A randomised controlled trial comparing the effectiveness of Tai Chi alongside usual care with usual care alone on the postural balance of community-dwelling people with dementia: Protocol for The TACIT Trial (TAi ChI for people with dementia).

Background: Falls are a public health issue for the older adult population and more so for people with dementia (PWD). Compared with their cognitively intact peers, PWD are at higher risk of falls and injurious falls. This randomised controlled trial aims to test the clinical and cost effectiveness of Tai Chi to improve postural balance among community-dwelling PWD and to assess the feasibility of conducting a larger definitive trial to reduce the incidence of falls among PWD. Methods: A 3-centre parallel group randomised controlled trial with embedded process evaluation. One hundred and fifty community-dwelling dyads of a person with dementia and their informal carer will be recruited and assessed at baseline and at six-month follow-up. Dyads will be randomised in a 1:1 ratio to either usual care or usual care plus a Tai Chi intervention for 20 weeks. The Tai Chi intervention will consist of weekly classes (45 minutes’ Tai Chi plus up to 45 minutes for informal discussion, with up to 10 dyads per class) and home-based exercises (20 minutes per day to be facilitated by the carer). Home practice of Tai Chi will be supported by the use of behaviour change techniques with the Tai Chi instructor at a home visit in week 3-4 of the intervention (action planning, coping planning, self-monitoring, and alarm clock reminder) and at the end of each class (feedback on home practice). The primary outcome is dynamic balance measured using the Timed Up and Go test, coinciding with the end of the 20-week intervention phase for participants in the Tai Chi arm. Secondary outcomes for PWD include functional balance, static balance, fear of falling, global cognitive functioning, visual-spatial cognitive functioning, quality of life, and falls. Secondary outcomes for carers include dynamic balance, static balance, quality of life, costs, and carer burden. Discussion: This trial is the first in the UK to test the effectiveness of Tai Chi to improve balance among PWD. The trial will inform a future study that will be the first in the world to use Tai Chi in a trial to prevent falls among PWD. Trial registration: NCT02864056

Relationship between physical and quality of life variables in elderly of a comunity-based exercise healthy program

Introducción. El presente estudio trata de identificar los niveles de condición física (CF) de una cohorte de personas mayores que se somete a un programa de actividad física (AF) adecuada, así como, localizar una relación entre variables de CF de los mayores con su estado general de salud (EGS) y la calidad de vida (CV). Material y Métodos. Estudio transversal analítico sobre un universo de población de personas sanas mayores de 60 años, que desarrollan un programa de AF siguiendo las pautas del Colegio Americano de Medicina Deportiva (CAMD). Se midieron variables relacionadas con los caracteres antropométricos, fuerza isotónica, salto, equilibrio, riesgo de caída, capacidad pulmonar, EGS y CV. El análisis se hizo con correlación lineal de Pearson con IC 95% zr. Resultados más relevantes. La índices de correlación significativos encontrados, relacionan: tiempo de vuelo en salto y resultado total Euroqol (r=0,359), tiempo de vuelo en salto y 4ª dimensión Euroqol (r= -0,367), fuerza isotónica extensores de rodilla derecha y 4ª dimensión Euroqol (r= -0,269), prueba del flamenco y 5ª dimensión Euroqol (r= -0,297), levántate y anda y escala visual analógica Euroqol (r= -0,329), levántate y anda y puntuación total Euroqol (r= -0,337), tiempo de vuelo en salto y puntos físicos en SF-12 (r=0,316). Conclusiones principales. La estadística descriptiva que se ha obtenido del análisis de los datos recluidos, permite identificar y determinar el nivel de CF de la cohorte llevada a estudio. De los datos obtenidos en el presente estudio, determinamos una significación cuantitativa entre variables de equilibrio dinámico con la CV y EGS, así como una relación entre la prueba de saltimetría con la CV y la percepción del dolor.Terapia y Rehabilitació

Predicting physical activity and functional levels through inertial signals and EMD-based features in older adults

Older adults are related to a reduction in the physical functionality, as a result of a musculoskeletal system degeneration. In that way, physical exercise has been stated as a suitable intervention to prevent such health problems. Therefore, an adequate assessment of the physical activity and functional fitness levels is needed to plan the individualized intervention. A broad test used to assess the functional fitness level is the 6-minutes walk test (6MWT). It has been previously measured using accelerometer sensors. In views of this background, the main aim of the present study is to use the Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) method to predict the physical activity and functional fitness levels of the older adults through the acceleration signals recorded by a smartphone during the 6MWT. A total of 17 participants were recruited. Anthropometric measurements (weight, height, and BMI), physical activity, and functional fitness levels from each participant were recorded. Consecutively, the EMD method was applied to determine the prediction. According to the results, the proposed method can predict physical activity and functional fitness levels with high accuracy, even using only one cycle. Thus, the approach described in the present work could be implemented in future m-health systems to identify the physical activity profile of the older adults.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Assessing physical activity and functional fitness level using convolutional neural networks

MINECO/FEDER under TEC2015-64718-R, PSI2015-65848-R and PGC2018-098813-B-C32 projects. Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership for Higher Education Programme (Key Action 203) [Grant number: 2018-1-PL01-EKA203-051055].Older adults are related to a reduction in physical functionality, as a result of a musculoskeletal system degeneration. In that way, physical exercise has been stated as a suitable intervention to prevent such health problems. Therefore, an adequate assessment of the physical activity and functional fitness levels is needed to plan the individualized intervention. A broad test used to assess the functional fitness level is the 6-minutes walk test (6MWT). It has been previously measured using accelerometer sensors. In views of this background, the main aim of the present study is to use deep learning to extract automatically and to predict the physical activity and functional fitness levels of the older adults through the acceleration signals recorded by a smartphone during the 6MWT. A total of 17 participants were recruited. Anthropometric measurements (weight, height, and body mass index), physical activity, and functional fitness levels from each participant were recorded. Consecutively, two deep learning-based methods were applied to determine the prediction. According to the results, the proposed method can predict physical activity and functional fitness levels with high accuracy, even using only one cycle. Thus, the approach described in the present work could be implemented in future mobile health systems to identify the physical activity profile of older adults.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Use of wearable inertial sensor in the assessment of Timed-Up-and-Go Test: Influence of device placement on temporal variable estimation

The \u201cTimed Up and Go\u201d (TUG) test is widely used in various disorders to evaluate subject\u2019s mobility, usually evaluating only time execution. TUG test specificity could be improved by using instrumented assessment based on inertial sensors. Position of the sensor is critical. This study aimed to assess the reliability and validity of an inertial sensor placed in three different positions to correctly segment the different phases in the TUG test. Finding demonstrated good reliability of the proposed methodology compared to the gold standard motion analysis approach based on surface markers and an optoelectronic system. Placing the sensor just beneath the lumbar-sacral joint reported the lower values of deviation with respect to the gold standard. Optimized position can extend the proposed methodology from the clinical context towards ubiquitous solutions in an ecological approach