Zeitschrift Fur Gerontologie Und Geriatrie最新文献

{"title":"[Influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on health-related digital inequalities].","authors":"Miriam Grates","doi":"10.1007/s00391-025-02476-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00391-025-02476-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Health impairments in people in the second half of life are generally associated with lower online activities; however, during the COVID-19 pandemic individuals with health-related limitations in daily activities may have perceived an added benefit in internet use, potentially leading to a reduction in health-related digital inequalities.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>The study examines whether and to what extent the COVID-19 pandemic has altered the relationship between limitations in daily activities and online access as well as the use of the internet for information seeking and maintaining social contacts.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Linear probability models were estimated using data from the German Ageing Survey (DEAS) from waves 6 (2017) and 7 (2020/2021).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>After controlling for gender, age, education, social network and income, it was found that health-related inequalities regarding internet access slightly decreased during the pandemic, while there was no significant effect of the wave on the relationship between health impairments and online activities for information seeking and maintaining contacts.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>During the COVID-19 pandemic internet access rates and online activities increased among people with limitations in daily activities; however, health-related inequalities partially persisted. Reducing barriers to internet usage and ensuring social participation through analogue means must continue to be advanced.</p>","PeriodicalId":49345,"journal":{"name":"Zeitschrift Fur Gerontologie Und Geriatrie","volume":" ","pages":"477-482"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144800739","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"[Age-associated changes of the immune system: immunosenescence and effects on vaccinations].","authors":"Birgit Weinberger, Peter Dovjak","doi":"10.1007/s00391-025-02496-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00391-025-02496-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Complex changes of the innate and adaptive immune system occur in old age and contribute to the increased frequency and severity of infections in older adults. At the same time, chronic, subclinical inflammation occurs, which promotes age-related diseases. Age-associated changes in the immune system also influence the formation, growth and metastasis of malignant tumors. Furthermore, there are indications that the aging of the immune system contributes to the development of autoimmunity. Vaccinations are an important preventive measure for maintaining health and improving the quality of life, not only but especially in old age. The development of optimized and new vaccines for the older population has made great progress in recent years and decades; however, vaccination rates among older adults are well below target for all vaccinations.</p>","PeriodicalId":49345,"journal":{"name":"Zeitschrift Fur Gerontologie Und Geriatrie","volume":" ","pages":"517-527"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12454514/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145001710","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"[Nonagenarians on an emergency department for internal medicine and cardiology : Comparison of comorbidities, disease course and survival with younger patients].","authors":"Lisa-Maria Sow, Claudia Stöllberger, Patrick Lazarevic, Simon Udovica, Franz Weidinger","doi":"10.1007/s00391-024-02389-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00391-024-02389-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Little is known about how younger and older hospitalized patients differ with respect to reasons for admission, comorbidities, diagnostics, treatment and intercurrent problems.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>The aim of the study was to compare the previously named characteristics in the clinical profile of patients > 90 years old (nonagenarians) with a control group of patients 70-75 years old admitted to an emergency hospital department for internal medicine and cardiology.</p><p><strong>Material and method: </strong>The study included all consecutive nonagenarians and gender-matched control patients who were admitted during 2011. The reason for admission, comorbidities, diagnostics, treatment, intercurrent problems and discharge medication were taken from the patient records. Data on 8‑year mortality were obtained by comparison of the death data.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Nonagenarians (n = 117; 81 females) had a mean age of 92 ± 2.5 years and the control patients 72 ± 1.6 years. Nonagenarians were hospitalized more often because of neurological symptoms (19% vs. 7%), suffered more from kidney failure (85% vs. 67%), heart failure (35% vs. 21%), malignancies (29% vs. 8%), dementia (28% vs. 4%) and stroke (15% vs. 6%), developed confusion more often (27% vs. 7%) and fell more often (15% vs. 0%) than control patients. Control patients had a higher body mass index (29 ± 5.3 vs. 24 ± 4.1). Nonagenarians received fewer diagnostic measures (1.6 vs. 2.3), more often intravenous fluid (77% vs. 51%), diuretics (31% vs. 18%) and physiotherapy (24% vs. 8%). Polypharmacy (> 5 medications) in the discharge letter was frequent in both groups (67% vs. 75%). The yearly mortality of the nonagenarians was 27% and of the control group 6%.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Acute internal diseases in nonagenarians are frequently manifested with neurological symptoms. In hospitalized nonagenarians, prevention of falls and delirium are of clinical relevance. Polypharmacy is a relevant problem in nonagenarians as well as in control patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":49345,"journal":{"name":"Zeitschrift Fur Gerontologie Und Geriatrie","volume":" ","pages":"490-496"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142899841","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"[A good stumbler doesn't fall! : Treadmill perturbation-based balance training in geriatric rehabilitation].","authors":"Vanessa Haug, Gerd Mez, Rebecca Scheck, Christoph Leinert, Michael Denkinger, Tim Fleiner","doi":"10.1007/s00391-025-02499-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00391-025-02499-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Treadmill perturbation-based balance training (PBT) is considered a promising approach to fall prevention in older adults. It aims to improve reactive balance control in response to unexpected disturbances-one of the most common causes of falls in everyday life.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>To introduce treadmill-based perturbation training as an innovative therapeutic method in geriatric rehabilitation and to provide practical insights into its implementation.