scholarly journals STRENGTHENING AGE-FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES THROUGH CAPACITY BUILDING TO ADDRESS BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CONCERNS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S311-S311
Author(s):  
Bronwyn Keefe ◽  
Rita Kostiuk
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Capacity Building ◽  
Behavioral Health ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Health Concerns ◽  
Stigma Of Mental Illness ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Second Tier ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The Center for Aging and Disability Education and Research at Boston University in collaboration with the Age-Friendly New Bedford received funding from Tufts Health Plan Foundation to reduce the stigma of mental illness and increase awareness of the effects of social isolation in the community. In order for older adults to be fully engaged in community life, behavioral health concerns need to be addressed with a focus on social isolation, depression, and substance use. Many Age Friendly efforts don’t address these issues even though significant numbers of older adults are impacted. Without a community-wide capacity building effort, behavioral health issues among older adults often fade into the background. We developed and implemented a 3-tiered approach to incorporating behavioral health into an Age Friendly initiative. In the first tier, we focused on increasing awareness of the impact of behavioral health concerns and stigma by creating an anti-stigma campaign in multiple languages. The second tier focused on holding workshops for older adults on behavioral health related issues. The third tier provided training to key stakeholders, including aging service providers, clergy, first responders, and resident coordinators focusing on the need to effectively identify and respond to older adults with behavioral health concerns. Using the Depression Stigma Scale, we measured perceived stigma among older adults pre and post workshop participation. We found statistically significant changes in how older adults perceive depression after participation in the workshop. Training results were also statistically significant with gains pre-post training in key competency areas.

Activity Patterns Associated With Health Status in Later Life Among Singaporeans

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 311-322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Song-Iee Hong ◽  
Srinivasan Chokkanathan ◽  
Philip A. Rozario
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Latent Class ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Leisure Activity ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Social Leisure ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
The Impact

Research on activities overlooks the possibility that older adults engage in different activities contemporaneously. To address this gap, we used latent class analyses to identify activity patterns and then examined demographic and health correlates of these patterns among a nationally representative sample of older adults in Singapore. We identified four classes of activities: the family-focused instrumental activity (FIA) class, the social leisure activity (SLA) class, the multidynamic activity (MDA) class, and the passive activity (PA) class. Furthermore, the MDA members showed higher scores in their mental health. Worse physical functioning and higher depression scores also increased the likelihood of being in the FIA and PA groups. Significant demographics such as gender, ethnicity, marital status, education, employment, house type, and income were related to heterogeneity in older adults’ activity patterns. Service providers might consider the impact of certain significant demographic and health-related correlates when planning programs to ensure greater reach and access.

scholarly journals Enhancing Behavioral Health Competencies for Senior Center Staff: Lessons Learned From Workforce Training Efforts

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 1-1
Author(s):  
Bronwyn Keefe ◽  
Jennifer Tripken
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Behavioral Health ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Senior Center ◽  
Senior Centers ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Center Staff ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Increases in the numbers of older adults with mental health and substance use concerns compel us to identify best practices in training to address these issues. Senior Centers are an ideal location for behavioral health education programs as they are the go-to place for many older adults. This session will describe a program funded by The Retirement Research Foundation and offered in collaboration with Center for Aging and Disability Education and Research at Boston University and NCOA to increase senior center staff knowledge and skills. Approximately 250 senior center staff in Illinois, Florida, and Wisconsin completed an online certificate in Behavioral Health and Aging. Results show that 100% of respondents felt that the training was useful for their job; 93% felt that they will be a more effective worker as a result of the training; and 97% felt that the information they learned in the training will make a difference with the people they serve. We held key informant interviews to assess the impact of training and participants stated that their knowledge, skills, and behaviors were influenced by the program. At the organizational level, leaders reported new programming related to behavioral health and revised practices and protocols. This presentation will cover: (1) the extent to which training participants mastered the competencies needed for effective practice; (2) knowledge and skills gained from the training program; (3) Senior Centers’ capacity to identify and refer older adults to mental health services; and (4) organizational changes related to behavioral health programming with older adults.

scholarly journals Cognitive Outcomes during COVID-19 confiNemeNt in Elderly and their Caregivers using Technologies for DEMentia (CONNECT DEM): study protocol (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Marian Goodman-Casanova ◽  
Elena Dura-Perez ◽  
Gloria Guerrero-Pertiñez ◽  
Pilar Barnestein-Fonseca ◽  
Jose Guzman-Parra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Mild Dementia ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

