scholarly journals A Platform to Study the Effects of Home Environment on Health and Wellbeing of Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 965-965
Author(s):  
Amir Baniassadi ◽  
Lewis Lipsitz ◽  
Alvaro Pascual-Leone ◽  
Brad Manor ◽  
Wanting Yu
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Home Environment ◽  
Biological Rhythms ◽  
Living Environment ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Cognitive Tests ◽  
Environmental Sensors ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Biological Variables ◽  
The Impact

Abstract While older adults’ living environment is rarely well-tuned to their specific needs, technological advances provide new opportunities to understand, and ultimately optimize, the relationship between the home environment and health outcomes. We aimed to establish proof-of-concept and feasibility of a platform enabling real-time, high-frequency, and simultaneous monitoring of environment, biological variables, and outcomes related to health and wellbeing in older adults. We recruited 7 participants (6 females, 1 male, aged 78-90, MoCA scores 14–28), installed environmental sensors measuring temperature, humidity, and CO2 inside their homes, provided them with wearables that measure sleep, activity, body temperature, and heart rhythms, and asked them to use a tablet to complete four sets of questionnaires and cognitive tests per day for three consecutive weeks. Environmental sensors collected data with no disruption or complaint from participants. Average compliance with the wearables was 81% (ring) and 60% (watch). All participants preferred the ring due to ease-of-use. Compliance was better in those with higher MoCA scores. Three participants were able to use the tablet successfully and completed 90% of prescribed questionnaires and cognitive tests. Cognitive and/or motor issues prevented the other participants from using the tablet. Exit interviews revealed that participants would prefer to complete a maximum of two sets of daily questionnaires and cognitive tests (five minutes each) in longer-term studies. These results suggest that it is feasible to study the impact of the environment on biological rhythms, cognition, and other outcomes in older adults and provide recommendations for ensuring long-term compliance with the protocol.

scholarly journals The Relationship Between Daily Rapid-Eye Movement Sleep and Cognitive Functioning in Older Adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 159-159
Author(s):  
Tiana Broen ◽  
Tomiko Yoneda ◽  
Jonathan Rush ◽  
Jamie Knight ◽  
Nathan Lewis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Eye Movement ◽  
Rem Sleep ◽  
Cognitive Tests ◽  
Rapid Eye Movement ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Previous cross-sectional research suggests that age-related decreases in Rapid-Eye Movement (REM) sleep may contribute to poorer cognitive functioning (CF); however, few studies have examined the relationship at the intraindividual level by measuring habitual sleep over multiple days. Applying a 14-day daily diary design, the current study examines the dynamic relationship between REM sleep and CF in 69 healthy older adults (M age=70.8 years, SD=3.37; 73.9% female; 66.6% completed at least an undergraduate degree). A Fitbit device provided actigraphy indices of REM sleep (minutes and percentage of total sleep time), while CF was measured four times daily on a smartphone via ambulatory cognitive tests that captured processing speed and working memory. This research addressed the following questions: At the within-person level, are fluctuations in quantity of REM sleep associated with fluctuations in next day cognitive measures across days? Do individuals who spend more time in REM sleep on average, perform better on cognitive tests than adults who spend less time in REM sleep? A series of multilevel models were fit to examine the extent to which each index of sleep accounted for daily fluctuations in performance on next day cognitive tests. Results indicated that during nights when individuals had more REM sleep minutes than was typical, they performed better on the working memory task the next morning (estimate = -.003, SE = .002, p = .02). These results highlight the impact of REM sleep on CF, and further research may allow for targeted interventions for earlier treatment of sleep-related cognitive impairment.

Development and Psychometrics Test of Home Environment Assessment Checklist for Community-Dwelling Older Adults with Dementia

2020 ◽  
Vol 77 (4) ◽  
pp. 1389-1396
Author(s):  
Yi Wang ◽  
Liyu Li ◽  
Shuangyue Tian ◽  
Jie Wu ◽  
Zhiwen Wang
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Home Environment ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Living Environment ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Rater Reliability ◽  
Environment Assessment ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

