BMC Geriatrics

BackgroundThere is growing consensus regarding the multidimensional nature of frailty and the need for comprehensive approaches to its assessment. However, existing assessment instruments have shown limited validity evidence or failed to adequately cover all the proposed theoretical dimensions of frailty. To address this gap, we recently developed the preliminary items of the Multidimensional Frailty Scale (MFS), a new instrument aimed to assess physical, cognitive, affective, social, and enviro...

BackgroundThis study used qualitative methods to test and refine a framework for educating cognitively unimpaired individuals about their individual risk for Alzheimers disease and related dementias (ADRD) and intrapersonal health belief factors as part of the TEACH (Tailored Education for Aging and Cognitive Health) intervention. MethodWe assessed individuals ADRD risk factors and health belief concepts. Personalized data were presented individually, followed by a semi-structured phenomenograp...

Insomnia and anxiety are highly prevalent and often comorbid in older adults. Although cognitive-behavioural therapy is the first-line treatment for insomnia, few interventions simultaneously address both conditions. Furthermore, access remains limited by provider availability and high costs. To address these gaps, we developed an online CBT program for insomnia and anxiety (eCBT+). This randomized controlled trial aimed to assess the usability and acceptability of the eCBT+ program and evaluate...

BackgroundFalls among older adults are a leading cause of fractures, loss of independence, and need for long-term care. Community salons in Japan promote social participation and health activities among older adults. Hydrogen-rich water is widely used as a health product, but evidence in community settings remains limited. MethodsWe conducted a prospective observational study among 48 community-dwelling older adults attending community salons in Hiroshima City, Japan. Hydrogen-rich water was of...

BackgroundDementia diagnoses are captured across multiple routine data sources, but discrepancies between these may affect care and research. This study determined the prevalence and overlap of recorded dementia across primary care, hospital, and community prescribing data sources in a UK regional cohort, and examined whether outcomes differed by the setting in which dementia was first recorded. MethodsRetrospective cohort study of adults [≥]65 years (n=133,407) in a large Scottish health bo...

ObjectivesTo characterize contemporary pharmacologic treatment patterns for Alzheimers disease and related dementias (ADRD) among U.S. long-term care residents and to examine facility- and resident-level factors associated with treatment. DesignRetrospective, observational study. Setting and ParticipantsElectronic health record data from 1,675,873 long-term care residents in the PointClickCare Life Sciences database included 359,801 with a documented ADRD diagnosis in skilled nursing facilitie...

BackgroundSarcopenia is associated with increased fall risk, but its graded relationship with severity and age-specific patterns warrants further investigation in middle-aged and older adults. ObjectiveTo investigate the association between sarcopenia severity and fall risk among adults aged [≥]45 years and provide evidence for early intervention. MethodsUtilizing data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) database (baseline 2011 to follow-up 2020), 9,608 particip...

This study challenges the assumption that undiagnosed cognitive impairment (CI) is driven primarily by patient-level barriers like poor awareness. In a population-weighted cohort of 1,856 older Singaporeans, CI prevalence was 24.7% (95%CI 18.8-31.8); yet the undiagnosed rate was high (81.4%, 95%CI 65.6-90.9), especially for mild CI (97.9%, 95%CI 94.1-99.3). This diagnostic gap persisted despite high symptom awareness (81.3%, 95%CI 63.6-91.5) and help-seeking intent (63.3%, 95%CI 47.5-76.7), with...

BackgroundAntidepressant use is common in people with dementia. Antidepressants may be started to manage symptoms of dementia, rather than depressive and anxiety disorders. We hypothesised people prescribed antidepressants around the time of dementia diagnosis may have different characteristics from those with longstanding prescriptions. MethodsWe used linked primary care (Lambeth DataNet) and specialist (Clinical Record Interactive Search) data for patients with dementia in south London, UK. A...

Background Older adults' walking has so far been evaluated using standardised assessments of walking capacity within a clinical setting. By taking the evaluation out of the laboratory into the real world, this study provides first evidence of the ability of Digital Mobility Outcomes (DMOs) to detect changes over time and the Minimal Important Difference (MID) in patients after proximal femoral fracture (PFF). This will guide the implementation of DMOs in research and clinical care. Methods For t...

