scholarly journals Preliminary Impact of a Social Connection Program on Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 922-922
Author(s):  
Rachel Ungar ◽  
Rifky Tkatch ◽  
Yan Cheng ◽  
Sandra Kraemer ◽  
Michael McGinn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Lag Time ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Social Connections ◽  
High Likelihood ◽  
Secondary Objective ◽  
Telephone Calls ◽  
Automated Processes

Abstract Background Research demonstrates social connections decrease loneliness and improves life satisfaction among older adults. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has limited social connectedness, specifically for older adults. Thus, programs aiming to increase social connectedness among older adults are imperative. Purpose The primary objective of this study was to determine if the telephonic Peer-to-Peer (P2P) program can improve social connectedness and loneliness among older adults. A secondary objective was to determine whether additional improvements in life satisfaction and perception of aging were achieved. Methods Eligible older adults (age 65+) were recruited via outbound calls and/or a mailer. Participants were mailed a T1 survey, completed intervention training, and matched into a dyad. The matched dyad engaged in weekly telephone calls for 12 weeks. Post 12 weeks, participants completed a T2 survey, and a T3 four weeks later. Results Overall, 7,544 individuals were contacted to participate, and 759 expressed interest in participation. A total of 475 participants (62%) completed a T1, 372 (78%) completed training, and 348 (94%) were matched. Gender distribution was skewed towards females (74%), and most were 65-74 years old (53%). Preliminary results show significant differences between lonely and not lonely participants, with lonely participants reporting more negative health associations across all measures. Conclusion Once agreeing to participate, results showed a high likelihood of continuing in P2P, thus demonstrating a social connectedness opportunity for older adults. Delay in mailing and scheduling training may contribute to challenges in attrition. However, developing automated processes utilizing technology may decrease lag time for future phases.

Status Quo or Drop-Off: Do Older Adults Maintain Benefits From Choose to Move—A Scaled-Up Physical Activity Program—12 Months After Withdrawing From the Intervention?

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Heather A. McKay ◽  
Lindsay Nettlefold ◽  
Joanie Sims-Gould ◽  
Heather M. Macdonald ◽  
Karim M. Khan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Muscle Strength ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Secondary Objective ◽  
Baseline Values

Background: Choose to Move is one of few scaled-up health-promoting interventions for older adults. The authors evaluated whether Choose to Move participants maintained their intervention-related gains in physical activity (PA), mobility, and social connectedness 12 months after the intervention ended. Methods: The authors assessed PA, mobility, loneliness, social isolation, and muscle strength via questionnaire and objective measures in 235 older adults at 0 months (baseline), 6 months (end of intervention), and 18 months (12-months postintervention). The authors fitted linear mixed models to examine the change in each outcome from 6 to 18 months (primary objective) and 0 to 18 months (secondary objective) and reported by age group (60–74 and ≥75 y). Results: In younger participants, PA decreased between 6 and 18 months, but remained significantly higher than at baseline. Intervention-related benefits in loneliness, social isolation, mobility, and muscle strength were maintained between 6 and 18 months in the younger participants. Older participants maintained their intervention benefits in loneliness, mobility, and muscle strength. When compared with baseline values, PA levels in older participants were unchanged, whereas social isolation increased. Conclusions: Older adults maintained some, but not all, health benefits of Choose to Move 12 months after the intervention ended. Long-term commitments are needed to deliver effective health-promoting interventions for older adults if benefits are to be maintained.

scholarly journals Older People and Social Connectedness: How Place and Activities Keep People Engaged

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene H. Yen ◽  
Janet K. Shim ◽  
Airin D. Martinez ◽  
Judith C. Barker
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older People ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Ethnic Differences ◽  
Social Distance ◽  
Living Arrangements ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Social Connections ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Future

To understand how older adults perceive and navigate their neighborhoods, we examined the implications of activity in their neighborhoods for their health. We interviewed 38 adults (ages 62–85) who lived in San Francisco or Oakland, California. Seven key themes emerged: (1) people express a wide range of expectations for neighborliness, from “we do not bother each other” to “we have keys to each other’s houses”, (2) social distance between “other” people impede a sense of connection, (3) ethnic differences in living arrangements affect activities and activity locations, (4) people try to stay busy, (5) people able to leave their homes do many activities outside their immediate residential neighborhoods, (6) access to a car is a necessity for most, and (7) it is unusual to plan for the future when mobility might become limited. Multiple locations influence older adults’ health, including residential neighborhoods. Older adults value mobility, active lives, and social connections.

scholarly journals Changes in Social Networks as a Response to Loneliness Among Older Adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 580-580
Author(s):  
Abhijit Visaria ◽  
Pildoo Sung ◽  
Angelique W M Chan
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Reciprocal Relationship ◽  
Social Connections ◽  
Representative Study ◽  
Frequency Of Contact ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Perceived Social Isolation

Abstract The expression of loneliness suggests perceived social isolation and the lack of meaningful, rewarding and desired social connections. In this paper we seek to estimate whether loneliness among older adults is related to subsequent changes in two attributes of their social networks, i.e. the size and frequency of contact with network members. We use the Panel on Health and Ageing of Singaporean Elderly, a nationally representative study of older adults aged 60 years and older, conducted in 2009 (N=4990) with two follow-up waves in 2011 and 2015, and measure loneliness in terms of relational connectedness, i.e. feeling a lack of companionship, and social connectedness, i.e. feeling left out. Our preliminary analysis shows that loneliness is associated with a subsequent reduction in the size but not strength of social networks. We further propose to assess the causal relationship using cross-lagged panel analysis, thereby accounting for the possibility of a reciprocal relationship.

