Mental health of homebound older adults in China

Introduction Bereavement is common in older adults, but it remains unknown whether bereavement contributes to poor outcomes in the vulnerable population of older adults receiving home-based services. We examine whether recent bereavement was associated with worse physical or mental health, presence of abuse or neglect, and financial strain. Research Design Cross-sectional analyses of an assessment of functional and social vulnerabilities collected by the New York City Department for the Aging (DFTA), the largest Area Agency on Aging in New York. Assessments were completed on 5,576 New York City Department for the Aging long-term care program, recipients aged ≥60 who received services in 2012. Assessment also collected data on partner or child death in the last year. Results Logistic regression indicated that the recently bereaved were more likely than the nonbereaved to report both depression symptoms and financial strain. Conclusion Enhanced efforts to identify and address mental health and financial concerns in bereaved homebound older adults may be warranted.

Download Full-text

Integrating Mental Health Parity for Homebound Older Adults Under the Medicare Home Health Care Benefit

Journal of Gerontological Social Work ◽

10.1080/01634372.2010.540075 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 54 (3) ◽

pp. 309-324 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Joan K. Davitt ◽

Zvi D. Gellis

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Older Adults ◽

Health Care ◽

Home Health Care ◽

Home Health ◽

Mental Health Parity ◽

Health Care Benefit ◽

Homebound Older Adults

Download Full-text

Recruitment of Hard-to-Reach Older Adults in Technology-Based Mental Health Services Studies: Lessons Learned

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.1328 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 412-412

Author(s):

Patrick Ho Lam Lai ◽

Xiaoling Xiang ◽

Yihang Sun ◽

Joseph Himle ◽

Ho Lam Lai

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Older Adults ◽

Mental Health Services ◽

Health Services ◽

Mental Health Treatment ◽

Behavioral Interventions ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Services Research ◽

Mental Health Treatments ◽

Homebound Older Adults

Abstract Homebound older adults are a hard-to-reach population with a high burden of depression and face substantial access barriers to mental health treatments. Internet-based psychotherapy is a promising strategy to address this persistent treatment gap, but older adults are severely underrepresented in internet-based psychotherapy trials. One challenge to advance this area of research and practice is the recruitment and retention of homebound older adults in clinical trials. Previous research has discussed the challenges of recruiting older adults in behavioral interventions and offered useful recommendations. However, recruiting homebound older adults, who face substantial mobility barriers, poses additional challenges not fully addressed in the literature. The expectation of using technology adds another layer of difficulty. In this presentation, we will discuss our group’s experiences working with community partners to recruit and retain homebound older adults for a study on technology-based mental health treatment. We partnered with home care agencies, senior apartment buildings, and Meals-on-Wheels and experimented with a few different ways to recruit study participants. Issues related to accessibility, trust, and stigma emerged as important considerations when designing recruitment strategies and materials. The discussion will be an integration of our experiences and a review of previous literature on the challenges and recommendations for recruiting older adults in mental health services research.

Download Full-text

Mental Health of Homebound Older Adults in China: The Moderating Effect of Loneliness

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.313 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 95-95

Author(s):

Tao Chen ◽

Shuangshuang Wang ◽

Nengliang (Aaron) Yao

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Older Adults ◽

Health Status ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Healthcare Services ◽

Mental Health Status ◽

Provincial Government ◽

Linear Regression Models ◽

Moderation Effect ◽

Homebound Older Adults

Abstract Homebound older adults are confined to their homes due to physical, mental, or social limitations, which contributes to elevated levels of depression. However, the mental health status of the homebound population in China is relatively overlooked. This study compares mental health status between homebound and non-homebound older adults, and examines the moderation effect of loneliness. The sample consists of 1,301 older adults aged 60 and over (39% homebound, 49% females, mean age = 69) from Shandong Aging and Health Survey, conducted by Shandong Provincial Government in 2019. Mental health status was measured by feelings of depression, not cheerful, bored, not calm or peaceful, and not happy. Compared to non-homebound older adults, homebound older adults tend to be older, lower educated, live in rural areas, and in worse health conditions. Results from generalized linear regression models show that controlling for demographic and physical health status, homebound population were more likely to have worse mental health status than other Chinese older adults. Feeling lonely, isolated, or lack of companionship intensifies the adverse effects of being homebound on older adults’ mental health. Findings from this study suggest that homebound older adults in China had both physical and psychological sufferings. Social programs and interventions may be designed to improve homebound older adults’ mental health. As the number of homebound older adults increases in China, medical care models may be tailored to improve the accessibility of healthcare services among people who are confined to their homes.

Download Full-text