pension for the elderly in the countryside. On the basis of comprehensively understanding the connotation of mental support, we analyzed the data from the 2012 Renmin University of China. The factors influencing the mental pension of rural empty-nest old men were divided into three categories and 19 types. We deeply summarized the impact of different factors on the mental pension of rural empty-nest old men.

The process of aging is determined by various genetic and environmental factors. Aging is associated with increased oxidative stress that alters cellular chromatin structure, DNA methylation with histone modifications. These epigenetic alterations lead to nuclear changes associated with mitochondrial apoptosis that is a major defect in the global chronic disease epidemic (1). The variability in longevity between individuals in different communities implicate various nutritional and environmental factors involved in transcriptional dysregulation that lead to cell damage that accumulates with age and contributes to mitophagy, insulin resistance and programmed cell death. The absence or malfunction of a gene (2) necessary for transcriptional regulation of gene expression, DNA repair and telomere maintenance in neurons has become essential with relevance to neurodegeneration that determines aging and lifespan.

Introduction: Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most common chronic diseases of aging and caring for an elderly with this pathology causes a great deal of overload in the family. Objective: To analyze the overload of informal caregivers of elderly with Alzheimer’s disease. Methodology: Cross-sectional study approved by the Research Ethics Committee with Human Subjects (CAAE: 0178.0.236.000-11) and carried out at the Brazilian Alzheimer’s Association, in the section Pernambuco with 33 caregivers. The instruments used were: semi-structured sociodemographic questionnaire (caregiver and senior citizen ages, gender, degree of dependence of the elderly and degree of kinship among the participants) and Zarit Burden Interview Scale. These caregivers were divided into 4 groups, according to the degree of caregiver overload: mild, moderate, moderate to severe and severe. The Spearman correlation was used, considering p≤0.05. Results: Caregivers presented a mean age of 57.9 ± 12.2 years, while the elderly had 79.0 ± 8.1 years. 90.9% of the informal caregivers and 66.7% of the elderly were female. Regarding the degree of dependency of the elderly, 54.5% were considered totally dependent and, in relation to the classification by kinship, 63.6% were children. The moderate overload achieved a higher percentage, 39.4%, along with the moderate to severe overload level, 36.4%. When analyzing the degrees of overload with the age of the caregiver and the elderly, there was a positive correlation in the degrees of moderate to severe overload (rho = 0.734, p = 0.007). Discussion: The literature points out the predominance of the female gender in the elderly care and has been analyzing the caregiver’s overload by relating it to numerous factors. Conclusion: The present study demonstrates that the majority of informal caregivers are the daughters of the elderly with Alzheimer’s Disease. And the overload of care is directly related to the increase in the ages of…

Introduction: Changes in structures and systems of the human body through the process of senescence are responsible for frequent complaints in the elderly population, among which are those of dizziness, vertigo and imbalance. The aging of the vestibular, visual, somatosensory, musculoskeletal and central nervous systems mainly affects the postural control, being this of fundamental importance for the autonomy of these individuals. Vestibular rehabilitation aims to improve the overall balance, quality of life and spatial orientation of patients with dizziness. Objective: To verify the efficacy of vestibular rehabilitation in the treatment of elderly patients with symptoms of vestibular alterations. Methods: We conducted extensive research and selected articles published between 2012 and 2016, indexed in the databases SciELO, PubMed, MEDLINE and LILACS. The following keywords were selected in Portuguese: Speech Therapy, Elderly and Vestibular Rehabilitation. Results and discussion: Currently vestibular rehabilitation is increasingly being indicated in the treatment of vestibular dysfunction, as it is also being prescribed for individuals who present alterations related to balance and spatial orientation. The main peripheral vestibular disorders prevalent in the elderly are: Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo; Menière’s syndrome; Vestibular neuritis and persistent perceptual postural dizziness (subjective chronic dizziness). The treatment of coexisting pathologies is also fundamentally important for the success of the therapy. Conclusion: Vestibular rehabilitation was shown to be an effective and viable alternative for vestibular symptomatology in the elderly. It is a satisfactory strategy to treat or minimize vestibular alterations, as well as improvement in anxiety, depression, static and dynamic balance and reduction of the quality of life and social interaction of this population. However, the practice of vestibular rehabilitation has not yet become routine in many speech-language rehabilitation services.

