scholarly journals Joseph T. Freeman Award: Creating Synergy in Interdisciplinary Aging Research and Practice

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 243-243
Author(s):  
Pamela Cacchione
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Geriatric Medicine ◽  
Sensory Impairment ◽  
Soft Robot ◽  
Aging Research ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Interdisciplinary Practice ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Research Questions

Abstract Over 30 years of interdisciplinary practice stimulated many research questions. Early intervention research in sensory impairment, specifically vision and/or hearing impairment was heavily supported by interdisciplinary colleagues from Geriatric Medicine, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Optometry and Audiology. Challenges and opportunities from this research created a growing interest in developing and designing technologies for older adults. Creating the need for partnerships with engineering. My expertise in aging and access to willing research participants made me an ideal research partner. Effectively expanding my focus beyond sensory impairment interventions to designing and testing robots with older adults. Currently we are testing low cost mobile robots in acute care and the community and are developing and testing a soft robot to assist persons out of a chair as well as turn and lift persons up in bed. The synergy of interdisciplinary practice and research is helping us innovate to improve the lives of older adults.

scholarly journals Computer-mediated Focus Groups to Advance Aging Research: Challenges and Opportunities

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 842-843
Author(s):  
David Coon ◽  
Abigail Gomez-Morales ◽  
Phil Carll ◽  
Lourdes Cordova ◽  
Allison Glinka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Native American ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Family Caregivers ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Aging Research ◽  
Financial Barriers ◽  
Care Recipients ◽  
Computer Mediated ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities

Abstract When compared to in-person offerings, fewer focus groups to date have been conducted with user-friendly technologies to help reach diverse communities of older adults with chronic health conditions (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease, Type II diabetes, Parkinson’s) and the family caregivers and professional providers who assist them. The current project describes the adaptations needed to deliver successful computer-mediated focus groups via videoconference, thereby providing solutions to barriers faced by participants who often cannot attend in-person because they are housebound due to transportation or financial barriers, live in rural areas or reside too far from focus group offerings, or work full or part-time and face scheduling conflicts. During the pandemic, we successfully recruited diverse groups of family caregivers, care recipients, and professional providers into computer-mediated focus groups. Caregivers (83%) and care recipients (17%) between 34 to 90 years old (N=47) took part in the series of focus groups facilitated in English and Spanish (25.5%). Over 40% of participants self-identified as Hispanic or Latinx, Native American, or African American with roughly 15% attending from rural areas. Similarly, professional providers age 18 to 80 (N=25) attended separate groups in either English or Spanish (48%). Our results suggest that computer-mediated focus groups offer a unique opportunity to reach diverse samples of older adults, family caregivers, and their providers. These computer-mediated focus groups also offer the chance to learn novel ways to break barriers to health access by providing virtual reach capabilities for those facing health, transportation, work, or geographic barriers.

Opportunities for Qualitative Analysis of Social Media Platforms in Dietetic Research and Practice

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Meghan Lynch ◽  
Irena Knezevic ◽  
Kennedy Laborde Ryan
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Online News ◽  
News Article ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
The Public ◽  
Related Data ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Article Comment

To date, most qualitative knowledge about individual eating patterns and the food environment has been derived from traditional data collection methods, such as interviews, focus groups, and observations. However, there currently exists a large source of nutrition-related data in social media discussions that have the potential to provide opportunities to improve dietetic research and practice. Qualitative social media discussion analysis offers a new tool for dietetic researchers and practitioners to gather insights into how the public discusses various nutrition-related topics. We first consider how social media discussion data come with significant advantages including low-cost access to timely ways to gather insights from the public, while also cautioning that social media data have limitations (e.g., difficulty verifying demographic information). We then outline 3 types of social media discussion platforms in particular: (i) online news article comment sections, (ii) food and nutrition blogs, and (iii) discussion forums. We discuss how each different type of social media offers unique insights and provide a specific example from our own research using each platform. We contend that social media discussions can contribute positively to dietetic research and practice.

Interventions for Mental Health Problems in Later Life

2010 ◽  
pp. 810-837
Author(s):  
Jason M. Holland ◽  
Dolores Gallagher-Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Clinical Psychologist ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Worldwide Population ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Post Traumatic

Older adults are increasingly making up a larger segment of the worldwide population, which presents both challenges and opportunities for the clinical psychologist in the 21st century. In this chapter, we address some of the unique aspects of working with this population, focusing on general guidelines for tailoring interventions for older adults, specific treatments for particular problems commonly faced in later life, as well as issues of diversity and how they might impact psychotherapy with older clients. We also outline several areas in geropsychology that are in need of further investigation, namely the use of technology, post-traumatic stress, and family therapy, and offer some recommendations for future directions in this field of study.

scholarly journals Physical Inactivity in Older Adult Couples: A Dyadic Analysis Using Continuous In-Home Monitoring

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 412-412
Author(s):  
Chao-Yi Wu ◽  
Lyndsey Miller ◽  
Rachel Wall ◽  
Zachary Beattie ◽  
Jeffrey Kaye ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Physical Inactivity ◽  
Home Monitoring ◽  
Health Determinants ◽  
Dyadic Analysis ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Positive Health ◽  
Aging Research

