scholarly journals Video Chat Technology to Support Home and Community-Based Organizations

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 426-426
Author(s):  
Brielle Ross ◽  
Allura Lothary ◽  
Dillon Myer ◽  
Raksha Mudar ◽  
Wendy Rogers ◽  
...  

Abstract Concerns about loneliness and social isolation for older adults were already evident but have been exacerbated during the pandemic. Home and Community Based Organizations (HCBOs) provide support for their older clients in the community and need to support their staff, who may be working remotely. We are exploring the potential of video chat technology to connect older adults with their friends, families, and other support. We review the technologies available to older adults in the community and staff working with older adults to promote social engagement. We are collaborating with OneClick.chat to identify the needs of the HCBOs through a literature review and qualitative interviews of staff members from different senior living environments. Their challenges and successes of engaging older adults through video chat technologies will provide guidance for design of an HCBO dashboard for OneClick.chat that will support diverse needs.

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 426-427
Author(s):  
Allura Lothary ◽  
Justine King ◽  
Sarah Jones ◽  
Raksha Mudar ◽  
Dillon Myers ◽  
...  

Abstract Video technology has the potential to provide older adults with socially and cognitively engaging activities for in-home participation. We are exploring use of OneClick.chat, a video technology platform, to present older adults with and without mild cognitive impairment opportunities for engagement. In collaboration with iN2L we have developed events that will facilitate conversations that do not rely on episodic memory, cover a range of topics, and represent different cultures and interests. We selected event topics that were positive, socially and cognitively engaging, and included a range of pictures based on our previous research. Events were carefully controlled for length of presentation, picture type, and readability. Discussion questions related to the events were designed to stimulate engaging conversations through open-ended questions and to not burden memory recall or enforce stereotypes. Our work highlights potential future avenues for researchers and home and community-based organizations to use technology to promote social engagement.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 328-328
Author(s):  
Simona Kwon ◽  
Deborah Min ◽  
Stella Chong

Abstract Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial and ethnic minority group in the United States, whose population is aging considerably. Previous studies indicate that social isolation and loneliness disproportionately affects older adults and predicts greater physical, mental, and cognitive decline. A systematic literature review using PRISMA guidelines was conducted to address this emerging need to understand the scope of research focused on social isolation and loneliness among the disparity population of older Asian Americans. Four interdisciplinary databases were searched: PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and AgeLine; search terms included variations on social isolation, loneliness, Asian Americans, and older adults. Articles were reviewed based on six eligibility criteria: (1) research topic relevance, (2) study participants aged >60 years, (3) Asian immigrants as main participants, (4) conducted in the United States, (5) published between 1995-2019, and (6) printed in the English language. The search yielded 799 articles across the four databases and 61 duplicate articles were removed. Abstracts were screened for the 738 remaining studies, 107 of which underwent full-text review. A total of 56 articles met the eligibility criteria. Synthesis of our review indicates that existing research focuses heavily on Chinese and Korean American immigrant communities, despite the heterogeneity of the diverse Asian American population. Studies were largely observational and employed community-based sampling. Critical literature gaps exist surrounding social isolation and loneliness in Asian American older adults, including the lack of studies on South Asian populations. Future studies should prioritize health promotion intervention research and focus on diverse understudied Asian subgroups.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S340-S341
Author(s):  
Claire Pendergrast ◽  
Basia Belza ◽  
Ann Bostrom ◽  
Nicole Errett