Utilization of Formal and Informal Home Care: How Do Older Canadians’ Experiences Vary by Care Arrangements?

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yeonjung Lee ◽  
Rachel Barken ◽  
Ernest Gonzales
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Home Care ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Canadian Community Health Survey ◽  
Formal Care ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Care Recipients ◽  
Community Health Survey

This study investigates how the receipt of formal, informal, and/or a combination of both types of care at home relates to older adults’ perceived loneliness, life satisfaction, and day-to-day lives. Quantitative analyses using the Canadian Community Health Survey ( n = 3,928) reveal that older adults who only received formal care reported lower levels of loneliness and higher levels of life satisfaction when compared with respondents who received informal or a blend of home care. Qualitative analyses of persons aged 65+ years receiving formal and informal home care in Ontario ( n = 34) suggest that formal care bolstered care recipients’ autonomy and reduced their sense of being a burden on family. In turn, receiving formal care served to improve these older adults’ social connectedness and well-being. Findings underscore older adults’ symbolic, functional, and emotional attachment to formal care services, as well as the limitations of a reliance on informal support.

Social Connectedness and the Declining Life Satisfaction of Australian Females

2015 ◽  
pp. 188-211
Author(s):  
Jennifer Ulichny ◽  
Christopher L. Ambrey ◽  
Christopher M. Fleming
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Personal Relationships ◽  
Social Connections ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
International Evidence ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Almost All

Research into subjective well-being suggests that happier people are healthier and more professionally productive, achieve goals more easily and are more often successful in personal relationships. Unfortunately, studies in the USA and Britain suggest that there has been an overall decline in self-reported well-being since the 1970's, particularly for females. Data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey appear to corroborate the international evidence. Using HILDA 2001 to 2011 data, this chapter investigates: levels of life satisfaction; association between life satisfaction and social connectedness; and whether declines in life satisfaction can be explained by declines in social connectedness. A positive association is found between life satisfaction and almost all measures of social connectedness for both genders. This association, however, only partly explains observed declines in life satisfaction. This research emphasises the importance of frequent, meaningful social connections and the urgency for governments to address declining well-being.

Social Connectedness and the Declining Life Satisfaction of Australian Females

2019 ◽  
pp. 529-552
Author(s):  
Jennifer Ulichny ◽  
Christopher L. Ambrey ◽  
Christopher M. Fleming
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Personal Relationships ◽  
Social Connections ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
International Evidence ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Almost All

Research into subjective well-being suggests that happier people are healthier and more professionally productive, achieve goals more easily and are more often successful in personal relationships. Unfortunately, studies in the USA and Britain suggest that there has been an overall decline in self-reported well-being since the 1970's, particularly for females. Data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey appear to corroborate the international evidence. Using HILDA 2001 to 2011 data, this chapter investigates: levels of life satisfaction; association between life satisfaction and social connectedness; and whether declines in life satisfaction can be explained by declines in social connectedness. A positive association is found between life satisfaction and almost all measures of social connectedness for both genders. This association, however, only partly explains observed declines in life satisfaction. This research emphasises the importance of frequent, meaningful social connections and the urgency for governments to address declining well-being.

scholarly journals The Epidemiology of Prehospital Emergency Responses for Older Adults in a Provincial EMS System

CJEM ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 491-496 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judah Goldstein ◽  
Jan L. Jensen ◽  
Alix J. E. Carter ◽  
Andrew H. Travers ◽  
Kenneth Rockwood
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Overall Response Rate ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Emergency Call ◽  
Prehospital Emergency ◽  
Secondary Objective ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Emergency Responses

AbstractObjectivesSocietal aging is expected to impact the use of emergency medical services (EMS). Older adults are known as high users of EMS. Our primary objective was to quantify the rate of EMS use by older adults in a Canadian provincial EMS system. Our secondary objective was to compare those transported to those not transported.MethodsWe analysed data from a provincial EMS database for emergency responses between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2010 and included all older adults (≥65 years) requesting EMS for an emergency call. We described EMS use in relation to age, sex, and resources.ResultsThere were 30,653 emergency responses for older adults in 2010, representing close to 50% of the emergency call volume and an overall response rate of 202.8 responses per 1,000 population 65 years and older. The mean age was 79.9±8.5 years for those 57.3% who were female. The median paramedic-determined Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS) score was 3 and the mean on-scene time was 24.2 minutes. Non-transported calls (12.3%) for the elderly involved predominantly (54.9%) female patients of similar mean age (78.3 years) but lower acuity (CTAS 5) and longer average on-scene times (32.6 minutes).ConclusionsWe confirmed the increasingly high rate of EMS use with age to be consistent with other industrialized populations. The low-priority and non-transport calls by older adults consumed considerable resources in this provincial system and might be the areas most malleable to meet the challenges facing EMS systems.

Investigation of the Associations Between Social Connectedness and Internet Usage for Older Adults

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edd D. Easton-Hogg ◽  
Nicholas K. Lim ◽  
Tomas Bergandi ◽  
Kevin Borders
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Internet Usage
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