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BackgroundThe very old (80+) are often described as a "frail" group that is particularly exposed to diseases and functional disability. They are at great risk of losing the ability to manage their activities of daily living independently. A health-promoting intervention programme might prevent or delay dependence in activities of daily life and the development of functional decline. Studies have shown that those who benefit most from a health-promoting and disease-preventive programme are persons with no, or discrete, activity restrictions. The three-armed study "Elderly in the risk zone" is designed to evaluate if multi-dimensional and multi-professional educational senior meetings are more effective than preventive home visits, and if it is possible to prevent or delay deterioration if an intervention is made when the persons are not so frail. In this paper the study design, the intervention and the outcome measures as well as the baseline characteristics of the study participants are presented.Methods/DesignThe study is a randomised three-armed single-blind controlled trial with follow-ups 3 months, 1 and 2 years. The study group should comprise a representative sample of pre-frail 80-year old persons still living at home in two municipalities of Gothenburg. To allow for drop-outs, it was estimated that a total of about 450 persons would need to be included in the study. The participants should live in their ordinary housing and not be dependent on the municipal home help service or care. Further, they should be independent of help from another person in activities of daily living and be cognitively intact, having a score of 25 or higher as assessed with the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE).DiscussionWe believe that the design of the study, the randomisation procedure, outcome measurements and the study protocol meetings should ensure the quality of the study. Furthermore, the multi-dimensionality of the intervention, the involvement of both the professionals and the senior citizens in the planning of the intervention should have the potential to effectively target the heterogeneous needs of the elderly.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT00877058

Objectives To examine the outcomes of the Elderly Persons in the Risk Zone study, which was designed to evaluate whether it is possible to delay deterioration if a health‐promoting intervention is made when an older adult (≥80) is at risk of becoming frail and whether a multiprofessional group intervention is more effective in delaying deterioration than a single preventive home visit with regard to frailty, self‐rated health, and activities of daily living (ADLs) at 3‐month follow‐up. Design Randomized, three‐armed, single‐blind, controlled trial performed between November 2007 and May 2011. Setting Two urban districts of Gothenburg, Sweden. Participants Four hundred fifty‐nine community‐living adults aged 80 and older not dependent on the municipal home help service. Intervention A preventive home visit or four weekly multiprofessional senior group meetings with one follow‐up home visit. Measurements Change in frailty, self‐rated health, and ADLs between baseline and 3‐month follow‐up. Results Both interventions delayed deterioration of self‐rated health (odds ratio (OR) = 1.99, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.12–3.54). Senior meetings were the most beneficial intervention for postponing dependence in ADLs (OR = 1.95, 95% CI = 1.14–3.33). No effect on frailty could be demonstrated. Conclusion Health‐promoting interventions made when older adults are at risk of becoming frail can delay deterioration in self‐rated health and ADLs in the short term. A multiprofessional group intervention such as the senior meetings described seems to have a greater effect on delaying deterioration in ADLs than a single preventive home visit. Further research is needed to examine the outcome in the long term and in different contexts.

BackgroundFrail elderly people need an integrated and coordinated care. The two-armed study "Continuum of care for frail elderly people" is a multi-professional and multidimensional intervention for frail community-dwelling elderly people. It was designed to evaluate whether the intervention programme for frail elderly people can reduce the number of visits to hospital, increase satisfaction with health and social care and maintain functional abilities. The implementation process is explored and analysed along with the intervention. In this paper we present the study design, the intervention and the outcome measures as well as the baseline characteristics of the study participants.Methods/designThe study is a randomised two-armed controlled trial with follow ups at 3, 6 and 12 months. The study group includes elderly people who sought care at the emergency ward and discharged to their own homes in the community. Inclusion criteria were 80 years and older or 65 to 79 years with at least one chronic disease and dependent in at least one activity of daily living. Exclusion criteria were acute severely illness with an immediate need of the assessment and treatment by a physician, severe cognitive impairment and palliative care. The intention was that the study group should comprise a representative sample of frail elderly people at a high risk of future health care consumption. The intervention includes an early geriatric assessment, early family support, a case manager in the community with a multi-professional team and the involvement of the elderly people and their relatives in the planning process.DiscussionThe design of the study, the randomisation procedure and the protocol meetings were intended to ensure the quality of the study. The implementation of the intervention programme is followed and analysed throughout the whole study, which enables us to generate knowledge on the process of implementing complex interventions. The intervention contributes to early recognition of both the elderly peoples' needs of information, care and rehabilitation and of informal caregivers' need of support and information. This study is expected to show positive effects on frail elderly peoples' health care consumption, functional abilities and satisfaction with health and social care.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01260493