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The article combines a narrative literature analysis on the use of PBT with a report on experiences from inpatient and outpatient geriatric rehabilitation at the Agaplesion Bethesda Klinik Ulm. The training takes place on treadmills with targeted, multidirectional perturbations under therapeutic supervision.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Randomized studies and meta-analyses show that even small amounts of PBT can lead to a significant reduction in the fall rate (up to -46%) and the number of people who fall (up to -29%). In clinical practice, rehabilitation patients report an increased sense of security and greater confidence in their own mobility. Integrated into interdisciplinary rehabilitation processes, a standardized protocol with 40 perturbations per unit has been established. Implementation requires a step-by-step approach, careful indication, and team coordination.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Treadmill PBT can be easily integrated into geriatric rehabilitation concepts. Experience shows that training under controlled conditions addresses everyday fall mechanisms and strengthens the sense of safety of rehabilitation patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":49345,"journal":{"name":"Zeitschrift Fur Gerontologie Und Geriatrie","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145193269","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"[MosaiK-Mobile geriatric rehabilitation in short-term care : Results of the process evaluation].","authors":"Patrick Roigk, Marc Schneider, Sigrid Ege, Kilian Rapp","doi":"10.1007/s00391-025-02504-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00391-025-02504-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Rehabilitation measures in short-term care (KuP), e.g., in the form of mobile geriatric rehabilitation (MoGeRe), are rarely carried out. One of the reasons for this is that the need for rehabilitation is not identified in advance.</p><p><strong>Research question and objective: </strong>The MosaiK (mobile geriatric rehabilitation in short-term care) project aimed to identify the rehabilitation needs of people registered for a KuP at an early stage, initiate a MoGeRe and improve the quality of the two health service areas.</p><p><strong>Material and methods: </strong>A checklist was used to identify the need for rehabilitation by the KuP admission management. If the results were positive, referring physicians were asked to apply for a MoGeRe for the future KuP guest. If the MoGeRe was approved, case conferences were held in which KuP personnel participated. Video visits between the MoGeRe and the patients and an arm and leg trainer for self-training during the therapy-free period supplemented the program. The processes were evaluated qualitatively in the form of focus groups as well as descriptively and quantitatively.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In 40 cases a review of the need for rehabilitation was suggested by the KuP admission management based on the results of the checklist. The MoGeRe was approved in 27 out of 28 applications. The joint case conference was held at least once for 70.0% of MosaiK patients and a video visit was carried out for 75.0%; the arm and leg trainer was used in 64% of cases.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The implementation of the newly implemented processes was largely successful and required relatively little additional effort compared to (remunerated) routine care. The approach should therefore also be transferable to other forms of MoGeRe.</p>","PeriodicalId":49345,"journal":{"name":"Zeitschrift Fur Gerontologie Und Geriatrie","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145193547","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"[Journal club].","authors":"Peter Dovjak","doi":"10.1007/s00391-025-02501-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00391-025-02501-w","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49345,"journal":{"name":"Zeitschrift Fur Gerontologie Und Geriatrie","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145126523","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reasons for long-term care need: analyzing combinations of health limitations in Germany.","authors":"Martin Wetzel, Andrea Cass, Johanna Schütz","doi":"10.1007/s00391-025-02498-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00391-025-02498-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Health limitations affect long-term care (LTC) needs differently. For instance, people with cognitive limitations require more organizational support, whereas those with functional limitations require more personal care. While the impact of singular health limitations on LTC has been widely studied, little attention has been given to the prevalences of co-occurring health limitations that drive LTC needs.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Our exploratory study seeks to address the gap in understanding the prevalence of multiple, intertwining health limitations that contribute to the need for LTC.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>We used data from the German Medical Service (MD). The MD assesses LTC needs and assigns care grades, which serve as the basis for LTC insurance benefits. The available data contains all assessments in 2019 of adults living in Bavaria (the largest state in Germany), focusing on those with first-time LTC needs (N = 101,227). Using latent class analysis, we identified combinations of limitations across six health dimensions (e.g., mobility, cognition).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among first-time LTC recipients, 5 distinct classes of care needs were identified. Two classes reflect single limitations: mobility limitations, and the need for assistance with medical therapy. Three classes point to various combinations of limitations. While classes differed in size, they also varied significantly by age, gender, and care grade.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The co-occurrence of health limitations is not an exception but a central feature of LTC needs even at the initial stages of dependency, emphasizing the importance of tailored care strategies. These insights can help local authorities and care providers offer targeted LTC services more strategically.</p>","PeriodicalId":49345,"journal":{"name":"Zeitschrift Fur Gerontologie Und Geriatrie","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145132417","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"[Participation in health services research : The development of a preliminary framework for joint research involving people living with dementia, relatives and various professional groups].","authors":"Anna Louisa Hoffmann-Hoffrichter, Christina Manietta, Mike Rommerskirch-Manietta, Martina Roes","doi":"10.1007/s00391-025-02494-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00391-025-02494-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Models that actively involve people living with dementia and their relatives as well as experts from various healthcare settings in research have not yet been implemented in the context of health services research in the German language. Such models are necessary to actively involve the perspectives of \"co-researchers\" and address topics pertaining to the everyday lives of people living with dementia and their relatives as well as individuals working in healthcare practice.