scholarly journals MEANING IN LIFE IN OLDER ADULTS: PATHWAYS OF INFLUENCE ON PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH AND MORTALITY

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (suppl_1) ◽  
pp. 432-432
Author(s):  
C Park ◽  
P Wink
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Meaning In Life ◽  
Health And Mortality

Dialogical and Integrated Self in Late Adulthood: Examining Two Adaptive Ways of Growing Old

2019 ◽  
Vol 90 (4) ◽  
pp. 337-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miroslav Filip ◽  
Kateřina Lukavská ◽  
Iva Poláčková Šolcová
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Meaning In Life ◽  
Life Experiences ◽  
Psychological Adaptation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Other ◽  
Ego Integrity ◽  
Process View ◽  
Better Than

We examined two contradictory views of Erikson’s concept of ego integrity: as an outcome of the tension between integrity and despair, or as a dialogical process of balancing positive and negative life experiences. One hundred sixty-seven Czech older adults participated in the study. Dialogically integrated, outcome-integrated, and outcome-despairing participants were selected based on the Ego Integrity Scale and based on methods mapping life-reviewing dialogue. The three subsamples were compared in their psychological adaptation. The results showed that the dialogically integrated participants scored similarly in well-being and meaningfulness of life as outcome-integrated participants and better than outcome-despairing participants. However, the dialogically integrated participants were also prone to experiencing negative emotions. As they were older than the other two subsamples and reported worse physical health, we concluded that the life-reviewing dialogue helps them maintain a sense of meaning in life and a certain level of well-being. Hence, the results support relevance of the dialogical-process view.

scholarly journals MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH SEQUELAE OF BEREAVEMENT IN OLDER ADULTS: U.S. HEATH AND RETIREMENT STUDY ANALYSIS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S348-S348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Domingue ◽  
Laramie Duncan ◽  
Amal Harrati ◽  
Daniel Belsky
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Physical Health Outcomes ◽  
Repeated Measures Data ◽  
Data Tracking ◽  
Mental And Physical Health ◽  
Health And Mortality ◽  
Retirement Study

Abstract Death of a spouse (bereavement) is associated with poor mental and physical health outcomes in older adults. But it is unknown how mental- and physical-health sequelae of bereavement are related and the clinical significance of bereavement-related depression has been questioned. We analyzed US Health and Retirement Study (HRS) data tracking mental and physical health of 36,034 older adults during 1992-2016. Post-bereavement data were available for N=4,985 participants with recorded date of spousal death. We analyzed longitudinal repeated-measures data on survivors’ depression, disease, disability, and mortality. Bereavement effects on depression were immediate, but short-lived, attenuating within the year. In contrast, bereavement effects on physical health and mortality persisted over follow-up. Critically, the magnitude of short-lived effects on depression correlated with the magnitude of longer-lasting effects on disease, disability, and mortality. Results reveal connections between mental and physical health and aging and suggest bereavement-related depression as a biomarker of enduring health risk.

scholarly journals Exploring the Perceptions of the Ageing Experience in Singaporean Older Adults: a Qualitative Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 389-408
Author(s):  
F. Shiraz ◽  
Z. L. J. Hildon ◽  
H. J. M. Vrijhoef
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Meaning In Life ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Social Health ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Health Perceptions ◽  
Age Related

Abstract Understanding older adults perceptions of health and adaptation processes to ageing can allow for more culturally aligned services and better targeted care. The aim of this exploratory qualitative study was to examine older adults perceptions of physical, psychological and social health and further understand the processes of adaptation and self-management of these health perceptions. Semi-structured in depth interviews (IDI) were conducted with ethnically diverse older adults in Singapore, aged 60 and above. Participants were asked open ended questions about their physical health, psychological health and their current social health and relationships. They were also asked methods of adaptation to these age related changes. In total, forty participants were interviewed. A thematic analysis identified five main themes when exploring perceptions of physical, psychological and social health. These included; 1) Slowing down 2) Relationship harmony 3) Financial harmony 4) Social connectedness and 5) Eating together. Adaptation and self-management of these health perceptions included six additional themes; 1) Keep moving 2) Keep learning; where continued self-determination and resilience was a key method in adapting to negative thoughts about declining physical health 3) Adopting avoidant coping behaviours 4) ‘It feels good to do good’; where finding meaning in life was to help others 5) ‘Power of Prayer’; which highlighted how older adults relegated responsibilities to a higher spiritual power 6) Social participation; which included engaging in community and religious social activities that all contributed to self-management of older adults psychological health and social health. In conclusion, our study highlighted specific cultural nuances in older adults perceptions of health, particularly psychological and social health. These findings can help develop more targeted intervention programmes and better methods of measuring older adults health, which can assist with the global ageing phenomena.

