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

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.

“There Was No ‘That’s Not My Job’”: New York Area Agencies on Aging Approaches to Supporting Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 073346482199102
Author(s):  
Claire Pendergrast
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
New York ◽  
New York State ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Contextual Influences ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Response And Recovery ◽  
Pandemic Response ◽  
Increasing Demand ◽  
Priority Needs

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted many older adults’ traditional sources of formal and informal supports, increasing demand for Area Agency on Aging services (AAAs). This study examines strategies used by AAAs to support older adults’ health and well-being during COVID-19 and identifies contextual influences on AAA pandemic response activities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with representatives of 20 AAAs in New York State. A combined inductive and deductive approach was used to code and thematically analyze the data. AAAs rapidly expanded capacity and dramatically modified program offerings, communications activities, and service delivery protocols to address emergent needs and minimize COVID-19 exposure risk for clients. AAAs’ trusted relationships with older adults and community partners improved their capacity to identify priority needs and coordinate appropriate supports. Policymakers should ensure that AAAs receive sustained financial and technical support to ensure critical community-based services are available for older adults throughout pandemic response and recovery.

scholarly journals USING COMMUNITY-BASED MODELS TO PROVIDE INTEGRATED CARE FOR RURAL OLDER ADULTS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S553-S553
Author(s):  
Martha R Crowther ◽  
Cassandra D Ford
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Psychosocial Services ◽  
Care Systems ◽  
Rural Older Adults

Abstract Rural elders are one of the most at-risk populations for experiencing physical and mental health problems. In many rural communities, there are no psychosocial services available to meet the needs of the rural elderly. To provide rural older adults with integrated healthcare, we build upon our existing community-based infrastructure that has fostered community capacity for active engagement in clinical activities and has served as a catalyst to increase participation of rural older adults in clinical services. Our rural community model draws upon the role of culture in promoting health among rural older adults to provide rural service delivery. This model is built upon our network of partnerships with surrounding communities, including potential research participants, community-based organizations, community leaders, and community health-care systems and providers. By engaging the community we can create a sustainable system that will encourage rural older adults to utilize the health care system at a higher rate.

scholarly journals Building Adaptive Capacity Through Civic Environmental Stewardship: Responding to COVID-19 Alongside Compounding and Concurrent Crises

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura F. Landau ◽  
Lindsay K. Campbell ◽  
Erika S. Svendsen ◽  
Michelle L. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Organizational Transformation ◽  
Network Connectivity ◽  
Environmental Stewardship ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Funding Sources ◽  
Future Events ◽  
Civic Group

A growing body of community resilience literature emphasizes the importance of social resources in preparing for and responding to disturbances. In particular, scholars have noted that community based organizations and strong social networks positively contribute to adaptive capacity, or the ability to adjust and respond to change while enhancing the conditions necessary to withstand future events. While it is well established that strong civic engagement and social networks contribute to enhanced adaptive capacity in times of change, there is more to learn about how adaptive capacity at the civic group and network level is impacted temporally by multiple and compounding crises. Research has shown that the ability for communities to adapt and respond to crisis is closely tied to longer term recovery. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has overlapped and intersected with multiple additional climate crises as well as a reigniting of the ongoing American reckoning with racial injustice, the ability for communities to adapt and respond to compounding crises seems more crucial than ever. This paper uses qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with 34 civic environmental stewardship groups in New York City to explore their role in building adaptive capacity. In order to better understand how past crises have impacted stewardship groups' response to COVID-19, we focus on how groups have demonstrated flexibility and learning at an organizational scale. We look at two other crises, both acute (Superstorm Sandy, which hit the East Coast in 2012) and chronic (systemic racism) to identify instances of learning that lead to organizational transformation. We further aim to understand how group professionalization, measured by budget and staff size, and network connectivity impact their actions. By comparing the groups' experiences and responses to each event, we uncover strategies learned from past events (e.g., sharing contact lists, holding internal dialogues, leveraging new funding sources) that enable stewardship groups to respond to disaster in a way that builds their organizational adaptive capacity as well as contributes to the long-term resilience of their communities.

