scholarly journals OPERATIONALIZING THE FRAILTY INDEX BASED ON WEARABLE SENSOR TO ASSESS FUNCTIONAL PERFORMANCE IN OLDER ADULTS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S680-S680
Author(s):  
Hung Nguyen ◽  
Jacqueline Yang ◽  
Mohsen Zahiri ◽  
Bijan Najafi

Abstract Frailty status is a well-known predictor of adverse health outcomes and functional performance. An assessment tool based on a wearable sensor was developed to quickly assess frailty using an upper extremity flexion and extension test. However, the current tool has relied on conventional frailty assessment to classify the frailty status of the participant. The aim of this study is to operationalize the frailty index based on wearable sensor to classify frailty status of older adults. 104 older adults were recruited for the study (age=78.6 ±9.7 years old). Participants were asked to perform a quick 20-second upper flexion and extension task while wearing a gyroscope on the wrist. A sensor-based frailty index (FI) was derived using parameters extracted from the sensor. Participants were also assessed using the Fried Phenotype Criteria (FC) and were classified into three groups: robust, pre-frail, and frail. Mean-shift clustering algorithm was used to operationalize the FI by identifying the cut-off point for each group. Grip strength and physical activity level were used as functional outcome measures. Regression analysis (r) was used to compare the correlation of the FC and FI with the identified metrics. Bivariate analysis show that grip strength was highly associated with the sensor-based frailty classification (r=-0.547) and FC (r =-0.503). The sensor-based classification was significantly associated with walking activity (r=-0.355). The results showed that the sensor-based frailty assessment tool could be used to quickly classify frailty status in older adults and eliminated the need for subjective and time-consuming evaluation.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Kume ◽  
Tomoko Takahashi ◽  
Yuki Itakura ◽  
Sangyoon Lee ◽  
Hyuma Makizako ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: A gradually increasing prevalence of frailty is recognized in the super-aging society that Japan faces, and early detection and intervention of frailty in community-dwellers are critical issues to prevent frailty. Although previous studies have well documented the characteristics of physical disability, there is limited information on frail state differences among older adults in Japanese rural areas. The aim of this study was to clarify the association and predictors of frail status in northen Japan community-dwellers aged 65 or more.Methods: The investigation was conducted from 2018 to 2020. After obtaining informed consent from each participant, assessments and outcomes were evaluated according to the ORANGE protocol. Participants were recruited from Akita community-dwellers in northern Japan. We applied the frailty index of Gerontology - the Study of Geriatric Syndromes (NCGG-SGS) to classify frailty status, collecting data of demographics and psycho-social status using the Kihon checklist and cognitive domains including the National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology Functional Assessment Tool (NCGG-FAT).Results: Our subjects included 313 older adults divided into 138 robust, 163 prefrail and 12 frail. For statistical analysis, physical frailty and cognitive decline were related, and polypharmacy and a lack of joy in daily life were the main predictors of frail status.Conclusions: Reducing medications and finding fun in your life are important to prevent frailty.


Gerontology ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Yu Kume ◽  
Tomoko Takahashi ◽  
Yuki Itakura ◽  
Sangyoon Lee ◽  
Hyuma Makizako ◽  
...  

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> A prevalence of frailty is gradually increasing with the progress of aging in Japan, and critical challenges regarding early diagnosis and prevention of frailty were necessary in community. Although previous studies have well documented the characteristics of physical disability, there is limited information on frail state differences among older adults in Japanese rural areas. The aim of our cross-sectional observational study was to clarify the association of frail status in northern Japanese community-dwellers aged 65 or more. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> 345 participants were recruited from 2018 to 2020, and after getting informed consent from each participant, assessments and outcomes were evaluated according to the ORANGE protocol. We applied the frailty index of Gerontology-the Study of Geriatric Syndromes (NCGG-SGS) to classify frailty status by collecting data of demographics and psychosocial status using the Kihon checklist (KCL) and cognitive domains used by the National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology-Functional Assessment Tool (NCGG-FAT). <b><i>Results:</i></b> Our subjects included 313 older adults divided into 138 robust, 163 prefrail, and 12 frail. For statistical analysis, we found that the frail group had a lower educational duration, worsened KCL items, lower cognitive functions, and a tendency toward depression compared to the other groups. Moreover, physical frailty and cognitive decline were related, and polypharmacy and a lack of joy in daily life were explanatory variables of frail status. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> We suggest that KCL is important for frail discrimination, and in order to prevent physical frailty, our community should take care of not only exercise and nutrition but also cognitive functioning and depressive tendencies. In particular, polypharmacy and the presence of fun in your life are possible to be related to frailty.