scholarly journals Brain Health: Attitudes towards Technology Adoption in Older Adults

Healthcare ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 23
Author(s):  
Nadir G. Abdelrahman ◽  
Raza Haque ◽  
Molly E. Polverento ◽  
Andrea Wendling ◽  
Courtney M. Goetz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Technology Adoption ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Handheld Devices ◽  
Brain Health ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Health Related

(1) Background: There is increasing scholarly support for the notion that properly implemented and used, technology can be of substantial benefit for older adults. Use of technology has been associated with improved self-rating of health and fewer chronic conditions. Use of technology such as handheld devices by older adults has the potential to improve engagement and promote cognitive and physical health. However, although, literature suggests some willingness by older adults to use technology, simultaneously there are reports of a more cautious attitude to its adoption. Our objective was to determine the opinions towards information technologies, with special reference to brain health, in healthy older adults either fully retired or still working in some capacity including older adult workers and retired adults living in an independent elderly living community. We were especially interested in further our understanding of factors that may play a role in technology adoption and its relevance to addressing health related issues in this population; (2) Methods: Two focus groups were conducted in an inner-city community. Participants were older adults with an interest in their general health and prevention of cognitive decline. They were asked to discuss their perceptions of and preferences for the use of technology. Transcripts were coded for thematic analysis; (3) Results: Seven common themes emerged from the focus group interviews: physical health, cognitive health, social engagement, organizing information, desire to learn new technology, advancing technology, and privacy/security; and (4) Conclusions: This study suggests that in order to promote the use of technology in older adults, one needs to consider wider contextual issues, not only device design per se, but the older adult’s rationale for using technology and their socio-ecological context.

scholarly journals Dynamics of Multimorbidity Resilience and Health Outcomes Over Time in Community-Residing Older Adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 890-891
Author(s):  
Yingzhi Xu ◽  
Zahra Rahmaty ◽  
Eleanor McConnell ◽  
Tingzhong (Michelle) Xue ◽  
Bada Kang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Psychological Resilience ◽  
Pain Level ◽  
Reciprocal Relationships ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Multimorbidity resilience may mitigate the adverse effects of multiple chronic diseases on older adults’ health. Wister et al.’s (2018) multimorbidity resilience index was developed and tested in a cross-sectional sample of older adults in Canada. Building on these findings, we examined the reciprocal relationships of resilience on outcomes to test these potentially mitigating effects in a community-based, U.S. sample of older adults over time. The study sample includes 1,054 older adults from waves 2 and 3 of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) study (Waite et al 2020). Wister et al.’s (2018) index was mapped to NSHAP measures, and reciprocal relationships of multimorbidity resilience and health outcomes over a 5-year period was tested using structural equation modeling (SEM). Results indicated significant effects of multimorbidity resilience on self-rated physical health and pain. Interestingly, a better functional resilience at baseline conferred better self-rated physical health at follow-up, while better psychological resilience predicted lower pain level. By contrast, the influence of health outcomes on any domain of multimorbidity resilience was not detectable at all, supporting the direction of these associations from resilience to outcomes. The study systematically investigated the dynamic hypotheses between multimorbidity resilience and health outcomes. That is, whether they are determinants or consequences, or both. Our findings suggest multimorbidity resilience predicts subsequent 5-year change in health outcomes, especially self-rated physical health and pain level, but not vice versa, strengthening the evidence of the importance of resilience in the health of older adults.

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