JMIR Aging

The health and economic burden of dementia has led the World Health Organization to recognize it as a public health priority. Although there currently does not exist a cure for dementia, there are multiple interventions aimed at preventing the risk of dementia and improving the quality of life of people with dementia. Voice assistants (VAs), particularly those using large language models (LLMs), have emerged as promising tools to deliver these interventions to older adults due to their accessible and natural interface.

Baseline sarcopenia has been linked to cognitive decline in older adults; however, the impact of longitudinal changes in sarcopenia status on cognitive trajectories remains unclear.

Research on the effects of social and intellectual activities on frailty remains limited. This study aims to investigate the relationship between social and intellectual activities and frailty trajectories in the middle-aged and older Chinese population.

The rapid advancement of digital technologies has profoundly transformed communication practices. However, this technological revolution has also led to "digital isolation," a form of social disconnection caused by limited or absent engagement with digital communication tools, including smartphones, computers, email, and the internet. This issue is particularly concerning for older adults, as it may increase their likelihood of developing mental health disorders, with depression being a primary concern. Although digital isolation has been studied less frequently than traditional social isolation, it may be a significant contributor to both the initiation and progression of depression in this population.

Cognitive decline is a common aspect of aging, and identifying modifiable lifestyle factors, such as physical activity and sleep, is crucial for promoting healthy brain aging. While both are individually linked to cognition, few studies have simultaneously assessed their independent and combined effects using objective wearable-based data, particularly in older Asian populations.

Spatial navigation impairment is prevalent in people with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and may appear in its initial clinical stage. To detect this deficit in people at risk may not only help to prevent them from getting lost or going missing, but also provide a useful clinical aid to accurate diagnosis. Traditional assessments for spatial navigation impairment include questionnaires, paper pencil and maze tests, or video games. While a real-world setting is more valid, direct, and accurate, it is plagued by unpredictable conditions such as weather, obstacles, or accidents. Thanks to modern technology, virtual reality (VR) offers a new way to test spatial navigation impairment.

Knowledge about how older adults walk is crucial for effective prevention and treatment of various mobility issues, as well as treatment evaluation, but is to date largely limited to lab-based measurements. Although this provides relevant information about what older adults can do under standardized conditions, it does not give insight into how they actually walk in their daily life, a gap that needs to be addressed urgently.

The medication management process in Resident Care Homes for the Elderly (RCHEs) is complex and can be labor intensive. In 2019, a non-government organization led by pharmacists with special interest in informatics developed the SafeMed Medication Management System (SMMS®), which is a digital web-based system that integrates electronic medical profiles and medication profiles to revamp the traditional manual medication management process in RCHEs in Hong Kong.

Apathy is common among older adults residing in long-term care (LTC) and impairs quality of life for both older adults and care providers. Few pharmacological remedies exist, and nonpharmacologic approaches that engage those with apathy require extensive personnel time. Thus, technological approaches have been encouraged, including virtual reality (VR) and socially assistive robots (SAR). Despite a growing interest in their use, input from older adults and staff is often absent in their design. Involving older adults in the development of interactive health technologies is necessary to enhance the functionality, usability, and likelihood of promoting the intended health outcomes.

Virtual reality (VR) technology is increasingly applied in aging-related research. While existing bibliometric studies have focused on specific applications, such as older adults' acceptance of VR and its use in cognitive rehabilitation, no comprehensive mapping of the global research landscape on VR for older populations has been conducted. This study fills this gap by providing a holistic bibliometric and thematic analysis of VR applications in older adults, mapping research trends, intellectual structures, and emerging frontiers.

Frailty screening for older adults is of particular importance for those with declining health and social risk factors. However, numerous screening tools developed to assess frailty currently available do not offer automated appraisal in the clinical setting largely due to the challenges of data collection and the complexity of existing approaches. Thus, further adjustment and adaptation are required to correctly identify frailty. Although routine frailty screening is sporadic and inconsistently implemented, elements of frailty are captured in the electronic health record (EHR) from hospital admissions data.

Research has revealed potential links between specific dietary habits and accelerated aging. However, most studies focus only on singular diets or lack ethnic diversity.