Introduction: In view of the inversion of the growth of the age pyramid in Brazil, where the increase in the elderly population has been highlighting, studies on this growing population and its specifications, such as incoordination in the act of swallowing food or saliva, are relevant. Functional, anatomical and physiological alterations resulting from senescence and associated pathologies directly interfere in swallowing, causing a damage. The swallowing deficit can lead to dysphagia, leading to malnutrition and dehydration in the elderly, due to a low caloric intake, food intake and even death. Since these aspects are impaired, it is necessary nutritional care and speech-language interventions on difficulties encountered at meals. Objective: To carry out a literature review through selected scientific articles about the importance of speech and hearing intervention in the elderly dysphagic. Methods: We conducted extensive research and selected articles published between 2013 and 2016, indexed in the SciELO, PubMed, MEDLINE and LILACS databases. The following keywords were selected in English: Dysphagia, Speech-Language Pathology, Elderly and Nutrition. Results: The elderly is prone to nutritional problems due to physiological and social factors, the occurrence of chronic disease, the use of various medications, feeding problems, chewing and swallowing, as well as changes in mobility with functional dependence. The swallowing impairment can result in dysphagia, since it is not alerted, the risk of aspiration is immense causing pneumonia and if untreated leading to death. The implantation of nutritional risk screening and risk of dysphagia specific for the elderly patient is extremely important aiming at the early diagnosis of nutritional status and deglutition so that there is adequate speech-language intervention. Conclusion: In this way, it is known the importance of the multiprofessional performance to result in the best quality of life for such population, giving nutritional support, as well as the speech-language rehabilitation in the…

Introduction: The fall event, when associated with Diabetes Mellitus in the elderly, is multifactorial, however, it can be triggered by the reduction of functional capacity, mainly of the lower limbs. Objective: To correlate the fall event and risk factors in diabetic elderly. Methodology: Cross-sectional and correlational study, approved by the Ethics Committee in Research with Human Subjects (CAAE: 0127.0.106.000-09) and composed of elderly diabetic patients accompanied by medical professionals in a nucleus of attention to the elderly of a Brazilian public university. The instruments used were: semi-structured questionnaire with clinical data (age, gender, body mass index (BMI) and number of falls), Timed Up & Go test (TUG) and Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). Statistical analysis used the Spearman correlation. Results: Diabetic elderly (70.37 ± 6.65 years) were matched according to gender and age (1: 1 ratio), two groups were selected for correlation analysis, one with 28 men and the other with 28 women. In the correlation between genders, of the variables age and BMI with number of falls, TUG and SPPB, only women presented correlations between age and number of falls (rho = 0.382, p = 0.045), TUG (rho = 0.529, p = 0.004 ) and SPPB (rho = -0.547, p = 0.003), as well as between BMI and TUG (rho = 0.532, p = 0.004). Discussion: These findings corroborate the current literature, demonstrating that the reduction of functional capacity during aging, when associated with the presence of chronic diseases, increases the risk of falls. Conclusion: As the age advances, the elderly diabetic women become more susceptible to falls than men, possibly due to reduced functional capacity of the lower limbs and gait speed. And overweight seems to influence the reduction of the pace of walking.

Introduction: Aphasia is a pathology that causes a compromise in speech and / or writing, caused by an acquired lesion on the left side of the brain. It can cause language confusion and can impair access to vocabulary, syntactic organization, coding, and decoding of messages. We can classify as a severe aphasic patient, the one who does not speak or write, but there is production of unintelligible sounds, in other words, doesn’t have an articulate speech. Supplementary and / or alternative communication (SAC) is a form of contribution to benefit the language of patients with impairment in verbal communication, in this case aphasic. It is composed of verbal and nonverbal signs that stimulate dialogue favoring the adequacy of language. Objective: To carry out a bibliographic survey about supplementary and alternative communication (SAC) in aphasic elderly. Methods: This study was carried out with publication inclusion criteria between 2014 and 2017, indexed in the SciELO, PubMed, MEDLINE and LILACS databases. The following keywords were selected in English: Aphasia; Supplementary and Alternative Communication; Speech therapy; Elderly; Language. Results and discussion: Most of the studies analyzed reported that CSA contributed to the more active interaction during communication and influenced the development of linguistic and social quality. Pictogram Ideogram Communication (PIC), Picture Communication Symbols (PCS), Bliss system and use of communicators and softwares are technological resources that can be used for aphasics in speech and language practice. Conclusion: The use of alternative supplementary communication allows a perspective of non-verbal language and its dimensions, being effective for the manifestations of aphasia, since it provides a better quality in communication becoming more effective mainly for the family environment and generating benefits before the development of various other skills.