Natural neighborhood networks — Important social networks in the lives of older adults aging in place

Abstract Can forgotten stories from the past inform a city’s future? As older adults continue to live longer and comprise more of the population than ever before, the suitability of gentrifying spaces for older adults aging in place is increasingly important. Critical theories of gentrification argue that remembering the experiences of older adults in this context - experiences of suffering, resilience, and structural violence - is essential to promote changes in support aging in place. In this study, we tell a story of individual experiences, structural violence, and aging in the ongoing gentrification of one neighborhood in southwest Atlanta. We construct this narrative through a qualitative analysis of 1,500 local newspaper articles from 1950 to the present day and 10 in-depth interviews with ex-residents of the neighborhood aged 65-87. Drawing on the theory of planetary rent gaps, we frame gentrification as a class struggle between property-owners and working class residents. We highlight the city government’s role as a facilitator for property-owners through projects including the Model City initiative, preparation for the 1996 Olympics, and ongoing development surrounding the Atlanta BeltLine. We show how these projects have affected the prospects for aging in place in general and, specifically, by affecting access to healthcare services. We share this story in an effort to combat the politics of forgetting and to inform a richer, more inclusive, and more equitable future for gentrifying spaces.

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Visualization approaches to support healthy aging: A systematic review

Journal of Innovation in Health Informatics ◽

10.14236/jhi.v23i3.860 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 23 (3) ◽

pp. 600 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Uba Backonja ◽

Nai-Ching Chi ◽

Yong Choi ◽

Amanda K Hall ◽

Thai Le ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Health Behaviors ◽

Healthy Aging ◽

A Priori ◽

Aging In Place ◽

Future Research ◽

Health Technologies ◽

Data Visualizations ◽

Informatics Tools

Background: Health technologies have the potential to support the growing number of older adults who are aging in place. Many tools include visualizations (data visualizations, visualizations of physical representations). However, the role of visualizations in supporting aging in place remains largely unexplored.Objective: To synthesize and identify gaps in the literature evaluating visualizations (data visualizations and visualizations of physical representations), for informatics tools to support healthy aging.Methods: We conducted a search in CINAHL, Embase, Engineering Village, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Web of Science using a priori defined terms for publications in English describing community-based studies evaluating visualizations used by adults aged ≥65 years.Results: Six out of the identified 251 publications were eligible. Most studies were user studies and varied methodological quality. Three visualizations of virtual representations supported performing at-home exercises. Participants found visual representations either (a) helpful, motivational, and supported their understanding of their health behaviors or (b) not an improvement over alternatives. Three data visualizations supported understanding of one’s health. Participants were able to interpret data visualizations that used precise data and encodings that were more concrete better than those that did not provide precision or were abstract. Participants found data visualizations helpful in understanding their overall health and granular data.Conclusions: Studies we identified used visualizations to promote engagement in exercises or understandings of one’s health. Future research could overcome methodological limitations of studies we identified to develop visualizations that older adults could use with ease and accuracy to support their health behaviors and decision-making.

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Identification of Research Trends in Aging in Place Using Text Mining Analysis

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.163 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 50-50

Author(s):

Ha Neul Kim ◽

Seok In Nam

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Older Adults ◽

Text Mining ◽

Independent Living ◽

Daily Life ◽

Aging In Place ◽

Research Trends ◽

Life Activity ◽

Daily Life Activity

Abstract Since 1980s professionals and social service providers have focused on aging at the place where people lived. This is the initial concept of the Aging in Place (AIP). Over 40 years, the topics have developed and extended to other disciplines welcoming different perspectives in the study of AIP. Therefore, this study aims to understand the overall research trends in Aging in Place (AIP) studies using text mining analysis to track the evolvement of AIP subtopics not only in Gerontology but also in various fields. To identify the topic trends, we collected the titles, abstracts, and keywords from 1,372 international articles that were published from 1981 to 2019. Then, keywords were extracted and cleaned based on precedent literature and discussions. We analyzed the keywords based on the degree of centrality and visualized the keyword-networks using VOSviewer and Pajek. Top-most popular keywords are “independent living”, “housing”, “older adults”, “home care”, “daily life activity” and “quality of life.” The change in topic trends shows that in the 1980s to early-2000s, research focused on organization and management level of intervention, home(housing) for the older adults, long term care. In the mid-2010s, health-related topics such as daily life activity, health service, health care delivery and quality of life have emerged. Recently, the topics have extended further to technology, caregiver, well-being, and environment design, environmental planning that support independent living of oneself. The research result shows that the interdisciplinary approach regarding AIP is not only inevitable but also encouraged for an in-depth discussion of the field.

