Client and clinician perspectives about a virtual education and exercise chronic disease management programme for people with hip and knee osteoarthritis.

INTRODUCTION: Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most prevalent chronic conditions in Canada. Despite the established benefits of non-pharmacological management (education, exercise) for people with OA, many do not receive treatment, resulting in pain, decreased physical function, and poorer quality of life. Virtual programme options grew significantly during the recent pandemic and may provide longer-term opportunities for increased uptake by reaching individuals otherwise unable to participate. This study explored the experiences and perspectives of clients participating in and clinicians providing the Good Life with osteoArthritis: Denmark (GLA:DTM) Canada remote programme. METHODS: This qualitative descriptive study recruited 10 clients with hip and/or knee OA and 11 clinicians across Canada using purposive sampling. An online pre-interview survey was completed, and individual interviews were conducted, audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed independently by two researchers using inductive thematic analysis. Coding and analyses were initially conducted separately by group and then compared and combined. RESULTS: Four overarching themes (and 11 subthemes) were identified: (1) Expected and unexpected benefits of virtual programs; (2) Drawbacks to virtual programs; (3) Programme delivery in a virtual world; (4) Shifting and non-shifting perspectives. Although initially sceptical, after completion of the programme, clients were in favour of virtual delivery with many benefits described. Clinicians' perspectives varied about feedback aimed to correct client movement patterns. CONCLUSIONS: Clients and clinicians identified important experiential and procedural elements for virtual chronic disease management programs that include education and exercise. Additional work is needed to understand if the GLA:DTM remote outcomes are equivalent to the in-person programme.

Measurement properties of the usual and fast gait speed tests in community-dwelling older adults: a COSMIN-based systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: The gait speed test is one of the most widely used mobility assessments for older adults. We conducted a systematic review to evaluate and compare the measurement properties of the usual and fast gait speed tests in community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: Three databases were searched: MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL. Peer-reviewed articles evaluating the gait speed test's measurement properties or interpretability in community-dwelling older adults were included. The Consensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments guidelines were followed for data synthesis and quality assessment. RESULTS: Ninety-five articles met our inclusion criteria, with 79 evaluating a measurement property and 16 reporting on interpretability. There was sufficient reliability for both tests, with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) generally ranging from 0.72 to 0.98, but overall quality of evidence was low. For convergent/discriminant validity, an overall sufficient rating with moderate quality of evidence was found for both tests. Concurrent validity of the usual gait speed test was sufficient (ICCs = 0.79-0.93 with longer distances) with moderate quality of evidence; however, there were insufficient results for the fast gait speed test (e.g. low agreement with longer distances) supported by high-quality studies. Responsiveness was only evaluated in three articles, with low quality of evidence. CONCLUSION: Findings from this review demonstrated evidence in support of the reliability and validity of the usual and fast gait speed tests in community-dwelling older adults. However, future validation studies should employ rigorous methodology and evaluate the tests' responsiveness.

Translation of the Preference-Based Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Scale into French.

The objective of this study was to translate the Preference-Based Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Scale to French-Canadian. After the scale underwent forward and back translations, the expert committee examined the translated versions and found minor grammatical errors and suggested idioms to be changed to better represent French-Canadian language. Cognitive debriefing interviews were carried out to assess the pre-final version for clarity, and minor changes were made. Consensus from the expert committee and people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis on the measure's clarity, word choice, and meaning were achieved, resulting in the final French version of the Preference-Based Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Scale.

Reliability, validity and responsiveness of composite finger flexion in patients with traumatic hand injuries: A clinical measurement study.

