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Biomedical subjects

B Isaacs

Publications and source records attributed to B Isaacs.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1989

Education in psychogeriatrics: the leap of the imagination.

In an attempt to bridge the gap between healthy young people in their early 20s and mentally ill old people in their 80s six consecutive classes of final-year medical students of psychogeriatrics were asked to imagine and to record how they thought they might feel in certain fictitious situations which lay nearer to their own experience. They then explored links between the given situations and the feelings which might be experienced by mentally ill elderly people and their carers. The exercise has proved to be a popular and creative learning experience.

Education, Medical, Undergraduate↗
PubMed1989

The effect of visual deprivation and proprioceptive change on postural sway in healthy adults.

In 39 healthy active people aged 17 to 79 who had not fallen, anteroposterior sway during quiet standing increased slightly with age; there was no increase with age in lateral sway. Sway increased on deprivation of visual information and altered proprioception due to foot pressure sensory change in all age groups, and especially when both forms of sensation were altered concurrently; but the increase of sway on pressure sensory change was no greater in the older than in the younger subjects.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

The efficiency and effectiveness of geriatric day hospitals.

One hundred patients who were referred consecutively to two geriatric day hospitals were followed for 3 months, to determine the efficiency and effectiveness of day hospital management. Transport was highly efficient; only one in every 40 attendances failed because of transport. Selection of patients may have been less efficient, in that only half completed planned treatment. In most cases this was because of progression of the illness. Time at the day hospital was on the whole efficiently used, in that three-quarters of the time was devoted to programmed activities. The effectiveness of the day hospital was limited. In only about one-third of referred patients were the objectives set by the doctor attained. Likewise only one-third of patients felt that they had improved, and one-third of carers experienced relief of strain.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

Visual push: a sensitive measure of dynamic balance in man.

Forty-six subjects aged 17 to 79 years who had not fallen in the previous year were exposed to an illusory visual stimulus while they stood on a force platform, with or without the introduction of a polyurethane foam pad under their feet to reduce proprioception. The amplitude of sway obtained in this way was not correlated to age, but the sway path in the anteroposterior plane increased logarithmically with increase in age. The method proved to be more sensitive than similar measures obtained without the illusory visual stimulus.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Balance function in elderly people who have and who have not fallen.

Balance function was measured by a "visual push" method in three groups of subjects aged 65 and over. These groups were comprised of 27 "recent fallers" who had fractured their wrists, 15 subjects who had fallen at least once in the previous year although not recently ("remote fallers"), and 20 subjects who had not fallen in the previous year ("nonfallers"). Subjects who had fallen recently or remotely had significantly more sway on illusory visual stimulation than subjects who had not fallen. The "visual push" test of balance may be capable of distinguishing between elderly people who are and who are not at enhanced risk of falling.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed1987

Nursing the immobile: a preliminary study.

Permanent loss of mobility has profound physical and mental consequences for both sufferers and carers, and is a major challenge to the National Health Service. A recent study has shown that 42% of beds in departments of Geriatric Medicine are occupied by people with longstanding immobility. These people are highly dependent on nursing staff for their daily activities and quality of life. The assessment of mobility, as a single parameter of dependency, and the measurement of allocated nursing hours are both rapidly and easily performed on geriatric wards. It is felt that a simple correlation of these two variables might highlight areas where more detailed audit is desirable. This study demonstrates that the more immobile patients on a ward, the less the hours allocated to Registered and Learner grade nurses. Some possible reasons for this are suggested and the effects of this deployment on nursing practice and staff recruitment are discussed. It is felt that provision of appropriate nursing care to the most dependent patients in continuing care areas is essential, and that high levels of trained staff are needed to ensure this.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1987

Why do old people stoop?

Measurements of balance and of stooping were made in 38 healthy and active volunteers of various ages, and in 16 patients who had suffered falls and subsequent limitations of mobility. All subjects were able to stand unsupported for 30 seconds. Balance function as measured sensitively on a Kistler force plate showed a tendency to progressive impairment with increasing age. No difference was detected in balance between those who had fallen and between normal subjects of the same age. No relationship was observed between the measurements of stooping and age or the occurrence of a fall. Stooping does not occur as an adaptation to the minor degrees of balance impairment demonstrated in these subjects.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed1986

Balance in elderly patients: the "get-up and go" test.

The "get-up and go test" requires patients to stand up from a chair, walk a short distance, turn around, return, and sit down again. This test was conducted in 40 elderly patients with a range of balance function. Tests were recorded on video tapes, which were viewed by groups of observers from different medical backgrounds. Balance function was scored on a five-point scale. The same patients underwent laboratory tests of gait and balance. There was agreement among observers on the subjective scoring of the clinical test, and good correlation with laboratory tests. The get-up and go test proved to be a satisfactory clinical measure of balance in elderly people.

Accident Prevention↗
PubMed1985

Positional and optokinetic nystagmus in healthy old people.

Positional nystagmus and asymmetry of the optokinetic response were each found in four of 10 symptomless subjects aged 69 to 76 years who had normal balance function as demonstrated on the Kistler force platform. Positional nystagmus was also found in one of 10 healthy young subjects, none of whom had an abnormal optokinetic response. Abnormalities of these responses are therefore common in healthy old people and lack diagnostic specificity.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

The life-space diary: a measure of mobility in old people at home.

Thirty people aged 64 and over living at home were asked to complete a "life-space diary" for 1 month during which they were invited to attend a gait laboratory for measurements of gait and balance. Twenty-eight subjects completed the diary satisfactorily, and 24 of these also undertook the laboratory tests. The diary was acceptable and gave a good indication of the subject's mobility. There was a close correlation between mobility as derived from the diary and the laboratory measurements of gait speed and mean sway path. The diary is worthy of further evaluation as an objective record of mobility in old people at home.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1985

Clinical and laboratory studies of falls in old people. Prospects for prevention.

Elderly people at risk of falling may be divided into high, intermediate, and low-risk groups. In all three, but especially in the low-risk group, a large number of people have to be treated in order to prevent an unfavorable outcome. Attempts have been made to prevent further falls, fractures, hospitalization, and death by domiciliary treatment of high-risk patients and by exercise and dance in low-risk subjects. These studies have proved difficult to establish and to evaluate, and as yet no clear evidence has been produced on the effectiveness of these interventions.

Accident Prevention↗
PubMed1985

The Great Incontinence Roadshow.

The "Great Incontinence Roadshow" is an educational activity sponsored by the Department of Geriatric Medicine of the University of Birmingham. It is a multidisciplinary study day, intended mainly for nurses and doctors, during which the prevention and management of urinary and fecal incontinence in the elderly at home and in hospital are presented by specialist speakers and discussed in small groups. The speakers include geriatricians, a urologist, a specialist nurse, a researcher, a supplies officer and a manufacturer. The "Roadshow" has travelled to many hospitals and educational centers where it invariably attracts large audiences, arouses great interest and focuses attention on ways of improving the management of the elderly who are incontinent.

Aged↗