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (6_suppl) ◽  
pp. 76-76
Author(s):  
Helen Yang ◽  
Henriette Breunis ◽  
Narhari Timilshina ◽  
Seungyeon Kim ◽  
Shabbir M.H. Alibhai

76 Background: Maintenance of physical function is a key consideration in treatment decision-making for older adults with metastatic cancer, many of whom are frail. However, physical function outcomes with treatment, and effects of frailty, have not been adequately explored in the mCRPC setting. We evaluated the effects of frailty status and treatment with docetaxel (CHEMO), abiraterone (ABI), enzalutamide (ENZA), and radium 223 (RAD) on elder-relevant physical function outcomes in older men with mCRPC. Methods: Men aged 65+ were enrolled in this multicenter prospective observational cohort study. Daily function was evaluated with the OARS instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). Objective physical function was assessed by grip strength and the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). Falls were documented during interviews. We also collected FACT-G physical well-being (PWB) and functional well-being (FWB) subscales. Assessments were performed at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. We identified frailty status with a validated frailty index. Mixed effects regression models were used to examine the difference in primary outcomes over time by treatment group or frailty status adjusted for baseline characteristics. Factors associated with falls within 6 months of treatment initiation were determined with logistic regression. Results: A total of 70, 38, 67, and 23 men starting CHEMO, ABI, ENZA, and RAD were included. Mean age, education, race, number of medications, and BMI were similar at baseline between treatment groups. In treatment-stratified analyses without considering frailty, no significant changes over time were reported for any physical function outcome. Frailty was significantly associated with lower IADL function (p < 0.0001), worse grip strength (p < 0.0001), worse SPPB score (p < 0.0001), worse PWB (p < 0.0001), and worse FWB (p < 0.0001) at baseline. In frailty-stratified analyses, grip strength (p = 0.0345) worsened, but SPPB (p = 0.0147) improved significantly over time. Also, changes in SPPB (p = 0.0394) and PWB scores (p = 0.0269) over time differed by frailty status, where frail cohorts had greater improvement over time in both scores. Frailty and treatment type were not predictors of falls whereas prior falls history (OR: 3.52, 95% CI: 1.40-8.86) and age (OR: 1.07, 95% CI: 1.01-1.14) were significant predictors. Conclusions: Frail older men receiving treatment for mCRPC have worse IADL function, grip strength, SPPB scores, PWB, and FWB at baseline. Although grip strength worsened over time, they had greater improvement in SPPB scores and PWB over time than fit patients. Contrary to our hypothesis, most older adults do not experience significant worsening in elder-relevant physical function outcomes over time regardless of treatment. The impact of frailty requires further study.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui Shi ◽  
Mei-Ling Ge ◽  
Birong Dong ◽  
Qian-Li Xue

Abstract Backgrounds Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors are individually associated with frailty. This study examined whether Framingham CVD risk score (FRS) as an aggregate measure of CVD risk is associated with incident frailty among Chinese older adults. Methods This study used data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. A sample of 3,618 participants aged 60 to 95 years and without CVD at baseline were followed for four years. FRS was calculated at baseline. Frailty status was defined as not-frail (0–2 criteria) or frail (3–5 criteria) based on the physical frailty phenotype consisting of five binary criteria (weakness, slowness, exhaustion, low activity level, and weight loss). After excluding subjects who were frail (n = 248) at baseline, discrete-time Cox regression was used to evaluate the relationship between FRS and incident frailty. Results During a median follow-up of 4.0 years, 323 (8 %) participants developed CVD and 318 (11 %) subjects had frailty onset. Higher FRS was associated with greater risk of incident frailty (HR: 1.03, 95 % CI: 1.00 to 1.06) after adjusting for education, marital status, obesity, comorbidity burden, and cognitive function. This association however was no longer significant (HR: 1.00, 95 % CI: 0.97 to 1.03) after additionally adjusting for age. These findings remained essentially unchanged after excluding subjects with depression (n = 590) at baseline or incident CVD (n = 323) during the 4-year follow-up. Conclusions The FRS was not independently associated with incident frailty after adjusting for chronological age. More research is needed to assess the clinical utility of the FRS in predicting adverse health outcomes other than CVD in older adults.


Author(s):  
Alberto Sardella ◽  
Vittorio Lenzo ◽  
Angela Alibrandi ◽  
Antonino Catalano ◽  
Francesco Corica ◽  
...  

