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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Frailty is a common syndrome among elderly and sensory decline may exacerbate functional decline. The
hand function, the manual dexterity, the performance of the daily living skills and the social interactions
are determined, in a large degree, by sensory integrity. However, hand tactile sensory deterioration has
been little explored in frailty. We performed a cross sectional observational study with 181 of
institutionalized elders. From the initial sample we selected 50 subjects (68–99 years) who met the
inclusion/exclusion criteria. Our goals were (1) to analyse the relationship between tactile discrimination
(TD) of the hand, avoidance behaviours and attitudes towards social touch (BATST) and phenotype frailty
criteria (unintentional weight loss, self-perception of exhaustion, decrease grip strength
GS, slow
walking speed, low level of physical activity), (2) to explore whether other variables can contribute to
explain the differences between pre-frail and frail elders. The results showed that increasing age is
related to decline of TD of the hand (p = 0.021) and to decrease in GS (p = 0.025); women have significantly
lower level of GS (p = 0.001); TD decrease is correlated with higher avoidance BATST (p = 0.000) and with
lower GS (p = 0.000); Lower GS corresponds to more avoidance BATST (p = 0.003). Hand TD also can
differentiate frail and pre-frail elderly subjects in this sample (p = 0.037). Decreased TD of the hand may
have implications on the functionality and on interpersonal relationships. TD of the hand also explains
frailty levels in this sample. Hand TD should be used in assessment and intervention protocols in pre-frail
and frail elders.
Description
Keywords
Frailty syndrome Elderly Sensory decline Hand tactile discrimination Grip strength Social touch
Citation
Publisher
Elsevier