BackgroundPresbycusis has a direct influence on autonomy of the elderly but hearing aids lack of affordability. Moreover a recent review demonstrate that electroacoustic characteristics of OTC hearing aids were generally not suitable for the elderly people. In our study, we assessed the clinical value of a new over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aid device (TEO First®) in the elderly.MethodThis prospective monocentric open label study included patients over 60 years of age with a mild to moderate presbycusis. Patients were assessed with acceptable noise level test (ANL), pure tone (PTA) and speech (SA) audiometry in silent and noisy environment, with and without TEO First®. A Glasgow Hearing Aid Benefit Profile, acceptability and satisfaction surveys were completed after one month of using the device.ResultsThirty one patients were included. There was an improvement of hearing with TEO First® in silence (SA: +39.2 %, p < 0.01; PTA: -9.04 dB, p < 0.01) or in noise (SA +47.7 %, p < 0.01; PTA: -5.23 dB, p < 0.05). After one month of use of the device, quality of life has improved with regards to the following parameters: decrease of perceived hearing difficulties during conversation without background noise (-9.6 % p = 0.018), in conversation with several people (-16.2 % p = 0.0076), decrease of negative emotions while watching TV (-18.5 % p = 0.011), during conversation without background noise (-16.5 % p = 0.0024), during conversation in noisy background (-17.1 % p = 0.027) and during conversation with several people (-20 % p = 0.014). The acceptability of the device was low to moderate.ConclusionTEO First® is an effective OTC hearing aid that improves the patient’s quality of life.Trial registrationCurrent Controlled Trials NCT01815788
International audienceThis paper proposes a new method to analyze human walking by using a 3-wheels rollator walker instrumented with encoders and a 3D accelerome-ter/gyrometer. In order to develop walking quality index and monitor the health state of elderly people at home, the walking of 23 young adults and 25 elderly people (> 69 years) with the help of the walker, are compared. The results show that many general walking indicators such as walking speed, stride length do not present obvious difference between the two groups, but that new indicators obtained by using the walker measurements and not available otherwise are very discriminating, e.g., the lateral motion of elderly people is larger, their walking accuracy is lower, but their effort distributed on the handles are more symmetrical. We also show that this walker may have other purposes such as updating collaborative maps with sideway slopes and location of lowered kerbs
Background and purposeMusculoskeletal system deterioration among the aging is a major reason for loss of autonomy and directly affects the quality of life of the elderly. Articular evaluation is part of physiotherapeutic assessment and helps in establishing a precise diagnosis and deciding appropriate therapy. Reference instruments are valid but not easy to use for some joints. The main goal of our study was to determine reliability and intertester reproducibility of the MP-BV, an inertial sensor (the MotionPod® [MP]) combined with specific software (BioVal [BV]), for elbow passive range-of-motion measurements in geriatrics.MethodsThis open, monocentric, randomized study compared inertial sensor to inclinometer in patients hospitalized in an acute, post-acute, and long-term-care gerontology unit.ResultsSeventy-seven patients (mean age 83.5±6.4 years, sex ratio 1.08 [male/female]) were analyzed. The MP-BV was reliable for each of the three measurements (flexion, pronation, and supination) for 24.3% (CI 95% 13.9–32.8) of the patients. Separately, the percentages of reliable measures were 59.7% (49.2–70.5) for flexion, 68.8% (58.4–79.5) for pronation, and 62.3% (51.2–73.1) for supination. The intraclass correlation coefficients were 0.15 (0.07–0.73), 0.46 (0.27–0.98), and 0.50 (0.31–40 0.98) for flexion, pronation, and supination, respectively.ConclusionThis study shows the convenience of the MP-BV in terms of ease of use and of export of measured data. However, this instrument seems less reliable and valuable compared to the reference instruments used to measure elbow range of motion in gerontology.
Our study showed the importance of food-cobalamin malabsorption in etiological diagnosis in accordance with the literature, but also the non-negligible share of nutritional cobalamin deficiency. Mainly oral cobalamin supplementation was used in our study with a significant increase in vitamin B12 levels. An oral cobalamin regimen is proposed for elderly patients with cobalamin deficiency but with no severe neurological signs.
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