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Copyright of PM & R: Journal of Injury, Function & Rehabilitation is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: Drawing from self-determination theory (SDT), the present study examined the relationship between motivation and eudaimonic well-being in the sport context. Method: The association between motivation and eudaimonic well-being was assessed using a latent variable model through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Three hundred ninety-nine athletes (Mage = 25.08, SD = 7.35) from 15 different individual and team sports completed a questionnaire package. Results: Results indicated that integrated and identified regulations positively predicted athletes' eudaimonic well-being. External regulation was also a positive predictor of eudaimonic well-being, while introjected regulation and amotivation negatively predicted athletes' eudaimonic well-being. Finally, athletes' intrinsic motivation did not significantly predict their eudaimonic well-being. Conclusions: Results highlight the complex link between different types of sport motivation and athletes' well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Research suggests healthcare professionals feel uncomfortable or inadequately prepared to provide care to people living with dementia. Importantly, research on the attitudes of physiotherapists toward people with dementia is limited. The objective was to assess personal, educational, and clinical experiences on physiotherapists' attitudes toward working with people with dementia. Methods: An online survey was completed by registered physiotherapists. Data were collected on their dementia knowledge, confidence, and attitudes. Structural equation modeling (SEM) evaluated the factors associated with attitudes of physiotherapists. Results: A total of 231 physiotherapists completed the survey. Participants' scores on knowledge of dementia were excellent. Interactions with people with dementia were positive (67.4%) and access to rehabilitation was important (70.4%). However, most respondents reported a lack of confidence and strategies to successfully deal with cognitive (42.5%) or behavioral (58.3%) symptoms. In the SEM, only education (p =.048) was significantly related to attitude. Specifically, more education was related to more positive attitudes. Conclusions: Scores on knowledge of dementia were high. Yet, most respondents reported reduced confidence from a lack of skills to manage behavioral or cognitive symptoms associated with dementia. More education related to working with people with dementia was significantly related to positive attitudes among physiotherapists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Walking aids are often introduced to older adults to enable independent mobility. Single‐point canes are the most common device used. Benefits are tempered by research suggesting that walking aids increase fall risk. A better understanding of the effect of walking aid use on gait performance is required. Objective: To evaluate differences in the effect of initial single‐point cane use on gait between younger (YAs) and older adults (OAs). Design Cross‐sectional. Setting: Community‐dwelling. Participants: Twenty‐six YAs (mean age ± standard deviation [SD]: 23.7 ± 2.8 years) and 25 OAs (mean age ± SD: 70.8 ± 14.1 years) participated. Inclusion criteria were 18 to 35 years of age for YAs or ≥50 years for OAs, be able to ambulate unassisted, and without any condition affecting mobility. Interventions: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measure(s): Gait velocity and stride time variability under different walking path configurations (straight path, Groningen Meander Walking Test, Figure‐of‐8 Walk Test) and conditions (unassisted walking, walking with a single‐point cane, and walking with a single‐point cane while completing a cognitive task) were recorded in a laboratory. The arithmetic task of subtracting 1s from 100 was used as the secondary cognitive task. Data analysis included separate three‐way mixed analyses of variance (ANOVAs; path/condition/group). Results: There was a statistically significant two‐way interaction between walking path and condition for velocity (P <.001, ω2 = 0.03) and stride time variability (P =.032, ω2 = 0.02). In addition, a significant main effect of group was also observed (velocity: P =.004, ω2 = 0.07; stride time variability: P =.001, ω2 = 0.09). Conclusions: Using a single‐point cane decreased velocity and increased stride time variability in both YAs and OAs. However, the cognitive load and effect on gait of initial cane use was not different between age groups. Standardized guidelines aimed at facilitating a clientʼs transition toward the safe use of a walking aid are needed. Future research should evaluate if training can mitigate some of the adverse changes to gait stability observed with initial walking aid use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Cognitive deficits and gait and balance problems are progressive in people with Alzheimer's dementia. Yet, mobility aids are associated with an increased falls risk in people with dementia. Our objectives were to identify the perceptions of people living with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's dementia, and their caregivers, on the use of mobility aids. Methods: A qualitative study using semi-structured, face-to-face