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SOCIAL NETWORKS, HEALTH, AND WELL-BEING AMONG PEOPLE LIVING WITH DEMENTIA

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.277 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S71-S71

Author(s):

Eleanor S McConnell ◽

Kirsten Corazzini ◽

T Robert Konrad

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Social Networks ◽

Well Being ◽

Sensor Technology ◽

Web Based ◽

Use Of Technology ◽

Care Partners ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship ◽

Health And Well Being

Abstract Although the impact of dementia on the health and well-being of those living with Alzheimer’s Disease and related Disorders (ADRD) and their care partners has been widely studied, less attention has been paid to how the disease impacts individuals within the context of their larger social networks. This symposium presents findings from a series of integrated studies aimed at strengthening measurement of health and well-being among older adults with living with dementia and well-being among members of their social networks. Findings will be presented from five studies: (1) a scoping review of social network measurement in older adults in chronic illness, including dementia, that emphasizes the use of technology in measuring older adults’ social networks; (2) a simulation study to evaluate the feasibility and reliability of sensor technology to measure social interaction among a person living with dementia and others in their immediate surroundings; (3) development of a web-based application that allows older adults to map and activate their social networks; (4) a qualitative analysis of interviews from persons living with dementia, their unpaid caregivers, and paid caregivers from an adult day health program concerning well-being focused outcomes; and (5) a mixed methods analysis of the feasibility of using both traditional and novel measures of health and well-being deployed among networks of people living with dementia. Emerging technologies for measuring social networks health and well-being hold promise for advancing the study of the relationship-based nature of care for people living with dementia.

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The Influence of Social Networks and Supports on Depression Symptoms: Differential Pathways for Older Korean Immigrants and Non-Hispanic White Americans

Care Management Journals ◽

10.1891/1521-0987.17.1.13 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 13-23 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Haesang Jeon ◽

James Lubben

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Older Adults ◽

Social Networks ◽

Los Angeles ◽

The United States ◽

Korean Immigrants ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Older Korean Immigrants ◽

Hispanic White

Objectives: The current cross-cultural study examines the pathways underlying different formations of social networks and social support systems, which affect depression symptoms among older Korean immigrants and non-Hispanic Whites in the United States.Method: Data for this study came from a panel survey of 223 older Korean American immigrants and 201 non-Hispanic White older adults 65 years of age and older living in Los Angeles. Structural equation modeling (SEM) is used to test the proposed conceptual model designed to explain the direct and indirect relationships between social networks and social support on depression symptoms.Results: Empirical evidence from this study indicated different effect of one’s social networks and social support on depression by race/ethnicity.Discussion: The work discussed in this article pointed to the need to recognize the role of culture in assessing the relationships between social networks, social support, and health among older adults.

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Voice Technologies to Support Aging in Place: Opportunities and Challenges

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.1016 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 317-318

Author(s):

Alisha Pradhan ◽

Amanda Lazar

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Digital Technology ◽

Aging In Place ◽

Ease Of Use ◽

Online Information ◽

Actual Usage ◽

Desktop Computers ◽

Visual Interaction ◽

Health Related ◽

Internet Of Things Technology

Abstract Technology to support aging in place has been a topic of interest. Research indicates that older adults are increasingly using commercially available voice assistants in smart speakers. These devices enable non-visual interaction that does not require extensive expertise with traditional mobile or desktop computers, thus offering new possibilities of access to digital technology. We conducted two different studies with individuals aged 65 years old or above—a three week smart speaker deployment study with individuals who did not use computing devices regularly and a workshop on customizing internet of things technology with tech savvy individuals. Our findings indicate specific ways that these voice technologies might support aging in place, including ease of use and due to their not being identified with aging-specific technologies. We observed that participants consistently used their voice agent for finding online information, particularly health-related, emphasizing the need to revisit concerns about credibility of information with this new interaction medium. And, although features to support memory (e.g., setting timers, reminders) were initially perceived as useful, the actual usage was unexpectedly low due to reliability concerns. Our work provides a basis to understand older adults’ perceptions and usage of current voice technologies. We also identify opportunities for customizing voice technologies to better support aging in place.

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How Area Agencies on Aging Contribute to Social Connection for Older Adults in Rural America

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.2092 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 616-616

Author(s):

Claire Pendergrast

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

New York ◽

Social Networks ◽

Service Organizations ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Social Service Organizations ◽

Upstate New York ◽

Rural Aging ◽

Rural Older Adults

Abstract Social ecological models of health identify intrapersonal, interpersonal, institutional, community, and policy-level contexts as social factors influencing individual and population health outcomes. However how institutions such as Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) shape rural older adults’ social networks and influence health is little explored. This research examines institutional influences of social networks for rural older adults, particularly the social connections resulting from their AAA services and programs. AAAs are local social service organizations that coordinate home- and community-based supports. Our 2020 case study of a rural AAA in upstate New York involved in-depth semi-structured interviews with AAA staff, volunteers and participants included key themes related to older adults’ social networks, social wellbeing, and physical and mental health. Our findings have both theoretical implications for rural community social structure as experienced by older adults, and practical implications to build AAA’s capacity to address social isolation for rural older adults. Part of a symposium sponsored by the Rural Aging Interest Group.

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