BACKGROUND: Composite finger flexion (CFF) is proposed to be a convenient alternative to total active motion (TAM) and total passive motion (TPM). Passive CFF (PCFF) may be useful for early monitoring in post-operative rehabilitation of traumatic hand injuries. PURPOSE: To determine whether active and passive CFF are reliable, valid, and responsive measures of hand motion and of higher utility to the tester. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional observational clinical measurement study. METHODS: Fifty hand injury patients were recruited from a hospital-based out-patient clinic. TAM, TPM, repeated measures of active CFF (ACFF) and PCFF, self-reported stiffness, patient reported wrist/hand evaluation (PRWHE) scores, and grip strength were recorded. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and standard error of measurement were calculated for inter-rater and test-retest reliability. Criterion and construct validity were assessed using correlation coefficients. Responsiveness was explored by calculating correlation coefficients of change scores, effect sizes, and standardized response means. Time taken to measure CFF and TAM/TPM was recorded to consider utility. RESULTS: The average age of participants was 47 years and 36% were female. Inter-rater and test-retest reliability estimates for ACFF and PCFF were excellent (ICCs = 0.95-98). Standard error of measurement values ranged from 0.21 to 0.33. The correlation coefficient for criterion validity between ACFF and TAM was -0.69; PCFF and TPM was -0.65; and ACFF and PCFF was 0.83. For construct validity, ACFF and TAM were similarly correlated with PRWHE. Correlations between changes in stiffness with ACFF and PCFF were 0.43 and 0.26, respectively. Effect sizes of ACFF and PCFF were small at 0.1 and 0.2. Time taken to measure CFF was much shorter than TAM/TPM. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study support the use of active and passive CFF as a reliable, valid, and efficient tool in the clinical setting. Further study is required to verify the responsiveness of CFF.

Impact of Care-Recipient Relationship Type on Quality of Life in Community-Dwelling Older Adults With Dementia Over Time.

INTRODUCTION: Maintaining quality of life (QoL) has been identified as the primary goal of care services for person living with dementia (PLWD). METHODS: A secondary analysis was conducted on five rounds of the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) over 4 years. A generalized estimating equation (GEE) was used to examine the prediction of relationship type on older adults' QoL through four domains: mental health, general health, functional limitations, and pain. RESULTS: older adults cared for by an adult-child or multiple caregivers predicted increased risk for functional limitations after adjustment for their socio-demographic and dementia status (IRR = 1.53, CI [1.26, 1.86]; IRR = 1.36, CI [1.14, 1.61], respectively). The interaction between the relationship type and education was significant. Older adults with a high school education or below, who were cared for by an adult child, had a significantly higher risk of increasing functional limitations over 4 years compared to those cared for by a spouse/partner (contrast = .50, P = .01, 95% CI [.07, .93]; contrast=.52, P = .03, 95% CI [.03, 1.02]; respectively). Similarly, older adults with a high school education, who were cared for by multiple caregivers, also experienced a significantly higher risk of increasing functional limitations than those cared for by a spouse/partner (contrast = .44, P = .03, 95% CI [.02, .85]). CONCLUSION: Our findings provide evidence of the significant contribution of relationship type on PLWD's QoL changes over time. They also help to prioritize resource allocation while addressing PLWD's demands by socio-demographics such as education level.

Cognitive Interviewing to Develop a New Health-Related Quality of Life Measure for Parkinson's Disease: The Preference-Based Parkinson's Disease Index (PB-PDI).

Preference-based measures (PBM) for health-related quality of life (HRQoL) are essential in assessing the cost-utility of different treatment options. The preference-based Parkinson's disease Index (PB-PDI) is being developed for people with Parkinson's disease (PD). The aim of this study was to refine the PB-PDI through cognitive interviews with people with PD. Cognitive debriefing was conducted to assess patients' interpretation of items, both in English and French. Participants' feedback guided the iterative modification of the PB-PDI and items were accepted for final inclusion if they were endorsed by three consecutive participants. A total of 16 participants provided feedback on the items, refined the response options, and discussed how to clarify questions. They selected a 2-week timeframe for the PB-PDI recall period. At the end of the cognitive interviews, all seven items and their response options were endorsed in both languages. The cognitive interview process allowed us to refine items and ensure that they were clear in terms of instructions and response options from the perspective of people with PD. The next step will be to elicit preference weights to develop a scoring algorithm and assess its measurement properties.

Pre-Clinical Mobility Limitation (PCML) Outcomes in Rehabilitation Interventions for Middle-Aged and Older Adults: A Scoping Review.

