Adaptation and applicability of the Adelaide activities profile for older adults of a community of Japanese origin

O envelhecimento ativo está associado ao bem-estar e qualidade de vida. Este estudo de corte transversal teve o propósito de adaptar e analisar a aplicabilidade do questionário Perfil de Atividades de Adelaide (PAA), no Brasil e caracterizar a frequência e perfil de atividades de idosos pertencentes à cultura Japonesa. O questionário PAA foi traduzido e adaptado para o português do Brasil. A amostra foi composta por dois grupos: 30 praticantes do jogo mahjong e 30 praticantes do esporte gateball, de ambos os sexos. Observou-se que as mulheres foram mais ativas nos domínios serviço doméstico, serviço para outros, e lazer intelectual, os homens, em atividades sociais. O PAA pode ser útil para analisar o perfil da prática de atividades entre idosos e orientar a indicação de intervenções gerontológicas.Active aging is associated with well-being and quality of life. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to adapt and analyze the applicability of the Adelaide Activities Profile (AAP) in Brazil, and characterize the frequency and type of activities carried out by older adults who belong to the Japanese community. The questionnaire was translated and adapted to Brazilian Portuguese. The sample was composed by two groups: 30 mahjong players and 30 gateball players, men and women. Women were more active in domestic chores, service to others, and intellectual leisure; men were more active in social activities. The AAP may be useful to analyze the activity profile of older adults and guide the indication of gerontological interventions

Participation in programs for seniors: impact on cognition, mood and life satisfaction

Este estudo teve como objetivo investigar a relação entre a participação em programas da terceira idade e os possíveis benefícios para o desempenho cognitivo, humor e satisfação com a vida. Vinte e nove idosos que tinham iniciado participação em quatro centros de convivência foram submetidos a duas avaliações: no início da participação e após seis meses de atividades no grupo. As avaliações foram compostas pelas escalas: Mini-exame do Estado Mental, Lista de Palavras do Consortium to Establish a Registry of Alzheimer Disease, Teste de Fluência Verbal Categoria Animais, Escala de Depressão Geriátrica e Escala de Satisfação com a Vida. Os resultados indicaram que a participação em programas sociais parece gerar benefícios: aumento significativo no resgate das palavras do Consortium to Establish a Registry of Alzheimer Disease e aumento, que se aproximou da significância estatística, da fluência verbal e satisfação com a vida em relação ao envolvimento social. Os efeitos do engajamento da população idosa nesses programas devem ser investigados.The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between participation in social activities in senior citizens centers and the potential benefits for cognitive performance, mood and life satisfaction. Twenty-nine seniors, who had recently become members of four senior citizens centers, each completed two evaluations: one prior to participation and the other after six months of group activities. Assessment protocol included the following scales: Mini Mental Status Examination, Word List of the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease, Verbal Fluency Test in the Animals Category, Geriatric Depression Scale, and the Life Satisfaction Scale. Results indicated that participation in social programs can generate benefits: a significant increase was detected in word recall and also an improvement, approaching statistical significance, in word fluency and life satisfaction in terms of social involvement. The impact of the involvement of the elderly in these programs needs to be investigated

Queixas de memória de idosos e sua relação com escolaridade, desempenho cognitivo e sintomas de depressão e ansiedade