BackgroundThe intervention; “Continuum of Care for Frail Older People”, was designed to create an integrated continuum of care from the hospital emergency department through the hospital and back to the older person’s own home. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of the intervention on functional ability in terms of activities of daily living (ADL).MethodsThe study is a non-blinded controlled trial with participants randomised to either the intervention group or a control group with follow-ups at three-, six- and 12 months. The intervention involved collaboration between a nurse with geriatric competence at the emergency department, the hospital wards and a multi-professional team for care and rehabilitation of the older people in the municipality with a case manager as the hub. Older people who sought care at the emergency department at Sahlgrenska University Hospital/Mölndal and who were discharged to their own homes in the municipality of Mölndal, Sweden were asked to participate. Inclusion criteria were age 80 and older or 65 to 79 with at least one chronic disease and dependent in at least one ADL. Analyses were made on the basis of the intention-to-treat principle. Outcome measures were ADL independence and eight frailty indicators. These were analysed, using Chi-square and odds ratio (OR).ResultsA total of 161 participated in the study, 76 persons allocated to the control group and 85 to the intervention group were analysed throughout the study. There were no significant differences between the groups with regards to change in frailty compared to baseline at any follow-up. At both the three- and twelve-month follow-ups the intervention group had doubled their odds for improved ADL independence compared to the control (OR 2.37, 95% CI; 1.20 – 4.68) and (2.04, 95% CI; 1.03 – 4.06) respectively. At six months the intervention group had halved their odds for decreased ADL independence (OR 0.52, 95% CI; 0.27 – 0.98) compared to the control group.ConclusionsThe intervention has the potential to reduce dependency in ADLs, a valuable benefit both for the individual and for society.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01260493

The objective was to determine whether Hb declines in healthy elderly men and women and if this influences health-related reference intervals. A representative population sample, comprising 30% of all 70-yr-old subjects in a Swedish city with 420,000 inhabitants (n = 1148, participation rate 85%), was followed at 1-5-yr intervals for 18 yr within a longitudinal population study. Age-related changes in Hb were calculated after exclusion of non-healthy probands and by multivariate analyses in the total study group. Mean Hb declined between age 70 and 88 from 149 to 138 g/L in men (annual decline 0.69 g/L, p = 0.000), and from 139 to 135 g/L in women (annual decline 0.06 g/L, n.s.). Healthy men declined from 152 to 141 g/L (annual decline 0.53 g/L, p = 0.038), for women from 140 to 138 g/L (annual decline 0.05 g/L, n.s.). Age and body mass index correlated, in multivariate analysis, independently to Hb in both men and women, as did variables indicating a non-healthy state. Epidemiological decision limits for anaemia declined for men from 128 to 116 g/L, for women from 118 to 114 g/L. Anaemia, thus defined, occurred in 3.2 to 9.7% of the subjects, whereas 28.3% of the 88-yr-old men had anaemia according to the WHO definition. In conclusion, there is a significant age-related decline in Hb from age 70 to 88 among healthy men, and a less pronounced decline among women. This justifies the use of lower epidemiological decision limits for anaemia of about 115 g/L for both men and women from age 80-82.

The prevalence of mental disorders was studied in a representative sample of 85-year-old living in Gothenburg, Sweden, (n=494). All subjects were examined by a psychiatrist, whose diagnoses were defined according to the DSM-III-R criteria. In the sample, the prevalence of dementia was 29.8%, and of any other mental disorder was 24.3%. Psychotic disorders were present in 4.7%, depressive disorders in 12.6%, and anxiety disorders in 10.5%. Anxiety disorders were more common in women than in men. Of all subjects, 42.5% used a psychotropic drug (men 30.1%, women 47.6%, p<0.001), 34.2% used anxiolytic-sedatives, 14.0% used antidepressants, and 5.7% used neuroleptics. Women used significantly more anxiolytic-sedatives and antidepressants than did men. Of those with no mental disorders, 29.1% used a psychotropic drug. Although the prescription of psychotropic drugs was high, only one fifth of those with depressive disorders received antidepressant drug therapy and one tenth of those with psychotic disorders received neuroleptics.

Objective-To study whether prospective measurements of circulating concentrations of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) could predict mortality in the general elderly population. Design and setting-Circulating BNP was measured in a cohort of 85 year olds from the general population who were followed up prospectively for five years as part of a longitudinal population study, "70 year old people in Gothenburg, Sweden". Patients-541 subjects from the 85 year old population in Gothenburg. All subjects were investigated for the presence or absence of cardiovascular disorder such as congestive heart failure, ischaemic heart disease, hypertension, and atrial fibrillation. Venous plasma samples were obtained for BNP analysis. Main outcome measure-Overall mortality during the prospective follow up period. Results-Circulating concentrations of BNP predicted five-year mortality in the total population (P < 0.001). In subjects with a known cardiovascular disorder, five-year mortality was correlated with increased BNP concentrations (P < 0.01).Increased BNP concentrations predicted five-year mortality in subjects without a defined cardiovascular disorder (P < 0.05).Conclusions-In an elderly population, measurements of BNP may add valuable prognostic information and may be used to predict mortality in the total population as well as in patients with known cardiovascular disorders. In subjects without any known cardiovascular disorder, BNP was a strong and independent predictor of total mortality.