Wheelchair dependence in patients with dementia: Focus on kinematic gait analysis using simple wearable accelerometers and gyroscopes

ABSTRACT

Falls, wheelchair dependence, and bedridden status are the results of reduced mobility in the mid-late course of dementia. Kinematic gait analysis for patients with dementia is lacking because practically setting sensors on their bodies is particularly difficult. We analyzed the parameters of kinematic gait analysis that are related to the risks of wheelchair dependence in patients with dementia using wearable accelerometers and gyroscopes for detecting 3-dimensional physical movements. We collected data from 34 patients with dementia regarding demographics, cognitive function, CT scan findings, medications, and gait analysis parameters. The patients were followed up for 6 months. We compared data between dementia patients with and without wheelchair dependence by t-test or Fisher’s exact test, multiple comparison, and simple logistic regression analysis for wheelchair dependence by gait analysis parameters. Eleven patients became wheelchair-dependent during the 6 months. The score on the clinical dementia rating scale was significantly higher and the hip extensor angle in walking was significantly lower in patients with dementia with wheelchair dependence than in those without. The severity of dementia and the lower angle of the hip extensor during walking may indicate the necessity of a wheelchair for patients with this disease.

KEYWORDS:

• dementia
• falls
• gait analysis
• gait disorder
• wearable devices

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Authors’ contributions

Y.C. is a registered physician from the Japanese Society of dementia, registered psychiatrist from the Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology, government registered psychiatrist, and visiting lecturer at Yokohama City University.

A.K. is a registered psychiatrist from the Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology, and a government registered psychiatrist,

N.N. is a psychiatrist’s trainee.

Both A.Y. and A.S are registered psychiatrists from the Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology, government registered psychiatrists, and lecturers at Yokohama City University.

A.H. is a registered psychiatrist from the Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology, a government registered psychiatrist, and chief professor at Yokohama City University.

A.K. is a registered psychiatrist from the Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology, a government registered psychiatrist, and director at Sekiaikai Yokohama Maioka Hospital.

Geolocation information

The investigation was performed in Yokohama, Japan.

Ethics approval (include appropriate approvals or waivers)

This study was approved by the institutional review board at Yokohama Maioka Hospital (Totsuka Yokohama, Japan). This study was registered in the Japanese University Hospital Medical Information Network Center Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN-CTR), UMIN000035826.

Additional information

Funding

This study is not specifically funded by public, commercial, or non-profit sector funding agencies. Moff Band and Moff Soku were obtained from Mitsubishi Research Institute, and Moff, Inc. for free for research purposes.