Abstract Older adults are more susceptible to adverse health outcomes during and after a disaster compared with their younger counterparts. Developing community resilience, or strengthening communities to reduce the negative impacts of disasters, has the potential support older adults’ health and well-being. Community-based organizations (CBOs), such as senior centers and Villages, provide social services and programming that support aging in place and may support older adults’ resilience to disasters. This study examines CBO leadership perspectives on the role of CBOs in building disaster resilience for older adults aging in place, as well as perceived barriers and facilitators to incorporating disaster resilience activities into organizational programming. In-depth interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of staff-members of CBOs serving older adults aging in place in King County, Washington. Participants included representatives from 14 organizations that varied in size, geographic setting, organizational structure, and ethnic, linguistic, and socio-economic backgrounds of organizational members. The sample included five government-run senior centers, seven non-profit senior centers, and two Villages. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. We used a combined inductive and deductive approach to code and thematically analyze the data. Results indicate that local context, leadership risk perception, collaborations, and existing services and programming influence CBOs’ willingness to engage in activities supporting disaster resilience for older adults aging in place. Findings suggest that CBOs supporting aging in place may support disaster resilience for older adults by serving as a trusted source of disaster preparedness information and tailoring disaster-related messages for an older adult audience.


10.18060/1963 ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 325-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Anne Simmelink ◽  
Patricia Shannon

This exploratory study examines the mental health knowledge and training needs of refugee-serving community based organizations in a Midwestern state. A survey was administered to 31 staff members at 27 community based organizations (CBOs) to assess the ability of staff to recognize and screen for mental health symptoms that may interfere with successful resettlement. Of the 31 respondents 93.5% (n=29) see refugees with mental health issues and 48.4% (n=15) assess refugees for mental health symptoms – primarily through informal assessment. Mainstream organizations were more likely than ethnic organizations to have received training related to the mental health needs of refugees. Results indicate that while refugee led CBOs recognize mental health symptoms of refugees they may be less likely to assess mental health symptoms and refer for treatment. Policy recommendations for improving CBO services to refugees are offered.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rita Latikka ◽  
Rosana Rubio-Hernández ◽  
Elena Simona Lohan ◽  
Juho Rantala ◽  
Fernando Nieto Fernández ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Loneliness and social isolation can have severe effects on human health and well-being. Partial solutions to combat these circumstances in demographically aging societies have been sought from the field of information and communication technology (ICT). OBJECTIVE This systematic literature review investigates the research conducted on older adults’ loneliness and social isolation, and physical ICTs, namely robots, wearables, and smart homes, in the era of ambient assisted living (AAL). The aim is to gain insight into how technology can help overcome loneliness and social isolation other than by fostering social communication with people and what the main open-ended challenges according to the reviewed studies are. METHODS The data were collected from 7 bibliographic databases. A preliminary search resulted in 1271 entries that were screened based on predefined inclusion criteria. The characteristics of the selected studies were coded, and the results were summarized to answer our research questions. RESULTS The final data set consisted of 23 empirical studies. We found out that ICT solutions such as smart homes can help detect and predict loneliness and social isolation, and technologies such as robotic pets and some other social robots can help alleviate loneliness to some extent. The main open-ended challenges across studies relate to the need for more robust study samples and study designs. Further, the reviewed studies report technology- and topic-specific open-ended challenges. CONCLUSIONS Technology can help assess older adults’ loneliness and social isolation, and alleviate loneliness without direct interaction with other people. The results are highly relevant in the COVID-19 era, where various social restrictions have been introduced all over the world, and the amount of research literature in this regard has increased recently.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S866-S866
Author(s):  
Amanda E Hunsaker ◽  
Minh Hao Nguyen ◽  
Jaelle Fuchs ◽  
Teodora Djukaric ◽  
Larissa Hugentobler ◽  
...  

Abstract Older adults comprise a highly heterogeneous group that engages with digital media in varying ways, therefore a large variation in technology support needs is likely. This study examines the nature of support for using digital media among older adults. We conducted in-depth qualitative interviews with older adults (age 59+) in Hungary, the Netherlands, and Switzerland (N=58) in 2019 exploring: (1) whether and how older adults receive support in using digital media; and (2) older adults’ perceptions of whether the support they receive meets their needs. We began with open coding, then conducted consensus meetings to identify themes and coding schemes, and wrote memos to share findings and ensure reliability across coders. We find that older adults voice a highly varying range of need for technical support as well as varying instances of both receiving and not receiving technical help. Participants report receiving help from different informal (e.g. spouses) and formal (e.g. computer classes) sources. However, support may not be immediate, posing challenges for older adults who depend on the availability of their support sources. Importantly, we also find that there are older adults who are quite self-sufficient in the ways they use digital technology. For older adults needing support, greater access to community-based support may help those without satisfactory options in their own social circle. Given our findings that older adults can have great ease with solving technology-related problems, peer-driven support networks where older adults can offer support to others may be an effective approach to providing digital technology guidance.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S738-S738
Author(s):  
Kathleen A Cameron ◽  
Lauren E Popham ◽  
Angelica Herrera-Venson

