Could obesity be linked to falls in older adults?

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Blood pressure variability and cognitive function : A scoping review

Acknowledgements The Malaysian Elders Longitudinal Research (MELoR) study is now part of the Transforming Cognitive Frailty into Later Life Self-Sufficiency (AGELESS) longitudinal cohort study, currently funded by the Ministry of Higher Education Long Term Research Grant Scheme (LRGS/1/2019/UM/01/1). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish or preparation of the manuscript.Peer reviewedPostprin

Ethnic-specific Sociodemographic Factors as Determinants of Cognitive Performance : Cross-sectional Analysis of the Malaysian Elders Longitudinal Research (MELoR) Study Article

Acknowledgement We are grateful to Prof Dr Chin Ai Vyrn and Prof Dr Shahrul Bahyah Kamaruzzaman from Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya for their help in MELoR study. We also thank members of the Ageing and Age-Associated Disorders Research Group for helping with patient recruitment and data collectionPeer reviewedPostprin

A cross sectional study on factors influencing attendance to eye screening

Introduction: Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is on a rising trend globally and the complications of DM particularly diabetic retinopathy are kept on escalating. However, the number of patients who underwent proper eye screening in Malaysia is still unsatisfactory. Methods: This cross-sectional survey was carried out among 170 DM patients using self-administered questionnaires. The data was analyzed by using SPSS in understanding the facilitators and barriers for eye screening among DM patients. Chi-square test was used for the relationship between sociodemographic data, the knowledge score, and the frequency of eye screening. Results: Majority of participants 45.9 % (n=78) highlighted that lack of information regarding diabetes and not understanding the significance of eye screening are the barriers to eye screening. Whereas, 10.6% (n=18) reported lack of access to healthcare facilities, 6.5% (n=11) experienced time limitation and 2.9% (n=5) suffered financial issues. However, more than half of participants (58.2%) have good knowledge related to diabetic eye complication. There was a significant difference between educational level with patients’ attendance in yearly eye screening; χ2 = 8.32, df = 2, p<0.05. Conclusion: Lack of information received by the patients on the importance of eye screening and communication issues seems to be prominent and become the reasons for patients not attending eye screening. For further research, the improvement of default tracking systems and the provision of eye-related educational material are important to enhance health literacy among diabetic patients and the population of Malaysia

Factor influencing decision for eye screening among diabetes patients: a review

Introduction: Individuals with Diabetes Mellitus (DM) are at increased risk for developing diabetic ocular complications. Materials and Methods: A systematic approach was applied to find the relevant topic regarding the said issue. This literature review aimed to determine the system of eye screening, reasons for seeking eye screening and their treatment. Results: A total of 22 papers and one guideline were reviewed in this study. There were four main barriers found in this study regarding with factor influencing decision for eye screening among diabetes patients. Those were diabetic eye screening, management issues on diabetic eye screening and barriers to uptake diabetic eye screening. The details of these finding results were discussed further in the discussion section. Conclusion: The health care system, health care provider and patients itself could provide a clear explanation of factors influencing the decision for diabetic eye screening. A further study is recommended to validate these review finding

Kesan pendedahan konsep kepelbagaian budaya terhadap tahap kompetensi dalam kalangan pelajar prasiswazah sains rehabilitasi

Kompetensi budaya adalah penting bagi anggota kesihatan profesional dalam menyediakan perawatan dan khidmat yang bersesuaian kepada individu daripada pelbagai latar belakang budaya. Pendidikan yang berstruktur dapat meningkatkan tahap kompetensi budaya dalam kalangan anggota kesihatan profesional. Objektif kajian ini adalah untuk menilai tahap kompetensi budaya dan perubahannya dalam kalangan pelajar prasiswazah setelah mengikuti kursus elektif Kepelbagai Budaya. Seramai 152 orang pelajar prasiswazah Tahun 3 dari Program Fisioterapi, Audiologi, dan Sains Pertuturan di Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia telah melengkapkan satu soal selidik yang menilai kompetensi budaya sebelum dan selepas tamat kursus tersebut. Lebih daripada 80% pelajar mempunyai pengalaman bekerjasama dengan individu yang berbeza latar belakang budaya. Tahap kompetensi budaya para pelajar meningkat secara signifikan setelah mengikuti kursus. Kajian ini membuktikan keperluan bimbingan kepada pelajar di peringkat prasiswazah dalam membentuk anggota kesihatan profesional yang kompeten secara menyeluruh dalam menyediakan khidmat kepada pelbagai golongan masyarakat

Increased beat-to-beat blood pressure variability is associated with impaired cognitive function

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We are grateful to Prof Dr Chin Ai Vyrn and Prof Dr Shahrul Bahyah Kamaruzzaman from Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya for their help in MELoR study. Ageing and Age Associated Disorders Research Group for helping with patient recruitment and data collection. SOURCE OF FUNDING The Malaysian Elders Longitudinal Research (MELoR) study is now part of the Transforming Cognitive Frailty into Later Life Self-Sufficiency (AGELESS) longitudinal cohort study, currently funded by the Ministry of Higher Education Long Term Research Grant Scheme (LRGS/1/2019/UM/01/1).Peer reviewedPostprin

A Five-Year Prospective Evaluation of Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden and Falls in the Malaysian Elders Longitudinal Research (MELoR) study

Acknowledgements This third-wave follow-up interviews were funded by the Ministry of Higher Education Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS/1/2019/SKK02/UM/01/1). The Malaysian Elders Longitudinal Research study is now part of the Transforming Cognitive Frailty into Later-Life Self-Sufficiency (AGELESS) study which merges two existing longitudinal studies of ageing and is funded by the Ministry of Higher Education Long-Term Research Grant Scheme (LRGS/1/2019/UM/01/1/1). We would also like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the MELoR investigators and research team.Peer reviewedPostprin

Online social participation among older malaysian living with dementia during the pandemic COVID-19: the ‘take the purple pledge’ project

The ‘Take the Purple Pledge’ project a collaborative project between UKM and the Alzheimer’s Disease Foundation Malaysia (ADFM) was conducted. The undergraduate students from the Speech Sciences, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, and Audiology programs organized this event as part of the Community Based Rehabilitation course requirement. The program’s main objective was to engage with individuals with dementia and their caregivers. The ‘Take the Purple Pledge’ project consisted of two parts: (i) an interactive session with individuals with dementia and (ii) posting posters and materials on social media to spread awareness about dementia among the public. The first part of the program was conducted via Zoom on 14th August 2021 from 8:00 am to 11:30 am, while the second part of the program was completed on the same date. For the interactive session, 99 participants comprising students, ADFM staff, individuals living with dementia, and their caregivers attended the Zoom session, filled with virtual activities such as exercises, memory games, gamebooks, checklists, and tours. Individuals with dementia, their caregivers and staff from ADFM provided positive feedback about the program. The ‘Take the Purple Pledge’ program not only allowed individuals with dementia and their caregivers to interact with other people, it also provided an opportunity for them to participate and be included in a social event during this challenging time