eHealth in geriatric rehabilitation: an International survey of the experiences and needs of healthcare professionals

While eHealth can help improve outcomes for older patients receiving geriatric rehabilitation, the implementation and integration of eHealth is often complex and time-consuming. To use eHealth effectively in geriatric rehabilitation, it is essential to understand the experiences and needs of healthcare professionals. In this international multicentre cross-sectional study, we used a web-based survey to explore the use, benefits, feasibility and usability of eHealth in geriatric rehabilitation settings, together with the needs of working healthcare professionals. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize quantitative findings. The survey was completed by 513 healthcare professionals from 16 countries. Over half had experience with eHealth, although very few (52 of 263 = 20%) integrated eHealth into daily practice. Important barriers to the use or implementation of eHealth included insufficient resources, lack of an organization-wide implementation strategy and lack of knowledge. Professionals felt that eHealth is more complex for patients than for themselves, and also expressed a need for reliable information concerning available eHealth interventions and their applications. While eHealth has clear benefits, important barriers hinder successful implementation and integration into healthcare. Tailored implementation strategies and reliable information on effective eHealth applications are needed to overcome these barriers.Geriatrics in primary carePublic Health and primary carePrevention, Population and Disease management (PrePoD

Antihypertensive therapy: controlling the processes of replicative cell senescence

The review includes data over the past 20 years on the mechanisms of the influence of hypertension and related interdependent conditions, such as insulin resistance, chronic inflammation and oxidative stress on the vascular ageing. The review also discusses modern concepts of the interaction of biological and vascular aging, as well as possible ways of their reversal. The central indicators of biological aging in this review are telomere length and telomerase activity. The article discusses antihypertensive therapy as a possible way to slow down both vascular and biological aging, and describes the results of modern studies on the effect of various antihypertensives, including angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, sartans and others, on the telomeres

Cardiovascular system status of long-livers in Moscow: the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and their risk factors

Over the past century, an increase in life expectancy has been observed in Russia and in the world. According to the United Nations, by 2100, the number of centenarians worldwide will reach 25 million. Despite the annual increase in the number of super-centenarians, this age group remains poorly understood.Aim. To estimate the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and the main risk factors among super-centenarians in Moscow.Material and methods. According to the register of long-livers in Moscow, 82 people aged 95 to 105 were included. Participants were examined at home.The history of life and the presence of chronic diseases was collected by participant words. To assess the state of cardiovascular system, an ultrasound of the heart and main arteries was performed.Results. Conventional CVD risk factors were the exception rather than the rule among study participants (smoking — 8 patients (9,8%), alcohol abuse — 4 (4,9%), obesity — 6 (7,3%)). Dyslipidemia was relatively widespread (n=37; 45,1%), however, there were no pronounced abnormalities in the lipid profile: the maximum increase in low-density lipoproteins was 5,6 mmol/L. The most common CVDs among the participants were hypertension (n=64; 78%), coronary artery disease (n=42; 51,2%), and heart failure (n=26; 31,7%); other diseases were much less common. The most common echocardiographic changes were left atrial dilatation (n=38; 74,5%), increased left ventricular mass, thickening of left ventricular posterior wall (n=24; 48%) and interventricular septum (n=51; 100%). Diastolic and systolic heart failure were not widespread among long-livers: 16 (32%) and 2 (3,9%), respectively. Despite a rather large number of atherosclerotic plaques in the common carotid and femoral arteries, the number of hemodynamically significant plaques was low (n=3; 4,6%). An intima-media thickening up to 1,0-1,1 mm was found.Conclusion. Long-livers in Moscow are characterized by a low prevalence of traditional CVD risk factors (with the exception of hypertension) and a fairly high prevalence of atherosclerotic CVDs, which are characterized by a subclinical course

The experiences of early career geriatricians throughout Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected older adults and brought about unprecedented challenges to geriatricians. We aimed to evaluate the experiences of early career geriatricians (residents or consultants with up to 10 years of experience) throughout Europe using an online survey. We obtained 721 responses. Most of the respondents were females (77.8%) and residents in geriatric medicine (54.6%). The majority (91.4%) were directly involved in the care of patients with COVID-19. The respondents reported moderate levels of anxiety and feelings of being overloaded with work. The anxiety levels were higher in women than in men. Most of the respondents experienced a feeling of a strong restriction on their private lives and a change in their work routine. The residents also reported a moderate disruption in their training and research activities. In conclusion, early career geriatricians experienced a major impact of COVID-19 on their professional and private lives