Feasibility and Effects of Virtual Reality Motor-Cognitive Training in Community-Dwelling Older People With Cognitive Frailty: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Cognitive frailty refers to the coexistence of physical frailty and cognitive impairment, and is associated with many adverse health outcomes. Although cognitive frailty is prevalent in older people, motor-cognitive training is effective at enhancing cognitive and physical function. We proposed a virtual reality (VR) simultaneous motor-cognitive training program, which allowed older people to perform daily activities in a virtual space mimicking real environments. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to (1) explore the feasibility of offering VR simultaneous motor-cognitive training to older people with cognitive frailty and (2) compare its effects with an existing motor-cognitive training program in the community on the cognitive function and physical function of older people with cognitive frailty. METHODS: A two-arm (1:1), assessor-blinded, parallel design, randomized controlled trial was employed. The eligibility criteria for participants were: (1) aged ≥60 years, (2) community dwelling, and (3) with cognitive frailty. Those in the intervention group received cognitive training (ie, cognitive games) and motor training (ie, cycling on an ergometer) simultaneously on a VR platform, mimicking the daily living activities of older people. Those in the control group received cognitive training (ie, cognitive games) on tablet computers and motor training (ie, cycling on the ergometer) sequentially on a non-VR platform. Both groups received a 30-minute session twice a week for 8 weeks. Feasibility was measured by adherence, adverse outcomes, and successful learning. The outcomes were cognitive function, physical frailty level, and walking speed. RESULTS: Seventeen participants were recruited and randomized to either the control group (n=8) or intervention group (n=9). At baseline, the median age was 74.0 years (IQR 9.5) and the median Montreal Cognitive Assessment score was 20.0 (IQR 4.0). No significant between-group differences were found in baseline characteristics except in the number of chronic illnesses (P=.04). At postintervention, the intervention group (Z=-2.67, P=.01) showed a significantly larger improvement in cognitive function than the control group (Z=-1.19, P=.24). The reduction in physical frailty in the intervention group (Z=-1.73, P=.08) was similar to that in the control group (Z=-1.89, P=.06). Improvement in walking speed based on the Timed Up-and-Go test was moderate in the intervention group (Z=-0.16, P=.11) and greater in the control group (Z=-2.52, P=.01). The recruitment rate was acceptable (17/33, 52%). Both groups had a 100% attendance rate. The intervention group had a higher completion rate than the control group. Training was terminated for one participant (1/9, 11%) due to minimal VR sickness (Virtual Reality Sickness Questionnaire score=18.3/100). Two participants (2/8, 25%) in the control group withdrew due to moderate leg pain. No injuries were observed in either group. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides preliminary evidence that the VR simultaneous motor-cognitive training is effective at enhancing the cognitive function of older people with cognitive frailty. The effect size on frailty was close to reaching a level of significance and was similar to that observed in the control group. VR training is feasible and safe for older people with cognitive frailty. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04467216; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04467216.

Testing the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Neurological Fatigue Index-Stroke.

OBJECTIVE: To test the psychometric properties of a Chinese version of the Neurological Fatigue Index-Stroke (C-NFI-Stroke) in stroke survivors. DESIGN: This was a validation study. Cross-cultural adaptation of the scale was conducted according to standard guidelines. Reliability, validity, responsiveness, and interpretability were measured. SETTING: Self-help groups and a community center. SUBJECTS: One hundred and twelve Chinese stroke survivors and 65 healthy Chinese older people living in the community. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN MEASURES: The C-NFI-Stroke, Fatigue Severity Scale, Mental Fatigue Scale, General Self-Efficacy Scale, and Geriatric Depression Scale were used. RESULTS: Cronbach's α coefficients were 0.69-0.88; the item-level agreement was 70.4%-88.9%; the weighted Kappa value was 0.47-0.79; and the intra-class correlation coefficients were 0.88-0.93. The C-NFI-Stroke had no ceiling and floor effects. It had good content validity and had two factors, "lack of energy" and "tiredness/weakness." The confirmatory factor analysis showed a good fit to the model. The C-NFI-Stroke significantly correlated with existing fatigue scales (rs = 0.55-0.63), self-efficacy (rs = -0.31 to -0.37), and depressive symptoms (rs = 0.53-0.60). The C-NFI-Stroke could discern differences between stroke survivors and healthy older people. CONCLUSIONS: The C-NFI-Stroke is a reliable and valid tool for clinical and research use on people who have been diagnosed with stroke for a year or more, although its factor structure differs from that of the original English version.

