scholarly journals FINDING THE ELDERS WHO STAYED- CONDUCTING OUTREACH IN THE AFTERMATH OF HURRICANE MICHAEL

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S944-S944
Author(s):  
Jessica L Tice ◽  
Megan Bond
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Food Distribution ◽  
Voter Participation ◽  
Property Damage ◽  
Census Tracts ◽  
Florida Department ◽  
Older Populations

Abstract The Florida Department of Elder Affairs (DOEA) provides programs and services for over 65,300 older people and adults with disabilities. These individuals are uniquely vulnerable and may be displaced, and/or disoriented during natural disasters. DOEA clients are dependent upon community-based services to provide supervision or assistance to perform basic self-care, which often makes sheltering in place alone a danger to their health and well-being. During Hurricane Michael (2018) many older adults who previously were independent sought help for many issues including property damage, utility interruption, food and medicine scarcity, and physical or mental health problems associated with the storm and its aftermath. In normal conditions, DOEA identifies older populations via Census tracts and then conducts outreach events to inform the public how to access social services. However, after the widespread displacement post-storm, traditional outreach approaches were insufficient. A method was needed to remove areas that were rendered uninhabitable and find who remained in place. DOEA identified viable neighborhoods by overlaying property damage locations on base layers of Census tracts with concentrations of older adults and polling places with high percentage of age 60+ voter participation in the subsequent November election. Then in partnership with Feeding Florida, we provided information and registration assistance via local food distribution sites in those areas. This methodology of overlaying Division of Emergency Management property damage records and voter participation records against publicly available Census tract files is a strategy that could be replicated by other disaster and flood-prone communities or organizations that have similar needs.

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

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.

Intergenerational Solidarity and Life Satisfaction among Empty-nest Older Adults in Rural China: Does Distance Matter?

2020 ◽  
pp. 0192513X2092621
Author(s):  
Mengting Li ◽  
Yaling Luo ◽  
Penghui Li
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Satisfaction With Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Migrant Children ◽  
Satisfaction With Life Scale ◽  
Geographical Proximity ◽  
Intergenerational Solidarity ◽  
Contact Frequency

Intergenerational solidarity plays a significant role in older adults’ psychological well-being, but it remains unclear whether the influence would vary by distance. This study aims to examine the moderating role of geographical proximity between intergenerational solidarity and life satisfaction. We interviewed 1,015 rural older adults in Sichuan, China. Life satisfaction was measured by Satisfaction with Life Scale. Five of the six dimensions of intergenerational solidarity were assessed: structural (geographical proximity), associational (contact frequency), functional (support exchange), affectual (emotional closeness), and normative (filial obligation). Multiple regression with interaction term was used. We found the effect of intergenerational solidarity (except associational solidarity) on life satisfaction was strongest for older adults with children living in the same city. Gender differences existed in the moderating effect of parent–child distance on the relationship between intergenerational solidarity and life satisfaction. Social services could focus on older adults with interprovincial migrant children and protect their well-being.

Aging, Place, and Technology

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (8) ◽  
pp. 1373-1389 ◽  
Author(s):  
William A. Satariano ◽  
Andrew E. Scharlach ◽  
David Lindeman
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Field Testing ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Multidisciplinary Teams ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Economic Barriers ◽  
Older Populations ◽  
Monitoring Devices

Objective: To review the range of promising technologies (e.g., smart phones, remote monitoring devices) designed to enhance aging in place; identify challenges for implementation of those technologies; and recommend ways to improve access to technologies in older populations. Method: A narrative review of research, practice, and policies from multiple fields, including information science, gerontology, engineering, housing and social services, health care and public health. Results: Despite a wide range of emerging and current technologies, there are significant challenges for implementation, including an uneven evidence base, economic barriers, and educational and ergonomic issues that adversely affect many older adults. Discussion: Recommendations for future development and adoption include improving the evidence base through field-testing of “packages” of devices in diverse populations of older adults; development of innovative funding mechanisms involving multidisciplinary teams, older adults, and caregivers; and promotion of safety and security in the use of these technologies in older populations.

scholarly journals Experiences of Older Adults During the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States: An Initial Exploration of Nationally Representative Data at the Intersection of Gender and Race

2021 ◽  
pp. 073346482110482
Author(s):  
Takashi Yamashita ◽  
Wonmai Punksungka ◽  
Samuel Van Vleet ◽  
Abigail Helsinger ◽  
Phyllis Cummins
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Gender And Race ◽  
Baseline Information ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Project Data ◽  
Older Populations