The association between caregiver burden and the physical frailty of older adults has been the object of previous studies. The contribution of patients’ dispositional optimism on caregiver burden is a poorly investigated topic. The present study aimed at investigating whether older adults’ multidimensional frailty and optimism might contribute to the burden of their family caregivers. The Caregiver Burden Inventory was used to measure the care-related burden of caregivers. The multidimensional frailty status of each patient was evaluated by calculating a frailty index, and the revised Life Orientation Test was used to evaluate patients’ dispositional optimism. The study involved eighty family caregivers (mean age 64.28 ± 8.6) and eighty older patients (mean age 80.45 ± 7.13). Our results showed that higher frailty status and lower levels of optimism among patients were significantly associated with higher levels of overall burden and higher burden related to the restriction of personal time among caregivers. Patients’ frailty was additionally associated with caregivers’ greater feelings of failure, physical stress, role conflicts, and embarrassment. Understanding the close connection between patient-related factors and the burden of caregivers appears to be an actual challenge with significant clinical, social, and public health implications.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 731-731
Author(s):  
Anne Dickerson

Abstract For older adults living in rural/suburban communities, driving is often their only means of transportation. Although considered safe drivers, drivers older than 70 years have higher crash rates with fatality rates amplified due to the increased frailty/fragility. However, research evidence clearly indicates that cognitive factors contribute to driving impairment in older adults. Occupational therapists, as experts in observation of functional performance, use the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS), for measurement of performance in everyday activities using two scales (motor and process). Previously demonstrated as a sensitive tool for cognitive changes, this presentation will summarize the research outcomes between older adults with cognitive impairment (N=57+) and without (N=53) who completed a comprehensive driving evaluation. Analysis of the two samples using receiving operating curves suggests the AMPS has potentially excellent specificity and sensitivity, specifically AUC = 0.826(0.73-0.92) for motor, AUC = 0.909(0.84-0.98) for process, and AUC = 0.936(0.88-0.99) together. Part of a symposium sponsored by Transportation and Aging Interest Group.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas Salguero ◽  
Juliana Ferri-Guerra ◽  
Nadeem Y. Mohammed ◽  
Dhanya Baskaran ◽  
Raquel Aparicio-Ugarriza ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Frailty is defined as a state of vulnerability to stressors that is associated with higher morbidity, mortality and healthcare utilization in older adults. Ageism is “a process of systematic stereotyping and discrimination against people because they are old.” Explicit biases involve deliberate or conscious controls, while implicit bias involve unconscious processes. Multiple studies show that self-directed ageism is a risk factor for increased morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this study was to determine whether explicit ageist attitudes are associated with frailty in Veterans. Methods This is a cross-sectional study of Veterans 50 years and older who completed the Kogan’s Attitudes towards Older People Scale (KAOP) scale to assess explicit ageist attitudes and the Implicit Association Test (IAT) to evaluate implicit ageist attitudes from July 2014 through April 2015. We constructed a frailty index (FI) of 44 variables (demographics, comorbidities, number of medications, laboratory tests, and activities of daily living) that was retrospectively applied to the time of completion of the KAOP and IAT. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by multinomial logistic regression models with frailty status (robust, prefrail and frail) as the outcome variable, and with KAOP and IAT scores as the independent variables. Age, race, ethnicity, median household income and comorbidities were considered as covariates. Results Patients were 89.76% male, 48.03% White, 87.93% non-Hispanic and the mean age was 60.51 (SD = 7.16) years. The proportion of robust, pre-frail and frail patients was 11.02% (n = 42), 59.58% (n = 227) and 29.40% (n = 112) respectively. The KAOP was completed by 381 and the IAT by 339 participants. In multinomial logistic regression, neither explicit ageist attitudes (KAOP scale score) nor implicit ageist attitudes (IAT) were associated with frailty in community dwelling Veterans after adjusting for covariates: OR = .98 (95% CI = .95–1.01), p = .221, and OR:=.97 (95% CI = .37–2.53), p = .950 respectively. Conclusions This study shows that neither explicit nor implicit ageist attitudes were associated with frailty in community dwelling Veterans. Further longitudinal and larger studies with more diverse samples and measured with other ageism scales should evaluate the independent contribution of ageist attitudes to frailty in older adults.


Author(s):  
Carl-Philipp Jansen ◽  
Nima Toosizadeh ◽  
M. Jane Mohler ◽  
Bijan Najafi ◽  
Christopher Wendel ◽  
...  

