How having a positive attitude could help older people recover from injuries faster
A new study suggests that a 'positive attitude' towards ageing could aid recovery after sustaining injuries in a fall.
Falls among older adults are a significant public health issue, prompting researchers from Imperial College London and Coventry University to investigate whether "mindsets around ageing" could lessen their impact.
The study involved 694 individuals in England aged 60 to 90 who had not experienced a fall in the two years prior. Researchers analysed data on falls alongside survey responses gauging participants' beliefs and attitudes about ageing.
Factors such as walking pace, activity levels, and the need for assistance with daily tasks like dressing or bathing after a fall were also assessed.
The findings indicate that those with more positive perceptions of ageing – for example, believing that ageing did not hinder their ability to do what they wanted – tended to recover better after a fall.
'We found that older individuals who had more positive self-perceptions of ageing at baseline were better protected against negative physical consequences following a fall,' they wrote in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
People who had the highest possible score on the 'self-perceptions of ageing' measurements – or having the most positive mindset about ageing – had 162% lower odds of showing slow walking speed, 200% lower odds of being dependent on others to perform daily living activities and were 123% less likely to be inactive following a fall, compared to those who were not positive about ageing.
Study co-lead Dr Toby Ellmers, from Imperial College London's Department of Brain Sciences, said: 'Those who expressed more positive feelings about their own ageing seemed to be protected against worse physical consequences after a fall.
'There was substantial difference in the rate of physical recovery in the people we studied, and this seemed to be linked to their initial beliefs about growing older.
'Our results suggest that changing the way that some older people view their ageing process could play a key role in improving recovery and wellbeing.
'It's even possible that simple 'tweaks' to help people develop a more positive mindset around ageing, such as having discussions with a friend or relative about the positives associated with ageing, could help.
'This is something we are very keen to explore in future research.'
Study co-lead Dr Mathew Hill, from Coventry University's Research Centre for Physical Activity, Sport and Exercise Sciences, added: 'Although we knew from previous research that negative mindsets and beliefs about ageing are associated with increased risk of negative health outcomes, such as stroke and mortality, this is the first research linking these specifically to physical recovery after a fall.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Mosquito colony feeds on blood from scientist's arm
Dr Véronique Paris has a hands-on approach to her research — she lets hundreds of mosquitoes bite her arm in order to feed and maintain her mosquito lab. Paris helps research mosquito-borne diseases. 'We have people working on mosquitoes here that don't feed their own colonies, there will always be volunteers around that can do that, so no one has to feed mosquitos if they don't want to and that's totally fine," Paris says
Times
2 hours ago
- Times
My child with cancer goes to private school … so he can't learn in hospital
Councillors have been accused of 'bashing' private schools that refuse to provide lessons for their pupils when they are ill in hospital for months with cancer. Parents who pay for education have described how their children are prevented from joining state-school patients in the ward classroom at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh. Privately educated children with cancer, and other serious conditions, are excluded from the hospital teaching service unless a fee of £115 per hour — more than double the typical cost of cover teachers or home tuition — is paid by the families or their schools. In an escalating row Edinburgh city council has written to all private schools in the capital to remind them of this situation. The council is also writing to the Scottish government, asking if it plans to review its guidance on the matter, which the city claims to be following.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
The simple blood test that can predict Alzheimer's decline
Alzheimer 's decline could be predicted with a simple blood test already offered to those at risk of type 2 diabetes. The disease is the most common type of dementia, with symptoms including confusion, speech and language issues, problems with moving around and behaviour changes. Around a million people in the UK are living with dementia, but that figure is projected to rise to 1.4 million by 2040, Alzheimer's UK warns. There is currently no cure for the disease nor any definitive way to predict how quickly it will progress, only medicines to help relieve some of the symptoms. However, research presented at the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) Congress 2025 suggests a blood test used to detect insulin resistance could also identify patients at a high risk of cognitive decline. Neurologists at the University of Brescia, in Italy, analysed data from 315 non-diabetic patients with cognitive deficits – that included 200 people with Alzheimer's disease. All participants were tested for insulin resistance using the triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index – a low-cost, widely available marker calculated from standard blood test. They were then followed up three years later. Participants were divided into groups of varying cognitive impairment and also separated according to their insulin resistance score. Among those with mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's, individuals with the highest TyG scores declined four times faster than those with lower TyG levels – but this link was not seen in the group with cognitive impairment not caused by Alzheimer's. 'Once mild cognitive impairment is diagnosed, families always ask how fast it will progress,' said lead investigator Dr Bianca Gumina. 'Our data show that a simple metabolic marker available in every hospital laboratory can help identify more vulnerable subjects who may be suitable candidates for targeted therapy or specific intervention strategies.' It's believed insulin resistance impairs glucose uptake in the brain, which means it is less active. This can lead to increased inflammation in the brain disrupting the blood-brain barrier and contributing to amyloid build-up – a protein that can form toxic plaques in the brain - all of which are linked with the progression of Alzheimer's disease. While inflammation is the body's defence mechanism which responds to damage and infection to keep us healthy, too much of a good thing can have consequences, Alzheimer's Research explains. When these toxic proteins build up in people with Alzheimer's, the brain fights back with an inflammatory response to keep the damage at bay. But this is thought to cause more damage. 'We were surprised to see the effect only in the Alzheimer's spectrum and not in other neurodegenerative diseases', Dr Gumina noted. She suggested it highlights that there is a 'disease-specific vulnerability' to insulin resistance and interventions could change the trajectory of the disease. Researchers also found high insulin resistance was associated with blood–brain barrier disruption and cardiovascular risk factors, but these were not associated with increased risk of Alzheimer's progression. It's hoped these findings could help detect Alzheimer's patients who are at a high-risk of cognitive decline early and enrol them in more targeted clinical trials – such as anti-amyloid trials. This blood test could also be used to make timely interventions to improve their insulin sensitivity. 'If targeting metabolism can delay progression, we will have a readily modifiable target that works alongside emerging disease-modifying drugs', concluded Dr Gumina. The researchers are currently investigating whether levels of insulin resistance also track with neuroimaging biomarkers- brain scans which indicate the structure, function and chemistry of the organ as well as diagnosing neurological conditions.
