The high prevalence of falls and the enormous impact they have on the elderly population is a cause for concern. We aimed to develop a walking-monitor gait pattern (G-STRIDE) for older adults based on a 6-axis inertial measurement (IMU) with the application of pedestrian dead reckoning algorithms and tested its structural and clinical validity. A cross-sectional case–control study was conducted with 21 participants (11 fallers and 10 non-fallers). We measured gait using an IMU attached to the foot while participants walked around different grounds (indoor flooring, outdoor floor, asphalt, etc.). The G-STRIDE consisted of a portable inertial device that monitored the gait pattern and a mobile app for telematic clinical analysis. G-STRIDE made it possible to measure gait parameters under normal living conditions when walking without assessing the patient in the outpatient clinic. Moreover, we verified concurrent validity with convectional outcome measures using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and analyzed the differences between participants. G-STRIDE showed high estimation accuracy for the walking speed of the elderly and good concurrent validity compared to conventional measures (ICC = 0.69; p < 0.000). In conclusion, the developed inertial-based G-STRIDE can accurately classify older people with risk to fall with a significance as high as using traditional but more subjective clinical methods (gait speed, Timed Up and Go Test).

The aims of this study were to assess the functional level of women with fibromyalgia; to investigate the differences in the occupational activities between women with fibromyalgia and healthy women; and to analyse the perceived importance of occupational performance during self‐care, productivity and leisure activities. A cross‐sectional case control study was performed. Twenty women with fibromyalgia and 20 healthy women completed the Functional Independence Measure (FIM), the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM), a Numerical Pain Rating Scale, the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire and the SF‐36 health survey. The Chi‐square test (χ2), the Student's t test and the Spearman's test were used on the data. The FIM revealed significant differences regarding several activities: personal hygiene, bathing and memory (p < 0.01). The COPM scores did not reveal significant differences between groups (p > 0.10). Women with fibromyalgia had higher disability and reduced quality of life and required greater assistance to perform specific activities of daily living, i.e. hygiene, than healthy women. This highlights the specific occupational therapy needs these women have for performing many basic activities and for improving their quality of life. Limitations of the study include the small sample size, the exclusion of male participants and the possible influence of the women's psychological status on the assessments performed. Findings should be generalized with caution. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

OBJECTIVE. The authors conducted a systematic review of theoretical models, professional practice, and research findings to understand occupational therapy’s role in the treatment of addiction. METHOD. PubMed, Academic Search Premier, CINAHL, ERIC, OTseeker, and Google Scholar were searched to identify scientific journal articles, book chapters, or any other similar literature published from 1970 through July 2015 that addressed theoretical approaches, intervention models, and professional roles or were qualitative or quantitative studies in which occupational therapy had a central role. RESULTS. The literature search yielded 16 theoretical and professional role studies, 8 qualitative studies, and 14 quantitative studies. All studies had low levels of evidence, and all were case series, sometimes with very small samples. CONCLUSION. Although occupational therapy has been involved in the treatment of people with substance addiction and, more recently, with behavioral addictions for more than half a century, the research that has been published is poor.

Objectives: Our aims were (1) to compare the sensory organisation of balance control and balance strategies between women with fibromyalgia (FM) and healthy women; (2) to investigate which sensory component, that is, vestibular, visual or somato-sensory, is the most affected in FM and (3) to determine the associations between the functional independence measure (FIM) and balance responses in FM. Design: Cross-sectional observational study. Setting: Urban regional hospital and university (Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain). Participants: Twenty women with FM and 20 matched healthy women. Primary/secondary outcome measures: The sensory organisation test (SOT) was used to determine postural sway and balance during six different conditions with subjects in a standing position. The FIM was used to determine the level of functional independence in daily life activities (ADL). Between-group differences were analysed with analysis of covariance, and the Spearman's test was used for correlations. Results: Significant differences between-groups and between-conditions were found for all SOT conditions (all, p<0.001): women with FM showed lower scores being the vestibular score the most affected. Different correlations between SOT conditions and some specific ADL were observed in the FM group: bathing activity and balance condition 6 (r _s =0.541; p<0.001), bed transfers activity and conditions 2 (r _s =0.491; p<0.001) and 3 (r _s =0.510; p<0.001), positioning strategy six and dressing the upper (r _s =0.530; p<0.001) or lower (r _s =0.562; p<0.001) body, and toileting (r _s =0.521; p<0.001): the greater the loss of balance, the greater the interference on some daily life activities. Conclusions: Women with FM exhibited balance deficiencies and used different strategies for maintaining their balance in standing, which was associated with a negative impact on functional independence.

The Activity Card Sort (ACS) measures the level of participation, as perceived by each person which, unlike other scales, makes it both personal and significant. However, there is a limitation to applying the ACS to Spanish older adults as it is restricted to culturally relevant activities solely in the United States. Therefore, the aim of this study was to select activity items that reflected Spanish older adults’ lifestyles in order to develop the Activity Card Sort-Spain Version (ACS-SP). Frequently, activities performed in Spain (n=103) were listed in an initial draft. The Likert scale was administrated to a large group of Spanish nationals over the age of 60 years (n=98) to establish which type of activities will be eventually included in the Spanish version. The final version was drawn up comprising 79 activities distributed between four performance areas. In addition, other activities that were not previously included by other assessment tools were considered and have been listed in this review, such as taking a nap, going out for a drink or “tapas,” or searching for a job. The gradual adaptation to ACS for Spaniards will make it possible to measure the level of an individual’s participation within a community. However, further work on psychometric properties is needed.