scholarly journals Social Isolation, Loneliness and Well-being in the Covid-19 Crisis: A Look at Nursing Home Residents in Luxembourg

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 957-958
Author(s):  
Isabelle Albert ◽  
Martine Hoffmann ◽  
Anna Kornadt ◽  
Elke Murdock ◽  
Josepha Nell
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Nursing Home ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Nursing Home Residents ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Severe Illness ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Regulatory Strategies ◽  
Negative Side Effects

Abstract During the COVID-19 crisis, older adults, in particular those with underlying health conditions, were at a special risk for severe illness and mortality, and efforts were made to shield them from exposure to the virus. While measures of physical distancing and reduction of in-person contacts were necessary to prevent contraction, they hit residents of care settings particularly hard since visits from family and friends were banned and the risk for loneliness and social isolation increased. In the present study, we therefore gave the voice to nursing home residents and focused on their perceived loneliness and subjective well-being during the crisis. We were both interested in difficulties but also in personal resources and resilience factors that might protect older adults from negative mental health outcomes and help to maintain subjective well-being. A sample of N = 76 residents in care homes in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg were interviewed by use of a standardized questionnaire during July and August 2020. Participants reported on their loneliness and life satisfaction during the crisis, on their self-regulatory strategies as well as on personal and social resources (e.g. self-efficacy, generativity, social support). Data will be analyzed by use of regression analysis to predict loneliness and well-being by risk and protective factors. Results will be discussed applying a life-span developmental and systemic perspective to understand the mutual interplay of individual, social and institutional resources to mitigate negative side effects of protective measures on care home residents.

scholarly journals COVID-19 and Social Isolation Endangering Psychological Health of Older Adults: Implications for Telepsychiatry

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Aging Population ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Severe Illness ◽  
Older Population ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Targeted Interventions

Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) has created a public health emergency and had claimed 911,877 lives at the time of writing this manuscript (September 12, 2020). While everybody is at the risk of acquiring infection following the exposure to SARS-CoV-2, older adults are significantly more likely to experience severe illness, life-threatening complications, hospitalizations, and deaths. As the pandemic evolved, social distancing or shielding efforts as primary prevention were instituted to protect the physical health status of the vulnerable population, with no or limited consideration to the psychological health of the older population. Social isolation and loneliness are the long-standing public health concerns among older adults, which appear to be exacerbating amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the pre-existing risk of late-life psychiatric disorders among older individuals, it is critical to determine challenges posed by COVID-19 and associated social distancing protocols as it relates to the psychosocial well-being of the aging population. Such information is imperative to design targeted interventions to fulfill the unmet needs of the older population. Therefore, this review endeavors to identify the healthcare and emotional needs of the aging population during the COVID-19 pandemic in the context of psychological health and social capital. Additionally, this review also identifies the barriers in the uptake of telepsychiatry and highlights the need for promoting remote counseling services among older people to promote their psychosocial well-being.

Experiences with Technology Amongst an International Sample of Older Adults: Results from a Qualitative Interpretive Meta-Synthesis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vivian J Miller ◽  
Erin M Roark ◽  
Noelle L Fields ◽  
Courtney Cronley
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Information And Communications Technology ◽  
World Health ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Nuanced Understanding

Abstract Identifying and implementing effective strategies to combat social exclusion and isolation is critical, given that eradicating social isolation has been identified as one of the social work profession’s main goals. Training older adults to use information and communications technology (ICT) effectively may be an appropriate intervention to combat and mitigate the negative impacts of social isolation within the aging population. ICT has demonstrated promise with older adults, with research demonstrating that older adults with higher technology use report better self-reported physical health and subjective well-being. Given this promise, the authors of this study seek to create more nuanced understanding of the experience of ICT usage, as told by an international sample of older adults using a qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis (QIMS). Using the QIMS methodology paired with phenomenological reduction, the authors synthesised nine (N = 9) qualitative studies through the lens of the World Health Organization’s age-friendly domains. This process resulted in three overarching themes that describe older adults’ experiences engaging with technology: ‘desire for empowerment’, ‘connection’ and ‘aging well’. Findings from this study highlight overall benefits of technology use among older adults aging in the community. This study concludes with implications for social work research and practice.

scholarly journals Nursing Home Residents Aged over 80—A Cross-Sectional Analysis on Which Activity Traits Correlate to Positive Affect

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (24) ◽  
pp. 9583
Author(s):  
Melanie Zirves ◽  
Holger Pfaff
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Home ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Nursing Home Residents ◽  
Care Facility ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Independent Effect ◽  
Activity Participation ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Cross Sectional

Admission to a care facility is assumed to enhance depressive symptoms and dependent behavior in old age. In this context, the relevance of participation in activities that make everyday life in a care facility more pleasant has been pointed out. This study examines if there is a relationship between participation in different activities as well as the frequency of this participation and the positive affect of nursing home residents aged over 80. Data from the unique cross-sectional representative study ‘Quality of life and subjective well-being of the very old in North Rhine-Westphalia’ in Germany (n = 150, aged 90.15 years in average) were used. The data were collected between 08/2017 and 02/2018 using computer-assisted personal interviewing. The variability in and frequency of activity participation functioned as independent, and positive affect as dependent variable. Multiple regression analysis was performed. Residents’ predicted positive affect significantly increased with a higher variability in activity participation. There was no independent effect of frequency in participation. Our findings indicate that there is a significant and positive relationship between participating in a high number of different activities and the overall positive affect of residents aged over 80 years. This does not hold true for the frequency of participation.

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