scholarly journals Challenges Faced and Support Received: Older Adults’ Perceptions of Hurricane Sandy

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison R. Heid ◽  
Seran Schug ◽  
Francine P. Cartwright ◽  
Rachel Pruchno
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
New Jersey ◽  
Older People ◽  
Hurricane Sandy ◽  
Community Networks ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
The People

AbstractObjectiveIndividuals exposed to natural disasters are at risk for negative physical and psychological outcomes. Older adults may be particularly vulnerable; however, social support can act as a resource to help individuals respond to severe stressors. This study explored the challenges older people faced before, during, and after Hurricane Sandy in October 2012 and the people they turned to for support.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 older adults in New Jersey drawn from the ORANJ BOWL (Ongoing Research on Aging in New Jersey – Bettering Opportunities for Wellness in Life) research panel, who experienced high levels of primary home damage during Hurricane Sandy. Content analysis of interview transcripts classified older adults’ perceptions on how they “made it” through—the challenges they faced and the support they received.ResultsThe findings suggested that older adults experienced emotional, instrumental, social, and financial challenges before, during, and after the storm. However, by relying on family and friends, as well as neighbors and community networks, older people were able to respond to stressors.ConclusionsOur findings carry implications for ensuring that older adults are connected to social networks before, during, and after disasters. The role of neighbors is particularly important when disasters strike. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:39–47)

scholarly journals AGE DIFFERENCES IN POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT: ROLE OF SELF-RELEVANCE

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S785-S785
Author(s):  
Tze Kiu Wong ◽  
Helene H Fung
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Collective Action ◽  
Older People ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Political Behavior ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Political Engagement ◽  
Political Discussion ◽  
Younger Adults

Abstract Previous studies usually found that older people are less politically engaged than younger adults, especially when considering political behavior other than voting. The current study extends the Selective Engagement hypothesis (Hess, 2014) to political engagement. 81 younger adults and 79 older adults rated 8 issues on self-relevance and their willingness to engage in political discussion, arguments and collective action on each issue. The predicted moderating effect of self-relevance was not found, but older people indeed are more willing to discuss (B = 0.07, p = 0.027) and argue with others on more self-relevant issues (B = 0.06, p = 0.031). Perceived cost of collective action was found to be a moderator, such that self-relevance was less important than other factors for high-cost actions (B = -0.016, p = 0.013). The current research sheds light on potential ways to increase older adults’ engagement in social issues.

scholarly journals Strategies Older New Zealanders Use to Participate in Day-To-Day Occupations

2011 ◽  
Vol 74 (11) ◽  
pp. 509-516 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clare Hocking ◽  
Juanita Murphy ◽  
Kirk Reed
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Older People ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Occupational Therapists ◽  
Falls Prevention ◽  
Public Health Messages ◽  
The Impact

Aim: This exploratory study aimed to uncover the strategies that older adults employ to ameliorate the impact of impairments and barriers to participation. Method: Eight participants were interviewed in their own homes, in a town or city in New Zealand. Findings: Inductive analysis of data revealed four main categories of strategies: strategies to keep safe, to recruit and accept help, to meet social and biological needs (nutritional and medical), and to conserve financial, material and bodily resources. Discussion: The study supports some previous findings of strategies used by older people, and demonstrates that enquiring into the strategies that older people devise and adopt into their own lives is a productive line of inquiry. The strategies described differ from those that occupational therapists recommend, and do not incorporate public health messages about the benefits of physical activity or recommendations about falls prevention. Conclusion: The findings suggest that asking older clients about the strategies that they use will uncover valuable information for therapists giving advice or issuing equipment to help older adults to manage in the community.

Wedges: Stories as Simple Machines

2021 ◽  
pp. 152483992110459
Author(s):  
Sally Campbell Galman
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
Children's Narratives ◽  
Gender Diverse ◽  
Simple Machines ◽  
Child Friendly ◽  
Diverse Children

This piece of comics-based research (CBR) details the use of arts-based methods in ongoing research with young transgender or otherwise gender diverse children. Drawing from both the anthropology of childhood and draw–write–tell research in public health, the central innovation of this methodology hinges on gathering children’s narratives in a less coercive manner that holds their stories intact and produces better, more trustworthy research. Discussion includes problematizing and problem-solving contemporary “child friendly” methodology, exploring the role of the child informant in qualitative research, and illustrating how arts methods can inform deeper understanding of participant data when applied in a systematic format.

scholarly journals Ringing the changes: the role of telephone communication in a helpline and befriending service targeting loneliness in older people

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (7) ◽  
pp. 1528-1551 ◽  
Author(s):  
CLAIRE PRESTON ◽  
STEPHEN MOORE
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Older People ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Voice Communication ◽  
Telephone Communication ◽  
The United Kingdom