Individuals with pre-clinical mobility limitation (PCML) are at a high risk of future functional loss and progression to disability. The purpose of this scoping review was to provide a comprehensive understanding of PCML intervention studies in middle-aged and older adults. We present the interventions that have been tested or planned, describe how they have been conducted and reported, identify the knowledge gaps in current literature, and make recommendations about future research directions. An initial search of 2,291 articles resulted in 14 articles that met criteria for inclusion. Findings reveal that: (1) there is limited published work on PCML interventions, especially in middle-aged populations; and (2) the complexity and variety of PCML measures make it difficult to compare findings across PCML studies. Despite the diversity of measures, this review provides preliminary evidence that rehabilitation interventions on PCML help to delay or prevent disability progression.

Measures of perceived mobility ability in community-dwelling older adults: a systematic review of psychometric properties.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this systematic review was to synthesise the psychometric properties of measures of perceived mobility ability and related frameworks used to define and operationalise mobility in community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: We registered the review protocol with PROSPERO (CRD42022306689) and included studies that examined the psychometric properties of perceived mobility measures in community-dwelling older adults. Five databases were searched to identify potentially relevant primary studies. We qualitatively summarised psychometric property estimates and related operational frameworks. We conducted risk of bias and overall quality assessments, and meta-analyses when at least three studies were included for a particular outcome. The synthesised results were compared against the Consensus-based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments criteria for good measurement properties. RESULTS: A total of 36 studies and 17 measures were included in the review. The Late-Life Function and Disability Index: function component (LLFDI-FC), lower extremity functional scale (LEFS), Mobility Assessment Tool (MAT)-short form (MAT-SF) or MAT-Walking, and Perceived Driving Abilities (PDA) Scale were identified with three or more eligible studies. Most measures showed sufficient test-retest reliability (moderate or high), while the PDA scale showed insufficient reliability (low). Most measures had sufficient or inconsistent convergent validity (low or moderate) or known-groups validity (low or very low), but their predictive validity and responsiveness were insufficient or inconsistent (low or very low). Few studies used a conceptual model. CONCLUSION: The LLFDI-FC, LEFS, PDA and MAT-SF/Walking can be used in community-dwelling older adults by considering the summarised psychometric properties. No available comprehensive mobility measure was identified that covered all mobility domains.

A unified framework for the measurement of mobility in older persons.

Mobility is often referred to as a 'sixth vital sign' because of its ability to predict critical health outcomes in later adulthood. In the World Health Organization (WHO) World Report on Aging and Health, mobility is described as movement in all its forms whether powered by the body or a vehicle. As such, mobility encompasses basic physical actions such as getting up from a chair and walking, as well as activities such as exercising, driving and using public transportation. A plethora of measurement tools have been developed to assess various aspects of mobility; however, there is wide variability in the mobility constructs being measured which limits standardisation and meaningful comparison across studies. In this paper, we propose a comprehensive framework for measuring mobility that considers three distinct facets of mobility: perceived mobility ability ('what can you do'), actual mobility ability ('what you actually do') and locomotor capacity for mobility ('what could you do'). These three facets of mobility are rooted in the three components of healthy aging endorsed by the WHO: functional ability, intrinsic capacity and environments. By proposing a unified framework for measuring mobility based on theory and empirical evidence, we can advance the science of monitoring and managing mobility to ensure functional ability in older age.

Assessing the measurement properties of life-space mobility measures in community-dwelling older adults: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Preserving and enhancing mobility is an important part of healthy ageing. Life-space mobility is a construct that captures actual mobility within the home and the community. The objective of this systematic review was to synthesise the measurement properties and interpretability of scores produced by life-space mobility measures in community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: This systematic review followed Consensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN). Multiple databases were searched to identify potentially relevant articles. Data extraction and assessment of methodological quality was conducted by two independent reviewers. When possible, results were quantitatively pooled for each measurement property. If studies could not be combined quantitatively, then findings were summarised qualitatively using means and percentage of confirmed hypothesis. Synthesised results were assessed against the COSMIN criteria for good measurement properties. RESULTS: A total of 21 full text articles were included in the review. The University of Alabama at Birmingham Study of Aging Life-Space Assessment (LSA) was the most evaluated life-space mobility measure. The LSA demonstrated content validity, internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha 0.80-0.92), reliability [intra-class correlation value 0.89 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.80, 0.94)] and convergent validity with measures of physical function in community-dwelling older adults. CONCLUSION: This systematic review summarised the measurement properties of life-space mobility measures in community-dwelling older adults following COSMIN guidelines. The LSA has been translated into multiple languages and has sufficient measurement properties for assessing life-space mobility among community-dwelling older adults.

