Grip strength (GS) is widely used in various fields such as sports, rehabilitation, and geriatrics to assess muscle strength, and to diagnose sarcopenia and frailty in older adults. There is a potential for measurement differences among different dynamometers available, and studies comparing GS measurements by variable tools have conflicting results. The two most frequently used dynamometers are the Jamar hydraulic (Jamar) and spring-type hand grip dynamometers, and Jamar has not been compared to Jamar PLUS+ Digital (Jamar+) dynamometer in older adults. So, we aimed to assess GS measurements with the Jamar as the reference standard against Jamar+, and spring-type Takei T.KK. 5401 (Takei) digital dynamometers. One hundred and ten outpatients aged >60 years were included. Inter-instrumental reliability was determined. The differences between dynamometers were evaluated by Bland–Altman plots and measurement error. The measurements with Jamar+, and Takei dynamometers were reliable and valid regarding the Jamar dynamometer. Takei and Jamar+ dynamometers overestimated GS over the Jamar dynamometer. Though the differences in the measured values might be disregarded in clinical practice, individuals defined to have low GS varied by the use of different dynamometers. Grip strength better be measured by the same dynamometer in serial measurements of older individuals.

Aim: Sarcopenia as a geriatric syndrome decreases quality of life and increases functional dependency, hospitalization and mortality. The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of sarcopenia among community-dwelling people aged 65 years and older in Muş province and to examine its effects on quality of life. Materials and Methods: In this study we have interviewed 371 community-dwelling older adults. A total of 186 older adults from the rural area and 185 older adults from Muş city center were enrolled in the study. Data was collected through face-to-face interviews conducted in the participants’ homes by trained researchers. The presence of sarcopenia, socio-demographic characteristics (place of residence, gender, age), presence of chronic diseases, polypharmacy, body mass index, and quality of life with Short Form-36 were determined. Muscle mass, handgrip strength and gait speed were determined for defining sarcopenia. Results: The mean age of participants was 72.3 ± 6.8 years (65-100) and 46.1% of them were females. The prevalence of sarcopenia was 11.8% among older people residing in the rural area whereas the prevalence was 21.6% among older individuals living in the city center (p = 0.012). Sarcopenic patients were older, more underweight, hypertensive, and had lower calf circumference, gait speed, and grip strength in males than non-sarcopenic patients (p

Introduction: This study aimed to compare the prognostic values of Edmonton Frail Scale and Clinical Frailty Scale in the emergency department and determine their suitability for patient management. Materials and Method: This study was conducted as a single-center prospective observational study. Patients aged 65 and older who presented to the emergency department were included. Clinical Frailty Scale and Edmonton Frail Scale scores, the emergency department outcomes, length of stay in the emergency department, 30-day mortality, and 30-day readmission data of the patients were recorded. ROC analysis was performed to examine the predictive values on outcomes. DeLong Test was used to compare the predictive values. Results: This study included 400 patients. Intensive care unit admission was significantly more frequent in the frail group according to both Edmonton Frail Scale and Clinical Frailty Scale. The length of stay in the emergency department was significantly longer in the frail group in both classifications. The mortality rate was significantly higher in the frail group in both classifications. The optimal cut off value for predicting mortality was found to be 9 for Edmonton Frail Scale and 7 for Clinical Frailty Scale. There was no significant difference between the predictive values of two scales. Conclusion: We found that two frail scales have good predictive values for adverse outcomes, such as mortality and the need for Intensive care unit admission in the emergency department. We believe that both scores would be valuable in guiding decisions for the emergency department usage due to their similar predictive values. Keywords: Geriatrics; Emergency Service; Hospital; Frailty; Frail Elderly; Mortality.

Düşmeler yaşlılarda sık karşılaşılan önemli geriatrik sorunlar arasında yer almaktadır. Düşme; bireyin bulunduğu yerden, dengesini yitirerek yukardan aşağıya inmesi olarak tanımlanmaktadır. Yaşlı bireylerde kapsamlı geriatrik değerlendirme yapılması büyük önem taşımaktadır. Sağlık personellerinde yaşlı bireylerin maruz kaldığı düşmelerin yaşlılığa bağlı gerçekleşen bir durum olmadığı konusunda farkındalık geliştirilmelidir. Yaşlılarda düşme risk faktörleri; ileri yaş, bilişsel ve duyusal bozukluklar, alt ekstremitelerde güç kaybı, yürüme ve denge sorunları, düşme öyküsü, çoklu ilaç kullanımı ve çevresel etkenler değerlendirilmesi önem taşıyan durumlardır. Düşme riskleri değerlendirilirken farklı ölçekler kullanılmaktadır. Düşmelerin önlenmesine yönelik koruyucu önlemlerin alınması büyük önem taşımaktadır.

Aim: Our study aims to investigate factors associated with health literacy and diabetes burden and the relationship between health literacy and diabetes burden in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Materials and Methods: This descriptive study included 124 elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who applied to the endocrinology and metabolic diseases outpatient clinic of a university hospital between January 2019 and June 2019. All the patients met the inclusion criteria. Sociodemographic characteristics and health information form, Health Literacy Scale, and Elderly Diabetes Burden Scale were used as research tools in the study. Results: 54% of the participants were women, and 76.6% were aged 65-74. A statistically significant difference was found in the total health literacy scores of the patients in terms of educational level, health status, income status, presence of chronic complications, presence of retinopathy, and nephropathy. A statistically significant difference was also found in the total scores of the Elderly Diabetes Burden Scale in terms of gender, educational level, health status, presence of other chronic diseases, duration of diabetes, types of diabetes treatment, presence of chronic complications, presence of retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy, and coronary artery disease. According to Spearman’s correlation coefficient analysis, a moderate negative correlation was found between the patients’ Health Literacy total score and Elderly Diabetes Burden Scale total score. Conclusion: In our study, it was determined that the burden of diabetes decreased as health literacy increased. Health professionals should focus on improving health literacy so that elderly diabetic patients can lead a more comfortable life, increase their ability to cope and adapt to the disease, and reduce the burden of diabetes.