Aged Care Insite Issue 105 | Feb-Mar 2018 | Page 8

news Joint effort Best preventive treatment for musculoskeletal problems is physical activity, report finds. A s muscle, bone and joint conditions continue to become more common, new research has found that those suffering from musculoskeletal problems could benefit from a different approach to treatment. The recently released national report was commissioned by MOVE and conducted by PwC, and identifies changes that could improve patient outcomes and treatment costs. According to the report, musculoskeletal conditions such as arthritis, chronic back pain and osteoporosis affect 6.8 million Australians and cost tax payers $55 billion each year. PwC senior partner James van Smeerdijk said the rising figures showed a new approach with less surgery and joint replacements was necessary. “At the moment we are spending billions of dollars, and patients are still not getting the best outcomes,” he said. “If we fund only what works, increase awareness and update our approach to care delivery, it will go a long way towards getting Australians moving.” The report identified the best preventive treatment as physical activity for all ages – whether it be training for a marathon and hitting the gym or a less strenuous activity like gardening or walking to the mailbox. Report recommendations included: movement therapy as first line of care, increase osteoporosis screening, faster referral to specialist services, remove unnecessary interventions, update approach to delivery of care, increase awareness, and fund only what works. Australian Physiotherapy Association chief executive Cris Massis said there were many things people could do to help themselves and reduce the severity of their condition. “Helping people to move, manage pain and maintain a healthy weight will relieve pressure on hospitals and make a real difference to their lives,” he said. To coincide with the release of the report, a national public awareness campaign – #PainfulTruths – was also launched to show why better outcomes are urgently needed for those living with musculoskeletal conditions. More than 700,000 residents had been diagnosed with musculoskeletal conditions since the last report in 2013. ■ Fake sleep may give brain boost Fooling brain into sleep-like activity may prevent cognitive decline. R esearchers investigating how the brain could be made more resistant to age-related decline have found that the key is sleep. Dr Martin Sale, a researcher from the University of Queensland’s School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, said artificially boosting sleep-like brain activity in the elderly could help prevent a decline in brain function. 6 agedcareinsite.com.au “Sleep plays a key role in promoting neuroplasticity – the ability of the brain to re-wire itself – but as sleep quality reduces as we age, our brain function is affected,” Sale said. “Sleep is important in helping to consolidate the changes to brain function that occur while you are awake; for example, if you have a good night’s sleep after studying, you’re much better at remembering the material you learnt for an upcoming exam. “A portion of sleep, the deep part of sleep known as slow wave sleep, assists with strengthening the brain changes required for learning and memory that occur throughout the day. “We would like to artificially cause the relevant brain regions to oscillate at this slow frequency, to mimic slow wave sleep, but when the brain is awake.” Researchers can achieve this by passing a “small alternating electric current” between two parts of the brain, using what is described as a safe and often completely unnoticeable procedure. “In essence we are tricking the brain into thinking it’s asleep to harness the beneficial aspects of sleep even though it’s still awake,” Sale said. “Approximately 50 per cent of adults complain of difficulty sleeping and approximately 20 per cent of adults aged over 65 have some form of cognitive impairment.” University of Queensland researchers are looking for healthy right-handed elderly participants aged over 65 years to participate in the study. For information on participating and to find out more, email Dr Martin Sale at [email protected]. ■