ABSTRACTThe drive to deliver services addressing loneliness in older people by telephone and online makes it increasingly relevant to consider how the mode of communication affects the way people interact with services and the capacity of services to meet their needs. This paper is based on the qualitative strand of a larger mixed-methods study of a national phoneline tackling loneliness in older people in the United Kingdom. The research comprised thematic analysis of four focus groups with staff and 42 semi-structured interviews with callers. It explored the associations between telephone-delivery, how individuals used the services and how the services were able to respond. To understand these associations, it was useful to identify some constituent characteristics of telephone communication in this context: namely its availability, reach and non-visual nature. This enabled various insights and comparison with other communication media. For example, the availability of the services attracted people seeking frequent emotional support but this presented challenges to staff. More positively, the ability of the services to connect disparate individuals enabled them to form different kinds of satisfying relationships. The evolution of mixed communication forms, such as internet-based voice communication and smartphone-based visual communication, makes analysis at the level of a technology's characteristics useful. Such a cross-cutting perspective can inform both the design of interventions and assessment of their suitability for different manifestations of loneliness.

scholarly journals Intoxicação Alimentar: Um problema de Saúde Pública

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (42) ◽  
pp. 894-906
Author(s):  
Nicole Blanco Bernardes ◽  
Larissa De Souza Facioli ◽  
Maria Luzia Ferreira ◽  
Raissa De Moura Costa ◽  
Ana Cristina Fonseca de Sá
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Food Poisoning ◽  
Google Scholar ◽  
Bibliographic Databases ◽  
Salmonella Spp ◽  
The People ◽  
Basic Sanitation

Este trabalho foi escrito devido a importância de apresentar maior conhecimento as pessoas, não somente da área da saúde, da importância do cuidado com os alimentos para evitar o aumento do número de ocorrência de casos de toxinfecção alimentar, principalmente  pela Salmonella spp. Dentro da contaminação do alimento pode-se ter a infecção, intoxicação e a toxinfecção alimentar, nos três tipos há diversos fatores que facilitam a ocorrência desses casos, que vão desde a precariedade no saneamento básico até a falta de cuidado e fiscalização dos alimentos, Diferenciando intoxicação, de infecção e de toxinfecção alimentar, mostrar os alimentos, microrganismos e os sintomas mais frequentes, quais os meios de contaminação, o papel da vigilância sanitária, as buscas foram realizadas em duas bases de dados bibliográficos, sendo estes SciELO (Scientific Eletronic Libray Online) e Google Acadêmico,foram selecionados artigos do período de 1996 a 2018. FOOD POISONING A PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEMAbstractThis work was published because of the importance of the people with the highest number of cases reporting food poisoning cases, especially Salmonella spp. Contamination of food can be an interference, poisoning and food poisoning, several, several factors that facilitate the absence of cases, ranging from a precariousness in basic sanitation to a lack of care and inspection of food, differentiation intoxication, of infection and food toxinfection, such as food, microorganisms and the most frequent symptoms, such as means of contamination, the role of sanitary surveillance, as the searches were exposed in two bibliographic databases, these being SciELO and Google Scholar, were included in the period from 1996 to 2018.

scholarly journals Will climate change worsen your health?

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan Ballester
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Heat Waves ◽  
Research Topic ◽  
Climate Factors ◽  
Social Differences ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
Science And Policy ◽  
Ambient Temperatures

Nearly 8% of deaths in Europe are due to ambient temperatures, and global warming represents an additional threat for public health. Despite the fact that we expect more frequent, intense and persistent heat waves during the present century, it is actually not clear whether the number of attributable deaths will also increase. Here I discuss why the role of early adaptation to temperature rise is a major ongoing research topic in science and policy-making, and how these eventual acclimatization processes depend on a myriad of non-climate factors such as the air quality in cities, social differences within and between societies, demographic changes or the evolution of the economy.

Peruvian small and medium-sized enterprises and COVID-19: Time for a new start!

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne Durst ◽  
Mariano Martin Genaro Palacios Acuache ◽  
Guido Bruns
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Crisis Management ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Qualitative Research Design ◽  
The People ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Insight Into

Purpose Crises of any type have become an integral part of business activity and responses to them could make the difference between survival and failure. This applies in particular to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Taking the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic as a starting point, this study aims to investigate how Peruvian SMEs have been coping with COVID-19 so far. Based on that a conceptual framework is proposed which highlights the practice of SMEs trying to deal with a new type of crisis. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on an exploratory qualitative research design involving 25 semi-structured interviews conducted in Peruvian SMEs. Findings The findings demonstrate how the Peruvian firms studied to adapt to the new situation and initiate responses to increasing the chance of survival. Furthermore, the role of the companies’ decision-makers, as well as the role of crisis management and other related approaches in the companies are shown. Research limitations/implications The paper expands the underdeveloped body of knowledge regarding crisis management in Latin America in general and crisis management in SMEs by providing insight into how Peruvian SMEs perceive and adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic. Practical implications The findings presented in this paper have implications for both managers and managerial staff of SMEs but also for the people in charge of the curricula at universities and other teaching-focused institutes. Originality/value To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first empirical study of crisis management on the impacts of COVID-19 with a dedicated focus on SMEs from Latin America. It provides fresh insight into current reactions to the Pandemic.