Abstract The National Council on Aging (NCOA) conducted a national survey of community-based organizations (CBOs) in early 2019 to better understand how older adults, people with disabilities, and their caregivers are affected by the opioid epidemic and identify new resources and tools needed by CBOs to better serve their community needs. Specifically, the survey asked about the extent to which CBOs’ service delivery and level of effort has changed as a result of the opioid epidemic; unique issues reported by this population, directly or indirectly resulting from opioid misuse by them or loved ones; how organizations screen and refer older adults and individual with disabilities for support associated with opioid misuse; how organizations may be connecting with local or state initiatives addressing the opioid epidemic, or forming strategic partnerships to respond to emerging client needs; and pinpoint gaps in resources that may help organizations to more effectively respond to these issues. Over 200 organizations, representing urban, suburban and rural communities, responded to the survey and included senior centers, area agencies on aging, Senior Health Insurance Assistance Programs, as well as health care organizations. Seventy percent of organizations report spending more effort to address the needs of older adults/caregivers who are adversely affected by opioid misuse/abuse since 2 years ago. Common health and financial concerns, current strategies related to screening, partnership development, and educational programming as reported by CBOs will be presented. This session will include a discussion of opportunities to assist CBOs address the opioid-related needs of their older adult clients.


2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 854-863 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsten Ward ◽  
Anne Pousette ◽  
Chelsea A. Pelletier

Although the benefits of maintaining a physical activity regime for older adults are well known, it is unclear how programs and facilities can best support long-term participation. The purpose of this study is to determine the facilitating factors of physical activity maintenance in older adults at individual, program, and community levels. Nine semistructured interviews were conducted with individuals aged 60 years and older and long-term participants (>6 months) in community-based group exercise at a clinical wellness facility in northern British Columbia, Canada. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed via inductive thematic analysis. Themes identified as facilitators of physical activity included (a) social connections, (b) individual contextual factors, and (c) healthy aging. Older adults are more likely to maintain physical activity when environments foster healthy aging and provide opportunity for social engagement.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S601-S601
Author(s):  
Andrew MacPherson

Abstract The Coalition to End Social Isolation and Loneliness convenes a diverse group of allied stakeholders, including consumer and patient groups, health plans, community-based organizations, private sector researchers and innovators, and others, to address the epidemic of social isolation and loneliness. The Coalition is developing and advocating for bipartisan federal policy solutions to provide individuals the support they need to be socially engaged. This session will describe the role of the Coalition in engaging stakeholders, promoting innovative research, and advocating for policy changes that combat the adverse consequences of social isolation and loneliness and advance approaches and practices that improve social connectedness for all Americans.


2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele Shropshire

The aim of the present integrative literature review is to summarise empirical evidence supporting the positive health benefits of reminiscence intervention for older adults without dementia who reside in community and long-term care settings. Reminiscence intervention may be used to improve cognitive ability in older adults by prompting them to share life stories and recall past events. Using Garrard's matrix method, 15 studies were identified and included in this review, with a total of 815 participants. The health outcomes of reminiscence intervention for older adults residing in the community and long-term care settings were improvements in depressive symptoms; greater wellbeing, peace and life satisfaction; and improvements in quality of life, social engagement, anxiety and cognitive skills/memory. Non-pharmacological approaches such as reminiscence intervention may contribute to a rich base for reformulating cognitive interpretations, increasing cognitive abilities, and improving social skills among older adults.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document