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Kriebel-Gasparro DA. Case discussion: The effect of extreme temperatures on an older adult. Geriatr Nurs 2024; 58:525-528. [PMID: 39098793 DOI: 10.1016/j.gerinurse.2024.07.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/06/2024]
Abstract
Climate change can cause high temperatures that can affect the older adult in significant ways. Older adults may not be aware of the dangers of high temperature days and may continue with old habits such as staying in the sun to garden without sunscreen or a hat as they may have done in years past. High temperatures can cause impairment of the tone and structure of blood vessels by interfering with nitric oxide synthesis and cytokine production and can cause systemic inflammation, all of which significantly contribute to dehydration in older adults, who are known to have a decreased sense of thirst, resulting in increased blood viscosity and the risk of heat induced shock and thrombotic strokes. This case discussion highlights the effects of high temperatures due to climate change on an older adult, and what nurse practitioners need to be aware of when assessing older adults who may be suffering from heat exhaustion or heat stroke, and how to manage appropriately.
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Prina M, Khan N, Akhter Khan S, Caicedo JC, Peycheva A, Seo V, Xue S, Sadana R. Climate change and healthy ageing: An assessment of the impact of climate hazards on older people. J Glob Health 2024; 14:04101. [PMID: 38783708 PMCID: PMC11116931 DOI: 10.7189/jogh.14.04101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Climate change not only directly impacts older people's longevity but also healthy ageing, which is the process of maintaining physical and mental capacities while optimising functional abilities. The urgency to address both population ageing and climate change necessitates a rethink and assessment of the impact of climate change on older people. This includes identifying what can be done to anticipate, mitigate and adapt to climate change and engage older persons. Methods A review of climate change and healthy ageing forms the basis of evidence in this report. We developed a comprehensive search to assess current literature, combining terms related to ageing and climate change across four major data sets and assessing articles published up to the end of 2021. Results We summarised the current and future impact of climate change on older people and developed a framework identifying climate change impacts on older persons, recognising social and environmental determinants of healthy ageing. Major hazards and some key exposure pathways include extreme temperatures, wildfire, drought, flooding, storm and sea level rise, air quality, climate-sensitive infectious diseases, food and water insecurities, health and social care system displacement, migration, and relocation. Strategies to address climate change require interventions to improve systems and infrastructure to reduce vulnerability and increase resilience. As a heterogeneous group, older people's perceptions of climate change should be integrated into climate activism. Increasing climate change literacy among older people and enabling them to promote intergenerational dialogue will drive the development and implementation of equitable solutions. Pathways may operate via direct or indirect exposures, requiring longitudinal studies that enable assessment of exposures and outcomes at multiple time points, and analyses of cumulative impacts of hazards across the life course. Conclusions The lack of systematic reviews and primary research on the impact of most climate hazards, except for heat, on older people is apparent. Future research should include outcomes beyond mortality and morbidity and assess how older people interact with their environment by focusing on their capacities and optimising abilities for being and doing what they value.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Prina
- Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, UK
| | - Nusrat Khan
- Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, UK
| | - Samia Akhter Khan
- Department of Global Health & Social Medicine, King’s College London, London, England, UK
- Department of Health Service & Population Health, King’s College London, London, England, UK
| | | | - Anna Peycheva
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, King’s College London, London, England, UK
| | - Veri Seo
- Department of Psychiatry, Cambridge Health Alliance, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Siqi Xue
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ritu Sadana
- World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
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Lloyd RJ, Smith S, Sahingil D. Physical literacy, health and interactive aging: a position paper. Front Sports Act Living 2024; 6:1346802. [PMID: 38600905 PMCID: PMC11004233 DOI: 10.3389/fspor.2024.1346802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Physical literacy (PL), a concept commonly associated with the early years, physical education, and youth sport development, can become a meaningful determinant of health and longevity for the adult and older adult population. A review of 55 recent publications from 2018 to 2023 that encompassed physical literacy conceptual frameworks, assessments, and intervention-based studies was undertaken through an heuristic inspired by the philosophy which gave birth to PL. With particular interest in how PL has evolved in response to the needs of an aging population, this position paper tracks a key shift in focus from the individual to the relational context. It references positive interaction and social participation in recent models as significant features of an across-the-lifespan PL perspective.The concluding position is that fostering joyful inter-action be at the heart of PL promotion, resource development and assessment practices, especially in the case of an aging population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca J. Lloyd
- Interdisciplinary Function2Flow Research Unit, Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Stephen Smith
- Interdisciplinary Function2Flow Research Unit, Faculty of Education, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Derya Sahingil
- Interdisciplinary Function2Flow Research Unit, Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
