The researchers who conducted a recently published study using a short breathing protocol to measure heart rate variability (HRV) in a large group of Dutch workers say it’s the first of its kind. "This is the first study," the researchers explained, "to explore a 1-minute paced deep-breathing HRV protocol …

This contributed volume is based on the "European Core Competences Framework for health and social care professionals working with older people" (ECCF), developed and verified in a unique international cooperation between 26 universities and universities of applied sciences in 25 European countries, …

Introduction: Neuromuscular diseases (NMD) are a heterogeneous group of acquired or inherited diseases affecting the peripheral nervous system and muscle mass. The consequences of NMD are loss of muscle mass, function, and posture. Loss of muscle mass causes weakness, a decrease in mobility and cardiac …

The world population is aging, which increases the prevalence of physical limitation and chronic diseases. A major cause of these physical limitation and chronic diseases is a low muscle mass (sarcopenia) and/or a high fat mass (obesity). Coexistence of sarcopenia and obesity, called sarcopenic obesity, …

As the population ages, the risk of becoming malnourished increases. Research has shown that poor oral health can be a risk factor for malnutrition in institutionalized elderly. However, it remains unclear whether oral health problems, edentulousness and health-related quality of life also pose a risk …

In most countries, the demand for integrated care for people with chronic diseases is increasing as the population ages. This demand requires a fundamental shift of health-care systems towards more integrated service delivery models. To achieve this shift in China, the World Health Organization, the …

The instrument called Families Importance in Nursing Care-Nurses' Attitudes (FINC-NA) is used to measure nurses' attitudes toward involving families in their nursing care. The aim of this study is to evaluate the FINC-NA scale in a population of Dutch nurses and add new psychometric information to existing …

Background: Decline in physical activity and functioning is commonly observed in the older population and might be associated with biomarkers such as Advanced Glycation End-products (AGEs). AGEs contribute to age-related decline in the function of cells and tissues in normal aging and have been found …

Chronic low back pain (CLBP) has major public health implications, and underlying mechanisms are still unclear. Sensorimotor incongruence (SMI)—an ongoing mismatch between top-down motor output and predicted sensory feedback—may play a role in the course of chronic nonspecific low back pain. The hypothesis …