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Objective: A residential environment refers to the physical and social characteristics in a neighbourhood. The physical characteristics include interior housing qualities, exterior neighbourhood characteristics, and the accessibility of essential facilities and services outside the neighbourhood. Older adults especially may be vulnerable to the negative impacts of the residential environment. The aim of this study is to elucidate the problems ageing people face in their neighbourhoods, buildings and public areas. Methods: The study group consisted of a total of 1,001 people over the age of 65 who were admitted to physical medicine and rehabilitation clinics in Turkey and consented to participate. A questionnaire covering demographic, social and environmental information was used. Results: Of the study group, 58.6% was living in an apartment building, but only 23.6% of these buildings had an elevator, and the stairs were inconvenient in 46.7% of the buildings. Only 49% of the elderly people went for a walk regularly. The most frequent complaint about the hospitals, community health centres and other public areas was the inappropriate restroom conditions. Eighty-six percent of the study group were not members of an organization, a foundation or a group, and 73.6% did not have personal hobbies. Conclusions: The layouts of buildings and surroundings are inappropriate for older people, and the opportunities for them to participate in social activities are limited. Health and social programmes and governmental and local policies for older people are needed, and public awareness about this issue should be raised.

WOS: 000406937200005 PubMed: 27080048 Purpose: In this study, we aimed to describe the sociodemographic characteristics of caregivers of patients in a geriatric unit and to clarify the relationship between caregiver burden and specific clinical variables in the patients and the characteristics of the caregivers. Design: Cross-sectional multicenter study. Methods: One hundred twenty-three patients and 123 caregiver dyads, with mean ages of 72.5 +/- 7.7 years and 51 +/- 14.7 years, respectively, were included. The functional, psychological, and cognitive statuses of the patients were determined, and the sociodemographic characteristics of the caregivers as well as the type and duration of caregiving were recorded. Caregivers completed the Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI) to measure the perceived burden of care. Most patients were female and generally lived with their family. Findings: Most of the caregivers were family members (90%), female (73.2%), primary school graduates (52.8%), and first-degree relatives (73.1%). The average CBI score was 33, and the highest CBI subscores were for time, developmental, and physical burdens. Caregiver burden correlated with the patient's ambulatory, psychological, and cognitive status and with the caregiver's age, gender, income level, and duration of caregiving. Conclusions: We have highlighted the relationship between caregiver and patient characteristics in a cohort of elderly Turkish patients with neurological and musculoskeletal disorders. In particular, we have highlighted the heavy caregiver burden in a developing country. Clinical Relevance: Our results may guide the nurses to understand the requirements of caregivers and to help them find suitable resources that would meet their needs to cope with their burden.

Background High-tech prostheses are supposed to achieve better functional recovery over mechanical-controlled prostheses in lower-limb amputees. However, quantitative data are insufficient. Objective We aimed to evaluate changes in quality of life, life satisfaction, perception of body image, and functional performance of lower-limb amputees when using a mechanical-controlled prosthesis versus a microprocessor-controlled knee (MPK) or transtibial vacuum-assisted suspension system (VASS) prosthesis. Methods In this pragmatic study, 57 lower-limb amputees were assessed with the Satisfaction with the Prosthesis Questionnaire (SATPRO), revised Amputee Body Image Scale (ABIS-R), Trinity Amputation and Prosthesis Experience Scales (TAPES), Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF-36) and 6-min walk test (6MWT). All assessments were performed under 2 conditions (i.e., using a mechanical-controlled prosthesis vs. an MPK/VASS prosthesis. Results Amputees who used an MPK/VASS prosthesis showed significant increases in all SF-36 subscale scores and all subscale scores of TAPES except adjustment to limitation (P = 0.156). The amputees showed clinically relevant improvements in 6MWT (P Conclusion Lower-limb amputees using an MPK/VASS prosthesis had better life satisfaction, quality of life and functional performance than those using a mechanical-controlled prosthesis.