Background: Home environment is a core domain in the care of community-dwelling older adults with dementia, but there is no suitable instrument to measure it in China. Objective: To develop and psychometrically test the home environment assessment checklist for community-dwelling older adults with dementia. Methods: A three-step process was performed to develop and test this instrument: 1) based on the evidence-based theory, the checklist was summarized as the main points of evidence from living environment settings among older adults with dementia, 2) the draft tool was assigned to an iterative process of evaluation by a panel of examiners consisting of experts from treatment, nursing and caring, people with dementia and their caregivers, 3) inter-rater reliability and internal consistency were calculated with a sample of 348 caregivers of the older adults with dementia. Results: The HEAC consisted of 71 items in domains addressing safety, stability and familiarity, visual cues, and sensory stimulation. Psychometric evaluation showed that this tool demonstrated sound reliability and validity. Content validity was 0.969 which was established by a panel of experts (n = 10). Inter-rater reliability of two researchers was 0.978, and 0.848 for researchers and caregivers. Test-retest reliability was excellent (ICC = 0.757–0.877) in community-dwelling older adults with dementia 2 week apart. Conclusion: The HEAC is a new tool to help collect the reliable information on the barriers and facilitators of home environment for community-dwelling older adults with dementia and to precipitate the home modification process to improve the quality of care for people with dementia and their caregivers in daily life.

scholarly journals “I Would Never Come Here Because I’ve Got My Own Garden”: Older Adults’ Perceptions of Small Urban Green Spaces

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. 1994 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa G. Macintyre ◽  
Sarah Cotterill ◽  
Jamie Anderson ◽  
Chris Phillipson ◽  
Jack S. Benton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Photo Elicitation ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Improve Health

Green spaces are known to improve health and wellbeing via several mechanisms, such as by reducing stress and facilitating physical activity. However, little is known about the impact of the smaller green spaces typically found in urban environments on wellbeing, especially for older adults. This study investigated experiences in adults (5 males and 10 females) aged 60 years and over of small urban green spaces in a large UK city. Fifteen older adults were interviewed using semi-structured walk-along interviews and photo elicitation methods in Old Moat, Greater Manchester. Twelve of the participants lived in Old Moat at the time of the study, and the remaining three participants previously lived in Old Moat and were frequent visitors. Transcribed interviews were analyzed using Thematic Analysis. Smaller urban green spaces were perceived differently to large green spaces, and participants were more likely to use larger green spaces such as parks. The smaller green spaces were perceived as belonging to other people, which discouraged the older adults from using them. The older adults also emphasized the importance of taking care of small urban green spaces and preventing them from becoming overgrown. Urban planners should consider these factors, since they indicate that the size and type of urban green spaces may influence whether they improve health and wellbeing. Further research should investigate in more detail which types of urban green space are most conducive to facilitating physical activity and improving wellbeing.

scholarly journals EXCURSION FROM HOME AND ECOLOGICAL PAIN IN OLDER ADULTS WITH KNEE PAIN

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S524-S524
Author(s):  
Mamoun T Mardini ◽  
Parisa Rashidi ◽  
Subhash Nerella ◽  
Dottington Fullwood ◽  
Duane Corbett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Pain Intensity ◽  
Knee Pain ◽  
Geodesic Distance ◽  
Patient Reported Outcome ◽  
Living Environment ◽  
Life Space ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Daily Pain

Abstract Background: Pain is an essential factor in limiting life-space mobility. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) is crucial to understanding pain intensity and frequency. This study evaluated a customized smartwatch app for daily ecological pain reporting and GPS (Global Positioning System) coordinates collection to understand the impact of pain on daily excursion from home in older adults who report knee pain. Methods: Participants (n=14, 73.2 +/- 5.4 yrs, 64% female) wore a smartwatch with a customized app called Patient Reported Outcome of Mood, Pain, and fatigue (PROMPT) for 6.5 (4.0) days. Participants were prompted in their free-living environment about their pain intensity (range 0-10) in the morning, afternoon and evening. Additionally, GPS data were collected at 15 min intervals throughout the day. Geodesic distance was used to calculate the distance from the home address. Daily pain values were binned into high and low levels to compare to maximum daily excursions. Results: Individuals with average daily pain > 2 traveled 4.1 fewer miles than those individuals reporting pain 2 exceeded a distance of 5 miles compared to 17.9% of those individuals reporting pain <= 2 (X2=6.89, p < 0.05). Conclusion: In older adults, higher level of knee pain is associated with a decline in life-space mobility. Using custom designed smartwatch applications provides new opportunity to investigate how pain impacts community mobility.

