Every year in France, 2 million frail people and seniors fall, causing 130,000+ hospitalizations and 10,000+ deaths, with significant physical, psychological and social consequences. Retirement homes house seniors who have a higher-than-average risk of falling and this is why they are particularly interested in assessing this risk.

1. How is a fall risk assessment carried out in a retirement home?

Gabriel Dib: Management informs residents that a testing session will take place soon, often by placing posters in common areas. Selected or interested residents begin by gathering in a room for a short briefing. Then, each participant is equipped with a belt carrying an Age Impulse sensor and walks normally for 15 seconds, usually inside the building.

Each test produces a personal result displayed by the Age Impulse application on a phone. The result shows an overall score with a green/orange/red color code, and details faulty gait markers. The method is reliable, and is based on a prospective longitudinal study of more than 2 years and on scientific publications.

2. What happens next?

G.D.: After each individual assessment, there is a follow up according to the result.

• If the risk of falling is low, participants can improve their fitness by using the Age Impulse mobile application.
• If there is a potential or proven risk of falling, the participant is encouraged to consult their primary care physician and undergo a treatment to reduce their risk of falling, which can be due to issues with the inner ear, eyesight, nutrition, medications, etc.
• If the risk comes from muscle weakness, the mobile application guides the work of a physiotherapist in line with the faulty marker(s). The patient walks on a treadmill, follows the advice of the physiotherapist, and sees results improve in real time. This makes rehabilitation fun and objective. 
• If the risk of falling is proven, the retirement home can offer additional services such as remote assistance and request help from an occupational therapist. The participant is also encouraged to notify their loved ones.

3. What has been the participation and the reactions of residents?

G.D.: Assessments take place regularly in the homes we work with, and include between 10 and 20 participants each time. They are motivating for residents who wish to preserve their quality of life and their independence. The activity is very popular among residents, both for its preventive aspect and for its fun side.

4. What do retirement home managers think?

G.D.: They appreciate the simplicity, speed and reliability of our fall risk assessment: 15 seconds per person, without the need for qualified personnel, and with privacy ensured by hosting personal information in a sovereign Cloud certified for health data.

For retirement homes, there are a number of benefits from this approach:

• Reassure residents and their loved ones by reducing the fear of falling, which is itself a major cause of falls.
• Encourage residents to consult health professionals (doctor, ENT specialist, ophthalmologist, physiotherapist, etc.) to assess and manage their risk of falling.
• Promote physical activity, essential to prevent falls.
• Combat denial, thanks to objective results encouraging the remote assistance and walking aids (walker, cane).
• Create differentiation against competition, by offering a safer environment and providing active support for residents.
• Reduce costs of acquiring new residents and generate attractive financial returns.
• Leverage a dashboard showing an overview of residents and priorities.

The post Assessment of Fall Risk in Retirement Homes first appeared on Age Impulse.

Age Impulse recently launched Gaitwin®, the first digital twin for gait analysis – what’s a digital twin?

Gabriel Dib: A digital twin is a virtual representation of a physical object, process or person. This digital model uses real-time data to reflect its state, behavior and changes over time.

Could you give us some examples of digital twins?

GD: Digital twins are used in various fields, for example to design buildings, optimize their energy usage and ensure their maintenance. In aeronautics, digital twins of aircraft and engines can monitor performance, plan maintenance and improve flight safety.

In healthcare, a digital twin is a virtual replica of a patient, an organ or a healthcare system.

What are the benefits of digital twins in healthcare?

GD: Digital twins make it possible to model the evolution of diseases, thereby facilitating prevention and prediction of pathologies. This allows doctors to take proactive steps to prevent potential complications. Healthcare can be optimized by using the data collected to adjust treatment in a precise and personalized manner for each patient.

What is a digital twin for gait analysis?

GD: It is a virtual representation of an individual’s gait, which is used to analyze walk patterns, identify faulty markers and discover potential issues.

How does it work and what are the benefits?

GD: First, a precise digital model of an individual’s gait in created using a sensor. This digital twin is then then used to identify anomalies, and encourage people to join a care pathway. Thanks to the data collected, combined with artificial intelligence, healthcare professionals can personalize care plans according to the specific needs of each individual, thus improving results and making progress objective.

Gaitwin is the first digital twin focused on walking pattern analysis – how does it work?

GD: Gaitwin® is an innovative, patented, multiple award-winning solution that assesses the risk of falling in a reliable and simple manner, without the need for qualified personnel, in just 15 seconds. It creates a digital twin of a person’s gait, a “Gait Twin”, from data collected by a sensor worn on a belt. The sensor is connected to a mobile application, powered by Artificial Intelligence and hosted in a sovereign Cloud, certified HDS (Health Data Hosting).

Gaitwin identifies faulty gait markers and assesses fall risk. Based on the results, the tested person is encouraged to join a care pathway, since a heighten fall risk may be due to issues with the inner ear, eye sight, nutrition, medication, etc. The solution guides the work of healthcare staff and makes rehabilitation enjoyable, thereby reducing the risk of falls, strengthening autonomy and making progress objective.

