scholarly journals Social Engagement Care for Frail Older Persons: Desire for It and Provision by Live-In Migrant Caregivers

2017 ◽  
Vol 74 (6) ◽  
pp. 1062-1071 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiska Cohen-Mansfield ◽  
Hava Golander ◽  
Esther Iecovich ◽  
Barbara Jensen
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Older Persons ◽  
Leisure Activities ◽  
The Other ◽  
Older Person ◽  
Care Recipients ◽  
Frail Older Persons ◽  
Actual Care

Abstract Objectives To describe social engagement care (SEC) provided by live-in migrant caregivers for frail older adults compared with care recipients’ and families’ wishes for such care. Method Interviews with care recipients, family members, and migrant caregivers assessed preferences for and provision of five types of SEC activities: knowing the older person as a person, knowing their main concerns, having personal conversations, going for walks, and sharing social or leisure activities. Results Care recipients and family proxies reported a moderate desire for SEC from migrant caregivers, except for sharing leisure activities, for which there was only a slight preference. Migrant caregivers reported these practices at somewhat higher levels compared with the other respondents. Migrant caregivers’ reports of practice show little relationship with care-recipients’ preferences, but care recipients tended to perceive practice as agreeing with their own wishes. Discussion It is important to include SEC as part of the role of live-in migrant caregivers of older persons. However, there is a need to differentiate among types of SEC and subsequently optimize the match between the care-recipient’s wishes and needs and the actual care provided.

Perceived Voice Disorders in Older Adults and Impact on Social Interactions

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Connie K. Porcaro ◽  
Clare Singer ◽  
Boris Djokic ◽  
Ali A. Danesh ◽  
Ruth Tappen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Voice Disorders ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Vocal Performance ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Cross Sectional

Purpose Many aging individuals, even those who are healthy, report voice changes that can impact their ability to communicate as they once did. While this is commonly reported, most do not seek evaluation or management for this issue. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence and differences in voice disorders in older adults, along with the effect of fatigue on their social interactions. Method This is a cross-sectional investigation of a community-dwelling sample of individuals aged 60 years or older. Participants completed the Questionnaire on Vocal Performance, the Social Engagement Index subset “Engagement in Social or Leisure Activities,” and the Fatigue Severity Scale. Results Results indicated 32.5% of the 332 participants reported symptoms of voice problems with no difference found between male and female respondents. A slight increase in report of voice problems was noted with each year of age. Participants who self-reported voice problems indicated less interaction in social activities involving communication than those who did not. Finally, as severity of self-reported voice problems increased, an increase was reported by the same individuals for signs of fatigue. Conclusions Voice problems and resulting decreased social interaction are commonly experienced by older individuals. Voice symptoms in older adults have been found to benefit from evidence-based treatment strategies. It is critical to provide education to encourage older individuals to seek appropriate evaluation and management for voice issues through a speech-language pathologist or medical professional.

The role of technology in supporting social engagement among older adults

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (s) ◽  
pp. 30-30
Author(s):  
S.J. CZAJA ◽  
J. SHARIT ◽  
W.A. ROGERS ◽  
N. CHARNESS ◽  
W.R. BOOT
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Engagement

scholarly journals Frailty and the Risk of Polypharmacy in the Older Person: Enabling and Preventative Approaches

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Martin C. Nwadiugwu
Keyword(s):  
Older Persons ◽  
Medication Reconciliation ◽  
Frailty Index ◽  
Health Record ◽  
Older Person ◽  
Frail Older People ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Inherent Risk ◽  
Stopp Criteria ◽  
Frail Older Persons

Frail older people have an inherent risk of polypharmacy due to the need to treat multiple comorbidities, thus leading to various negative effects on their health due to the adverse actions from the drugs. This issue was discussed from a person-centered perspective, highlighting the category of frail older adults who are at a higher risk. Appropriate medication reconciliation in this population with useful prescribing tools (Beers and START/STOPP criteria) to minimize polypharmacy and to provide alternative prescriptive intervention could go alongside primary care to reduce the extent of frailty and polypharmacy. Reducing delayed referrals and extended hospitalization with electronic health record systems and using the signs of frailty from the Electronic Frailty Index (EFI) to predict polypharmacy for frail older persons are preventative approaches that proactively respond to frailty associated with the risk of polypharmacy.

A Group-Based Walking Study to Enhance Physical Activity Among Older Adults: The Role of Social Engagement

2020 ◽  
pp. 016402752096361
Author(s):  
Yujun Liu ◽  
Margie E. Lachman
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Treatment Condition ◽  
Social Comparisons ◽  
Text Messages ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Group Members

Objectives. The aim of this study was to explore social engagement and social comparisons as mechanisms to increase physical activity among older adults. Methods. Participants (N = 60, mean age = 65.7) were randomly assigned to one of two conditions. Participants in the treatment condition used the application to track their daily walking steps and interact via text messages with their group members for 4 weeks. Participants in the control group used the application only to track their own walking steps. Outcome variables included mean weekly steps, exercise self-efficacy, and social engagement. Results. The results revealed that participants in the experimental condition significantly increased their mean weekly steps and social engagement from the pretest to the posttest whereas the control group did not. These effects were maintained at the 1-month follow up. Discussion. The study expands our understanding of the motivational role of social engagement and social comparison in increasing PA among older adults.

