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International Council on Active Aging
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People 65+ reporting good or excellent health (US, Jan-June 2011)
SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Early Release of Selected Estimates, Figure 11.3 (December 2011)
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More people walking, except for older adults. A comparison of data from the US National Household Travel Surveys showed that, on average, people made 17 more walking trips (9 more miles/year) and two more bike trips (5 more miles/year) in 2009 than in 2001. Increased walking was reported by men, people in middle age and those who were employed, more educated or without a car. Compared to 2001, the rate of people 65 years and old making five or more walking trips/week slightly declined; the rate of no walking per week increased (an increase of 4 percentage points to 45% reporting no walking trips in 2009).
NOTE: Full text of the study is available online.
SOURCE: American Journal of Public Health, 101(S1):S310-S317 (December 2011)
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Caregiver’s anxiety rises along with partner’s agitated behavior. On seven consecutive days, 30 caregivers of a spouse with mild cognitive impairment reported on the day’s activities and their own mood as well as their spouse’s mood and behavior throughout the day; their levels of cortisol (stress-related hormone) were measured on four days. Caregivers found it necessary to cut back on or ignore their own scheduled chores when their spouse’s behavioral problems escalated, leaving a backlog of unfinished business and increasing caregiver frustration and distress. This effect was further multiplied when negative interactions with their partners increased as a result, and fewer positive interactions took place.
SOURCE: Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 66B(6):653-664 (November 2011)
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Lower blood sugar with high-intensity exercise. Over two weeks, eight participants with type 2 diabetes engaged in six sessions of high-intensity, intermittent exercise. Between a warm-up and cool-down, they rode a stationary bike for 10 bouts of 60 seconds at roughly 90% of maximal heart rate, with one minute between each burst of exercise. Each training session lasted 25 minutes. They lowered 24-hour blood sugar concentrations, reduced blood sugar spikes after meals, and increased skeletal muscle mitochondrial capacity, a marker of metabolic health.
NOTE: The full text of the study is available online.
SOURCE: Journal of Applied Physiology, 111(6):1554-1560 (December 2011)
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Does participation in activities make people happier? As part of an ongoing study in The Netherlands, a research team sought to add detail to more general reports on activity and happiness.
STUDY: A monthly electronic diary was completed by 438 participants (276 men), ages 55-88 years, who were retired. Over a two-year period, when prompted by an email, they reported the length of time they had spent in activities on the previous day and their feelings of happiness during the activities. Happiness was rated based on a scale ranging from 1 (extremely unhappy) to 10 (extremely happy). They generated 79,181 reported activities and momentary happiness scores.
FINDINGS: People who spent more time on social (being together with family and friends), physical (sports, walking, dancing), and cognitive (studying, card games, puzzles) activities reported higher levels of happiness. Household activities (shopping, cooking, household finance) were negatively related to happiness. Feelings of happiness were moderated by including restful activities (taking a nap, watching television, reading).
COMMENT: “The study extends activity theory by demonstrating that combining effortful activities with restful activities leads to greater happiness among older adults,” wrote the authors. “Also, personality traits such as extraversion play a decisive role in the kind of activities that contribute most to daily happiness. “
SOURCE: Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 66B (6):665-674 (November 2011)
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Two separate studies reinforce the value of social activity for older adults.
HAPPINESS: Telephone interviews were conducted with a random sample of 31,486 adults ages 18 and older.
FINDINGS: Overall, 64% of the people 65 years and older reported feeling a lot of enjoyment and happiness on the previous day. The next closest group, at 47%, included people 50-64 years. The more time spent socially with family and friends, the higher their levels of happiness. Adults 65+ reported spending 5.7 hours on the previous day socializing. After one hour of social activity on the preceding day, 44% of the 65+ individuals reported feeling happy; at 8 hours of social activity, 70% of respondents said they felt happy.
COGNITION: A group of 1,138 people enrolled in the Rush Memory and Aging Project, average age 79.6 years at baseline, were followed for up to 12 years. Participants rated their current frequency of participation in six types of social activity (e.g., going to restaurants, visiting, volunteering or group memberships) on a five-point scale, with 5 indicating participation in the activity every day or approximately every day, and 1 indicating participation once a year or less. Multiple test of cognitive function were conducted.