A final word?

GD: Every year, falls among elderly or vulnerable people generate considerable financial and human costs. Thanks to our new approach based on the Gaitwin digital twin, we facilitate the assessment of fall risk in a revolutionary way, allowing as many people as possible to benefit from personalized preventive measures!

For more information:

The post The digital twin for gait analysis has arrived! first appeared on Age Impulse.

If you haven’t practiced in years, start with a moderate and adapted activity

Every activity has its benefits

• Walking to work smoothly all the muscles of the body and prevent osteoporosis. Gentle walking, fast walking, Nordic walking (with two sticks), hiking, etc. are physical activities accessible to all 
• The race to work the breath, improve blood circulation and preserve from the muscular loss. Like walking, but at a larger scale, this helps to fight osteoporosis by increasing bone density
• Water aerobics to maintain muscle and respiratory tone
• Swimming to work endurance and all the muscles of the body preserving its joints
• The bike, good for the heart and joints
• The gym (Pilates) for gentle muscle building
• Yoga for balance, flexibility and relaxation. It also reduces insomnia, stabilizes blood pressure and reduces pain associated with osteoarthritis
• The Tai Chi Chuang to tone, work his breathing and soften the body gently
• Dance for balance, coordination, breath and memory
• Archery to work on its strength, concentration and coordination…
• Golf that has the advantage of combining the benefits of walking with work on coordination and concentration

To make your choice, two tips:

• The activity that’s right for you is the one you love! And if you don’t know which one to choose, try several: you’ll sort it out later!
• The activity that suits you is the one that you can do, i.e. that corresponds to your physical capacity today.

What precautions should be taken to get back to physical activity?

Health check-up

If you have not done physical or sports activities for years, it is important to make an appointment with your doctor to perform a health check,including:

• A heart assessment including an electrocardiogram and a stress test
• A bone and joint check-up

Based on your assessment, your doctor will be able to guide you in choosing the activity that best suits you.

Do your joints hurt? Are you overweight? It is better to avoid intensive walking, dancing or golf and prefer softer sports for joints such as swimming, aquagym, cycling or Tai Chi Chuang.

Suitable sports equipment

Most sports require equipment. Choose it seriously so that it fits your body shape and level perfectly. To do this, do not hesitate to ask a specialist of the store visited but also your coach within the club or association where you practice the activity.

Food and hydration

• Before each activity session, don’t forget to drink. Do not start any activity in the morning on an empty stomach. A balanced diet, especially carbohydrates, is recommended.
• During the session, do not forget to continue to keep hydrating.
• After the session: drink and eat something if you feel weak.

Signs that should alert you

Consult your doctor promptly in case of:

• Pain in the chest or abnormal shortness of breath from exercise
• Heart palpitations occurring during exercise or just after exercise
• Discomfort occurring at the effort or just after the effort

7 good reasons to choose AGE IMPULSE

• MET-Impulse democratizes Pr. Billat’s laboratory method, which has proved its efficiency with high-level athletes, but also for young and not so young seniors; the late Robert Marchand, amateur cyclist, world record holder at 105 years old, being the most striking example. The method is based on 200 international publications and 30 years of scientific and field research by Professor Billat.
• The solution is adapted to most people (walking and / or running) and can be practiced with another activity or sport. Thanks to our Assessment, choosing what is best between Walking or Running will be a piece of cake.
• It is financially accessible to the greatest number.

• Age Impulse revolutionizes connected health by launching a mobile solution which puts a powerful new metric (VO2max) into people’s hands. It is a widely accepted scientific indicator of autonomous ageing, a powerful aggregate indicator or your cardiovascular, respiratory, and muscular condition. It allows a relevant and simpler tracking of fitness and progress than the total steps per day, heart rate, or hours of sleep!
• The App will assess your fitness level and provides you with a personalized and evolving set of exercises, powered by AI, which can be integrated into your daily life (walking/ running/ climbing stairs, three 30-min weekly sessions). Since they are based on your individual perception of effort, it will help you reconnect with your senses and safely take control of your health and fitness!
• At Age Impulse we will reward your efforts. You will earn credits as you exercise regularly, improve your fitness level, or take part in our community challenges. You will then benefit from unique discounts on our monthly subscription, “à la carte” sessions with a coach or receive gifts from our partners.
• If you are keen on human contact, you will be able to receive advice from highly qualified coaches.

⁽*⁾ : https://www.mma.fr/zeroblabla/comment-reprendre-sport-retraite.html

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The VO2max is a widely accepted scientific indicator of autonomous ageing, a powerful aggregate indicator or your cardiovascular, respiratory, and muscular condition. It allows a relevant and simpler tracking of fitness and progress than the total steps per day, heart rate, or hours of sleep! It decreases with age.

It is a well-known indicator of athletes but much less of the general public, even if it perfectly describes fitness.

This is an excellent measure of our Physical Fitness Age (physiological age) and is closely correlated to our healthy life expectancy.

