scholarly journals Enhancing Group Bonding in an Acting Class of Older Adults in Urban Subsidized Housing

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 924-925
Author(s):  
Laura Sutherland ◽  
Ruth Dunkle ◽  
Garrett Pace
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Low Income ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Creative Arts ◽  
Isolated Populations ◽  
Course Structure ◽  
High School Degree ◽  
Field Notes ◽  
Socially Isolated

Abstract Creative arts such as acting can promote social contact and bonding among socially isolated populations. Yet the benefits of art programming among older adults in low-income urban settings remain unexplored. A professionally administered theater group comprised of older adults living in urban low-income housing met for 12 weeks to learn acting skills and perform a play. The purpose of this study was to identify: 1) why participants enroll in a residence-based acting and improvisation course, and 2) what aspects of the course contribute to group bonding. Participants (n=14) were African American. The average age was 63 years, 14% were men, 57% had a high school degree or less, 79% reported good to excellent health, and the mean ADL score was 1.45 (range: 1-2.5). A researcher was present at each class session to observe and take field notes. Pre-post interviews included closed and open-ended questions. The researchers reviewed field notes and interview transcripts for a priori themes and emergent themes through independently coding data, discussing similarities and discrepancies, and coming to consensus on themes. Results showed that participants were motivated to enroll to meet new people, come out of themselves, learn something new, and gain artistic skills. Participants indicated the course contributed to group bonding via teaching techniques, course structure, the teacher’s use of self, the expression of self, and mutually enhanced coping skills. Results from this study provide guidance for the design of theater groups in similar settings and inform recruitment efforts of older adults in creative arts programs.

scholarly journals COMMUNITY BELONGING THROUGH THEATER: CREATIVE ARTS INTERVENTION FOR LOW-INCOME OLDER ADULTS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S198-S198
Author(s):  
Ruth E Dunkle ◽  
Laura Sutherland ◽  
Garrett T Pace ◽  
Ariel Kennedy ◽  
Patricia Baldwin
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Treatment Group ◽  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Sense Of Community ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Comparison Group ◽  
Creative Arts ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Community Belonging

Abstract Creative arts can promote social contact and possibly reduce isolation. A professionally run theater group comprised of low-income older adults met for 12 weeks to learn basic skills and perform a play. Using a pre-post questionnaire, data were gathered from the treatment group (n=14) who participated in the class and a non-participating comparison group (n=5) to identify potential program effects on measures of social isolation, community belonging, and social exclusion. Participants were African American living in low-income housing in an urban area. The average age of the sample was 65 years, 21% were men, 83% had at least high school degree, 71% reported good to excellent health, and 58% reported at least one ADL. Regression analyses showed that a sense of community belonging was significantly greater for the treatment group than the comparison group at time 2.This was not the case when considering social isolation or social exclusion. When controls were added (age, health, and previous theater experience), the significant difference remained with higher age predicting a sense of community belonging. The greater number of class sessions attended was also associated with a greater sense of community belonging for the treatment group. Through the shared experience of theater, participants can gain a sense of community, but this activity does not seem to be related to social isolation or social exclusion. It could be that theater participation fosters a sense of belonging due to group dynamics but is not a significant enough activity to reduce a sense of isolation or exclusion.

scholarly journals Creative Arts-Based Approaches to Improve the Well-Being of Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 234-235
Author(s):  
Darina Petrovsky ◽  
Justine Sefcik
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Creative Arts ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Building Program

Abstract As older adults age they may face cognitive impairment, disruption in their sleep, and a decrease in mood and overall well-being. Given the negative consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, they may experience a disruption in their access to health care services. Creative arts-based approaches have shown promise in improving the well-being of older adults and may be helpful in augmenting health care services. In this symposium, we will present research results of creative arts-based interventions aimed at improving the well-being of older adults, including those with dementia. We will also discuss ways to successfully engage with organizations that serve older adults using arts-based interventions. The first presentation will focus on the results from a feasibility randomized controlled trial examining the effects of a tailored music listening intervention on sleep outcomes in older adults living with dementia and their caregivers. The second presentation will report findings from the Mason Music & Memory Initiative aiming to improve mood and behavioral outcomes in persons living with dementia in nursing homes. The third presentation will focus on the preliminary results of a pilot study that integrated the delivery of music therapy telehealth with remote social work support and service linkage for rural older adults from low-income areas. The fourth presentation will report findings from the capacity-building program for teaching artists, health/aging organizations, and arts organizations committed to strengthening Creative Aging efforts through research. Implications for future research and creative arts-based intervention development for older adults will be discussed.