Abstract Background In older adults, the linkage between laboratory-assessed ‘motor capacity’ and ‘mobility performance’ during daily routine is controversial. Understanding factors moderating this relationship could help developing more valid assessment as well as intervention approaches. We investigated whether the association between capacity and performance becomes evident with transition into frailty, that is, whether frailty status moderates their association. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of the observational Arizona Frailty Cohort Study (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01880229) in a community-dwelling cohort in Tucson, Arizona. Participants were N = 112 older adults aged 65 years or older who were categorized as non-frail (n = 40), pre-frail (n = 53) or frail (n = 19) based on the Fried frailty index. Motor capacity was quantified as normal (NWS) and fast walking speed (FWS). Mobility performance was quantified as 1) cumulated physical activity (PA) time and 2) everyday walking performance (average steps per walking bout; maximal number of steps in one walking bout), measured by a motion sensor over a 48 h period. Hierarchical linear regression analyses were performed to evaluate moderation effects. Results Unlike in non-frail persons, the relationship between motor capacity and mobility performance was evident in pre-frail and frail persons, confirming our hypothesis. A moderating effect of frailty status was found for 1) the relationship between both NWS and FWS and maximal number of steps in one bout and 2) NWS and the average steps per bout. No moderation was found for the association between NWS and FWS with cumulated PA. Conclusion In pre-frail and frail persons, motor capacity is associated with everyday walking performance, indicating that functional capacity seems to better represent mobility performance in this impaired population. The limited relationship found in non-frail persons suggests that other factors account for their mobility performance. Our findings may help to inform tailored assessment approaches and interventions taking into consideration a person’s frailty status.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcela D. Blinka ◽  
Brian Buta ◽  
Kevin D Bader ◽  
Casey Hanley ◽  
Nancy Schoenborn ◽  
...  

Abstract BackgroundFrailty syndrome disproportionately affects older people, including 15% of non-nursing home population, and is known to be a strong predictor of poor health outcomes. There is a growing interest in incorporating frailty assessment into research and clinical practice, which may provide an opportunity to improve in home frailty assessment and improve doctor patient communication.MethodsWe conducted focus groups discussions to solicit input from older adult care recipients (non-frail, pre-frail, and frail), their informal caregivers, and medical providers about their preferences to tailor a mobile app to measure frailty in the home using sensor based technologies. Focus groups were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed thematically. ResultsWe identified three major themes: 1) perspectives of frailty; 2) perceptions of home based sensors; and 3) data management concerns. These relate to the participants’ insight, attitudes and concerns about having sensor-based technology to measure frailty in the home. Our qualitative findings indicate that knowing frailty status is important and useful and would allow older adults to remain independent longer. Participants also noted concerns with data management and the hope that this technology would not replace in-person visits with their healthcare provider.ConclusionsThis study found that study participants of each frailty status expressed high interest and acceptance of sensor-based technologies. Based on the qualitative findings of this study, sensor-based technologies show promise for frailty assessment of older adults with care needs. The main concerns identified related to the volume of data collected and strategies for responsible and secure transfer, reporting, and distillation of data into useful and timely care information. Sensor-based technologies should be piloted for feasibility and utility. This will inform the larger goal of helping older adults to maintain independence while tracking potential health declines, especially among the most vulnerable, for early detection and intervention. Keywords: Frailty, wearable, health services


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 573-573
Author(s):  
A R M Saifuddin Ekram ◽  
Joanne Ryan ◽  
Sara Espinoza ◽  
Michael Ernst ◽  
Anne Murray ◽  
...  

Abstract This study examined factors associated with frailty and studied the association between frailty status and mortality in healthy community-dwelling older persons. Participants included 19,114 individuals from the “ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly” (ASPREE) trial. Frailty was defined using modified Fried phenotype comprising exhaustion, body mass index, grip strength, gait speed and physical activity. A deficit accumulation frailty index (FI) using 66 items was also developed. Correlates of frailty were examined using multinomial logistic regression. The association between frailty status at baseline and mortality was analyzed using Cox regression. At baseline, 39.0% (95% CI: 38.3, 39.7) of participants were prefrail, and 2.2% (95% CI: 2.0, 2.4) were frail according to Fried phenotype, while 40.6% (95% CI: 40.0, 41.3) of participants were pre-frail and 8.1% (95% CI: 7.7, 8.5) were frail according to FI. Older age, female sex, lower education, African-American and Hispanic ethno-racial status, smoking, alcohol use, comorbidities, and polypharmacy were associated with frailty status. Pre-frailty increased risk of all-cause mortality significantly (Fried HR: 1.48; 95% CI: 1.28, 1.71; FI HR: 1.54; 95% CI: 1.31, 1.81); and the risk was even higher for frailty (Fried HR: 2.24; 95% CI: 1.67, 3.00; FI HR: 2.34; 95% CI: 1.83, 2.99) after adjustment for covariates. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and non-CVD-related mortality showed similar trends. These results highlight a considerable burden of pre-frailty among a large group of community-dwelling, initially healthy older adults. Both Fried phenotype and deficit accumulation FI similarly predicted all-cause, CVD and non-CVD-related mortality in relatively healthy older adults.


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