Assessing the Measurement Properties of the Self-Administered Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale-Revised (ALSFRS-R): A Rasch Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The self-administered version of the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale-Revised (ALSFRS-R) is used to monitor function and disease progression in individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, the performance of the self-administered ALSFRS-R has not been assessed using Rasch Measurement Theory. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the self-administered ALSFRS-R using Rasch analysis. METHODS: Rasch analysis was performed on self-administered ALSFRS-R data from individuals with ALS across Canada. The following 6 aspects of Rasch analysis were examined using RUMM2030: fit via residuals and chi-square statistics, targeting via person-item threshold maps, dependency via item residual correlations, unidimensionality through principal components analysis of residuals, reliability via person separation index, and stability through differential item functioning analyses for sex, age, and language. RESULTS: Analysis was performed on 122 participants (mean age: 52.9 years; 62.8% men). The overall scale demonstrated good fit, reliability, and stability; however, multidimensionality was found. To address this issue, items were divided into 3 subscales (bulbar, motor, and respiratory function), and Rasch analysis was performed for each subscale. The subscales demonstrated good fit, reliability, stability, and unidimensionality. However, there were still issues with item dependency for all subscale and targeting for bulbar and respiratory subscales. CONCLUSIONS: The self-administered ALSFRS-R is reliable, internally valid, and stable across sex, age, and language subgroups; however, it is recommended that the ALSFRS-R be scored by subscale. Future studies can look at revising and/or adding items to tackle misfit, redundancy, and ceiling effects. IMPACT: Self-administered measures are simple to administer and inexpensive. The self-administered ALSFRS-R was found to be psychometrically sound and can be used as a tool to monitor disease progression and function in ALS.

A scoping review of the use of intelligent assistive technologies in rehabilitation practice with older adults.

PURPOSE: There is growing interest in intelligent assistive technologies (IATs) in the rehabilitation and support of older adults, however, the factors contributing to or preventing their use in practice are not well understood. This study aimed to develop an overview of current knowledge on barriers and facilitators to the use of smart technologies in rehabilitative practice with older adults. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We undertook a scoping review following guidelines proposed by Arksey and O'Malley (2005) and Levac et al. (2010). A computerised literature search was conducted using the Scopus and Ovid databases, yielding 7995 citations. Of these, 94 studies met inclusion criteria. Analysis of extracted data identified themes which were explored in semi-structured interviews with a purposefully selected sample of seven clinical rehabilitation practitioners (three physical therapists, two occupational therapists, and two speech-language pathologists). RESULTS: Barriers and facilitators to using these technologies were associated with accessibility, reported effectiveness, usability, patient-centred considerations, and staff considerations. CONCLUSIONS: Collaborative efforts of policy-makers, researchers, manufacturers, rehabilitation professionals, and older persons are needed to improve the design of technologies, develop appropriate funding and reimbursement strategies, and minimise barriers to their appropriate use to support independence and quality of life. Any strategies to improve upon barriers to prescribing smart technologies for older people should leverage the expertise of rehabilitation professionals operating at the interface between older people; their health/mobility; their families; and technology-based solutions.Implications for rehabilitationThere is growing interest in intelligent assistive technologies (IATs) in the rehabilitation of older adults, as well as barriers to their use in practice.Rehabilitation professionals can play a key role in enabling access to IATs by recommending or prescribing their use to their older clients. Strategies to address barriers to the use of IATs for older people should leverage the expertise of rehabilitation professionals operating at the interface between older people, their families, and technology-based solutions.Older people and their families require technical support to initiate and continue to use IATs for rehabilitation. While rehabilitation providers may be well-placed to offer this support, they may require time and organizational support to build and maintain expertise in the fast-advancing field of smart technologies for rehabilitation.Cost and usability are universal challenges across the types of smart technologies considered in this review. Participatory approaches to involving older people in the design and development of smart assistive technologies contribute to better usability of these technologies. Devices and interventions that leverage more readily available devices and lower-cost components may overcome cost barriers to accessibility.