scholarly journals ADDRESSING SOCIAL ISOLATION AND LONELINESS AMONG LOW-INCOME SENIORS IN SAN FRANCISCO

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S601-S601
Author(s):  
Catherine Spensley
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Cultural Exchange ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Service Agency ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Trauma Informed ◽  
Socially Isolated

Abstract Felton Institute has been working to eliminate isolation and loneliness in San Francisco since its inception as a community social service agency 130 years ago. Felton offers culturally and linguistically appropriate programs and services that foster community and social connections among socially isolated, low income older adults, including those living with serious mental illness and those residing in local long-term care facilities. Examples include workforce programs for older adults; the foster grandparent program; and the senior companion program which includes friendly visiting, senior counseling, and peer escort services. This session will highlight lessons learned from these successful programs as well as how they have led to the development of new initiatives focused on conducting outreach, providing trauma-informed services, offering wellness classes, and organizing meaningful activities including a choir, intergenerational gardening, arts and dance classes, and cultural exchange opportunities to isolated older adults living in poverty in San Francisco’s Visitacion Valley.

scholarly journals POLICY SERIES: ADDRESSING LONELINESS AMONG OLDER ADULTS THROUGH RESEARCH, COMMUNITY PROGRAMS, AND A NEW FEDERAL POLICY AGENDA

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S600-S600
Author(s):  
Erica Solway ◽  
Brian W Lindberg
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Life Expectancy ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Community Programs ◽  
Socially Isolated ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Millions of older adults experience feelings of loneliness. A growing body of research has found that chronic loneliness can impact memory, physical well-being, mental health, and life expectancy rivaling the impact on health outcomes of obesity and smoking. Loneliness has been found to impact memory, physical well-being, mental health, and life expectancy. In this session, GSA policy advisor Brian Lindberg will lead a data-driven discussion about who experiences loneliness and isolation and how we might create opportunities for connectedness through new areas of research, forward-thinking policies, and innovative community programs. Presenters include Erica Solway, associate director for the National Poll on Healthy Aging, who will highlight results from a poll conducted in October 2018 among a nationally representative sample of adults age 50 to 80 which found that more than one in three respondents felt a lack of companionships and more than one in four felt socially isolated. Then Catherine Spensley, Director of the Senior Division at Felton Institute, will describe lessons learned in developing and delivering culturally and linguistically appropriate programs and services that foster community and social connections among socially isolated, low income older adults in San Francisco. Finally, Andrew MacPherson, Principal at Healthsperien, LLC, and Director of the Coalition to End Social Isolation & Loneliness will describe stakeholder efforts to advocate for federal legislative and regulatory policy options to address the epidemic including increased funding for and access to supportive services, health care, technology, and public and private research initiatives.

scholarly journals The Epidemiology of Social Isolation: National Health and Aging Trends Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas K M Cudjoe ◽  
David L Roth ◽  
Sarah L Szanton ◽  
Jennifer L Wolff ◽  
Cynthia M Boyd ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
National Health ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Living Arrangement ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Religious Attendance ◽  
Socially Isolated ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract Objectives Social isolation among older adults is an important but under-recognized risk for poor health outcomes. Methods are needed to identify subgroups of older adults at risk for social isolation. Methods We constructed a typology of social isolation using data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) and estimated the prevalence and correlates of social isolation among community-dwelling older adults. The typology was formed from four domains: living arrangement, core discussion network size, religious attendance, and social participation. Results In 2011, 24% of self-responding, community-dwelling older adults (65+ years), approximately 7.7 million people, were characterized as socially isolated, including 1.3 million (4%) who were characterized as severely socially isolated. Multinomial multivariable logistic regression indicated that being unmarried, male, having low education, and low income were all independently associated with social isolation. Black and Hispanic older adults had lower odds of social isolation compared with white older adults, after adjusting for covariates. Discussion Social isolation is an important and potentially modifiable risk that affects a significant proportion of the older adult population.

scholarly journals Obesity Intervention Improves Outcomes in Socially Isolated Older Adults: Progress Despite a Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 953-954
Author(s):  
Kathryn Porter Starr ◽  
Michael Borack ◽  
Marshall Miller ◽  
Angela Fruik ◽  
Jamie Rincker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Fasting Blood Glucose ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Isolated Populations ◽  
Obesity Intervention ◽  
Socially Isolated