Little is known about the overall experiences and feelings of diverse older populations during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. To provide the baseline information for future research and policy, this study analyzed the 2020 Health and Retirement Study COVID-19 project data ( n = 1782). More than 70% of older adults reported the following activities: watching TV (98%), reading (90%), using a computer and the internet (83%), gardening (82%), walking (75%), baking and cooking (73%), and praying (73%). Volunteering and attending community groups, which are known to benefit well-being, were unpopular (less than 8%). During the pandemic, older adults were generally satisfied with their lives, but more than half of them were concerned about their own health, family’s health, and future prospects. Our study also showed the differences in the experiences and feelings by gender and race as well as the intersection of gender and race in the United States.

scholarly journals Anxiety and depression in old age: challenges in recognition and diagnosis

2010 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 511-513 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Bryant
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Well Being ◽  
World Health ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Diagnostic Systems ◽  
Icd 10 ◽  
Methodological Problems ◽  
The One ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Older Populations

Recent years have seen much debate about both the prevalence and the nature of anxiety and depression in older adults. On the one hand, some authors have suggested that older populations are characterized by surprisingly high levels of well-being and resilience, despite increasing losses and functional impairment (Staudinger and Fleeson, 1996) and that the prevalence of mental illness, with the exception of dementia, decreases in late life (Jorm, 2000). Others have suggested that this is a spurious finding resulting from the methodological problems in obtaining accurate data for older adults (Beekman et al., 1998, Krasucki et al., 1999; O'Connor, 2006), with categorical diagnostic systems, such as the DSM-IV (American Psychiatric Association, 1994) and ICD-10 (World Health Organization, 1992) frequently cited as aggravating these difficulties (Palmer et al., 1997).

Effects of a Savoring Intervention on Resilience and Well-Being of Older Adults

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer L. Smith ◽  
Agnieszka A. Hanni
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Well Being ◽  
High Fidelity ◽  
Psychological Resilience ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Positive Experiences ◽  
Positive Feelings ◽  
Older Populations ◽  
Over Time

Savoring is the ability to be mindful of positive experiences and to be aware of and regulate positive feelings about these experiences. Previous research has found that savoring interventions can be effective at improving well-being of younger adults, but findings have not been extended to older populations. This pilot study examined the effects of a 1-week savoring intervention on older adults’ psychological resilience and well-being (i.e., depressive symptoms and happiness). Participants, 111 adults ages 60 or over, completed measures of resilience, depressive symptoms, and happiness pre- and postintervention as well as 1 month and 3 months after the intervention. Analyses revealed that participants who completed the savoring intervention with high fidelity also reported improvements in resilience, depressive symptoms, and happiness over time. These findings suggest that the savoring intervention has the potential to enhance older adults’ resilience and psychological well-being.

scholarly journals Time Use, Gender, and Mental Health of Older Adults in Rural China

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 863-863
Author(s):  
Zhiyong Lin ◽  
Feinian Chen
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Older Women ◽  
Time Use ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Socially Isolated

Abstract Time use is considered a valuable descriptor of people’s lifestyles, and studying how people spend their time is critical for understanding the determinants and consequences of individual well-being. In this study, we first develop a time use typology to characterize how older adults in rural Chinese families allocate their time in later life, and then examined how older adults’ time allocation influenced their mental health, with a special focus on differential implications for older women and men. Data derived from 2015 and 2018 waves of a longitudinal study of 1,007 older adults, aged 60 and older, living in rural areas of Anhui Province, China. We specifically focused on how social and solitary dimensions of time use, as well as time spent within and outside households, impacted depressive symptoms of older adults. Using the K-means cluster analysis, we identified four time use categories: “work-oriented,” “socially-active,” “homemaker/ caretaker,” and “socially-isolated.” Results from fixed-effects regression analysis demonstrated that older women involved in “socially-active” time-use category tended to report better mental than those in other time-use types, while the time spent on housework and caregiving was harmful to their mental health. For older men, more time spent on paid activities outside households (“work-oriented”) was associated with better psychological outcomes while solitary leisure time (“socially-isolated”) was associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms. These findings will be helpful for health policymakers and practitioners who seek to better identify vulnerable subpopulations and to design effective intervention strategies to reduce mental health problems.