Defining and Measuring Preclinical Mobility Limitation: An Expert Consensus Exercise Informed by a Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND: Early change in function in older adults has been termed preclinical disability (PCD). PCD has been understudied compared to other stages of disability because it is unlikely to receive comparative priority in clinical settings. It has major implications for prevention and population health as it may be the optimal time to intervene to prevent further decline. A standardized approach to research in PCD, including a common definition and measurement approaches, is needed to advance this work. METHODS: The process to establish how PCD should be defined and measured was undertaken in 2 stages: (1) a scoping review of the literature, which was used to inform (2) a web-enabled consensus meeting with content experts. RESULTS: The scoping review and the consensus meeting support the use of the term preclinical mobility limitation (PCML) and that it should be measured using both patient-reported and performance-based measures. It was agreed that the definition of PCML should include modification of frequency and/or method of task completion, without overt disability, and that requisite mobility tasks include walking (distance and speed), stairs, and transfers. CONCLUSIONS: Currently, there are few standardized assessments that can identify PCML. PCML is the term that most clearly describes the stage where people experience a change in routine mobility tasks, without a perception of disability. Further evaluation into the reliability, validity, and responsiveness of outcome measures is needed to advance research on PCML.

Normative values for grip strength, gait speed, timed up and go, single leg balance, and chair rise derived from the Canadian longitudinal study on ageing.

BACKGROUND: decreased muscle strength and physical function often precede disability, nursing home admission, home care use and mortality in older adults. Normative values for commonly used physical performance-based tests are not widely available for older adults but are required for clinicians and researchers to easily identify individuals with low performance. OBJECTIVE: to develop normative values for grip strength, gait speed, timed up and go, single-leg balance and five-repetition chair rise tests in a large population-based sample of Canadians aged 45-85 years. METHODS: baseline data (2011-2015) from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Ageing was used to estimate age- and sex-specific normative values for each of the physical tests. Participants were without disability or mobility limitation (no assistance with activities of daily living or use of mobility devices). RESULTS: of the 25,470 participants eligible for the analyses 48.6% (n = 12,369) were female with a mean age of 58.6 ± 9.5 years. Sex-specific 5th, 10th, 20th, 50th, 80th, 90th and 95th percentile values for each physical performance-based test were estimated. Cross-validation (n = 100 repetitions) with a 30% holdout sample was used to evaluate model fit. CONCLUSIONS: the normative values developed in this paper can be used in clinical and research settings to identify individuals with low performance relative to their peers of the same age and sex. Interventions targeting these at-risk individuals including physical activity can prevent or delay mobility disability and the resulting cascade of increasing care requirements, health care costs and mortality.

Measuring physical performance in later life: reliability of protocol variations for common performance-based mobility tests.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Performance-based tests of mobility or physical function such as the Timed Up and Go (TUG), gait speed, chair-rise, and single-leg stance (SLS) are often administered using different protocols in aging populations, however, the reliability of their assessment protocols is not often considered. The purpose of this study was to examine the reliabilities of frequently used assessment protocols for the TUG, gait speed, chair-rise, and SLS in different age groups. METHODS: We administered the following assessment protocols in an age-stratified (50-64, 65-74, 75+ years) sample of participants (N = 147) from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA): TUG fast pace and TUG normal pace: TUG-cognitive counting backwards by ones and counting back by threes, gait speed with 3-m and 4-m course, chair-rise with arms crossed and allowing the use of arms, and SLS using preferred leg or both legs-on two occasions within 1 week. We assessed the relative (intra-class correlation) and absolute reliability (standard error of measurement, SEM and minimal detectable change, MDC) for each protocol variation and provided recommendations based on relative reliability. RESULTS: For participants aged 50-64 years, our results suggest better reliability for TUG fast-pace compared with normal-pace (ICC and 95% CI 0.70; 0.41-0.85 versus 0.38; 0.12-0.59). The reliability values for 3-m gait speed were potentially higher than for 4-m gait speed (ICC 0.75; 0.67-0.82 versus 0.64; 0.54-0.73) and values for chair-rise suggested better reliability allowing participants to use their arms than with arms crossed (ICC 0.79; 0.66-0.86 versus 0.64; 0.45-0.77) for participants overall. For participants aged 75+ years, ICCs for SLS with the preferred leg showed better reliability than for both legs (ICC = 0.62-0.79 versus 0.30-0.39). CONCLUSIONS AND DISCUSSION: These reliability data and the recommendations can help guide the selection of the most appropriate performance-based test protocols for measuring mobility in middle-aged and older community-dwelling adults.