IntroductionAlzheimers disease (AD) prevalence rises with societal ageing. In clinical care, behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD)--including depression, agitation/aggression, apathy, and sleep disturbance--worsen patients quality of life and substantially increase caregiver burden, more significantly than the cognitive symptoms. Standard BPSD assessments rely on caregiver-rated questionnaires that are cross-sectional and may be biased when caregivers are themselves older adul...

BackgroundVestibular complaints are common in older adults and are linked to imbalance and falls. Some older adults show impaired vestibular perception despite preserved peripheral-reflex ("vestibular agnosia"). Yet it remains unclear if vestibular agnosia is independently linked to imbalance and falls in otherwise healthy older adults. We therefore investigated the prevalence of vestibular agnosia in community-dwelling older adults, and examined its association to balance and prospective falls....

BackgroundIntrinsic capacity (IC) is a key marker of healthy ageing, which captures an individuals physical and mental capacities, measured across five domains: cognitive, locomotor, psychological, vitality, and sensory. Although genetic factors are known to influence both general IC and its individual domains, existing IC indices have been developed primarily using phenotypic data, without accounting for the underlying biological architecture across domains. In this study, we developed a multi-...

ObjectivesTo develop a simple risk prediction model for cognitive decline in a Chinese older adult cohort, and to evaluate its performance and transportability through temporal validation and external validation in a Japanese older adult cohort. MethodsThe prediction model was developed using a derivation cohort of 5,985 cognitively normal older adults from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS, 2011-2015). A comparison of seven machine learning algorithms was conducted, an...

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of cognitive dual-tasking on low-frequency oscillations during quiet standing in older adults. Thirty-two older adults (age 71{+/-}8 yrs) were categorized into high- and low-risk fall groups. Both groups performed three trials each of the following tasks: 1) quiet standing with eyes open - on a force plate; 2) quiet standing with eyes open and verbal memory encoding task - on a force plate; and 3) quiet sitting with eyes open and verbal memory...

INTRODUCTIONAgitation is a common and burdensome neuropsychiatric symptom in dementia that fluctuates from day to day, but objective tools for short-term risk stratification are limited. We examined whether nocturnal physiological signals from unobtrusive under-mattress sensors predict next-day daytime agitation and whether associations differ for agitation occurrence versus severity. METHODSWe extracted cardiorespiratory, movement, and sleep-proxy features from two long-term care cohorts (N=55...

Structured AbstractO_ST_ABSBACKGROUNDC_ST_ABSPatient reports are the standard when examining subjective cognitive decline (SCD). Recent research suggests that informant and clinician reports may also be associated with cognition. This study examined differences between patient, informant, and clinician definitions of SCD and their relationship to cognition. METHODSData from 4290 older adults (n=1690 normal controls, NC; n=840 mild cognitive impairment, MCI; n=1760 Alzheimers disease, AD) were e...

The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is widely used to screen for cognitive impairment, yet commonly applied cutoff scores have been found to perform poorly among US Latinos. Prior studies relied on small samples, combining persons with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia into a single group, or failing to account for multiple intersecting demographic factors. We identified optimal MoCA cutoffs for MCI and dementia among US Latinos while addressing these limitations. We analyzed cro...

Background and ObjectivesPhysical activity and sleep are potential modifiable risk factors for the development of Alzheimers disease and related disorders (ADRD), but few studies have objectively measured both domains in participants across the cognitive continuum. Research Design and MethodsStandard clinical assessment, accelerometry, and at-home EEG sleep data were obtained from older controls (n=9) and adults who met consensus diagnostic criteria for mild cognitive impairment (MCI; n=7), Alz...

BackgroundNeonicotinoid pesticides are systemic insecticides with neurotoxic potential and environmental persistence, raising concerns about chronic low-dose exposure in humans and impacts on ecosystems. In Japan, regulatory restrictions are generally less stringent than in the European Union, yet risk perception among young adults remains underexplored. ObjectiveTo examine factors associated with university students interest in pesticide-related issues, focusing on family discussions about env...