Abstract The extended social isolation necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic will likely have a prolonged negative impact on the health of community-dwelling older adults. We studied the potential to counteract these negative effects, examining the before and after measurements of participants in two obesity intervention studies that were converted from in-person to remote delivery, due to COVID-19. The Veterans Achieving Weight Loss and Optimizing Resilience-Using Protein study (VALOR-UP; n=9) and the Egg-Supplemented Pre-Diabetes Intervention Trial (EGGSPDITE; n=6) enrolled obese (BMI = 34.2±3.8 kg/m2) older adults (age = 71.5±4.5 yrs; 80% male; 47% black) with prediabetes (fasting blood glucose 100-125 mg/dL and/or HbA1c of 5.7-6.4%). Participants followed a hypocaloric diet, attended weekly support groups, and weighed themselves weekly; VALOR-UP participants also attended a weekly exercise class delivered remotely. Outcomes were assessed at baseline (pre-COVID) and the end of a 4-month period coinciding with stay-at-home orders. Between baseline and 4 months, calorie intakes (3-day diet record) decreased by 402.1±529.3 kcal/day (p<0.05) and body weight by 6% (6.1±3.4 kg; p<0.0001). Physical function (Short Physical Performance Battery) improved by 1.1±1.4 units (p<0.01) and Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) physical and mental composite quality of life remained stable (p=0.63 and p=0.48, respectively). Thus, despite COVID-19 circumstances, most participants were able to benefit from an intervention to improve function and reduce obesity. The somewhat surprising findings for this small cohort offer promise not only for future lifestyle interventions during COVID-19 isolation but also for other isolated populations, including home-bound older adults.

Innovative Approaches to Managing Diabetes in Low-Income Older Adults

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary E. Steers ◽  
Allison A. Jay ◽  
Sarah L. Anderson ◽  
Kaitlyn Eller ◽  
Leilani Feliciano
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Innovative Approaches

Addressing COVID-19 Worry and Social Isolation in Home-Based Primary Care

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Elizabeth Weiskittle ◽  
Michelle Mlinac ◽  
LICSW Nicole Downing
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Mental Health Providers ◽  
Health Providers ◽  
Home Based Primary Care ◽  
Home Based ◽  
Socially Isolated

Social distancing measures following the outbreak of COVID-19 have led to a rapid shift to virtual and telephone care. Social workers and mental health providers in VA home-based primary care (HBPC) teams face challenges providing psychosocial support to their homebound, medically complex, socially isolated patient population who are high risk for poor health outcomes related to COVID-19. We developed and disseminated an 8-week telephone or virtual group intervention for front-line HBPC social workers and mental health providers to use with socially isolated, medically complex older adults. The intervention draws on skills from evidence-based psychotherapies for older adults including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, and Problem-Solving Therapy. The manual was disseminated to VA HBPC clinicians and geriatrics providers across the United States in March 2020 for expeditious implementation. Eighteen HBPC teams and three VA Primary Care teams reported immediate delivery of a local virtual or telephone group using the manual. In this paper we describe the manual’s development and clinical recommendations for its application across geriatric care settings. Future evaluation will identify ways to meet longer-term social isolation and evolving mental health needs for this patient population as the pandemic continues.

scholarly journals INTERNET USE AND LONELINESS OF OLDER ADULTS OVER TIME: THE MEDIATION EFFECT OF SOCIAL CONTACT

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S194-S194
Author(s):  
Kexin Yu ◽  
Kexin Yu ◽  
Shinyi Wu ◽  
Iris Chi
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older People ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Total Effect ◽  
Mediation Effect ◽  
Health And Retirement Study ◽  
Longitudinal Association ◽  
Retirement Study ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Internet is increasingly popular among older adults and have changed interpersonal interactions. However, it remains controversial whether older people are more or less lonely with internet use. This paper tests the longitudinal association of internet use and loneliness among older people. One pathway that explains the association, the mediation effect of social contact, was examined. Data from the 2006, 2010 and 2014 waves of Health and Retirement Study was used. Hierarchical liner modeling results showed internet use was related to decreased loneliness over 12-year period of time (b=-0.044, p<.001). Internet use was associated with more social contact with family and friends overtime (b=0.261, p<.001), social contact was related to less perceived loneliness longitudinally (b=0.097, p<.001). The total effect of internet use on loneliness is -0.054 and the mediated effect is -0.025. The findings imply that online activities can be effective for reducing loneliness for older people through increased social contact.

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