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>The aim of this study is to develop a preliminary framework for joint research.</p><p><strong>Material and methods: </strong>The procedure used in this research features a participatory approach involving stakeholders recruited from different groups of people, including people living with dementia, their relatives and experts from long-term and acute inpatient settings. A participatory research model was translated into German and discussed, debated and agreed upon in virtual meetings with the stakeholders. The results were discussed in a workshop with the goal of determining the types of support that were considered necessary for \"co-researchers\". All meetings were documented in protocols that were analyzed both deductively and inductively.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 13 stakeholders participated in this project. The preliminary framework for joint research contains basic principles, activities and support requirements for joint research.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>In addition to experts from various healthcare settings, people living with dementia and their relatives both want to and can be actively involved in research. To refine the preliminary framework, it continues to be tested and developed in the context of participatory research projects at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) site Witten.</p>","PeriodicalId":49345,"journal":{"name":"Zeitschrift Fur Gerontologie Und Geriatrie","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145006736","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Luebeck Scale of Basic Mobility among geriatric hospital patients: LSBM and timed LSBM.","authors":"Sonja Krupp, Julia Müller, Meike Kasten, Jennifer Kasper","doi":"10.1007/s00391-025-02484-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00391-025-02484-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Luebeck Scale of Basic Mobility (LSBM) assesses seven phases of mobility from the prone position to walking. It was validated on geriatric patients who were unable to complete the timed up and go test (TUG). It showed no floor effect. A ceiling effect is to be assumed for more mobile patients.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>To test whether additional measurement of the time required for the transfers (→ t-LSBM) in more mobile patients results in a change-sensitive instrument and what time requirement can be expected for the individual tasks.</p><p><strong>Material and methods: </strong>In geriatric patients who had completed the TUG on admission to hospital, the LSBM including the time required for the transfers and the TUG were recorded twice with an interval of at least 10 days. The correlations between severity, transfer time and TUG were calculated, as well as the effect size for sensitivity to change.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In this study 85 patients (65.9% women) aged 81.6 ± 6.0 years were recruited, 75 of whom were available for the follow-up examination after a mean of 12.9 days. The sum score of the LSBM decreased from 5.00 ± 2.94 to 3.28 ± 2.23 (p < 0.001), the cumulative time required in the t‑LSBM from 60.3 ± 26.2 to 46.2 ± 18.8 s with a nearly identical effect size of 0.77. This was 0.56 for the TUG.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The LSBM is highly sensitive to change even in patients who are able to walk. If all tasks can be completed independently, a supplementary time recording (→ t-LSBM) is recommended to prevent a ceiling effect. This creates a mobility test that is suitable for all geriatric hospital patients and provides the information on mobility in the room required for therapy and discharge planning.</p>","PeriodicalId":49345,"journal":{"name":"Zeitschrift Fur Gerontologie Und Geriatrie","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144976365","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"[Bedriddenness and sociospatial participation-A reflection].","authors":"Bianca Berger, Manfred Schnabel","doi":"10.1007/s00391-025-02485-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00391-025-02485-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Many older people are affected by immobility, which can eventually lead to becoming bedridden. Being bedridden is a significant issue for those affected as it carries considerable physical, psychological and social risks and has far-reaching consequences for a person's ability to participate.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>Whether and to what extent can spatial sociology concepts be used and applied to demonstrate the effects on the participation of bedridden people in residential care facilities and what contribution can they make in this context?</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>The basic assumptions of the sociology of space and Martina Löw's specific concept of spatial sociology are briefly introduced. The fundamental understanding of social spaces as products of a practice of arranging people and things according to structures is used to analyze practices that promote or hinder participation. In this context, a concept of participation is outlined that defines participatory opportunities as the relationship between the capacity to arrange elements into sociospatial configurations and the risk of being merely arranged by others. This analytical framework is then be tested by applying it to two case studies drawn from an observational study on the design of social interactions in nursing homes. Finally, an initial reflection is offered on whether and how spatial sociology can contribute to enhancing the participation of bedridden individuals.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Applying a spatial-sociological perspective to questions of participation in bedriddenness raises awareness of the consequences of placing people in relation to one another and to the objects in their surroundings. The arrangement of residents in relation to and among other \"care-related objects\" creates a relational space with specific possibilities for perception and interaction. Residents' freedom of action within these functional arrangements is limited. In order to improve their opportunities for participation, institutional processes of arranging people and objects must be reflected upon and \"environments\" must be designed to be open.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>There is a need for research on the participation of bedridden people that focuses on the relationship between space, participation and immobility at the spatiosociological level.</p>","PeriodicalId":49345,"journal":{"name":"Zeitschrift Fur Gerontologie Und Geriatrie","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144976346","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}