Assessing the psychometric properties of quality of life measures in individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a systematic review.

PURPOSE: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the most common motor neuron disease in adults. There are many patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) for measuring quality of life (QoL) and health-related QoL (HRQoL) within this population; however, there is limited consensus regarding which are most valid, reliable, responsive, and interpretable. This systematic review assesses the psychometric properties and interpretability of QoL and HRQoL PROMs for individuals with ALS. METHODS: This review was conducted following the Consensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) methodology for systematic reviews of PROMs. MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL databases were searched. Studies were included if their aim was to evaluate one or more psychometric properties or the interpretability of QoL or HRQoL PROMs in individuals with ALS. RESULTS: We screened 2713 abstracts, reviewed 60 full-text articles, and included 37 articles. Fifteen PROMs were evaluated including generic HRQoL (e.g., SF-36), ALS-specific HRQoL (e.g., ALSAQ-40), and individualized QoL (e.g., SEIQoL) measures. Evidence for internal consistency and test-retest reliability were acceptable. For convergent validity, 84% of hypotheses were met. For known-groups validity, outcomes were able to distinguish between healthy cohorts and other conditions. Responsiveness results ranged from low to high correlations with other measures over 3-24 months. Evidence for content validity, structural validity, measurement error, and divergent validity was limited. CONCLUSION: This review identified evidence in support of the ALSAQ-40 or ALSAQ-5 for individuals with ALS. These findings can guide healthcare practitioners when selecting evidence-based QoL and HRQoL PROMs for patients and provide researchers with insight into gaps in the literature.

Sex-stratified reference values for the life-space assessment in the Canadian longitudinal study on aging.

BACKGROUND: The Life-Space Assessment (LSA) can compliment traditional physical performance measures of mobility by accounting for the interaction between individuals and their environment. However, there are no studies that have generated percentile curves showing sex-stratified reference values in a large population-based sample of community-dwelling adults, making its interpretation difficult. Therefore, this study aimed to establish sex-stratified reference values for the LSA in middle-aged and older Canadians. METHODS: Baseline data for participants aged 45-84 years old from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) were used (n = 22,154). Quantile regression was used to estimate specific percentiles, with age as the independent variable and LSA scores as the dependent variable. Models were run for the whole sample, then separately for males and females. The models were cross-validated to assess their reliability. CLSA inflation and analytic weights were applied. RESULTS: On average, the sample was 62.5 ± 10.0 y.o. (51.1% males), with a weighted mean LSA score of 89.2 ± 17.0. There was also a decrease in LSA scores with age, where scores were lower for older age groups compared to younger groups, and LSA scores were lower for females relative to males. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Reference data will aid in interpreting, comparing, and making inferences related to LSA scores obtained in clinical and research settings for Canadian adults.

Responsiveness of the late life disability instrument to pulmonary rehabilitation in people with COPD.

