scholarly journals RESILIENCE IN THE FACE OF A DISASTER: THE IMPACT OF HURRICANE SANDY ON OLDER ADULTS

2015 ◽  
Vol 55 (Suppl_2) ◽  
pp. 29-29
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Hurricane Sandy ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals Peritraumatic Stress From a Disaster Increases Risk for Onset of Chronic Diseases Among Older Adults

2022 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura P Sands ◽  
Quyen Do ◽  
Pang Du ◽  
Rachel Pruchno
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Lung Disease ◽  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Panel Study ◽  
Hurricane Sandy ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Disaster Exposure ◽  
New Onset

Abstract Background and Objectives Our understanding of the impact of disaster exposure on the physical health of older adults is largely based on hospital admissions for acute illnesses in the weeks following a disaster. Studies of longer-term outcomes have centered primarily on mental health. Missing have been studies examining whether exposure to disaster increases the risk for the onset of chronic diseases. We examined the extent to which 2 indicators of disaster exposure (geographic exposure and peritraumatic stress) were associated with new onset of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, arthritis, and lung disease to improve our understanding of the long-term physical health consequences of disaster exposure. Research Design and Methods We linked self-reported data collected prior to and following Hurricane Sandy from a longitudinal panel study with Medicare data to assess time to new onset of chronic diseases in the 4 years after the hurricane. Results We found that older adults who reported high levels of peritraumatic stress from Hurricane Sandy had more than twice the risk of experiencing a new diagnosis of lung disease, diabetes, and arthritis in the 4 years after the hurricane compared to older adults who did not experience high levels of peritraumatic stress. Geographic proximity to the hurricane was not associated with these outcomes. Analyses controlled for known risk factors for the onset of chronic diseases, including demographic, psychosocial, and health risks. Discussion and Implications Findings reveal that physical health effects of disaster-related peritraumatic stress extend beyond the weeks and months after a disaster and include new onset of chronic diseases that are associated with loss of functioning and early mortality.

scholarly journals Shift to Virtual Self-Management Programs During COVID-19: Ensuring Access and Efficacy for Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela Sanchez-Villagomez ◽  
Claudia Zurlini ◽  
Maggie Wimmer ◽  
Linda Roberts ◽  
Bertilia Trieu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Daily Routine ◽  
Management Skills ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Virtual Self ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Impact

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in significant uncertainty and disruption to many aspects of daily living, including physical activity, socialization opportunities, and access to healthcare services. Under these conditions, at-risk older adults are even more likely to be inactive and isolated, leading to potential exacerbation of musculoskeletal and chronic conditions and emotional distress. This case study provides an overview of our experience and best practices developed during our shift from onsite programming to virtual.Methodology: HSS utilized varied online approaches, including phone/video conference classes, webinars, on-demand videos and email campaigns to successfully transition programs. Due to this shift, HSS changed its evaluation to an online approach, using a mixed method to adequately assess the impact of programs.Results: Between April and August 2020, our virtual programs reached 428,766 participants, resulting in a 10,807% increase in program reach. Most participants assessed were 60 years or older (72%) and reported knowledge (85%) and self-management skills (83%) gained as well as high program satisfaction (90%). Analyses of program data did not show any statistical significant difference in self-reported health outcomes. However, qualitative results showed virtual programming helped to foster social connectivity during COVID-19, helped to build a daily routine, and positively impacted mental and physical health.Conclusion: Shifting to virtual programming in the face of the pandemic enabled us to deliver effective programs affording our community the opportunity to stay physically active and socially connected despite the quarantine orders.

Storm Impact and Depression Among Older Adults Living in Hurricane Sandy–Affected Areas

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jo Anne Sirey ◽  
Jacquelin Berman ◽  
Ashley Halkett ◽  
Nancy Giunta ◽  
Janice Kerrigan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Community Outreach ◽  
Hurricane Sandy ◽  
Service Needs ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Old Adults ◽  
Health Need ◽  
The Impact