The VO2max has for unit the liter of oxygen per minute (L/min), however, in order to take into account the different sizes, its value is related to weight. It is then expressed in ml/min/kg.

A high VO2max means that our body is better able to absorb oxygen, deliver it to our muscles, and be transformed to create the energy source thar our muscles consume to contract and function. This is important because this energy source is one of the most efficient for our body. The higher its value, the younger our physiological age.

How can I improve my VO2max?

The good news about advancing age and VO2max is that a decline in fitness, accentuated by a sedentary lifestyle, can be reversed.

Many of us have heard of the late Robert Marchand, French amateur cyclist, world record holder at 105 years old, coached by Pr Véronique Billat – Scientific Advisor of Age Impulse.

According to a study in the Journal of Applied Physiology, reported in the New York Times, he was even in better shape as he got older, than most people in their fifties.

By adopting habits of physical activity and even sports, you can improve your fitness and be younger.

Average VO2max by age and gender

The following table shows that you are able to rank your level of fitness in relation to men or women of the same age.

The classification is based on a 62-article literature study in which the value of VO2max was measured directly on healthy adults in the United States, Canada, and 7 European countries. Reference: Shvartz E, Reibold RC: Aerobic fitness norms for males and females aged 6 to 75 years: a review. Aviat Space About Med; 61 :3-11, 1990.

For example, we can see that:

• A 33-year-old man with a VO2max of 53 ml.kg^-1.min-1 has a very good level of fitness
• A 50-year-old woman with a VO2max equal to 27 53 ml.kg^-1.min^-1 is within the average of her age

In practical terms, for persons in poor physical condition, a 10% increase in VO2max can reduce their risk of death by 15% and give them an additional 10 years of good quality life.

Anincrease in healthy life (non-dependence) [1]

[1] Strasser B, Burtscher M. Survival of the fittest: VO2max, a key predictor of longevity? Frontiers in bioscience 2018; 23:1505–16.

The post What is the VO2max? How does it relate to my healthy life expectancy? first appeared on Age Impulse.

We want to age well and remain independent for a long time. However, Healthy life expectancy has decreased to 69 years, while life expectancy remains at 83 years.

How to better live the years we have gained?

In its global strategy, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends physical activity for the elderly.

Physical activity includes leisure, travel (e.g. walking or cycling), work, household tasks, play activities, sports or planned exercise, in the daily, family or community context.

In order to improve their cardio-respiratory endurance, muscle, joint and bone condition, and reduce the risk of disease, depression and impaired cognitive function, older adults should practice at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity endurance activity or at least 75 minutes of sustained endurance activity or an equivalent combination of moderate-intensity and sustained activity during the week.

Endurance activity should be performed in periods of at least 10 minutes.

To gain additional health benefits, older adults should increase the duration of their moderate-intensity endurance activity to achieve sessions of at least 30 minutes, 300 minutes per week, or 150 minutes per week of sustained endurance activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate and sustained intensity activity.

Older adults with reduced mobility should engage in physical activity to improve balance and prevent falls at least three days a week.

Muscle-strengthening exercises involving the main muscle groups should be performed at least two days a week.

When older adults are unable to engage in the recommended amount of physical activity because of their health, they should be as physically active as their abilities and condition allow. 

Physical activity is good for morale

Physical activity is a great way to relieve tension and anxiety. They also increase positive emotions and self-esteem. This may be the best anti-depressant ever!

Physical activity is good for social ties

Physical activities, especially sports, can be practiced with a group of friends, and why not as part of a club or association. Beyond physical activity itself, they allow you to get out of your home and “see the world.”

For seniors who live alone, it’s a great way to get out of isolation and meet new people. This is also true for couples so as not to always stay “one on top of the other”, as can sometimes happen in retirement, when one no longer has any professional activity.

The physical activities proposed by Age Impulse

Age Impulse offers an activity 3 times 30 minutes per week to free up time for possible group activities. Your buddies are going to be the benchmark for your progress. 

Age Impulse allows you to take the first step, regain your confidence or get out of a possible sedentary lifestyle.

The activities on offer are personalized, adapted to the physical condition of each and far from the metrics gadgets. They are based on 200 international publications, 30 years of work by Professor Billat and 20 years of work before, since the 1950s scientists have been interested in the ergonomics of the human being during effort. 

The post Physical activity, the key to ageing well? first appeared on Age Impulse.

Ageing well or “successful ageing” are no longer a new concept. Many of us have heard of the late Robert Marchand, French amateur cyclist, world record holder at 105 years old, coached by Prof. Véronique Billat. According to her study in the Journal of Applied Physiology, he is even in better shape than most people in their fifties.

See New York Times article

In conventional wisdom, it is accepted that it is difficult to significantly increase one’s physical capacities with age, although we frequently do exercise.

Professor Billat rewrites our expectations about ageing and what is possible for each of us, with a philosophy based on pleasure, performance and self-awareness.

The post Lessons to age well, by a 105-year-old cyclist! first appeared on Age Impulse.