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PubMed2006

[Relation between the level of care needed and frailty for labial functions].

AIM: The purpose of this study was to examine whether the improvement of oral functions could prevent increase in the level of care needed in the elderly by analyzing the relationship between the level of care needed and labial functions. METHODS: The subjects were 114 elderly people who were healthy or needing care (44 men, 70 women; average age 81.3 +/- 6.3 years), all of whom maintained posterior occlusal support with their natural dentition and had no defect in front teeth. They were divided into four groups; Group 1: healthy elderly, Group 2: elderly requiring assistance or Care Category 1, Group 3: elderly requiring Care Categories 2 and 3, Group 4: elderly requiring Care Categories 4 and 5, according to the classification of certification of eligibility for long-term care by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. Water-repellent pressure sensors (PS-2KA, Kyowa Electric Co, Japan) were embedded in an acrylic plate. The device was used to measure the labial-closing pressure during 1-gram yogurt ingestion, the maximum labial pressure with effort and the reserve capacity of pressure. Drooling of food as feeding/swallowing dysfunction of the subjects was surveyed. RESULTS: 1) The mean value of labial pressure with effort was 296.4 +/- 153.9 Pa, and that of the reserve capacity of labial pressure was 209.6 +/- 152.3 Pa. They showed significant declines in accordance with the aggravation level of needing care (p < 0.01). 2) The labial pressure with effort and the reserve capacity of pressure in subjects who showed drooling of food symptom were significantly lower compared to those who showed no drooling of food symptom (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Labial functions declined in accordance with the increased level of care needed, and a relationship between drooling of food and labial-closing pressure was recognized. It was suggested that the improvement of labial functions might prevent increased need of care.

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PubMed1994

Stability of frailty in the social/health maintenance organization.

Although many long-term care (LTC) programs assume that the disabilities of their frail elderly participants are stable in nature, there has been suggestive evidence to the contrary. This study tests stability of disability among social/health maintenance organization (S/HMO) members who were judged eligible for admission into a nursing home. Identified persons were reassessed quarterly. By the end of 1 year, less than 50 percent were still considered to be nursing home eligible. Logit analysis revealed an increased likelihood of instability for persons who were newly identified as functionally disabled after hospitalization. Policy implications for capitated managed-care programs for the elderly are discussed.

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PubMed2003

Inactivity and weight loss: effective criteria to identify frailty.

The effectiveness was examined of inactivity and weight loss as criteria to identify a frail subgroup within independently living elderly persons participating in the SENECA study (Survey in Europe on Nutrition and the Elderly, a Concerted Action). Eight-hundred-forty-nine participants (aged 75 to 80) from nine countries were classified in four subgroups: 1) inactive elderly (lowest tertile activity score: n = 204); 2) weight losing elderly (lowest quintile: * 6.3% weight loss over 4-5 years: n = 108); 3) both inactive and weight losing (n = 54); 4) neither inactive nor weight losing: reference (n = 483). Differences in health, physical functioning and nutritional characteristics between groups 1, 2 and 3 respectively, and the reference group were evaluated. Compared to the weight-stable, active reference group, both inactive, weight losing (group 3) and inactive subjects (group 1) reported significantly more chronic diseases (2.2 and 1.8 vs. 1.1), disabilities (81 and 80 vs. 43%), use of medications (both 2.3 vs. 1.1) and care services (26 and 21 vs. 6%), and a lower self-rated health (2.8 and 3.1 vs. 3.8), relative health (1.9 and 2.1 vs. 2.6), and physical performance score (17 and 18 vs. 22). In addition, inadequate micronutrient intake and biochemical deficiencies were more prevalent. Weight-losing elderly were not significantly different from the reference group with respect to these characteristics. Therefore, physical inactivity alone or in combination with weight loss seems to be a practical and inexpensive screening criterion for identifying a subgroup of elderly with less favourable health and nutritional characteristics and poorer physical functioning among non-institutionalised elderly.

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