The Efficacy of Vestibular Rehabilitation in the Treatment of the Elderly With Vestibular Symptomatologies

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

Prevalence of hypovitaminosis D and its relation to cardiovascular risk among elderly diabetic female patients

Vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent worldwide and certain groups as elderly persons women and institutionalized persons are particularly prone to severe deficiency. Objective: To identify the prevalence of hypovitaminosis D and its relation to cardiovascular risk among elderly diabetic female patients. Method: A cross sectional study conducted from the first of October 2014 to the end of March, 2016, where 163 elderly diabetic females who attended Ain shams university hospital at that time were included. They underwent careful history taking, body mass index calculation, blood pressure measurement and Serum 25(OH) D measurement, assessment of insulin secretion including fasting serum C-peptide and CPI measurement in addition to assessment of glycemic control by fasting blood sugar estimation. The level of 25 hydroxy vitamin D (25OHD) was measured. Results: The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (25OHD level <20 ng/mL ) and insufficiency (25OHD concentration of 20–29 ng/mL) among elderly Egyptian diabetic female patients are 71.2% and 28.2% resp. There is statistically significant association between vitamin D deficiency and low fasting C peptide level and c peptide index. The 3 independent predictor of the presence of vitamin D deficiency were types of diabetic medications, low C-peptide and CPI values and upon logistic regression analysis for these 3 variables, lower CP level was an independent predictor of the presence of vitamin D deficiency. Results showed a weak negative correlation between serum 25(OH)D, systolic BP, BMI and HOMA IR in studied subjects. Conclusion: Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among elderly Egyptian diabetic female patients is 71.2%. There is statistically significant association between vitamin D deficiency and low fasting C peptide level and c peptide index

Study on Mental Pension and Its Influence Factors of Rural Empty-nest Old Men

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

Is Propanediol a safer molecule than some other glycols in personal care and anti-aging biocosmeceutical products?

Propanediol (1,3-propanediol) is an ingredient increasingly used by the industry for electronic cigarettes, personal care creams and anti-aging serums among many other products. For some skin care purposes, it is used to enhance the transdermal absorption of other ingredients (e.g., the actives) enabling moisturizing effects and skin smoothness to be improved. Propanediol may be derived from corn although synthetic forms also exist. It is a chemical similar to other glycols such as propylene glycol (1,2-propanediol) but generally believed to be safer. This short communication reveals in fact that only limited scientific evidence of safety is available. Preliminary signs of toxicity have been found following administration of propanediol in humans although its dose-dependent toxicity and long-term side effects on health have not been significantly explored. Consequently, as of today, skin care and anti-aging products for elderly, a vulnerable population, should not automatically be considered as safe. Those comprising 1,3-propanediol should probably be used with caution until scientifically-proven safety data for the intended purposes are obtained by independent scientists

Geriatrics & e-Technology: a personalized follow-up of elderly residents in nursing homes to anticipate the decompensation of geriatric syndromes. Rationale for a first prospective study Ger-e-Tech

The objective of the GER-e-TEC project is to provide recorded personalized medical monitoring of residents in nursing homes using an intelligent telemedicine platform. It will assist healthcare staff by automatically processing the information from sensors and questionnaires to provide early detection and escalate alerts to enable health professionals, operating in retirement homes, to optimize patient care