Advance care planning and advance directive awareness among East Asian older adults: Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea.

AIM: Population aging is a global phenomenon, and East Asian countries are no exception. However, the use of advance care planning (ACP) and advance directives (ADs) are not widespread in East Asia. This study aimed to examine the awareness of ACP/ADs and its related factors among community-dwelling older persons in Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional, cross-cultural questionnaire conducted among a convenience sample of community-dwelling persons. The questionnaire included information regarding awareness of ACP/ADs and personal information. Multiple logistic regression was used assess relationships between awareness of ACP/ADs and potential related factors. RESULTS: The sample consisted of 404 community-dwelling older adults: 174 (43.0%) from Japan, 132 (32.7%) from Hong Kong and 98 (24.3%) from South Korea. In total, 122 participants (30.2%) had heard of ACP/ADs. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that an educational level >12 years was significantly associated with increased ACP/ADs awareness (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 2.19, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.18-4.07, P = 0.01). The rate of those who have heard of ACP/ADs was significantly higher among Japanese than South Koreans were (AOR: 4.54, 95% CI: 1.64-12.58, P < 0.01), those from Hong Kong than South Korea (AOR: 5.15, 95% CI 1.89-14.0, P < 0.01) after some variables with significant differences among the three countries were controlled. CONCLUSIONS: In particular, support tailored to the targets' educational levels will be required. It is also suggested that support is needed to enhance awareness of ACP/ADs in East Asia, although there is a difference in degree of awareness among the three countries. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2021; 21: 71-76.

A simplified 10-step Tai-chi programme to enable people with dementia to improve their motor performance: a feasibility study.

OBJECTIVE:: To evaluate the feasibility and preliminary effects of a simplified 10-step Tai-chi programme to improve the motor performance of people with dementia. DESIGN:: A two-arm, single-blinded cluster randomized controlled trial, registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03341091). SETTING:: Community health centres. PARTICIPANTS:: Twenty-six dyads of people with dementia and their family caregivers were recruited, with mean (SD) ages of 82.2 (7.43) and 51.3 (18.97), respectively. INTERVENTIONS:: The experimental group underwent a 16 week 10-step simplified Tai-chi training programme, with additional measures to enhance engagement. The control group joined recreational activities organized by the centres. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S):: The feasibility assessment included recruitment, attrition, adherence to, and engagement in the Tai-chi programme. The preliminary effects were assessed by the participants' performance in mobility tests. RESULTS:: Preliminary feasibility was established, with an acceptable recruitment rate of 58% (26 out of 45 assessed dyads) and a high attendance rate of 81% (25.88 out of 32 Tai-chi sessions). There was positive engagement in the training sessions, and no adverse incidents. However, five participants withdrew from the Tai-chi group, for a high attrition rate of 38%, and the mean home practice time decreased between weeks 8 and 16. In most of the motor performance tests, a slight but insignificant improvement was observed in the Tai-chi group compared to the control group. CONCLUSION:: A tailored Tai-chi programme for people with dementia using a dyadic approach has been found to be feasible. However, stronger support must be provided to family caregivers to improve the participants' sustained participation.

A case study on a home-based caregiver-delivered music-with-movement intervention for people with early dementia.

BACKGROUND: Music has been found to improve sleep and reduce anxiety. PURPOSE: This article reports a 78-year-old Chinese female who had been diagnosed with early dementia underwent an 8-week music-with-movement intervention delivered by her husband at home after being trained in a day care center. METHODS: Both the patient and the husband's data were collected through repeated interviews and regular observations. CONCLUSION: The results indicated signs of improvement of the patient in terms of sleep quality and depressive symptoms.