FINDINGS: During an average follow-up of 5.2 years, more social activity was associated with less cognitive decline. A one-point increase in the social activity score was associated with a 47% decrease in the rate of decline in global cognitive function. Among those where were frequently socially active, the rate of global cognitive decline was reduced by an average of 70% compared to persons who were infrequently socially active.
NOTE: The full text of this study is available.
SOURCES: Gallup, Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index (December 12, 2011) and Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 17(6):998-1005 (November 2011)
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Replacement of the hip joint, called hip arthroplasty, is an option when a person loses functional ability in the joint that can’t be improved through physical therapy and other treatments.
STUDY: At two hospitals in Oslo, Norway, 68 people, average age 66 years, undergoing total hip arthroplasty were randomly assigned to either a training group or a control group. In the training group, individuals engaged in 12 sessions with a physical therapist twice a week performing physical activities such as sitting to standing, walking over obstacles, walking with turns and climbing stairs.
FINDINGS: Compared to baseline measures 3 months post-surgery, at five months post-surgery, 66% of individuals in the training group and 15% in the control group improved their walking distance to 164 feet (50 meters) or more. At 12 months post-surgery, the training group showed greater improvement in walking distance and stair climbing abilities than the control group.
COMMENT: “The training program was well tolerated by patients and no complications were reported,” explained Kristi Elisabeth Heiberg, a PhD candidate at the University of Oslo in Norway. “Our findings suggest physical rehabilitation helps improve mobility and function in patients who received hip replacements.”
SOURCE: Arthritis Care & Research, press release (December 15, 2011)
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Several surveys of the costs of long-term care are conducted by private organizations each year, and the introductions to all of them note that the term “assisted living” differs from state to state. (Find a summary of the 2011 MetLife Market Survey of Nursing Home, Assisted Living, Adult Day Services, and Home Care Costs along with links to the Genworth Financial and John Hancock cost-of-care surveys in ICAA Research Review, 11[40] November 2011).
To better understand the landscape of residential care communities in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted a national survey.
SURVEY: In-person interviews were conducted with staff members at 2,302 facilities that had four or more licensed, certified or registered beds; at least one resident currently living in the facility; and provided room and board with at least two meals a day, around-the-clock on-site supervision, and help with personal care such as bathing, dressing or medication management. Facilities that exclusively served people with mental or developmental disabilities were excluded, as were nursing homes that did not have an assisted living wing.
FINDINGS: Nationwide, there were 31,100 residential care facilities (RCF), such as assisted living facilities and personal care homes, in 2010. RCFs provided 177 beds per 1,000 persons aged 85 and over. About one-half of RCFs were small (4-10 beds), 16% were medium size (11-25 beds), 28% were considered large (26-100 beds) and extra large facilities had more than 100 beds (7%).
Care services included basic health monitoring (96%), incontinence care (93%), social and recreational activities within the facility (99%), special diets (93%) and personal laundry services (99%). Occupational and physical therapy services were more available in larger facilities, as were social services and case management.
SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics, 2010 National Survey of Residential Care Facilities, NCHS Data Brief, No. 78 (December 2011)
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Considering that employers worry about experiencing a knowledge drain as older workers retire (ICAA Research Review, 10[6] February 2010), it may be good news that older workers in many countries are the most engaged members of the workforce.
STUDY: The experiences of 11,298 individuals working for seven multinational companies at 24 worksites in 11 countries were collected. Countries included those with older populations and developed market economies (Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, United Kingdom, United States) and those with younger populations and developing market economies (Brazil, China, India, Mexico, South Africa, Botswana).
FINDINGS: Compared to their younger counterparts, people who were 40 years old and older were the most engaged and demonstrated the highest level of organizational commitment. Those 50 years old and older were the most satisfied with their jobs. In general, job satisfaction levels were similar for employees working in the young-developing countries and in the old-developed countries.
COMMENT: “Regardless of the complexities of today’s global economy, all companies want employees who are willing to give their very best,” observed Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes, PhD, director of the Sloan Center on Aging & Work. “Contrary to popular opinion, older workers are the most engaged, and forward-thinking companies need to begin strategizing about how to capitalize on this asset.”
SOURCE: Sloan Center on Aging & Work at Boston College, Generations of Talent Study (December 2011)
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Disclaimer
ICAA Research Review shares knowledge and information. The newsletter is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not medical advice. The ICAA encourages you to make health and business decisions based upon your own research and in partnership with a qualified professional.
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