scholarly journals Assessing mood in older adults: a conceptual review of methods and approaches

2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (8) ◽  
pp. 1197-1206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura J. E. Brown ◽  
Arlene J. Astell
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Mood State ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Temporal Perspective ◽  
Assessment Techniques ◽  
Older Populations

ABSTRACTBackground: Accurate measures of mood state are important for understanding and optimizing health and well-being in later life. A range of different mood assessment measures is available, reflecting the variety of ways in which mood has been conceptualized and the different purposes for which measures have been developed.Methods: We undertook a conceptual review of the literature relating to mood and its assessment in older populations.Results: Moods are subjective states of mind that are typically described and quantified using self-report measures. Moods can be conceptually differentiated from the related psychological concepts of emotion, well-being, quality of life, and depression. Quantitative tools for assessing mood state include single-item mood ratings, composite factor scales, and clinical depression assessments. Mood assessments may be administered retrospectively or contemporaneously to the mood state of interest. The method and temporal perspective used to assess mood state will impact on the nature and precision of the mood data that are collected, and the types of research questions that can be addressed.Conclusions: No single mood assessment technique can be considered optimal for all situations. Rather, both the type of tool and the temporal perspective taken must be selected according to the nature of the study design and the research question being addressed. More thorough and frank reporting of the rationale for, and limitations of, mood assessment techniques are also essential for continued development of mood research with older adults.

scholarly journals Positive Ageing: to What Extent can Current Models of Wellbeing Categorise the Life Events Perceived as Positive by Older Adults?

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 99-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison Killen ◽  
Ann Macaskill
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Life Events ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Hedonic Model ◽  
Negative Stereotypes ◽  
Positive Life Events ◽  
Positive Ageing ◽  
Older Populations

Abstract Life expectancy is increasing globally, which makes understanding what contributes to well-being in older adults crucial for social and economic reasons. This is the first study to categorize positive life events in community dwelling older adults, to explore their fit with psychological well-being models. Volunteers self-defined as well (N = 88), completed diaries identifying three positive events daily for 14 days. Diary entries combated negative stereotypes of ageing by describing older adults with active lives contributing to society. Of nine themes identified through thematic analysis of over 3500 events; seven supported existing well-being models, being activities delivering positive affect and life satisfaction (hedonic model) and demonstrating competence, autonomy, relatedness, self-acceptance, purpose in life, and personal growth (eudemonic models). However, two well-supported new dimensions were also identified within the themes ‘interaction with the physical environment’ and ‘personal well-being’. These new dimensions were labelled ‘life-affirmation and ‘mindfulness’. This suggests the existence of additional considerations related to well-being specifically for older populations, which may indicate a need to broaden the existing models.

scholarly journals Contextual and Social Characteristics Relevant to Health and Well-Being in African American and White Adult Populations

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 577-577
Author(s):  
Angela Sardina ◽  
Adrienne Aiken-Morgan ◽  
Alyssa Gamaldo
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
African American ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Grocery Stores ◽  
Community Resources ◽  
Housing Developments ◽  
Health And Well Being

Abstract With the burgeoning older adult population, there will be an increased demand for neighborhood and housing developments conducive to the interests and needs of older adults from diverse backgrounds of varying health and functional status. Several initiatives have sought to develop age-friendly neighborhoods, which focused on improving access and affordability of community resources. However, limited effort has focused on physical and social attributes of immediate housing environments, particularly amongst lower-income older adults. The need for affordable and usable housing developments for older adults that provide greater opportunities for social engagement, social services, and convenience to neighborhood resources (e.g., grocery stores, healthcare) will continue to rise. The objectives of the proposed symposium are the following: (1) to explore the physical and social attributes of older and low-income residents’ housing and their surrounding community; and (2) discuss how older and low-income residents’ housing and community resources relates to their health and well-being. This symposium will include presentations from three pilot investigations that highlight relevant subjective and objective contextual metrics related to health and well-being in underserved older populations. Tan and colleagues explored the role of well-being (i.e., purpose in life) in the relationships among sociodemographics, health, housing and community resources. Sardina and colleagues explored perceived leisure barriers and their relationship to sociodemographic, health, and psychosocial characteristics. Aiken-Morgan and colleagues examined associations between neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage and health status among low-income African American older adults. Wright and colleagues explored associations between neighborhood disadvantage, brain health, and neurocognitive function in cognitively normal older adults.

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