BACKGROUND: Older adults with mnemonic deficits may complain about memory more frequently. Memory complaints may be more frequent among older adults with lower education, due to greater vulnerability to cognitive decline. OBJECTIVES: To investigate if memory complaints vary as a function of education, and to evaluate if memory complaints are associated with cognitive performance, and symptoms of depression and anxiety. METHODS: Sixty seven older adults (between 60-75 years) were divided into three groups: 1-4 years of education (n = 23), 4-8 years (n = 20), and 9 or more (n = 24). The protocol included the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Brief Cognitive Battery (BCB) - memorization of 10 pictures, Verbal Fluency Animal Category (VF), Clock Drawing Test (CDT) -, a questionnaire about frequency of forgetting, the Memory Complaint Questionnaire (MAC-Q), the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). RESULTS: Significant differences were observed among the three groups for the MMSE, 10-picture recognition, VF, and CDT, and no significant differences were found for frequency of forgetting and MAC-Q. Also, there was no association between complaints and cognitive performance, or complaints and depressive symptoms, however, the correlation between frequency of forgetting and symptoms of anxiety was significant. DISCUSSION: Memory complaints were not associated to education, cognitive performance, or depressive symptoms, yet, they were associated with anxiety symptoms.CONTEXTO: Idosos que apresentam prejuízo mnemônico, em tese, podem queixar-se da memória com mais frequência. A queixa pode ser mais comum entre idosos de baixa escolaridade em razão de maior vulnerabilidade para o declínio cognitivo. OBJETIVOS: Investigar se as queixas mnemônicas do idoso variam de acordo com sua escolaridade e avaliar se essas queixas estão associadas a seu desempenho cognitivo e a sintomas de depressão e ansiedade. MÉTODOS: Sessenta e sete idosos, com idades entre 60 e 75 anos, foram subdivididos em três grupos: 1-4 anos de escolaridade (n = 23), 4-8 anos (n = 20) e 9 anos ou mais (n = 24). O protocolo incluiu o Mini-Exame do Estado Mental (MEEM), a Bateria Cognitiva Breve (BCB) - memorização de 10 figuras, Fluência Verbal Categoria Animais (FV), Teste do Desenho do Relógio (TDR) -, um questionário de frequência de esquecimentos, o Questionário de Queixas de Memória (MAC-Q), a Escala de Depressão Geriátrica (GDS) e a Escala Beck de Ansiedade (BAI). RESULTADOS: Observou-se diferença significativa entre os três grupos para o MEEM, para o reconhecimento das 10 figuras, para FV e TDR, e não foram detectadas diferenças significativas para frequência de esquecimentos e MAC-Q. Também não houve associação entre queixas e desempenho cognitivo nem entre queixas e sintomas de depressão, mas a correlação entre frequência de esquecimentos e sintomas de ansiedade foi significativa. CONCLUSÃO: As queixas de memória não se associaram a escolaridade, desempenho cognitivo nem a sintomas depressivos, mas estiveram associadas a sintomas de ansiedade

Relations between sleep patterns, perceived health and socioeconomic variables in a sample of community resident elders - PENSA study

O padrão de sono se destaca por estar entre as mais frequentes queixas dos idosos. Mudanças na velhice podem ser observadas em diversos níveis da arquitetura e qualidade do sono. Assim, o objetivo do presente estudo foi observar a relação entre alterações do sono associadas à idade, sintomas de insônia, sintomas de apnéia e sintomas de parassonia com variáveis socioeconômicas e saúde autopercebida. O padrão de sono foi avaliado pelo Mini-Sleep Questionary. Os resultados apontaram que as mulheres e o grupo com menor escolaridade apresentaram maior frequência de sintomas de insônia, os idosos-idosos e o grupo com melhor percepção da saúde apresentaram menor frequência de sintomas apnéicos, e melhor percepção da saúde geral associou-se a melhor padrão de sono. Conclui-se que o padrão do sono é influenciado por características socioeconômicas como idade, gênero, escolaridade e saúde geral percebida3725256Changes in sleep pattern constitute a common complaint among elders. Age-related changes can be observed in different levels of the architecture and quality of sleep. The objective of the present study was to observe the relation between age-related sleep changes, insomnia symptoms, apnea symptoms, parasomnia symptoms with socio-economic variables and perceived health status. Sleep pattern was evaluated using the Mini-Sleep Questionnaire. Results indicated that women and individuals with lower education reported higher frequency of insomnia symptoms, the elder-elder group. On the other hand, individuals with higher perceived health status presented lower frequency of apnea symptoms, and higher perceived health status was associated to better sleep pattern overall. It can be concluded that sleep pattern is associated to socio-economic variables such as age, gender, education and perceived health

Lack of relationship between hypertension and cognitive performance in community dwelling older adults

