scholarly journals Experiences and Perceived Origins of Compassionate Ageism Among Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 945-945
Author(s):  
Catherine Ju ◽  
Meghan McDarby ◽  
Matthew Picchiello ◽  
Brian Carpenter
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Small Proportion ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Media Messages ◽  
Interpersonal Behaviors

Abstract During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a rise in media messages (MMs) and interpersonal behaviors (IBs) that could have been considered as reflecting compassionate ageism (i.e., ageism that stems from perceptions of older adults [OAs] as warm but incompetent). However, it is unclear how OAs experienced these MMs and IBs during the pandemic. The current study examined how OAs perceived pandemic-related MMs and IBs. We recruited 74 community-dwelling OAs (Mage = 73.18, 58% female). Participants completed a survey in which they reported the extent to which they had encountered five MMs and nine IBs throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, participants rated whether they believed each MM and IB was motivated by care and how offended they were by it. Nearly all participants had encountered MMs about OAs’ vulnerability to COVID-19 (e.g., more likely to contract COVID-19, 97%; more likely to die from COVID-19, 97%). Furthermore, most participants experienced IBs emphasizing their vulnerability to COVID-19 (e.g., told by another person they had a higher likelihood of contracting COVID-19, 64%; someone had checked in on them unprompted, 63%). However, across MMs and IBs, most participants (59–100%) perceived them as motivated by care and concern, and a relatively small proportion (0–20%) reported being offended by them. Our findings underscore the importance of understanding nuances of ageism from the perspective of OAs themselves. Different forms of ageism (i.e., compassionate ageism, hostile ageism) rooted in certain stereotypes about older adults (i.e., high warmth-low competence) may uniquely shape the lived experiences of OAs.

scholarly journals Through Their Lens: Using Visual Methods to Illuminate the Lived Experiences of Diverse Older Adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 727-727
Author(s):  
Jarmin Yeh ◽  
Tam Perry
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Qualitative Research ◽  
New Jersey ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Civic Participation ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Photo Elicitation ◽  
Visual Methods

Abstract Visual methods, like photovoice and photo-elicitation, have attracted modest attention in gerontological inquiry with diverse and vulnerable community-dwelling older adults. Visual methods are based on the idea of inserting images, produced by informants or not, into research interviews, allowing informants to be the experts of knowledge and meaning-making while the researcher becomes the student. The empowerment of informants as subject-collaborators in the research process is a distinctive feature of visual methods. Benefits include revealing unique insights into diverse phenomena by evoking elements of human consciousness, feelings, and memories that words may not easily express and surveys may not easily capture. This symposium presents qualitative research using visual methods to illuminate the lived experiences, voices, and perspectives of diverse and vulnerable older adults living in New Jersey, Connecticut, and California. Reyes’ research critiques how the operationalization of mainstream notions of civic participation becomes exclusionary and provides a more inclusive understanding of how civic participation is enacted and performed through the practices of Latinx and African American older adults living in New Jersey. Versey’s research with homeless older adults subverts the attention often focused within cities by interrogating the meaning of place with informants whose needs and desires are often overlooked or obscured by residing in a small, rural town in central Connecticut. Yeh’s research on aging in place inequalities chronicles the everyday lives of housed and unhoused older San Franciscans to reveal their tactics for negotiating a moving tension between the daily interiority of identity and contingencies of a changing environment. Qualitative Research Interest Group Sponsored Symposium.

scholarly journals Understanding the Complexities of Community-Dwelling Older Adults’ Lived Experiences During COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 14-14
Author(s):  
Bo Xie ◽  
Kristina Shiroma ◽  
Atami Sagna de Main ◽  
Nathan Davis ◽  
Karen Fingerman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Negative Experiences ◽  
Thematic Map ◽  
Symptoms Of Depression ◽  
Central Texas ◽  
Positive Experiences ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults ◽  
Inductive Thematic Analysis