Bhutan: The Role of the Constitutional Monarch in a Public Health Crisis

2021 ◽  
pp. 279-292
Author(s):  
Sonam Tshering ◽  
Nima Dorji
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Drug Smuggling ◽  
Personal Involvement ◽  
Public Health Crisis ◽  
The People ◽  
Long Run ◽  
The Government

This chapter reflects on Bhutan’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The people’s trust and confidence in the leadership of His Majesty the King, their government, strong Buddhist values to help each other, and the conscience of unity and solidarity proved their foremost strength in containing this pandemic as a nation. The king’s personal involvement helped guide, motivate, and encourage compliance with and support for the government’s response. However, Bhutan faced several challenges during the pandemic. Though most of the people are united, there are outliers who took advantage of the situation; there are reported cases of drug smuggling and one case of a person who escaped from quarantine. The government responded by increasing border patrols. In the long run, other solutions could be considered: installing a smart wall—using drones, sensors, and artificial intelligence patrols—would give Bhutan more control over its borders in the context of another epidemic while also enabling the government to better control smuggling.

scholarly journals Exposure to Indoor Mouldy Odour Increases the Risk of Asthma in Older Adults Living in Social Housing

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (14) ◽  
pp. 2600 ◽  
Author(s):  
Loveth Moses ◽  
Karyn Morrissey ◽  
Richard A. Sharpe ◽  
Tim Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older People ◽  
Asset Management ◽  
Social Housing ◽  
Western World ◽  
Mould Growth ◽  
Building Type ◽  
Indoor Mould ◽  
Mould Contamination

Background: Indoor dampness is thought to affect around 16% of European homes. It is generally accepted that increased exposure to indoor dampness and mould contamination (e.g., spores and hyphae) increases the risk of developing and/or exacerbating asthma. Around 30% of people in the Western world have an allergic disease (e.g., allergy, wheeze and asthma). The role of indoor mould contamination in the risk of allergic diseases in older adults is yet to be fully explored. This is of interest because older people spend more time indoors, as well as facing health issues due to the ageing process, and may be at greater risk of developing and/or exacerbating asthma as a result of indoor dampness. Methods: Face-to-face questionnaires were carried out with 302 participants residing in social housing properties located in South West England. Self-reported demographic, mould contamination (i.e., presence of mould growth and mouldy odour) and health information was linked with the asset management records (e.g., building type, age and levels of maintenance). Multivariate logistic regression was used to calculate the odd ratios and confidence intervals of developing and/or exacerbating asthma, wheeze and allergy with exposure to reported indoor mould contamination. We adjusted for a range of factors that may affect asthma outcomes, which include age, sex, current smoking, presence of pets, education, and building type and age. To assess the role of mould contamination in older adults, we compared younger adults to those aged over 50 years. Results: Doctor-diagnosed adult asthma was reported by 26% of respondents, 34% had current wheeze while 18% had allergies. Asthma was common among subjects exposed to reported visible mould (32%) and reported mouldy odour (42%). Exposure to visible mould growth and mouldy odour were risk factors for asthma, but not for wheeze or allergy. Exposure to mouldy odour increased the risk of asthma in adults over the age of 50 years (odds ratio (OR) 2.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.10–5.34) and the risk was higher for females than for males (OR 3.5, 95% CI 1.37–9.08). These associations were modified by a range of built environment characteristics. Conclusions: We found that older adults living in social (public) housing properties, specifically women, may be at higher risk of asthma when exposed to mouldy odour, which has a number of implications for policy makers and practitioners working in the health and housing sector. Additional measures should be put in place to protect older people living in social housing against indoor damp and mould contamination.

The roles of friends and neighbours in providing support for older people

2000 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 341-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANDREW NOCON ◽  
MAGGIE PEARSON
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Social Services ◽  
White Paper ◽  
Frail Older People ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The People ◽  
Direct Support ◽  
Published Research

Most published research on informal care for older people focuses on the support provided by relatives. The role of non-kin carers can, however, also be significant in supporting older people in their own homes. In this paper, we report the findings from an exploratory study of the support provided by friends and neighbours who are the main carers of frail older people. It draws on interviews with an opportunistic sample of friends, neighbours and older people, which explored their views about the support arrangements, the reasons why help was provided and any difficulties experienced. Several friends and neighbours provided intensive and frequent help, and some played a key role in co-ordinating other services. One of the main forms of direct support related to older people's quality of life, at a broader level than the practical help provided by statutory services. The flexibility of such support, and the friends' and neighbours' concern for older people as individuals, were particularly important to the people they helped. Nevertheless, such help was not provided without costs to the carers. The study highlights the need for policy-makers and practitioners not to take help from friends and neighbours for granted and, in line with the White Paper Modernising Social Services, to provide the support services they need.

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