Medical and Social Care
The Impact of Physical Activity and Nutrition on the Ageing Adult's Cognition
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Angela Stagliano
This paper delves into the critical relationship between physical activity, nutrition, and cognitive function in older adults, highlighting the physiological and psychological changes that accompany aging. As individuals age, they face challenges such as decreased brain volume and muscle mass, which can lead to cognitive decline, social isolation, and a diminished quality of life. Drawing from a comprehensive literature review, this paper outlines how regular exercise can enhance neuroplasticity and slow cognitive deterioration, while proper nutrition—particularly sufficient protein and hydration—plays a vital role in maintaining physical and mental health. We offer current recommendations for exercise and dietary intake tailored for older adults, as well as practical strategies for integrating cognitive training into daily routines. Despite significant findings, gaps in the literature regarding specific guidelines for cognitive training frequency and intensity are also addressed. This study provides actionable takeaways for healthcare professionals, caregivers, and researchers committed to promoting healthy aging and improving the overall well-being of older adults.
Plenty of Information, but Nobody Did Anything Practical! : The Lived Experience of a Dementia Diagnosis View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Lynn Sudbury-Riley, Philippa Hunter Jones
Dementia is a progressive and debilitating condition. Estimates suggest that globally, 55 million people live with dementia. Population aging means these figures are set to rise significantly. This research examines the lived experiences of those living with dementia and their family carers. We conducted this study in collaboration with a UK hospice offering a course for carers. We asked people to tell their stories from pre-diagnosis to the present day. The final sample (n =33) comprises 5 people with dementia, while the rest are family carers. We uncovered a journey beset by delays, access barriers, power struggles, and fear. Early delays stemmed from reluctance, of patients and their families, to admit to a problem and seek help. Complaints that medical professionals failed to listen to family members led to perceptions of a power imbalance between provider and service user. In turn, this led to diagnosis delays, and feelings of frustration and vulnerability among carers as they struggled alone. Post-diagnosis, feelings of isolation and fear arose partly from contemplation of new role expectations (or demands), and partly from the complexity of the service system they needed to access. Surprise and relief were typical of experiences when people did access the hospice for the carer’s course. Peer support emerged as a key benefit of the course, helping to mitigate experiences of isolation. Nevertheless, overall, we identified major gaps in service provision, both for the people with dementia themselves and a desperate need for support and respite for isolated and exhausted caregivers.
Dietitians’ Views and Experiences of Food Shaping Techniques to Improve Nutrition-related Health and Quality of Life in Older People with Dysphagia View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Lily Chen, Julia Dray, Deborah Debono, Bronwyn Hemsley
Older people with dysphagia (swallowing difficulty) are often presented with limited food choices and unappetizing food in aged care facilities resulting in reduced nutrition-related quality of life and poor health outcomes. It is essential to meet nutritional needs through food that is appealing to ensure good overall health and wellbeing. Food shaping methods (e.g., 3D food printing, food moulds) potentially increase food options by creating appealing shapes, and variety, potentially improving food intake and nutrition. The purpose of this research is to present the perspectives of dietitians working with older people, particularly in aged care settings, on the role of food shaping in meeting the nutrition needs of older people and improving their nutrition-related health and quality of life. In this study, 20 dietitians involved in supporting nutrition care for older people living in aged care settings were interviewed. Five main content themes were developed from the inductive analysis. The general perception of food shaping is that it can improve food quality, especially for foods that invoke pleasant memories, or simple foods not of a restaurant quality. Food shaping was considered as a potentially effective intervention in improving nutrition and clinical outcomes in aged care. Eating texture modified food with good visual appeal is key for enjoyment and nutrition. These findings reflect the importance of using food shaping methods to optimise nutrition, health and wellbeing for older people with dysphagia. Barriers to implementing food shaping and strategies for improving the visual appeal of meals is presented and discussed.
An Iterative User-centric Design Approach for ICT-driven Telerehabilitation Sevices: Case Demonstrations from India
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Swati Pal, Arnab Jana, Ahana Sarkar
User-centric design in rehabilitation devices focuses on creating products that prioritize the needs, preferences, perceptions and experiences of target end users, including patients, therapists, and caregivers. However, the currently available rehabilitation devices lack the consideration of empathy and user involvement, customization and adaptability, accessibility and usability, ergonomics and comfort, safety and reliability, aesthetic appeal, feedback mechanism and most importantly, socio-cultural contextuality, ultimately leading to lack of motivation, encouragement, and increased adherence of users towards adoption of these devices. Further, while developed nations have witnessed development of exergaming and telerehabilitation devices, it has rarely been utilized in the Global South, especially in Indian context. This study, by beholding two distinct lab-developed case demonstrations of telerehabilitation devices, viz, an exergame for elderly and a home-based telerehabilitation device for patients with osteoarthritis, focuses on the step-wise iterative user-centric design methodology to develop ICT-driven rehabilitation device specifically for Indian context. The sequential process initiating with interviews of end users, followed by ideation and conceptualization, finalization of initial concept, multiple rounds of iterations and pilot testing of mock design, feedback-driven design development and final evaluation highlights the importance of technological integration by incorporating smart features and data analytics-based ICT-driven feedback loop for improved performance and end-user acceptance. The final designs show that incorporation of Indian context narrations and stories in exergaming and use of weighted-score matrix for concept selection for both cases, improved user satisfaction, adherence to therapy, and overall rehabilitation outcomes.