BACKGROUND Coronavirus disease 2019 has forced worldwide the implementation of unprecedented restrictions to control its rapid spread and mitigate its impact. The Spanish government has enforced social distancing, quarantine and home confinement. This restriction of daily life activities and separation from loved ones may lead to social isolation and loneliness with health-related consequences in community-dwelling older adults with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia and their caregivers. Additionally, an inadequate access to healthcare and social support services may aggravate chronic conditions. Technology home-based interventions emerge for combating social isolation and loneliness preventing the risk of viral exposure. OBJECTIVE The aim of this cohort study is to explore, analyze and determine the impact of social isolation on: 1) cognition, quality of life, mood, technophilia and perceived stress of community-dwelling older adults with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia, and on caregiver burden; 2) health and social care services access and utilization, and 3) cognitive, social and entertainment use of ICTs. METHODS This study will be conducted in the Spanish region of Andalucía (Málaga). In total 200 dyads, consisting of a person with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia (PMCI/MD) and their informal caregiver will be contacted by telephone. Potential respondents will be participants of the SMART 4 MD (N=100) and TV-AssistDem (N=100) clinical trials. RESULTS The change in means in the variables will be analyzed comparing baseline results in the previous studies with those during and after confinement using the ANOVA test of repeated measures or the non-parametric Friedman test if appropriate. The performance of a multivariate analysis of variance (ANCOVA) to introduce possible covariates will also be contemplated. A 95% confidence level will be used. CONCLUSIONS If the hypothesis is proven, these findings will demonstrate the negative impact of social isolation due to the COVID-19 confinement on cognition, quality of life, mood, and perceived stress of community-dwelling older adults with mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia, the impact on technophilia, caregiver burden, and health and social care services access and utilization; and the cognitive, social and entertainment use of ICTs during the COVID-19 confinement and afterwards. CLINICALTRIAL NCT: 04385797

Impact of Social Isolation on Physical Activity and Factors Associated With Sedentary Behavior in Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Giovana Z. Mazo ◽  
Felipe Fank ◽  
Pedro S. Franco ◽  
Bruna da Silva Vieira Capanema ◽  
Franciele da Silva Pereira
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Sedentary Behavior ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Moderate Physical Activity ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
The Impact

The objective was to analyze the impact of social isolation on moderate physical activity and factors associated with sedentary behavior of older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was a cross-sectional study involving 111 older adults (aged 71.0 ± 6.87 years). The data were collected at two time points: in November 2019 and in June 2020. There was a decline in moderate physical activity when the minutes/week were compared before and during social isolation (p < .001). Sedentary behavior was associated with the condition of living alone. Older adults who lived alone were 3.29 times more likely to spend 4 hr or more in sedentary behavior than those who lived with a partner (95% confidence interval [1.01, 10.74]). Government agencies must establish PA-related health promotion strategies, especially in developing and low-income countries. Therefore, home exercises need to be encouraged to prevent the consequences of this pandemic period.

scholarly journals Management of bio-psycho-social frailty to reduce hospital use and improve survival of older adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
G Liotta ◽  
N Accarino ◽  
S Orlando ◽  
S Gentili ◽  
E Terracciano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Hospital Care ◽  
Admission Rate ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Hospital Admission Rate ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Ageing of population is associated to the increase of care demand. Many health systems are still centered on hospital care, that sometime is not appropriate. The shift from hospital to community care requires a new model of service delivery. Aim of this paper is to assess the impact of a community service based on the assessment of frailty, on mortality and use of hospital care by older adults. Methods A cohort made up by 8,592 over-75 subjects (67.1% female, mean age 84.5; SD ± 5.29) has been assessed once a year for bio-psycho-social frailty by the administration of the Short Functional Geriatric Evaluation questionnaire. The enrolled subjects were involved in a Community-based pro-Active Monitoring Program which provides interventions aimed at reducing social isolation. Mortality, use of hospital care and use of residential long-term care have been recorded during the follow up and separate and cumulative incidence rate was measured. Results The sample was stratified in Robust (37.5%), Pre-frail (24.0%), Frail, (29.5%) and Very Frail (9.1%) individuals. Mortality, Hospital admission rate and Residential LTC admission rate were higher in the very frails than among the other groups. However, according to social isolation, the integrated subjects at the baseline assessment, showed the highest incidence of negative events: 29.5%, 20.8%, 21.0%, .and 20.8% for integrated, mild isolated, moderate isolated and severely isolated individuals respectively (p &lt; 0.001). The logistic regression analysis, adjusted for age, gender and level of frailty, confirmed the protective role of reducing social isolation among isolated individuals compared with integrated ones (OR: 0.729; CL95% 0.673-0.720). Conclusions The assessment of bio-psycho-social frailty could be the starting point for effective intervention at community level, like the program mentioned above. Management of frailty may lead to an improvement of public health outcomes. Key messages Intervention dealing with social isolation are able to revert the increase of mortality related to the lack of social resources. Management of frailty may lead to an improvement of public health outcomes.