CONTEXTO: Pesquisas documentam que a hipertensão arterial pode estar envolvida no declínio cognitivo em pacientes idosos. Estima-se que até 60% dos idosos apresentem hipertensão arterial, tornando-os mais suscetíveis ao declínio cognitivo. OBJETIVO: Investigar a relação entre hipertensão arterial e desempenho cognitivo em idosos não portadores de demências ou depressão. MÉTODO: A amostra foi constituída por idosos participantes de pesquisa populacional em andamento sobre envelhecimento no município de Amparo (SP). Seguindo critérios de inclusão e exclusão, foram selecionados 80 homens e mulheres (40 hipertensos e 40 normotensos) com idade igual ou superior a 60 anos, equivalentes quanto às variáveis sociodemográficas e de saúde. Para avaliar sintomas depressivos, foi utilizada a Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Os testes cognitivos utilizados foram a bateria neuropsicológica Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD) e o Teste do Desenho do Relógio e Dígitos ordem direta e inversa. A análise estatística foi realizada por meio de análise de regressão logística com modelo univariado e multivariado e análise de conglomerados (cluster analysis). RESULTADOS: Não foram encontradas diferenças estatisticamente significativas para as variáveis cognitivas entre os dois grupos. A diferença para fluência verbal aproximou-se da significância estatística (p = 0,075). CONCLUSÕES: Os resultados encontrados podem ser explicados pela adesão desta população pertencente à estratégia de saúde da família ao tratamento medicamentoso. Estudos longitudinais serão necessários para investigar a relação entre a hipertensão arterial e o declínio cognitivo na pessoa idosa.BACKGROUND: Studies suggest that hypertension might be involved in cognitive decline among older adults. It is estimated that up to 60% of older adults have hypertension, what makes them more vulnerable to cognitive decline. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between hypertension and cognitive performance in non-demented non-depressed older adults. METHOD: The sample was constituted by community dwelling older adults from an on-going epidemiological study which includes all senior citizens residing in Amparo (SP). Following inclusion and exclusion criteria, 80 seniors (40 diagnosed as having hypertension), including men and women over 60, were recruited. Both groups were equivalent as to socio-demographic and other health variables. In order to evaluate depressive symptoms the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) was used. The cognitive tests included the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD) neuropsychological battery, the Clock Drawing Test, and Digit Span Forward and Backward. Logistic regression analyses with univariate and multivariate models and cluster analyses were carried out. RESULTS: No significant differences were found between the two groups. The difference for verbal fluency approached statistical significance (p = 0.075). DISCUSSION: Present results may be explained by the high compliance of the studied sample to the antihypertensive drug regimen. Longitudinal studies will be needed to continue to investigate the relationship between hypertension and cognition in aging

Treino de memória no idoso saudável: benefícios e mecanismos

INTRODUÇÃO: Pesquisas documentam declínio na memória ao longo do envelhecimento, entretanto, estudos apontam que o treino gera um aumento significativo no desempenho de idosos. OBJETIVO: Replicar resultados internacionais referentes a treino de memória com uma amostra brasileira de idosos saudáveis e investigar mecanismos, como o uso de estratégias, que possam explicar seus benefícios. MÉTODO: 69 idosos saudáveis, sub-divididos em grupo experimental (GE) e grupo controle (GC), receberam quatro sessões de treino de memória (GC recebeu o treino após o pós-teste). O treino ofereceu informações sobre memória e envelhecimento, instrução e prática em organização de listas de supermercado e grifo de idéias principais em textos. RESULTADOS: No pós-teste o GE apresentou melhor desempenho na recordação de texto e maior uso de estratégias (organização da lista e uso de grifo). Os dois grupos relataram menor número de queixas (medidas através do MAC-Q) e processamento de informações mais rápido (símbolos do WAIS-R) no pós-teste. CONCLUSÕES: Após o treino, os idosos fazem uso mais intenso de estratégias de memória, mas este fato não garante melhor desempenho (não houve aumento na memorização da lista). Os achados para a lista sugerem a presença da deficiência da utilização: os idosos usaram a estratégia, mas não se beneficiaram dela.INTRODUCTION: Studies document a change in memory during the process of aging. However, studies report the possibility of improvement after training. OBJECTIVE: To replicate international findings regarding the effects of memory training with a sample of Brazilian elders and to investigate mechanisms, such as the use of strategies, that can explain its benefits. METHODS: 69 healthy Brazilian elders were randomly divided into an experimental group (EG) and a control group (CG), and received four sessions of training (CG received training after pos-test). Training included information on memory and the process of aging, instruction and practice in organizing grocery lists and the underlining of main ideas in short texts. RESULTS: There was superior improvement for prose recall and greater use of strategies (organizing lists and underlining texts) for the EG at post-test. Both groups reported fewer memory complaints (assessed with the MAC-Q) and faster information processing (WAIS-R Digit Symbols sub-test). CONCLUSIONS: After training, elders intensify the use of strategies, however, this fact does not guarantee a better performance (there was no significant improvement in list recalls). List recall results suggest the presence of the utilization deficiency: elders used the strategy but failed to benefit from it