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Kocyigit BF, Adilbekov E, Zharmenov S, Akyol A, Yessirkepov M. Evaluating the efficacy of hippotherapy: a promising intervention in rheumatology, pain medicine, and geriatrics. Rheumatol Int 2023; 43:2185-2191. [PMID: 37700080 DOI: 10.1007/s00296-023-05451-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023]
Abstract
Using animals for medical care has a long history. Animals have long been recognized for their ability to improve human health and well-being throughout nations and civilizations. Animal-assisted therapy is a concept that incorporates intentional and regulated interactions between individuals and animals to achieve therapeutic aims. Hippotherapy is an animal-assisted therapy consisting of medical procedures and practices that use horses to restore and enhance physical and mental health. The effectiveness of hippotherapy is evidenced by its ability to have a favorable influence on various domains, encompassing physical, psychosocial, and educational aspects. This multifaceted method entails the active involvement of the sensory, musculoskeletal, vestibular, and visual systems. Hippotherapy is an unconventional modality, leveraging horses' cyclic and repetitive motions to activate the postural reflex structures of individuals. Various studies have mostly focused on determining the efficacy of hippotherapy in the context of neurological conditions, neuro-rehabilitation, and psychiatric disorders. The primary objective of this study was to present the effectiveness of hippotherapy in the fields of rheumatology, pain medicine, and geriatrics. In addition, we provided a summary of the potential underlying mechanisms of hippotherapy. Finally, we conducted a comparison of hippotherapy and horse riding simulator interventions to provide their respective strengths and restrictions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Burhan Fatih Kocyigit
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Health Sciences, Adana Health Practice and Research Center, Adana, Turkey.
| | | | - Samat Zharmenov
- Department of Surgical Diseases, Kazakhstan Medical University "KSPH", Almaty, Kazakhstan
- Aura Med Clinic, Almaty, Kazakhstan
| | - Ahmet Akyol
- Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Application and Research Center, Hasan Kalyoncu University, Gaziantep, Turkey
| | - Marlen Yessirkepov
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, South Kazakhstan Medical Academy, Shymkent, Kazakhstan
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Hicks JL, Boswell MA, Althoff T, Crum AJ, Ku JP, Landay JA, Moya PML, Murnane EL, Snyder MP, King AC, Delp SL. Leveraging Mobile Technology for Public Health Promotion: A Multidisciplinary Perspective. Annu Rev Public Health 2023; 44:131-150. [PMID: 36542772 PMCID: PMC10523351 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-060220-041643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Health behaviors are inextricably linked to health and well-being, yet issues such as physical inactivity and insufficient sleep remain significant global public health problems. Mobile technology-and the unprecedented scope and quantity of data it generates-has a promising but largely untapped potential to promote health behaviors at the individual and population levels. This perspective article provides multidisciplinary recommendations on the design and use of mobile technology, and the concomitant wealth of data, to promote behaviors that support overall health. Using physical activity as anexemplar health behavior, we review emerging strategies for health behavior change interventions. We describe progress on personalizing interventions to an individual and their social, cultural, and built environments, as well as on evaluating relationships between mobile technology data and health to establish evidence-based guidelines. In reviewing these strategies and highlighting directions for future research, we advance the use of theory-based, personalized, and human-centered approaches in promoting health behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer L Hicks
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA;
| | - Melissa A Boswell
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA;
| | - Tim Althoff
- Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Alia J Crum
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Joy P Ku
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA;
| | - James A Landay
- Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Paula M L Moya
- Department of English and the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | | | - Michael P Snyder
- Department of Genetics, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Abby C King
- Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, and Department of Medicine (Stanford Prevention Research Center), Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Scott L Delp
- Department of Bioengineering and Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
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Szychowska A, Drygas W. Physical activity as a determinant of successful aging: a narrative review article. Aging Clin Exp Res 2022; 34:1209-1214. [PMID: 34873677 PMCID: PMC9151514 DOI: 10.1007/s40520-021-02037-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2021] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Population of older people in many countries is constantly growing, therefore the subject of successful aging has become important and a priority for public health policy-makers. A person who is successfully aging has low risk of chronic disease and disability, high physical function, good mental health and social engagement in older age. Lifestyle factors, such as diet and exercise, have been identified as determinants of successful aging. The aim of this narrative review is to compile the evidence from big cohort studies on the overall health of older people. Their results indicate that regular physical activity increases the chances of successful aging in older people, but only after reaching a sufficient threshold. Physical activity lowers the risk of many chronic diseases and cognitive decline commonly associated with older age, promotes social engagement and improves self-estimated well-being.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Wojciech Drygas
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Medical University of Lodz, Łódź, Poland
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