scholarly journals DEVELOPING EVIDENCE-BASED INSTRUMENTS TO TALK ABOUT LONELINESS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S827-S827
Author(s):  
Eric Schoenmakers

Abstract People, professionals and non-professionals, lonely and non-lonely, experience difficulties in talking about loneliness. Yet, talking about loneliness is important. Without conversation about loneliness, it is impossible to identify lonely persons and to assist them in a tailor-made way. The aim of this research project is to create evidence-based instruments to make talking about loneliness easier. From 2016 to 2019 (ongoing) six researchers held about 60-70 interviews with lonely persons, discussing feelings of loneliness and coping behavior. After the first 23 interviews with lonely older adults, a qualitative analysis on how to discuss loneliness was performed, resulting in a format for talking about loneliness and a topic list to help in conversations. These instruments were tested in the remaining interviews with lonely older adults and students, after which the format and topic list were updated. The format for talking about loneliness discusses guidelines for the inter human relationship, how to bring up the topic of loneliness, and what to discuss, e.g. feelings, timing, coping, consequences and taboo. ‘What to discuss’ is also addressed in the topic list. It is important to not be eager to help. Often, lonely people have felt so for a long time and considered many coping options. This illustrates complexity. Trying to ‘solve’ loneliness with oversimplified suggestions makes people feel that their situation is not taken seriously. These instruments emphasize the importance of true listening. The instruments can be used to train professionals and volunteers who want to discuss loneliness with lonely people.

Author(s):  
Sabine Heuer

Purpose Future speech-language pathologists are often unprepared in their academic training to serve the communicative and cognitive needs of older adults with dementia. While negative attitudes toward older adults are prevalent among undergraduate students, service learning has been shown to positively affect students' attitudes toward older adults. TimeSlips is an evidence-based approach that has been shown to improve health care students' attitudes toward older adults. The purpose of this study is to explore the change in attitudes in speech-language pathology students toward older adults using TimeSlips in service learning. Method Fifty-one students participated in TimeSlips service learning with older adults and completed the Dementia Attitude Scale (DAS) before and after service learning. In addition, students completed a reflection journal. The DAS data were analyzed using nonparametric statistics, and journal entries were analyzed using a qualitative analysis approach. Results The service learners exhibited a significant increase in positive attitude as indexed on the DAS. The reflective journal entries supported the positive change in attitudes. Conclusions A noticeable attitude shift was indexed in reflective journals and on the DAS. TimeSlips is an evidence-based, patient-centered approach well suited to address challenges in the preparation of Communication Sciences and Disorders students to work with the growing population of older adults.


GeroPsych ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 67-76
Author(s):  
Grace C. Niu ◽  
Patricia A. Arean

The recent increase in the aging population, specifically in the United States, has raised concerns regarding treatment for mental illness among older adults. Late-life depression (LLD) is a complex condition that has become widespread among the aging population. Despite the availability of behavioral interventions and psychotherapies, few depressed older adults actually receive treatment. In this paper we review the research on refining treatments for LLD. We first identify evidence-based treatments (EBTs) for LLD and the problems associated with efficacy and dissemination, then review approaches to conceptualizing mental illness, specifically concepts related to brain plasticity and the Research Domain Criteria (RDoc). Finally, we introduce ENGAGE as a streamlined treatment for LLD and discuss implications for future research.


Author(s):  
Trần Thanh Đức

<p>Vietnam is a country that is suffered from frequent natural disasters. The most common types of natural disasters experienced are typhoon and flood. From 1951 to 2010, there were 166 typhoons come to Vietnam, of which 67 % hit the central region, 25 % to the north and 8 % to the south of the country. Typhoons bring heavy rains and high tides which accelerate floods, particularly in the coastal and lagoon areas of Central Vietnam. Identification of vulnerability to flooding and coping behavior of local people is required in the efforts to strengthen local capacity related to livelihood security in the study area. This study aims at characterizing the vulnerability of housing condition to flooding and the coping behaviors of local people after experienced big floods in Tam Giang lagoon area, Central Vietnam. Measurement of house’s foundation, observation of types of housing, interview to collect information about the water level during the events of big floods, year of construction and change of people’s behavior after the 1999’s flood were conducted with 427 households in Van Quat Dong village where four big flooding occurred in 1983, 1999, 2007 and 2009 during the last 30 years. The study shows that the 1999’s flood was the biggest flood with water height reached to 148.7 ± 23.9 cmfrom house floor and 222.6 ± 15.4 cmfrom ground level. The households located in the eastern part of the village are recognized more vulnerable to flood due to the lower altitude. The temporary and semi-permanent houses, which share 77.0 % to the entire houses, are considered to be relatively vulnerable to flooding due to weak housing materials and low height of foundation. The houses which categorized to permanent and semi-permanent types constructed after the 1999’s flood have higher foundation than the other houses constructed before the 1999’s flood. The raising of foundation height of permanent and semi-permanent houses, as well as an increase in numbers of two-storey houses, are recognized to be a behavior of local people to cope with flooding. The study also shows the relationship between the poverty level and the coping behaviors of households. Some of poor households in the village are still not in good preparedness to flooding. It suggests that poverty level of household concerns to the vulnerability to flooding and, therefore, rural development assistance to improve household economy for poverty alleviation is required in the efforts to strengthen local capacity related to livelihood security.<strong></strong></p>


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 136-137
Author(s):  
T. Kryukova ◽  
◽  
M. Zaporowska ◽  
A. Khazova ◽  
A. Samokhvalova ◽  
...  

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document