Innovations in Geroscience to enhance mobility in older adults.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to explore how massage therapy, among other interventions, could enhance mobility and physical function in older adults as part of maintaining healthspan.
Results Summary
The abstract suggests that massage therapy may improve physical function both directly through biological mechanisms and indirectly via cognitive and socioemotional modulation, though specific results are not detailed.
Population
Older adults in the United States and globally.
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
behavioral interventions that incorporate complex walking tasks and other activities of daily living | increase | mobility function | older adults | - | appear to be especially helpful for improving | #1 |
pharmaceutical interventions, such as oxytocin | increase | physical function | older adults | - | may enhance | #2 |
complementary and alternative interventions, such as massage therapy | increase | physical function | older adults | - | may enhance | #3 |
Aging is the primary risk factor for functional decline; thus, understanding and preventing disability among older adults has emerged as an important public health challenge of the 21st century. The science of gerontology - or geroscience - has the practical purpose of "adding life to the years." The overall goal of geroscience is to increase healthspan, which refers to extending the portion of the lifespan in which the individual experiences enjoyment, satisfaction, and wellness. An important facet of this goal is preserving mobility, defined as the ability to move independently. Despite this clear purpose, this has proven to be a challenging endeavor as mobility and function in later life are influenced by a complex interaction of factors across multiple domains. Moreover, findings over the past decade have highlighted the complexity of walking and how targeting multiple systems, including the brain and sensory organs, as well as the environment in which a person lives, can have a dramatic effect on an older person's mobility and function. For these reasons, behavioral interventions that incorporate complex walking tasks and other activities of daily living appear to be especially helpful for improving mobility function. Other pharmaceutical interventions, such as oxytocin, and complementary and alternative interventions, such as massage therapy, may enhance physical function both through direct effects on biological mechanisms related to mobility, as well as indirectly through modulation of cognitive and socioemotional processes. Thus, the purpose of the present review is to describe evolving interventional approaches to enhance mobility and maintain healthspan in the growing population of older adults in the United States and countries throughout the world. Such interventions are likely to be greatly assisted by technological advances and the widespread adoption of virtual communications during and after the COVID-19 era.