DEVELOPING A NEW FEDERAL POLICY AGENDA TO ADDRESS SOCIAL ISOLATION AND LONELINESS

Abstract The Coalition to End Social Isolation and Loneliness convenes a diverse group of allied stakeholders, including consumer and patient groups, health plans, community-based organizations, private sector researchers and innovators, and others, to address the epidemic of social isolation and loneliness. The Coalition is developing and advocating for bipartisan federal policy solutions to provide individuals the support they need to be socially engaged. This session will describe the role of the Coalition in engaging stakeholders, promoting innovative research, and advocating for policy changes that combat the adverse consequences of social isolation and loneliness and advance approaches and practices that improve social connectedness for all Americans.

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Older people’s news dependency and social connectedness

Media International Australia ◽

10.1177/1329878x211006497 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1329878X2110064

Author(s):

Caroline Fisher ◽

Sora Park ◽

Jee Young Lee ◽

Kate Holland ◽

Emma John

Keyword(s):

Older People ◽

Social Isolation ◽

News Media ◽

Digital Literacy ◽

Social Connectedness ◽

Aged Care ◽

Capital City ◽

Contributing Factors ◽

Older Citizens

Social isolation has become a growing issue, particularly among older citizens. The ‘digital divide’ has been identified as one of the contributing factors leaving many older citizens behind. While increasing digital literacy among seniors has been identified as one of the remedies, less attention has been paid to the role of news media on the wellbeing and connectedness of older people. Through the lens of the uses and gratifications theory, this article reports on the findings of a survey of 562 news consumers aged 50 years and above who live in Canberra, the capital city of Australia. The analysis highlights the important role of news in reducing feelings of social isolation, particularly for those who spend more time alone and older people with cognitive impairment. Older participants who had difficulty concentrating and learning new tasks were also more dependent on news. We suggest this is due to the habitual, predictable and concise nature of news. These findings contribute to our understanding of the role of news in the wellbeing of older people and point to the need for policymakers and those in the aged care sector to ensure access to news for older citizens to improve the quality of life.

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Participatory climate adaptation planning in New York City: Analyzing the role of community-based organizations

Urban Climate ◽

10.1016/j.uclim.2021.101018 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 40 ◽

pp. 101018

Author(s):

Kieren Rudge

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

New York City ◽

York City ◽

Climate Adaptation ◽

Adaptation Planning ◽

Community Based ◽

Community Based Organizations ◽

Climate Adaptation Planning

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The Role of Community-Based Organizations in Improving Chronic Care for Safety-Net Populations

The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine ◽

10.3122/jabfm.2021.04.200591 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 34 (4) ◽

pp. 698-708

Author(s):

Kim Hanh Nguyen ◽

Jessica D. Fields ◽

Anupama G. Cemballi ◽

Riya Desai ◽

Anjali Gopalan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Chronic Care ◽

Safety Net ◽

Community Based ◽

Community Based Organizations

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BUILDING DISASTER RESILIENCE FOR OLDER ADULTS AGING IN PLACE: THE ROLE OF COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.1234 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S340-S341

Author(s):

Claire Pendergrast ◽

Basia Belza ◽

Ann Bostrom ◽

Nicole Errett

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Social Services ◽

Aging In Place ◽

Well Being ◽

Local Context ◽

Disaster Resilience ◽

Community Based ◽

Senior Centers ◽

Community Based Organizations

Abstract Older adults are more susceptible to adverse health outcomes during and after a disaster compared with their younger counterparts. Developing community resilience, or strengthening communities to reduce the negative impacts of disasters, has the potential support older adults’ health and well-being. Community-based organizations (CBOs), such as senior centers and Villages, provide social services and programming that support aging in place and may support older adults’ resilience to disasters. This study examines CBO leadership perspectives on the role of CBOs in building disaster resilience for older adults aging in place, as well as perceived barriers and facilitators to incorporating disaster resilience activities into organizational programming. In-depth interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of staff-members of CBOs serving older adults aging in place in King County, Washington. Participants included representatives from 14 organizations that varied in size, geographic setting, organizational structure, and ethnic, linguistic, and socio-economic backgrounds of organizational members. The sample included five government-run senior centers, seven non-profit senior centers, and two Villages. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. We used a combined inductive and deductive approach to code and thematically analyze the data. Results indicate that local context, leadership risk perception, collaborations, and existing services and programming influence CBOs’ willingness to engage in activities supporting disaster resilience for older adults aging in place. Findings suggest that CBOs supporting aging in place may support disaster resilience for older adults by serving as a trusted source of disaster preparedness information and tailoring disaster-related messages for an older adult audience.

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Is awareness of credit sources prerequisite for their use? A study of rural Assam

Indian Growth and Development Review ◽

10.1108/igdr-01-2018-0010 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 131-146

Author(s):

Tiken Das

Keyword(s):

Rural Areas ◽

Design Methodology ◽

Econometric Model ◽

Social Indicators ◽

Critical Question ◽

Community Based ◽

Informal Credit ◽

Content Type ◽

Community Based Organizations

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the determinants of awareness and use of credit sources. The paper attempts to answer the critical question: is awareness of credit sources prerequisite for their use? Design/methodology/approach This study is conducted in Assam, India, and uses a two-stage econometric model to reduce possible selection bias. Findings This study argues that awareness of credit sources may be a necessary but not sufficient prerequisite for use. It is found that, in general, formal, semiformal and informal sources attract different classes of the population with respect to economic and social indicators. Research limitations/implications The study recommends expanding the scope of semiformal and informal credit sources in rural areas of Assam only for income generating activities with proper market linkages. The possible limitation of the study can be due to exclusion of the role of traditional community-based organizations in rural Assam while analyzing the awareness and use of credit sources. Originality/value The study contributes to the literature by assessing the probable differences among formal, semiformal and informal credit sources with respect to their determinants of awareness and use.

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