scholarly journals Impact of Seniors Centers on oral health-related quality of life of older adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Fernanda W. Machado Luz ◽  
Alexandre Emídio Ribeiro Silva ◽  
Ana Paula Perroni ◽  
Marília L. Goettems ◽  
Noéli Boscato
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Oral Health ◽  
Family Income ◽  
Health Related Quality ◽  
Clinical Factors ◽  
Related Quality ◽  
Health Related ◽  
The Impact

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of older adults participating or not in Seniors Centers (SC). METHODS: Two independent samples were compared: older adults who participate in SC (n = 124) and older adults who visited Primary Healthcare Centers (PHC) and do not participate in SC (n = 164). The data collected consisted of sociodemographic (sex, age, educational level, marital status, family income) and psychosocial characteristics—Sense of Coherence (SOC), anxiety and depression using HADS, happiness—, and oral clinical evaluation—use and need of dental prosthesis and decayed (D), missing (M), or filled (F) teeth. The resulting OHRQoL was evaluated using the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14). The Mann-Whitney test was used to assess the associations between the independent variables and the OHIP-14. Poisson regression models were also used in the analyses (α=0.05). RESULTS: In the PHC, of the 270 individuals invited to participate in the study, 164 (60.7%) were interviewed and clinically examined; while in the SC, of the 166 individuals invited to participate in the study, 124 (74.7%) were interviewed and clinically examined. After adjustments for sociodemographic, psychosocial and clinical factors, we found that the impact on OHRQoL was 2.8 times higher (95%CI 2.0–4.2) for older adults who did not participate in SC. CONCLUSION: Older adults who participated in SC showed better perception on OHRQoL, independently of sociodemographic, psychosocial and clinical factors.

The association between Internet use and health outcomes in the population of older adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
K Szulc ◽  
M Duplaga
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Status ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Health Behaviours ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
Health Related ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background The Internet has become one of the primary sources of health-related information. Less is known about the impact of Internet access and use on health-related outcomes in the older population, which frequently suffer from a digital divide. The main objective of this study was the assessment of the associations between Internet use and variables reflecting health status, the use of health services and health behaviours in the population at least 50 years old. Methods The analysis was carried out on the data set from the telephone-based survey in a sample of 1000 respondents representative for targeted age strata of Polish society. The effects of Internet use were assessed with logistic regression models after adjusting for key socioeconomic variables. Results Mean age (standard deviation) of respondents was 64.2 (9.6). In the study group, 51.1% respondents were Internet users, 19.4% - persons with disabilities, 21.2% were hospitalised at least once, and 51.0% visited health care facilities at least six times in preceding 12 months. The respondents being Internet users less frequently reported chronic diseases (OR, 95%CI: 0.21, 0.16-0.30), disability status (0.52, 0.37-0.72) and higher self-assessed health status (1.64, 1.24-2.16). They also less often used health services in the preceding 12 months (0.77, 0.60-0.99. Internet use was not associated with hospital admission in the preceding year (1.04, 0.76-1.41) and most of the health behaviours (smoking: 1.06, 0.77-1.45, physical activity: 0.85, 0.63-1.15, the consumption of fruits and vegetables: 0.73, 0.50-1.07). Interestingly, Internet users drunk more alcohol (1.52, 1.14-2.02). Conclusions In the population of older adults, the use of the Internet is associated with variables reflecting health status and the utilisation of health services. Higher health status and lower prevalence of chronic conditions among Internet users were found after adjusting for age and other socioeconomic factors. Key messages It was shown that Internet use may be related with more favourable health outcomes. The reported association should trigger further research on the impact of Internet in elderly persons.

scholarly journals The Studying Multiple Outcomes After Aural Rehabilitative Treatment Study: Study Design and Baseline Results

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 233372141770494 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lingsheng Li ◽  
Caitlin Blake ◽  
Yoon Sung ◽  
Barnett Shpritz ◽  
David Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Multiple Outcomes ◽  
Rehabilitative Treatment ◽  
Standardized Measures ◽  
Smart Study ◽  
Health Related

Hearing loss may affect critical domains of health and functioning in older adults. This article describes the rationale and design of the Studying Multiple Outcomes After Aural Rehabilitative Treatment (SMART) study, which was developed to determine to what extent current hearing rehabilitative therapies could mitigate the effects of hearing loss on health outcomes. One hundred and forty-five patients ≥50 years receiving hearing aids (HA) or cochlear implants (CI) were recruited from the Johns Hopkins Department of Otolaryngology-HNS. A standardized outcome battery was administered to assess cognitive, social, mental, and physical functioning. Of the 145 participants aged 50 to 94.9 years who completed baseline evaluations, CI participants had significantly greater loneliness, social isolation, and poorer hearing and communicative function compared with HA participants. This study showed that standardized measures of health-related outcomes commonly used in gerontology appear sensitive to hearing impairment and are feasible to implement in clinical studies of hearing loss.

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