scholarly journals Trauma and Religious Complexity in Later Life

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 415-415
Author(s):  
Rennae Wigton ◽  
Shannon Jones ◽  
Austin Prusak ◽  
Andrew Futterman
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
New York ◽  
New England ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Severe Trauma ◽  
Great Distance ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Personal Vulnerability ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The present study examines the impact of traumatic life events on religious complexity in later life. We anticipated that those older adults experiencing stressors that produce significant personal vulnerability (e.g., life threatening illnesses) demonstrate reduced complexity of belief and behavior (e.g., less belief with doubt). From a sample of 278 semi-structured interviews of older adults (aged 55-101 years-old.) from six New England and New York states, we analyzed 166 interviews using grounded theory (Strauss & Corbin, 1990). Individuals who experienced trauma related to war, close familial loss, and/or severe physical illness tended to be “true believers,” (i.e., adhere to rigid belief orthodoxy; Hoffer, 1950). By contrast, those who experienced less severe trauma (e.g., minor illness, job loss) were less apt to describe rigid belief. Temporal proximity of trauma was not consistently associated with greater complexity of belief and behavior, in the sense that with great distance from trauma, individuals were able to “work through” their experiences of trauma, and thereby increase complexity of belief and behavior. This is consistent with findings by Harris and Leak (2015), Krause and Hayward (2012), and Wong (2013) that suggest that trauma leading to personal vulnerability leads to long-term physical, mental, behavioral, and spiritual deficits that rigid religious belief and behavior help to offset. These findings are discussed in terms of psychological theories of grief resolution, personal coping, and terror management.

scholarly journals Age-Friendly as Tranquilo Ambiente: How Socio-Cultural Perspectives Shape Older Latinos’ Lived Environment

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 237-238
Author(s):  
Melanie Plasencia
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
New York ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cultural Significance ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Latino Older Adults

Abstract Researchers have increasingly considered the importance of age-friendly communities to improve the health and well-being of older adults. Studies have primarily focused on the built environment, such as community infrastructure, older adult behavior, and environmental expectations. Less attention, however, has been given to the role of cultural characteristics in shaping perceptions of age-friendly environments for Latinos. Using an ethnographic methodological approach, including participant observation in a Latino community near New York City and 72 semi-structured interviews, this study provides empirical insights into how older Latinos characterize age-friendly communities. Latino older adults described their community as age-friendly using Tranquilo Ambiente (TA), which translates to a calm or peaceful environment. According to older adults, a TA possesses the following: 1) a sense of personal safety, including protection of their body, 2) ethnic, social connectedness, including networks with other Latinos and important social and cultural events; and 3) a comparative understanding of their communities treatment of seniors versus other geographical and spatial locations. While much has been written on the role of the built and social environment in developing and implementing age-friendly communities, more research on the cultural significance and understanding of place among marginalized older adults is necessary. TA and its characteristics demonstrate that cultivating an age-friendly setting requires adapting structures and services to promote Latino older adults' social and cultural support and engagement.

scholarly journals The Use and Meaning of the Term Obesity in Rural Older Adults: A Qualitative Study

2020 ◽  
pp. 073346482090325
Author(s):  
John A. Batsis ◽  
Alexandra B. Zagaria ◽  
Emma Brooks ◽  
Matthew M. Clark ◽  
Sean Phelan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Community Leaders ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Medical Settings ◽  
Older Adulthood ◽  
Primary Care Clinicians ◽  
Rural Older Adults

The term “obesity” is associated with societal stigma and discrimination. Eight individual semi-structured interviews and five focus groups with 29 community-dwelling, rural older adults with obesity, seven primary care clinicians, and four rural community leaders were completed using purposive and snowball sampling. Clinicians perceived that older adults are less affected by obesity stigma than younger adults, yet this was not observed by community leaders; however, older participants with obesity reported that they often felt ashamed and/or stigmatized because of their weight. There was also a disconnect between clinician and older adult understanding of obesity. For older adults with obesity, the word “obesity” was associated with negative connotations. Just as physiological aspects of obesity persist into older adulthood, so do psychological aspects, such as perceptions of stigma. The use of the word “obesity” in medical settings may hinder communication between clinician and older participants. Heightened awareness may change the dialogue around obesity.