EgeUn###, Background: Review of the literature clearly reveals that little is known about the association between functional and mental status, and Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction (LUTD) in patients with stroke. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess functional and mental status in stroke patients and to identify possible associations with the prevalence, severity and bother of LUTD. Material and methods: This study was designed as a cross-sectional study and included 260 stroke patients enrolled from six different hospitals in Turkey. The patients were questioned using the Danish Prostatic Symptom Score (DAN-PSS) Questionnaire to evaluate LUTD, and evaluated using the Modified Barthel Index (MBI), Incontinence Quality of Life Questionnaire (I-QoL), and the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). Results: At least one LUTD finding was reported in 243 (93.5%) patients; the most commonly encountered complaint in these patients was nocturia (75.8%). The mean MBI, MMSE, and I-QoL scores were found to be significantly lower in LUTD (+) patients compared to LUTD (-) patients (p = 0.000, p = 0.005, and p < 0.01, respectively). Similarly all parameters (MBI, MMSE, and I-QoL scores) assessed were found to be significantly lower for patients with urinary incontinence than those without incontinence (p = 0.000, p = 0.000, and p < 0.01, respectively). Conclusion: LUTD is a common problem in patients with stroke. LUTD is associated with poorer cognitive and functional status and the quality of life in these patients. We, therefore, suggest that bladder dysfunction should not be overlooked during rehabilitation of stroke patients.

To elucidate the effects of Kinesio Taping (KT) in addition to neurodevelopmental therapy (NDT) on posture and sitting, and to compare the effects of KT and neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES).Seventy-five children were randomized into control, KT, and NMES groups. NDT was applied to all children 4 times a week for 4 weeks. In addition, KT and NMES were applied to KT and NMES groups, respectively. Sitting subset of Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) and kyphosis levels of the groups were analyzed by two way mixed ANOVA.GMFM and kyphosis values improved significantly in all groups (all p 0.01), yet change levels were more prominent in the KT and NMES groups than the control group. Moreover, NMES group showed better improvement.KT or NMES application for four weeks in addition to NDT is effective on improving kyphosis and sitting. Besides, NMES is more effective than KT.

Objective To investigate the effects of the kinesio tape application to the tibialis anterior on rehabilitation outcomes of the stroke patients. Design and setting Twenty patients with stroke were allocated into two groups: the first group of ten patients was assigned to receive kinesio tape in addition to the conventional rehabilitation program while a second group of 10 patients was assigned to receive a conventional rehabilitation program only. Main outcome measures The clinical variables and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) were evaluated at baseline and at the end of the forth week. Results The present study showed that kinesio tape application to the tibialis anterior has significant effects on motor recovery of the lower extremity, spasticity, ambulation capacity, HRQoL and gait compared to the control group and baseline. Conclusions The results of this study suggest that kinesio tape can be used as an ankle training method.

Objective We aimed to determine the effect of the cerebrovascular accident etiology in the geriatric patients with hemiplegia included in our physical medicine and rehabilitation program on functional improvement. Methods A total of 46 geriatric patients with hemiplegia attending the inpatient physical medicine and rehabilitation program were included in the study. The patients were divided into two groups–thromboembolic vessel disease (TEVD) and intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH)–depending on the cerebrovascular accident etiology. The daily living activities of the patients in both groups were evaluated using the Barthel Index (BI) and the ambulation levels were evaluated using the Functional Ambulation Classification (FAC) at admittance and at discharge from hospital. Results There was a statistically significant difference between admission and discharge BI values in both groups. There was no significant difference between the admission and discharge BI scores of the TEVD and ICH groups. For both groups, on admission there were 19 (82.5%) patients at the FAC 0, 1, and 2 levels, and 4 (17.3%) patients at the FAC 3 and 4 levels. On discharge there were 11 (47.8%) patients in the TEVD group at the FAC 0 and 2 levels, and 12 (52.1%) patients at the FAC 3, 4, and 5 levels; whereas in the ICH group there were 8 (34.7%) patients at the FAC 0, 1, and 2 levels, and 15 (65.2%) patients at the FAC 3, 4, and 5 levels. Conclusions We found that the disease etiology did not influence the rehabilitation results for our geriatric patients with hemiplegia attending a physical medicine and rehabilitation program following TEVD or ICH.