Abstract Since December 2019, COVID-19 has spurred rapid and extensive research, but this research has focused on some perspectives with others understudied. In particular, studies have not yet explored the complexities of community-dwelling older adults’ lived experiences during the pandemic. This study aimed to address this gap. Community-dwelling older adults living in Central Texas (N = 200; age, 65–92 years, M = 73.6± 6.33) responded to open- and closed-ended questions over the telephone during June–August 2020. Data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. We identified three key themes. (1) Positive experiences, with 4 subthemes: perception that the pandemic has not changed one’s lifestyle; adjusting well—particularly with the aid of technology; being positive in perspective; and a “loner advantage” (being a “loner” pre-pandemic was advantageous during the pandemic). (2) Mixed experiences, with 4 subthemes: doing okay but unhappy about changing lifestyle routines; doing okay but unhappy about loss of in-person interactions with family and friends; doing okay but frustrated by witnessing absence of social distancing or facemask use by others; and maintaining physical health with fluctuating symptoms of depression or anxiety. (3) Negative experiences, with 3 subthemes: bitter about others/society/government not caring for older adults; feeling isolated, bored, and powerless; and worsening as time goes by. A thematic map was subsequently developed. These findings reveal the complexities of community-dwelling older adults’ lived experiences, illustrating effective coping and resilience during the pandemic and dissatisfaction owing to the pandemic’s effects on their lives and to their observations of others’ behaviors.

scholarly journals Exploring older adults’ lived experiences of COVID-19: A narrative inquiry study

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 888-889
Author(s):  
Tia Rogers-Jarrell ◽  
Brad Meisner
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Narrative Inquiry ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Design Data ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract COVID-19 dramatically changed daily life for older adults in numerous and complex ways. Research is calling for an understanding on how COVID-19 has and will impact aging, and older adults’ lived experiences with aging, within the context of the pandemic. Social and physical distancing guidelines have put older adults at an increased risk for social isolation. Intergenerational tensions have also intensified during the pandemic, and early research states the labeling of older adults as a homogenous and “vulnerable” group can lead to an increased risk of ageism in their communities. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore how community-dwelling older adults (ages 65 and greater) experience daily life amid the COVID-19 pandemic using a biopsychosocial approach. This study employs a critical qualitative narrative inquiry design. Data will be collected through solicited diaries and semi-structured individual interviews (via telephone and video conferencing software). Data will be analyzed thematically and involve a re-storying of the findings. Preliminary results will be presented and discussed. This study aims to inform new and critical perspectives that broaden our understanding of how the overall health, wellness, and quality of life of older adults can be supported. Findings contribute to the current and developing knowledge of older adults’ first-person accounts of their experiences within the COVID-19 pandemic.

Perceived Voice Disorders in Older Adults and Impact on Social Interactions

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Connie K. Porcaro ◽  
Clare Singer ◽  
Boris Djokic ◽  
Ali A. Danesh ◽  
Ruth Tappen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Voice Disorders ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Vocal Performance ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Cross Sectional

Purpose Many aging individuals, even those who are healthy, report voice changes that can impact their ability to communicate as they once did. While this is commonly reported, most do not seek evaluation or management for this issue. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence and differences in voice disorders in older adults, along with the effect of fatigue on their social interactions. Method This is a cross-sectional investigation of a community-dwelling sample of individuals aged 60 years or older. Participants completed the Questionnaire on Vocal Performance, the Social Engagement Index subset “Engagement in Social or Leisure Activities,” and the Fatigue Severity Scale. Results Results indicated 32.5% of the 332 participants reported symptoms of voice problems with no difference found between male and female respondents. A slight increase in report of voice problems was noted with each year of age. Participants who self-reported voice problems indicated less interaction in social activities involving communication than those who did not. Finally, as severity of self-reported voice problems increased, an increase was reported by the same individuals for signs of fatigue. Conclusions Voice problems and resulting decreased social interaction are commonly experienced by older individuals. Voice symptoms in older adults have been found to benefit from evidence-based treatment strategies. It is critical to provide education to encourage older individuals to seek appropriate evaluation and management for voice issues through a speech-language pathologist or medical professional.

Slow Down You’re Moving Too Fast

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 53-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annie Lang ◽  
Nancy Schwartz ◽  
Sharon Mayell
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Attention And Memory ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Media Messages ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
The Difference

The study reported here compared how younger and older adults processed the same set of media messages which were selected to vary on two factors, arousing content and valence. Results showed that older and younger adults had similar arousal responses but different patterns of attention and memory. Older adults paid more attention to all messages than did younger adults. However, this attention did not translate into greater memory. Older and younger adults had similar levels of memory for slow-paced messages, but younger adults outperformed older adults significantly as pacing increased, and the difference was larger for arousing compared with calm messages. The differences found are in line with predictions made based on the cognitive-aging literature.

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