Abstract Many older adults remain inactive despite the known positive health implications of physical activity (e.g. improved mood, reduced mortality risk). Physical inactivity is a known interdependent phenomenon in couples, but the majority of research identifies determinants of physical inactivity at the individual level. We estimated the average amount of physical inactivity for older adult couples and, using dyadic analysis, identified physical and mental health determinants thereof. Forty-eight heterosexual older adult couples (mean age=70.6, SD=6.63) from the Veterans Integrated Service Network 20 cohort of the Collaborative Aging Research using Technology (CART) initiative were included in this study. Both dyad members wore actigraph devices for a month. The average number per day of inactive periods (defined as no movement or sleep activity for ≥ 30 minutes) was estimated. Multilevel modeling revealed that, within couples, there was no difference between partners in the average number of inactive periods, but on average across couples, males had more inactive periods per day (13.4, SD=4.43) than females (12.3, SD=4.87). For males, older age was the only variable associated with more inactive periods (β=0.13, p=.013). For females, more depressive symptoms in men were associated with fewer inactive periods (β=-0.37, p=.002), and more dependence in completing their own IADLs predicted more inactive periods (β=2.80, p<.001). All models were adjusted for covariates. Viewing couples’ activity as a unit, rather than as separate individuals, provides a novel approach to identifying pathways to reduce inactivity in older adults, especially when focusing on mental health issues and decreased independence within the couple.

scholarly journals Asking Young Adults about Their Attitudes toward and Knowledge of Sex in Later Life

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 870-871
Author(s):  
Iulia Fratila ◽  
Liza Berdychevsky
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Survey Methods ◽  
Leisure Activity ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Knowledge And Attitudes ◽  
Intercept Survey ◽  
Knowledge Practice ◽  
Research Questions

Abstract Sexual expression is a lifelong need related to health and wellbeing. However, older adults’ sexuality is often neglected and stigmatized due to societal ageist stereotypes portraying them as asexual. Although baby boomers’ generation resists such portrayals, societal acceptance of sexuality in later life is slow to materialize. The purpose of this study was to explore this acceptance among young adults while focusing on three research questions: (1) How much do young adults know about older adults’ sexuality and how do they feel about it? (2) Do young adults’ knowledge and views of later-life sexuality vary by gender? (3) Do young adults’ views of later-life sexuality vary based on their general attitudes toward sexuality? Data collection included online and intercept survey methods. The sample (N=270) was young (M=21.58 years, SD=4.32) and included 149 women and 113 men. Results revealed that young adults had medium levels of knowledge, yet rather permissive/open-minded attitudes regarding later-life sexuality. Higher levels of knowledge were unrelated to more permissive attitudes. Independent samples t-test revealed no differences by gender in young adults’ knowledge and attitudes. However, multiple regression results indicated that general liberal attitudes toward sexuality (β=.772, t=17.867, p=.000) and viewing sex as leisure activity (β=.147, t=3.338, p=.001) are significant predictors of having more permissive/open-minded attitudes toward older adults’ sexuality (R2=.557, F(3,266)=111.390, p=.000). These findings suggest that socio-psychological (rather than cognitive and demographic) factors drive the acceptance of later-life sexuality among young adults. This study offers valuable insights for knowledge, practice, and advocacy concerning older adults’ sexuality.

scholarly journals Bedside Ultrasound Measures of Muscle Mass and Frailty Measures in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 269-269
Author(s):  
Kenneth Madden ◽  
Boris Feldman ◽  
Shane Arishenkoff ◽  
Graydon Meneilly
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Muscle Mass ◽  
Frailty Index ◽  
Geriatric Medicine ◽  
Muscle Thickness ◽  
Vancouver General Hospital ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Point Of Care Ultrasound ◽  
Clinical Frailty Scale ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract The age-associated loss of muscle mass and strength in older adults is called sarcopenia, and it is associated with increased rates of falls, fractures, hospitalizations and death. Sarcopenia is one of the most common physical etiologies for increased frailty in older adults, and some recent work has suggested the use of Point-of care ultrasound (PoCUS) measures as a potential measure of muscle mass. The objective of this study was to examine the association of PoCUS measures of muscle thickness (MT) with measures of frailty in community-dwelling older adults. We recruited 150 older adults (age >= 65; mean age 80.0±0.5 years, 66 women, 84 men) sequentially from 5 geriatric medicine clinics (Vancouver General Hospital). We measured lean muscle mass (LMM, by bioimpedance assay) and an ultrasonic measure of muscle quantity (MT, vastus medialis muscle thickness) in all subjects, as well as two outcome measures of frailty (FFI, Fried Frailty Index; RCFS, Rockwood Clinical Frailty Scale). In our models, MT showed an inverse correlation with the FFI (Standardized β=-0.2320±0.107, p=0.032) but no significant correlation with the RCFS (Standardized β = -0.025±0.086, p=0.776). LMM showed no significant association with either FFI (Standardized β=-0.232±0.120, p=0.055) or RCFS (Standardized β = -0.043±0.119, p=0.719). Our findings indicate that PoCUS measures show potential as a way to screen for physical manifestations of frailty and might be superior to other bedside methods such as bioimpedance assay. However, PoCUS measures of muscle thickness will likely miss patients showing frailty in the much broader context captured by the RCFS.

Sensory impairment: A preventable risk factor in older adults

2020 ◽  
pp. 104300
Author(s):  
Naoki Saji ◽  
Hiroyuki Suzuki ◽  
Naomi Katayama ◽  
Hyuma Makizako ◽  
Yasue Uchida ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Risk Factor ◽  
Sensory Impairment ◽  
Preventable Risk Factor
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