Make time for gait speed: vital to staging the aging

Tango-therapy vs physical exercise in older people with dementia; a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Dementia is a growing health concern that affects millions of people worldwide. Gait and mobility disorders are often present and represent a major risk factor for falls. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of tango-therapy in gait speed, functional mobility, balance, falls, ability to perform activities of daily living and quality of life.

METHODS

A randomised controlled trial with 31 participants living in a specialised dementia unit, aged 65 to 93 years old, who were randomly assigned to tango group (IG) or physical exercise group (CG). The primary outcome was gait speed and Timed Up and Go test. The secondary outcomes include the Short Physical Performance Battery, the ability to perform activities of daily living (Katz Index) and quality of life (Quality of life in Alzheimer Disease). Measurements were performed at baseline, and after one and three months of training.

RESULTS

After 3 months, IG improved gait speed (p = 0.016), implying a statistically significant difference between groups in favour of IG (p = 0.003). CG significantly worsened the time to complete the TUG (p = 0.039). Both groups declined in their ability to perform activities of daily living, being statistically significant only in the CG (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Tango interventions showed efficacy in improving gait speed and in mitigating the decline in functional mobility and ADL skill capacities. Allowing older people with dementia access to non-pharmacological interventions may be a successful strategy to prevent functional decline.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (ID: NCT05744011).

Tango-Therapy Intervention for Older Adults with Cognitive Impairment Living in Nursing Homes: Effects on Quality of Life, Physical Abilities and Gait

Cognitive impairment in older adults is associated with poor gait performance, physical decline, falls and poor quality of life. This paper analyzes the feasibility and efficacy of tango-based intervention in older people living in nursing homes with and without cognitive impairment. A multicenter study, with pre- and post-test, was carried out. Intervention attendance, well-being, physical abilities (short physical performance battery), walking performance, functional capacities (Katz Index) and quality of life (quality of life in Alzheimer's disease) were assessed. Fifty-four participants (84.9 ± 6.7 years, mini mental state examination 14.5 ± 7.4) completed the protocol. Intervention attendance was 92%, and the mean subjective well-being after each session was 4.5 ± 0.5 (on a five-point scale). A statistically significant improvement was found in the quality of life (p = 0.030). Non-statistically significant changes were found in walking performance (p = 0.159), physical abilities (p = 0.876) and in functional capacities (p = 0.253). This study shows feasibility and suggests evidence for the effects of tango therapy on well-being and quality of life. Further studies are necessary to contrast these findings and to support the role of tango interventions as a holistic approach to prevent functional decline in older people with cognitive impairment.

Assessment of Sarcopenia Measures, Survival, and Disability in Older Adults Before and After Diagnosis With Cancer

IMPORTANCE

Progressive loss of muscle mass and strength, known as sarcopenia, is a well-known phenomenon of aging; however, little is known about the trajectory of sarcopenia measures before and after cancer diagnosis and its contribution to subsequent disability.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the rate of decline of sarcopenia measures (ie, appendicular lean mass [ALM], muscle strength, and physical performance) in older adults with cancer both before and after the cancer diagnosis compared with the trajectory of a population without cancer, and secondarily to assess the association of sarcopenia measures with overall survival and major disability in patients with cancer.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This matched cohort study included participants from the Health, Aging, and Body Composition (Health ABC) study, which included 3075 community-dwelling older adults aged 70 to 79 years recruited from a random sample of white Medicare beneficiaries and all eligible black residents in and around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Memphis, Tennessee, beginning in January 1997 and observed for 17 years until December 2013. Data were analyzed from May 2018 to February 2020.

EXPOSURES

The development of an adjudicated cancer diagnosis confirmed with pathology or cytology reports during the first 7 years of follow-up.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Annual assessments of ALM, hand grip strength, and gait speed were the primary outcome measures. Linear mixed-effect models were used to compare the change in ALM, hand grip strength, and gait speed between individuals who developed cancer and those who did not, adjusted for multiple comparisons (P < .01). Multivariable Cox regression was used to examine the association of sarcopenia measures with overall survival and major disability from date of cancer diagnosis.

RESULTS

Of the 3075 included patients, 1491 (48.5%) were male, 1281 (41.7%) were black, and the mean (SD) age was 74.1 (2.9) years. A total of 515 patients (16.7%) developed cancer within the first 7 years of the study. The most common cancers were prostate (117 [23.2%]), colorectal (63 [12.5%]), lung (61 [12.1%]), and breast (61 [12.1%]) cancer, and 165 patients (32.0%) were diagnosed as having metastatic disease. Compared with controls without cancer, patients with a cancer diagnosis had a steeper decline in gait speed (β = -0.02; 95% CI, -0.03 to -0.01; P < .001) but not ALM (β = -0.02; 95% CI, -0.07 to 0.04; P = .49) or hand grip strength (β = -0.21; 95% CI, -0.43 to 0; P = .05) prior to cancer diagnosis. After cancer diagnosis, there was a decline in ALM (β = -0.14; 95% CI, -0.23 to -0.05; P < .001) but not hand grip strength (β = -0.02; 95% CI, -0.37 to 0.33; P = .92) or gait speed (β = 0; 95% CI, -0.01 to 0.02; P = .51). Declines in ALM after a cancer diagnosis were most striking in patients with metastases (β = -0.32; 95% CI, -0.53 to -0.10; P = .003). Slow gait speed was associated with a 44% increase in mortality (hazard ratio, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.05 to 1.98; P = .02) and a 70% increase in disability (hazard ratio, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.08 to 2.68; P = .02) but not low ALM or hand grip strength.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Accelerated losses in differing sarcopenia measures exist both prior to and after a cancer diagnosis and may present opportunities for targeted interventions to improve outcomes.