Vocabulary Is an Appropriate Measure of Premorbid Intelligence in a Sample with Heterogeneous Educational Level in Brazil

Crystallized intelligence refers to one’s knowledge base and can be measured by vocabulary tests. Fluid intelligence is related to nonverbal aspects of intelligence, depends very little on previously acquired knowledge, and can be measured by tests such as Block Design (BD) and Raven Colored Matrices (RCM). Premorbid intelligence quotient (IQ) refers to one’s intellectual ability level previous to the onset of disorders like mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and it is important to estimate disease severity. The objective was to compare performance in tests that measure crystallized and fluid intelligence in healthy subjects and patients with amnestic MCI (aMCI) and AD. One hundred forty-four participants (aMCI (n=38), AD (n=45), and healthy controls (n=61)) were submitted to neuropsychological tests (WAIS-III vocabulary, BD, and RCM). There were significant among groups, except for vocabulary, indicating a relative stability of crystallized intelligence in the continuum from normal to pathological cognitive decline. Vocabulary seems to be stable during the progression of the disease and useful as a measure of premorbid intelligence, that is, to estimate previous function in relation to the level of education and, as a collateral measure of cognition in people with low education

Limited formal education is strongly associated with lower cognitive status, functional disability and frailty status in the older adults

Limited formal education is still common in ageing populations. Even though limited formal education seems to be independently and negatively associated with cognition, functional abilities and frailty in ageing, no study has examined if a gradient of limited formal education would have a steady impact on later life health. Objective: To examine the relationship of limited formal education with cognitive status, functional abilities, and frailty status. Methods: Cross-sectional study with 540 older adults divided in groups: no formal education, 12-24 months of education, and 25-48 months of education. Cognitive screening (MMSE), functional abilities (Lawton Index); frailty (CHS criteria) were measured. Regression analyses were performed. Results: 27% had no formal education, 21% had between 12-24 months of formal education, and 55% had between 25-48 months of formal education. Limited formal education has a clear gradient of negative impact: No formal education was linked to scoring below MMSE cut-off scores (OR=7.9), being totally/partially dependent in IADLs (OR=2.5) and frail (OR=2.0). Having 12-24 months of education was associated with scoring below MMSE cut-off scores (OR=5.2) and to being frail (OR=2.0). The No formal education group was 10.1 times more probable of presenting with worse cognitive scores, worse functional abilities and frailty/pre-frailty concomitantly (CCoFF), while older adults who had between 12-24 months of education had 4.6 times greater chance to present with CCoFF. Conclusions: The limited education presented a gradient association to cognitive performance, functional disability and frailty. These findings clearly emphasize the importance of prevention through education from childhood to older age

Performance of the elderly in the CERAD cognitive battery: relations with socio-demographic variables and perceived health

O objetivo do estudo foi avaliar o desempenho de idosos em testes cognitivos da bateria CERAD e sua relação com variáveis sociodemográficas e saúde percebida. Foram estudados 158 idosos integrantes do estudo PENSA (Processo do Envelhecimento Saudável). A média de idade foi de 70,2 anos ( DP=8,2) e a média de escolaridade de 7 anos ( DP =4). O melhor desempenho cognitivo, na maior parte dos testes, esteve associado a mais anos de escolaridade, menor idade e viver com companheiro. No teste de nomeação, observou-se melhor desempenho entre os homens, e melhor desempenho nos testes de memória esteve associado com melhor saúde percebida. Concluiu-se que escolaridade, idade, gênero, estado civil e saúde geral percebida implicaram diferenças significativas no desempenho cognitivo dos idosos.CERAD cognitive battery and its relation with socio-demographic variables and perceived health. The sample was composed by 158 community-dwelling elderly people who participated in the PENSA study (Study of Healthy Aging Process). Ages varied from 60 to 99 years old ( M=70.2; SD=8.2); with an average of seven years of education ( SD =4). Higher cognitive performance was associated with higher education, lower age, and having a partner. In the naming test, men outperformed women whereas higher memory performance was associated with better perceived health among women. It was concluded that education, age, gender, marital status and perceived health may be associated to variability in cognitive performance among elderly people