An individualized exercise programme with and without behavioural change enhancement strategies for managing fatigue among frail older people: a quasi-experimental pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility and preliminary effects of an individualized exercise programme with and without behavioural change enhancement strategies for frail older people with fatigue. DESIGN: A three-arm, single-blinded, quasi-experimental pilot study. SETTING: Community health centres. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 79 frail older people with fatigue, mean age 79.32 years (±7.72). INTERVENTIONS: The combined group received a 16-week combined intervention consisting of exercise training and a behavioural change enhancement programme. The exercise group received exercise training and health talks, whereas the control group received only health talks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Feasibility was assessed through the participants' recruitment, retention, attendance and adherence, feedback, and reports of adverse events. The preliminary effects were assessed by the participants' level of fatigue, physical endurance, self-efficacy, and self-perceived compliance with exercise. RESULTS: Feasibility was achievable with high recruitment (87.2%) and low overall attrition (7.1%) rates. A similar reduction in fatigue was identified in all groups, but a trend of greater improvement in physical endurance was observed in the combined group than in the other two groups. The combined group also had a significantly better attendance rate [F(2,76) = 5.64, p < 0.01)] and higher self-perceived exercise compliance than the exercise group. CONCLUSION: The combined intervention has the potential to enhance the participants' adherence to exercise regimens by improving their attendance in training sessions and their self-perceived exercise compliance. They are important to maintaining an appropriate level of engagement in daily exercises, especially at the beginning stages of behavioural change, when the participants are establishing the habit of exercising daily.

Special care units for dementia individuals with behavioural problems.

BACKGROUND: The behavioural problems of people with dementia are often considered as one of the most challenging issues in caring. Special Care Units (SCUs) have flourished since the 1980s with the aim of taking care of dementia patients, usually those with Alzheimer's disease, and in particular for those with behavioural problems. Although lacking a standard definition, SCUs are usually situated within nursing homes and commonly include the features of trained staffing, special programming, a modified physical environment, and family involvement. The costs of SCUs are commonly higher than for 'standard' nursing home care. However, evaluat ions of the outcomes of SCUs have yielded conflicting results. A systematic review of this evidence is therefore warranted . OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of SCUs on behavioural problems, mood, use of restraints and psychotropic medication in patients with dementia. SEARCH STRATEGY: The trials were identified from a search of the Specialized Register of the Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Improvement Group (CDCIG), The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and CINAHL on 6 September 2007 using the search terms: Special Care Units or SCUs. The CDCIG Specialized Register contains records from major healthcare databases including MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, CENTRAL, and LILACS as well as many ongoing trial databases and grey literature sources. SELECTION CRITERIA: All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in which the outcomes of SCUs were compared against traditional nursing units (nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities) were included. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two reviewing authors independently read the full reports of the potentially eligible studies and selected those that met the inclusion criteria. Discrepancies were resolved by discussions among the two reviewing authors. Final consensus was reached with input from a third member of the team when necessary. MAIN RESULTS: No RCTs meeting the selection criteria were identified. Since it is unlikely, for ethical and practical reasons that an RCT of SCUs will be conducted, a systematic review of non-RCTs using the same protocol and criteria was conducted. There were eight non-RCTs that fulfilled the criteria for inclusion. Only four studies had data which could be extracted for pooling in meta-analysis. Differences between comparator groups in these nonRCTs ? for example in severity of dementia - w ere not adequately adjusted for and were common in the trial which accounted for almost all of the positive outcomes of SCUs (Nobili, 2006)All of the results of the outcomes came only from single studies except for "physical restraint use" at 6 months, which included data from two studies. A small improvement in total Neuropsychiatric Inventory scores, favouring SCU was noted in one study at 6, 12 and 18 months. The use of physical restraints was less common in SCUs at 6 and 12 months (OR= 0.46 (95% CI 0.27 to 0.80), p=0.006; and OR=0.49 (0.27 to 0.88), p=0.02 respectively). Patients in SCUs were less depressed at 3 months than those in traditional nursing home (WMD -6.30 (-7.88 to -4.72) Cornell points, p<0.00001). There was only one observation that favoured the control group: a small but significant effect favouring traditional nursing home care was observed at 6 months in the mean number of psychotropic medications used (WMD 0.20, CI 0.00 to 0.40, z=1.96, P=0.05). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: There are no identified RCTs investigating the effects of SCUs on behavioural symptoms in dementia, and no strong evidence of benefit from the available non-RCTs. It is probably more important to implement best practice than to provide a specialized care environment. The routine collection of data on behaviour, restraint and psychotropic drug use across multiple nursing home settings offers the best modality for formal evaluation of the benefit or otherwise of SCUs.