interviews was conducted. Communitydwelling older adults with dementia attending a day hospital program were recruited. Thematic analysis was conducted and the text was coded into broad themes aligned with the research questions. The coded text was examined for patterns and similarities, and grouped to form inductive themes. Results: Twenty-four people (12 living with dementia and their 12 caregivers) participated. Five themes were identified: (1) acknowledgement of need; (2) protecting a sense of self; (3) caregiver oversight and relief of burden; (4) healthcare professional involvement; (5) environment and design of aids. Conclusions: The findings suggest that people with Alzheimer's dementia and their caregivers regard mobility aid use as increasing independence. There is a role for healthcare professionals to be involved in the prescription, provision and training for use of mobility aids among people living with dementia to ensure uptake and safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The 4-wheeled walker is intended to enhance balance and gait for older adults. Yet, some research suggests that walking aids increase falls risk. An understanding of the influence of age with walker use on gait performance is required., Objective: To examine the effect of initial 4-wheeled walker use on spatiotemporal gait parameters between younger and older adults., Design: Cross-sectional, repeated-measures., Setting: Community-dwelling., Participants: Twenty-five younger (age: 26.5 ± 4.1 years) and 24 older (age: 68.5 ± 10.5 years) adults participated. Younger adults were aged 18 to 35 years, whereas older adults were 50 years or older. Included were people not requiring the use of a walking aid, and those able to converse in English., Interventions: Not applicable., Main Outcome Measure(s): Gait velocity and stride time variability were recorded using accelerometers. Gait was examined under three conditions: unassisted walking; walking with a 4-wheeled walker; and walking with a 4-wheeled walker while completing a secondary task. Conditions were performed across two walking paths: straight and figure-of-8 Walk Test. Separate mixed-methods analyses of variance (ANOVAs; within-subject: condition/path; between-subject: group) were used for statistical analyses., Results: Velocity was lower when walking using a walker while completing a cognitive task (p < .001), in the figure-of-8 Walk Test (p < .001), and in older adults (p = .001). Stride time variability increased with walking path and condition difficulty (p < .001) for the straight path versus the figure-of-8 Walk Test., Conclusions: Using a 4-wheeled walker resulted in a slower and more inconsistent gait pattern across both age groups. Walking more complex configurations resulted in the prioritization of gait over the cognitive task while performing the dual-task conditions. No evidence of an age-related difference in the effect of initial walker use on gait was observed. Nonetheless, walkers are cognitively demanding and their introduction should warrant a clinical follow-up., (© 2021 American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.)

Background: Walking aids are often introduced to older adults to enable independent mobility. Single-point canes are the most common device used. Benefits are tempered by research suggesting that walking aids increase fall risk. A better understanding of the effect of walking aid use on gait performance is required., Objective: To evaluate differences in the effect of initial single-point cane use on gait between younger (YAs) and older adults (OAs)., Design: Cross-sectional., Setting: Community-dwelling., Participants: Twenty-six YAs (mean age ± standard deviation [SD]: 23.7 ± 2.8 years) and 25 OAs (mean age ± SD: 70.8 ± 14.1 years) participated. Inclusion criteria were 18 to 35 years of age for YAs or ≥50 years for OAs, be able to ambulate unassisted, and without any condition affecting mobility., Interventions: Not applicable., Main Outcome Measure(s): Gait velocity and stride time variability under different walking path configurations (straight path, Groningen Meander Walking Test, Figure-of-8 Walk Test) and conditions (unassisted walking, walking with a single-point cane, and walking with a single-point cane while completing a cognitive task) were recorded in a laboratory. The arithmetic task of subtracting 1s from 100 was used as the secondary cognitive task. Data analysis included separate three-way mixed analyses of variance (ANOVAs; path/condition/group)., Results: There was a statistically significant two-way interaction between walking path and condition for velocity (P < .001, ω 2  = 0.03) and stride time variability (P = .032, ω 2  = 0.02). In addition, a significant main effect of group was also observed (velocity: P = .004, ω 2  = 0.07; stride time variability: P = .001, ω 2  = 0.09)., Conclusions: Using a single-point cane decreased velocity and increased stride time variability in both YAs and OAs. However, the cognitive load and effect on gait of initial cane use was not different between age groups. Standardized guidelines aimed at facilitating a client's transition toward the safe use of a walking aid are needed. Future research should evaluate if training can mitigate some of the adverse changes to gait stability observed with initial walking aid use., (© 2021 American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.)