AbstractObjectiveResearch on the impact of natural disasters on the mental health of older adults finds both vulnerabilities and resilience. We report on the rates of clinically significant depression among older adults (aged ≥60 years) living in areas affected by Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and the factors associated with mental health need.MethodsThe Sandy Mobilization, Assessment, Referral and Treatment for Mental Health (SMART-MH) program integrates community outreach and needs assessments to identify older adults with mental health and aging service needs. Older adults with significant anxiety or depressive symptoms were offered short-term psychotherapy. Social service referrals were made directly to community agencies. All SMART-MH activities were offered in Spanish, Russian, Mandarin/Cantonese, and English.ResultsAcross the full sample, 14% of participants screened positive for depression. Hurricane Sandy stressors predicted increased odds of depression, including storm injury, post-storm crime, and the total count of stressors. Outcomes varied significantly by age group, such that all Sandy-related variables remained significant for younger-old adults (aged 60–74 years), whereas only the loss of access to medical care was significant for older-old adults (aged ≥75 years).ConclusionsStorm-affected communities show higher rates of depressive symptoms than seen in the general population, with storm stressors affecting mental health needs differentially by age group. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:97–109)

scholarly journals Impact of Hurricane Sandy on Hospital Admissions 2 Years Later

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 236-236
Author(s):  
Laura Sands ◽  
Pang Du ◽  
Quyen Do ◽  
Yunnan Xu ◽  
Rachel Pruchno
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Prognostic Significance ◽  
Hurricane Sandy ◽  
Health Consequences ◽  
Social Risks ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Disaster Exposure

Abstract Disaster exposure is often followed by acute illness and injuries requiring hospital admission in the weeks after the disaster. It is not known whether disaster exposure is associated with hospitalization in the years after the disaster. We examined the extent to which disaster exposure is associated with hospitalization two years after Hurricane Sandy. The analyses fill a gap in our understanding of long-term physical health consequences of disaster exposure by identifying older adults at greatest risk for hospitalization two years after disaster exposure. Older adults (n=909) who participated in a longitudinal panel study provided data before and after Hurricane Sandy. These data were linked with Medicare inpatient files to assess the impact of Hurricane Sandy on hospital admissions after the post-hurricane interview. Those who reported experiencing a lot of fear and distress in the midst of Hurricane Sandy were at an increased risk of being hospitalized in the second or third years after the hurricane [Hazard Ratio=1.81 (1.15 – 2.85)]. Findings held after controlling for pre-hurricane demographics, social risks, chronic conditions, and decline in physical functioning after the hurricane. These findings are the first to show that disaster exposure increases risk for hospital admissions two years after a disaster, and that older adults’ appraisal of their emotional distress during the disaster has prognostic significance that is not explained by known risks for hospital admissions. The findings suggest that interventions during the storm and after the storm, may reduce long-term health consequences of disaster exposure among older adults.

Vulnerability of Older Adults in Disasters: Emergency Department Utilization by Geriatric Patients After Hurricane Sandy

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 184-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sidrah Malik ◽  
David C. Lee ◽  
Kelly M. Doran ◽  
Corita R. Grudzen ◽  
Justin Worthing ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Emergency Department ◽  
New York ◽  
Natural Disaster ◽  
Care Delivery ◽  
Hurricane Sandy ◽  
Emergency Department Utilization ◽  
Electrolyte Disorders ◽  
Ed Visits ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACTObjectiveOlder adults are a potentially medically vulnerable population with increased mortality rates during and after disasters. To evaluate the impact of a natural disaster on this population, we performed a temporal and geospatial analysis of emergency department (ED) use by adults aged 65 years and older in New York City (NYC) following Hurricane Sandy’s landfall.MethodsWe used an all-payer claims database to analyze demographics, insurance status, geographic distribution, and health conditions for post-disaster ED visits among older adults. We compared ED patterns of use in the weeks before and after Hurricane Sandy throughout NYC and the most afflicted evacuation zones.ResultsWe found significant increases in ED utilization by older adults (and disproportionately higher in those aged ≥85 years) in the 3 weeks after Hurricane Sandy, especially in NYC evacuation zone one. Primary diagnoses with notable increases included dialysis, electrolyte disorders, and prescription refills. Secondary diagnoses highlighted homelessness and care access issues.ConclusionsOlder adults display heightened risk for worse health outcomes with increased ED visits after a disaster. Our findings suggest the need for dedicated resources and planning for older adults following a natural disaster by ensuring access to medical facilities, prescriptions, dialysis, and safe housing and by optimizing health care delivery needs to reduce the burden of chronic disease. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018;12:184–193)

scholarly journals Racial Differences in the Erosion of Psychological Resilience Following COVID-19 Related Financial Hardship