To investigate the effect of functional electrical stimulation (FES) for the treatment of shoulder subluxation and shoulder pain in hemiplegic patients.A total of 50 hemiplegic patients with shoulder subluxation and shoulder pain were included in the study. The patients were randomly divided into the study and control groups. All patients were put on a rehabilitation program using conventional methods while the study group patients were additionally applied FES to supraspinatus and posterior deltoid muscles. The shoulder pain of all patients during resting, passive range of motion (PROM) and active range of motion (AROM) was measured with the visual analog scale (VAS) while the shoulder subluxation levels were evaluated with the classification developed by Van Langenberghe and by using the millimetric measurements on anteroposterior shoulder X-ray before and after the physical treatment and rehabilitation program and compared.Comparison of the resting AROM vs. PROM VAS value changes showed no significant difference between the groups. There was a significant difference between the two groups for the amount of change in shoulder subluxation in favor of the study group.The results of our study have shown that applying FES treatment to the supraspinatus and posterior deltoid muscles in addition to conventional treatment when treating the subluxation in hemiplegic patients is more beneficial than conventional treatment by itself.

This study aimed to investigate the efficiency of FES application on the abdomen-posterior back muscles in children with CP that were enrolled into physical therapy and rehabilitation (PTR) program.The study included 55 spastic diplegic children that were hospitalized for rehabilitation. Those with deformities that could disrupt the balance in sitting and cause problems in evaluations were excluded. The patients were randomly divided into two equal groups according to their time of presentation. Thirty-two children completed the study. The control group received PTR program only for 4 weeks. The children in the FES group received PTR in addition to electrical stimulation. Electrical stimulation was applied 5 days a week for 4 weeks to abdomen-posterior back muscles in 30-minute-long sessions. To evaluate the balance in sitting, sitting score of gross motor function measurement (GMFM) and to evaluate the trunk asymmetry in sitting, radiographic measurements were used. Thus, kyphosis, Cobb and sacral angles were measured.The comparisons of the measurements of the two groups before and after the treatment showed that the GMFM sitting score and the sacral angle were statistically significantly increased, and the kyphotic and Cobb angles were statistically significantly decreased. After the treatment, both groups demonstrated an increase in the GMFM score, but the increase in the FES group was statistically significantly higher than that in the control group. With respect to radiological measurements, the changes observed in both the kyphotic and Cobb angles after the treatment were statistically significantly higher in the FES group than in the control group. The rates of the changes in the sacral angle did not differ among the groups.We believe to provide balance in sitting for children with CP, FES applied on abdomen-back muscles along with conventional therapy to maintain trunk control is more effective than conventional therapy alone.

We evaluated the effect of ankle-foot orthosis (AFO; articulated, plantar flexion stopped) use on balance and mobility in hemiparetic stroke patients in this study. Fifty-one hemiplegic patients who had completed the rehabilitation programme were included in the study. Subjects were assessed during the Ashburn walking and stair test, the time UpGo test, the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and the mobility subscale of the stroke rehabilitation assessment of movement (STREAM) in the presence and absence of AFO. The patients were asked about their evaluations of AFO in terms of its desirability/undesirability. All the subjects showed improvements in gait speed, balance and mobility with AFO use. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the durations of stair climbing with or without AFO; 45.1%% of the subjects indicated that their gait speed increased; 35.3%% indicated that they step on more confidently and 60.8%% indicated that they consider AFO unaesthetic. It was determined that the use of an AFO resulted in improvements in both balance and ambulation activities of hemiparetic patients.

The objective was to determine the effect of the body mass index (BMI) and age on the bone mineral density (BMD) in geriatric women and men. 900 geriatric patients were included in the study. BMD was measured in the right femoral neck and the antero-posterior lumbar region. All geriatric patients were classified in 1 of 4 categories on the basis of their BMI, as underweight, ideal weight, overweight, and obese. They were separated into three groups, 65-74, 75-84 and 85 and older, according to age groups. While a significant relationship was only determined between the femoral BMD measurements and the BMI in men; significant relationship was shown between both the lumbar and the femoral BMD measurements and the BMI in women. Significant relationship was also determined between the femoral BMD measurements and the BMI and age among women. While the BMDs of those aged 65-74 years group were found to be high compared to those aged 75-84 years and those aged 85 years and older groups, no difference was found between the two groups. This study confirms the effect of a high BMI on femoral neck and L2-L4 BMD among older men and women, but the effect of age was not shown above 75 years of age.