On the Front Lines: The Impact of Managerialism on the New York City Addiction Treatment Workforce

2021 ◽  
pp. 104829112110416
Author(s):  
Jocelyn Lewiskin ◽  
Mimi Abramovitz ◽  
Jennifer Zelnick
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
New York City ◽  
York City ◽  
Addiction Treatment ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Service Organizations ◽  
Treatment Programs ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Professional Discretion ◽  
The Impact

Since the mid-1970s, neoliberal policies have relied on privatization and other tactics to down-size the state, transforming human service organizations in the process. The impact of this approach, also known as managerialism, has not been examined in addiction treatment, where the opioid epidemic has intensified the need for services. Using qualitative semi-structured interviews, we explore how managerialism has affected the workforce, service delivery, and the quality of care in New York City addiction treatment programs. Front-line and managerial staff identified threats to working conditions, including high caseloads and productivity demands; threats to service quality including standardization of practice, loss of professional discretion and serving only those most likely to succeed; and threats to worker well-being marked by stress, burn-out, and low morale. The contradictions between the goals of managerialism and addiction treatment threaten the ability to meet the needs of people struggling with addiction.

scholarly journals Exacerbating Inequalities: Social Networks, Racial/Ethnic Disparities, and the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gertrude R Gauthier ◽  
Jeffrey A Smith ◽  
Catherine García ◽  
Marc A Garcia ◽  
Patricia A Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Ethnic Disparities ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Racial Ethnic

Abstract Objectives The disruption and contraction of older adults’ social networks are among the less discussed consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our objective was to provide an evidence-based commentary on racial/ethnic disparities in social network resources and draw attention to the ways in which disasters differentially affect social networks, with meaningful insight for the ongoing pandemic. Methods We draw upon prior research on social networks and past natural disasters to identify major areas of network inequality. Attention is given to how pre-pandemic racial/ethnic network disparities are exacerbated during the current crisis, with implications for physical and mental health outcomes. Results Evidence from the literature shows a robust association between strong social networks and physical and mental health outcomes. During times of crisis, access to social networks for older adults is disrupted, particularly for marginalized groups. We document pre-pandemic disparities in social networks resources and offer insight for examining the impact of COVID-19 on disrupting social networks among older adults. Discussion Importantly, racial/ethnic disparities in social networks both prior to and as a result of the pandemic intensify existing inequalities and demonstrate the necessity of better understanding social network inequalities for marginalized older adults, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 health crisis.

scholarly journals “You’ve Got to Be Old to Go There”: Psychosocial Barriers and Facilitators to Social Eating in Older Adults

2019 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
pp. 628-637 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anisa Saeed ◽  
Jenny Fisher ◽  
Zinnia Mitchell-Smith ◽  
Laura J E Brown
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Gender Differences ◽  
Barriers And Facilitators ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Framework Analysis ◽  
Psychosocial Barriers ◽  
Social Eating ◽  
Design And Methods

Abstract Background and Objectives Social eating is associated with a range of physical and mental health benefits for older adults. Previous research has identified some of the practical barriers that may limit social eating, such as cost and access to public transport. However, little is known about the psychosocial issues that can affect older adults’ engagement with social eating. This study examines psychosocial barriers and facilitators to attending community-based social eating opportunities for older adults. Design and Methods Forty-two older people aged between 59 and 89 years living in Manchester, UK, participated in semi-structured interviews or focus groups about their experiences and perceptions of social eating opportunities. Interview transcripts were analyzed using inductive thematic analyses. As there are known gender differences in relation to attitudes and behaviors relating to food and social activities, a framework analysis was applied to explore how these themes were differentially expressed by gender. Results Four themes were identified that related to the importance of (a) offering more than food; (b) participants’ social identity; (c) taking the first step; and (d) embarrassment and self-consciousness about physical health. Gender differences related to perceptions of the relevance and attractiveness of social eating, and the role of social support. Discussion and Implications This study improves our understanding of older adults’ social eating experiences and highlights clear strategies by which social eating opportunities could be made more attractive, accessible, and acceptable to older adults.

scholarly journals AGING ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM: AN EXPLORATION OF SOCIAL NETWORKS AND IMPLICATIONS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S560-S560
Author(s):  
Danielle Waldron ◽  
Caitlin Coyle ◽  
John Kramer
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Comparative Method ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Constant Comparative Method ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
Community Supports

Abstract Social isolation is associated with poor health and well-being in older adults. Little is known about isolation in persons aging on the Autism Spectrum (AS), a group with varied physical and mental health comorbidities. The purpose of this study was to explore social networks of adults aging on the AS. We conducted in-depth interviews (N=30) with adults on the AS (age 50+) and analyzed findings using a constant comparative method. Findings suggest that older adults on the AS struggle to build and maintain social networks over the life course, in large part, because of challenges with communication and trust. Implications of isolation include challenges with community supports and employment. We propose several social convoy models and intervention mechanisms to support this population--as their social networks narrow over time, and they face aging-related challenges without the buffer of strong social relations.

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