Mobile Health Interventions to Support Caregivers of Older Adults: An Equity-Focused Systematic Review (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Garnett ◽  
Melissa Northwood ◽  
Justine Ting ◽  
Ruheena Sangrar
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Determinants Of Health ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Determinants Of Health ◽  
Health Technologies ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND Caregivers provide crucial support to older adults so they can remain safely in their homes as they age. Over time, caregivers’ own health can be negatively impacted by their caregiving role. The social determinants of health, such as gender and socioeconomic status, can influence assuming a caregiving role as well as the impacts of caregiving on the caregiver. While programs exist to support caregivers, uptake of these services does not match the need for services expressed by caregivers. Research suggests that supportive interventions offered via mobile health technologies have the potential to increase caregiver accessibility of supportive services. However, a knowledge gap exists regarding the extent to which the social determinants of health are considered in the design, implementation, and evaluation of mobile health (mHealth) interventions intended to support caregivers of older adults. Furthermore, a comprehensive review of the impact of mHealth interventions in this population does not exist. OBJECTIVE To conduct a systematic review to: (1) determine how health inequities are considered in the design, implementation, and evaluation of mHealth interventions for caregivers of older adults using Cochrane-Equity's PROGRESS-Plus framework; and (2) synthesize evidence of the impacts of caregiver-focused mHealth interventions. METHODS A systematic review was conducted in five databases and articles published between January 2010 and June 2021 were included if they evaluated or explored the impacts of mHealth interventions on the health and wellbeing of informal caregivers of older adults. mHealth interventions were defined as those that caregivers of older adults accessed via mobile or wireless devices. RESULTS A total of 28 articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the systematic review. The interventions evaluated by the included studies sought to help caregivers make connections with services, facilitate the caregiving process, and promote the caregivers’ health and wellbeing. The PROGRESS-Plus framework factors were mainly considered in the results, discussion, and limitations sections of included studies. Some PROGRESS-Plus factors such as sexual orientation, religion and occupation, received little to no consideration in all phases of intervention design, implementation, or evaluation. Overall, findings of this review suggest that mHealth interventions were positively received by users. Such interventions may have the potential to reduce caregiver burden and positively impact caregivers’ physical and mental health while supporting them in their caregiving role. Study findings highlight the importance of available supports to help facilitate caregivers’ use of mHealth interventions particularly early on as well as the use of appropriate language and text. CONCLUSIONS Successful uptake and spread of mHealth interventions to support caregivers of older adults will depend on creating opportunities for inclusive involvement of a broad range of stakeholders at all stages of design, implementation, and assessment. CLINICALTRIAL PROSPERO CRD42021239584; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=239584

scholarly journals A Commentary on Blue Zones®: A Critical Review of Age-Friendly Environments in the 21st Century and Beyond

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 837 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah R. Marston ◽  
Kelly Niles-Yokum ◽  
Paula Alexandra Silva
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Interdisciplinary Research ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
World Health ◽  
Critical Approach ◽  
Environmental Press ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
The World ◽  
Future Work ◽  
The Impact

This paper explores the intersection of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) concepts of age-friendly communities and The Blue Zones® checklists and how the potential of integrating the two frameworks for the development of a contemporary framework can address the current gaps in the literature as well as consider the inclusion of technology and environmental press. The commentary presented here sets out initial thoughts and explorations that have the potential to impact societies on a global scale and provides recommendations for a roadmap to consider new ways to think about the impact of health and wellbeing of older adults and their families. Additionally, this paper highlights both the strengths and the weaknesses of the aforementioned checklists and frameworks by examining the literature including the WHO age-friendly framework, the smart age-friendly ecosystem (SAfE) framework and the Blue Zones® checklists. We argue that gaps exist in the current literature and take a critical approach as a way to be inclusive of technology and the environments in which older adults live. This commentary contributes to the fields of gerontology, gerontechnology, anthropology, and geography, because we are proposing a roadmap which sets out the need for future work which requires multi- and interdisciplinary research to be conducted for the respective checklists to evolve.

scholarly journals Mobility, Physical Activity, and Social Engagement of Community-Living Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 27-27
Author(s):  
Wenjun Li ◽  
Lien Quach
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Ethnic Disparities ◽  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Living Environment ◽  
Community Living ◽  
Community Programs ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Mobility, physical activity and social engagement are important to healthy aging and independent living among older adults. This symposium includes four related studies on these issues. Dr. Lien Quach and her team examined racial and ethnic disparities in social engagement among community-living older adults using data from the national Health and Retirement Study. The analysis found that Asians and Hispanics had significantly lower social engagement score compared with non-Hispanic Whites, advocating for further investigations of the causes of racial disparities in social engagement. Dr. Su-I Hou’s study examined the impact of physical activity and social relationship on social engagement. The study found positive impacts of more physical activity, better social relationships and volunteers on social engagement. The results have important implications to promotion of social engagement among older adults participating in aging-in-community programs. Dr. Ladda Thiamwong’s study demonstrated the benefits of using assistive health technology (AHT) to assess the relationships between fall risks, body compositions and objectively measured physical activity in older adults. Dr. Thiamwong’ will discuss the research protocol and preliminary results. Dr. Li’s Health Aging and Neighborhood Study examined variations of older adults’ driving behaviors by sex, age, race, income, health status and housing density of the neighborhoods. The study found substantial differences in mobility and driving patterns by both personal characteristics and neighborhood living environment. The findings have important implications to community programs that support older adults aging in place.

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