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Background In Poland average life expectancy extends, while the number of the elderly who are active in the labor market decreases. Material and Methods The study population consisted of 429 people aged 50–70 years old living in the community of south-eastern Poland. The respondents were divided into 2 study groups: group I – late middle age (50–60 years old) and group II – early old age (61–70 years old). With the use of questionnaires they were given, we obtained their socio-demographic data, assessed their cognitive and emotional state, as their physical activity levels. We used the Tinetti test to assess their gait and balance. Results We did not find statistically significant difference in cognitive functioning between the studied groups (p = 0.109). Moreover, there was no significant relationship between belonging to an age group and suffering from depression (p = 0.06) as well as no major differences were observed in the general level of physical activity in relation to age (p = 0.112). Our study found that most of our subjects, regardless of gender, declared their willingness to continue professional work after reaching retirement age. Conclusions The results of own research did not show significant differences in psychophysical state between people in late middle age and at the beginning of old age. Most of the researched participants declared their willingness to continue professional work. Due to changing demographic conditions, it is becoming an important issue to maintain the highest possible level of professional activity of older people in the labor market in Poland. Med Pr 2018;69(4):375–381

Introduction and objective Cognitive functioning disorders are a common problem associated with the aging process. One of the non-pharmacological therapeutic methods used in attempts at improvement the cognitive functioning of the elderly is neurofeedback. The aim of the work was to conduct a review of the latest research on the effectiveness of the use of the neurofeedback method in cognitive training of older people. Brief description of the state of knowledge Based on a review of literature from 2013–2018 concerning the use of the neurofeedback method in the cognitive training of the elderly, 7 items qualified for the analysis. In the majority of them, the training included persons without diagnosed cognitive impairment. Positive influence on cognitive functions was dependent on the training protocol used; however, the most frequent changes were observed in the range of particular memory functions. In most studies, it was shown that the use of the neurofeedback method in cognitive training is associated with changes in the EEG record of older people. Conclusions The results of the conducted analysis indicate a potential of the neurofeedback method in the therapy of cognitive functions of the elderly. It was found that better therapeutic effects were achieved in patients whose cognitive state enabled fully active participation in the training. However, large discrepancies in the training protocols used, and the small number of publications meeting the inclusion criteria, suggest the need for further research, in particular regarding the observation of the long-term effects of the training procedures used.

Background The increasing number of people receiving benefits due to incapacity for work is a heavy burden for the state budget. In order to reduce the scale of this phenomenon, the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) carries out a rehabilitation program as part of disability pension prevention. Material and Methods The study was based on the analysis of medical documentation of 607 patients rehabilitated at the Saint Queen Jadwiga’s Regional Clinical Hospital No. 2 in Rzeszow, as part of the ZUS prevention of disability pension program in 2011−2013. Medical documentation included the medical history and results of the Functional Test recommended by ZUS. Two years after the completion of rehabilitation, a telephone check was conducted among 118 rehabilitated patients to assess their occupational status. Results The analysis of the Functional Test documentation showed that in all groups of wykorzystująpatients included in the rehabilitation program, as well as those among whom the control was carried out, the majority were people with post-exercise pain, full physical fitness, slight mobility limitation, full efficiency in everyday activities, correct strength of muscles and moving abilities, as well as normal psychosocial efficiency. The vast majority of them received a recommendation regarding work in a properly-adjusted position. It was shown that in the 2-year observation period, the percentage of professionally active people increased from 56% to 61.02%. Conclusions The most important factors determining the return to work include psychosocial efficiency and the level of pain. Med Pr. 2019;70(4):459–73