PURPOSE: To establish the responsiveness of the disability component of the Late Life Function and Disability Instrument (LLDI) and its Computer Adaptive Test (LLDI-CAT) in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHOD: Participants completed the LLDI, LLDI-CAT and measures of physical function, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and symptom severity before and after pulmonary rehabilitation (PR), and global rating of change (GRC) scales at the end of PR. Responsiveness was explored by calculating correlations between LLDI and LLDI-CAT change scores and change scores on the other measures, and calculating the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for the ability of the LLDI and LLDI-CAT to discriminate between participants who were improved versus unchanged. We hypothesized fair correlations (-0.3 to -0.5 or 0.3 to 0.5) with other measures and considered an AUC≥0.7 acceptable. Minimal important differences (MIDs) were estimated using anchor- and distribution-based approaches. RESULTS: Fifty participants (mean (SD) age 69.8 (7.9) years) completed the study. Only the limitation dimension of the LLDI showed improvement at follow-up (z = 2.4, p = 0.018) and was able to discriminate between participants who were improved versus unchanged (AUC 0.7 (95% CI 0.6-0.9)). Correlations between change scores were as hypothesized between the participation measures and measures of at least two other constructs. CONCLUSION: This study provides MID values for the LLDI and LLDI-CAT to support their clinical application. The limitation dimension of the LLDI appears to be particularly responsive to PR in people with COPD.

Item Selection for a New Health-Related Quality of Life Measure for Parkinson's Disease: The Preference-Based Parkinson's Disease Index (PB-PDI).

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative condition, predominantly affecting older adults. Preference-based measures (PBMs) can be used to make decisions about the cost-utility of different treatments. There are currently no PBMs for health-related quality of life (HRQoL) for PD. A previous study identified important health domains for individuals with PD and developed an item pool from existing measures per domain. The current study aims to contribute to the development of a new disease-specific PBM of HRQoL for PD by reducing the current pool of items according to the preferences of individuals with PD. Methods: Fifty-three participants completed a visual analogue scale (VAS) of self-perceived health, the prototype PBM measure, and an item importance rating. To reduce the item pool, the following were calculated: (1) inter-item correlations; (2) impact of each item based on item performance and importance rating; (3) directionality of response options by comparing the VAS scores against each item. Results: Participants (male = 54.7%, age = 60.0 ± 10.2) had a median Hoehn and Yahr score of 2.5 (interquartile range = 1). Items supported for inclusion by this analysis were sleep, fatigue, tremor, mood, walking, memory, and dexterity. Items demonstrating a logical decrease in VAS score with each increasing severity level were sleep, memory, tremor, fatigue, and mood. Conclusion: This PBM will be critical for informing decisions about the cost-utility of PD treatments, guiding the resource allocation within our healthcare system. Future research will include cognitive debriefing with individuals with PD to refine item response options.

Factors Influencing Mobility During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

OBJECTIVE: To describe and identify factors influencing mobility among older adults during the first 5 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN: A cross-sectional telesurvey. SETTING: Community dwelling older adults, situated within the first 5 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, in Hamilton, Canada. PARTICIPANTS: A random sample of 2343 older adults were approached to be in the study, of which 247 completed the survey (N=247). Eligible participants were aged ≥65 years. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Mobility was measured using global rating of change items and the Late Life Function Instrument (LLFI). Multivariate linear regression models were used to examine the association between mobility and related factors based on Webber's model. RESULTS: 247 older adults (29% male, mean age 78±7.3 years) completed surveys between May and August 2020. Respectively, 26%, 10%, and 9%, rated their ability to engage in physical activity, housework, and move around their home as worse compared with the start of the pandemic. The mean LLFI score was 60.9±13.4. In the model, walking volume (ß=0.03 95% confidence interval 0.013, 0.047), fall history (ß=-0.04, 95% confidence interval -0.08, -0.04), male sex (ß=0.06, 95% confidence interval 0.02, 0.09), unpleasant neighborhood (ß=-0.06, 95% confidence interval -0.11, -0.02), musculoskeletal pain (ß=-0.07, 95% confidence interval -0.11, -0.03), and self-reported health (ß=0.08, 95% confidence interval 0.03, 0.13) had the strongest associations with LLFI scores and explained 64% of the variance in the LLFI score. CONCLUSIONS: Physical and environmental factors may help explain poorer mobility during lockdowns. Future research should examine these associations longitudinally to see if factors remain consistent over time and could be targeted for rehabilitation.