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 95-95
Author(s):  
Miles Taylor ◽  
Dawn Carr ◽  
Kendra Jason
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Racial Differences ◽  
Race And Ethnicity ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Financial Hardship ◽  
Psychological Resilience ◽  
White Americans ◽  
Future Challenges ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Objectives Research on the impact of COVID-19 among older adults has primarily focused on virus outcomes, but it is also possible the pandemic’s hardships have eroded the adaptive capacity of older adults. It is also likely these impacts vary by race and ethnicity. We examine changes in psychological resilience (PR) among older adults pre and post-pandemic to determine whether financial and social hardships have altered this resource for White, Black, and Hispanic older adults. Method Using the COVID module recently released by the HRS (n=735), we examined changes in PR between 2016 and 2020 related to specific COVID experiences. We tested interactions to determine whether the effects of these experiences were conditioned by race and ethnicity. Results Consistent with previous literature, resilience was relatively stable during this time on average. Financial hardship due to COVID-19 diminished resilience, but this effect was concentrated primarily among White Americans. PR was unchanged related to financial hardship among Black Americans. Discussion The results suggest that PR is a relatively stable resource in later life, even during a pandemic. However, this resource may be impacted in the face of specific and especially new challenges in later life. Policies and interventions related to job loss and financial hardship during the pandemic should be seen as supporting the capacity for older adults to adapt to current as well as future challenges.

The Impact of Subjective and Objective Hearing Loss on Cognition and Memory in Older Adults

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 49-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yvonne Rogalski ◽  
Amy Rominger
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Reading Aloud ◽  
Cognitive Testing ◽  
Professional Collaboration ◽  
Cognitive Screening ◽  
Speech Language Pathologist ◽  
Text Passage ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Audiologic Evaluation

For this exploratory cross-disciplinary study, a speech-language pathologist and an audiologist collaborated to investigate the effects of objective and subjective hearing loss on cognition and memory in 11 older adults without hearing loss (OAs), 6 older adults with unaided hearing loss (HLOAs), and 16 young adults (YAs). All participants received cognitive testing and a complete audiologic evaluation including a subjective questionnaire about perceived hearing difficulty. Memory testing involved listening to or reading aloud a text passage then verbally recalling the information. Key findings revealed that objective hearing loss and subjective hearing loss were correlated and both were associated with a cognitive screening test. Potential clinical implications are discussed and include a need for more cross-professional collaboration in assessing older adults with hearing loss.

The Impact of TimeSlips on Undergraduate Students in Service Learning With Older Adults

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Sabine Heuer
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Attitude Scale ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Attitudes Toward Older Adults ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
Attitude Shift ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Journal Entries

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.

Inefficient Encoding as an Explanation for Age-Related Deficits in Recollection-Based Processing

2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 148-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Friedman ◽  
Ray Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Semantic Retrieval ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Face ◽  
Episodic Memories

A cardinal feature of aging is a decline in episodic memory (EM). Nevertheless, there is evidence that some older adults may be able to “compensate” for failures in recollection-based processing by recruiting brain regions and cognitive processes not normally recruited by the young. We review the evidence suggesting that age-related declines in EM performance and recollection-related brain activity (left-parietal EM effect; LPEM) are due to altered processing at encoding. We describe results from our laboratory on differences in encoding- and retrieval-related activity between young and older adults. We then show that, relative to the young, in older adults brain activity at encoding is reduced over a brain region believed to be crucial for successful semantic elaboration in a 400–1,400-ms interval (left inferior prefrontal cortex, LIPFC; Johnson, Nessler, & Friedman, 2013 ; Nessler, Friedman, Johnson, & Bersick, 2007 ; Nessler, Johnson, Bersick, & Friedman, 2006 ). This reduced brain activity is associated with diminished subsequent recognition-memory performance and the LPEM at retrieval. We provide evidence for this premise by demonstrating that disrupting encoding-related processes during this 400–1,400-ms interval in young adults affords causal support for the hypothesis that the reduction over LIPFC during encoding produces the hallmarks of an age-related EM deficit: normal semantic retrieval at encoding, reduced subsequent episodic recognition accuracy, free recall, and the LPEM. Finally, we show that the reduced LPEM in young adults is associated with “additional” brain activity over similar brain areas as those activated when older adults show deficient retrieval. Hence, rather than supporting the compensation hypothesis, these data are more consistent with the scaffolding hypothesis, in which the recruitment of additional cognitive processes is an adaptive response across the life span in the face of momentary increases in task demand due to poorly-encoded episodic memories.

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