scholarly journals Ageing in a network society: An Introduction

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Hannah Grist ◽  
Liliana Vale-Costa
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older Age ◽  
The Other ◽  
Network Society ◽  
Communication Studies ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Shared Understandings ◽  
Networked Society

This special issue aims to explore the role of ICTs in encouraging the development of networked older adults. Specifically, the following papers give a noteworthy contribution to the challenges posed by an increasingly ageing and networked society. This special issue is edited by colleagues whose disciplines are not naturally symbiotic – one from Information and Communication studies and the other from Ageing studies. As such, this special issue posed an interesting set of challenges for the editors as they explored their shared understandings of what it means to grow old or be old in a network society. The editors would therefore like to thank the authors for their receptiveness to ageing studies theory and for challenging their own assumptions about what it means to be old. This special issue acts, in some ways, as a stepping stone or a bridge between more information technological based notions of what it is to grow older and cultural gerontological constructions of older age.

scholarly journals Physical Activity and Social Relationships on Social Engagement Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 28-28
Author(s):  
Su-I Hou
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Leisure Activities ◽  
College Education ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Endurance Strength ◽  
Social Leisure ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract This study examined physical activity (FITNESS) and social relationships (FRIENDS) on social engagement among community older adults. Members from two Florida aging-in-village programs participated. Three five-Likert scales were used: A 5-item FITNESS (weight, endurance, strength, flexibility, health), 4-item FRIEND (family, friends, neighbors, communication), and a 3-item social engagement scales (social-leisure activities, stay involved, healthy independent) (Cronbach alphas: .82~.92). Among the 96 participants, 79% were females, 91% were whites, 56% were married, 86% had college education, and 46% living alone. Mean age was 70.7 (SD=10.10). Participants reported at least 30-min. physical activity about 4.2 days per week. Overall social engagement was high (mean=4.38), FITNESS was median (mean=3.46), and FRINED was high (mean=4.19). FITNESS was significant to more 30-min. physical activity. Yet, higher FITNESS, FRIENDS, age, and volunteers were all significant to social engagement. Results has implications on promoting social engagement among older adults participating in aging-in-community programs.

scholarly journals Saving fall-injured older adults from depressive symptoms: The mediating role of social participation

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 867-868
Author(s):  
Yalu Zhang ◽  
Lei Zhang ◽  
Jiling Sun ◽  
Xinhui Zhang ◽  
Jingjing Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Social Participation ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Fixed Effect ◽  
Second Primary ◽  
Fall Injuries ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Multiple Levels

Abstract Falls are the second primary cause of unintentional injury deaths globally. Prior studies found that fall incidences are associated with depressive symptoms among older adults, which could reversely lead to repeated fall incidences. However, few have investigated the role of social interventions in saving fall-injured older adults from experiencing depressive symptoms among older adults. Using the Chinese Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) 2011-2018 data and multiple levels of fixed-effect analysis, this study examined the potential mediating role of social participation in alternating the effect of fall injuries on depressive symptoms. For the first time, this study specified the fall-injured older adults among those who had fall incidences. It also implemented the current literature by removing the bias caused by unobservable confounding variables at provincial and city levels. The descriptive results show that 22.2% and 20.6% of rural (n=4,972) and urban (n=3,258) older adults (65+), respectively, experienced fall incidences, among whom 45.1% needed one or more times of medical treatment. The fixed-effect results show that for urban older adults, social participation accounted for partial effects (17.2%) of fall injuries on their depressive symptoms. For rural older adults, fall injuries are significantly associated with more depressive symptoms, but social participation no longer functions as the mediator. Findings from this study emphasize the necessity of collecting efforts from multiple levels to improve the social engagement of urban older adults who had fall injuries. Future studies could further specify what types of social participation would be more helpful in buffering the intervention effects.

scholarly journals Identification of a Circulating Amino Acid Signature in Frail Older Persons with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Results from the Metabofrail Study

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riccardo Calvani ◽  
Leocadio Rodriguez-Mañas ◽  
Anna Picca ◽  
Federico Marini ◽  
Alessandra Biancolillo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diabetes Mellitus ◽  
Type 2 Diabetes ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Amino Acids ◽  
Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus ◽  
Older Persons ◽  
Functionally Impaired ◽  
Frail Older Persons ◽  
Amino Acids And Derivatives

Diabetes and frailty are highly prevalent conditions that impact the health status of older adults. Perturbations in protein/amino acid metabolism are associated with both functional impairment and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In the present study, we compared the concentrations of a panel of circulating 37 amino acids and derivatives between frail/pre-frail older adults with T2DM and robust non-diabetic controls. Sixty-six functionally impaired older persons aged 70+ with T2DM and 30 age and sex-matched controls were included in the analysis. We applied a partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA)-based analytical strategy to characterize the metabotype of study participants. The optimal complexity of the PLS-DA model was found to be two latent variables. The proportion of correct classification was 94.1 ± 1.9% for frail/pre-frail persons with T2DM and 100% for control participants. Functionally impaired older persons with T2DM showed higher levels of 3-methyl histidine, alanine, arginine, glutamic acid, ethanolamine sarcosine, and tryptophan. Control participants had higher levels of ornithine and taurine. These findings indicate that a specific profile of amino acids and derivatives characterizes pre-frail/frail older persons with T2DM. The dissection of these pathways may provide novel insights into the metabolic perturbations involved in the disabling cascade in older persons with T2DM.

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