scholarly journals The impact of COVID-19 restrictions on older adults' loneliness: Evidence from high-frequency panel data

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erwin Stolz ◽  
Hannes Mayerl ◽  
Wolfgang Freidl
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Panel Data ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
Repeated Observations ◽  
Mixed Regression ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Over Time

BACKGROUND: It is unclear how strong and long lasting the effects of recurring COVID-19 restrictions on older adults' loneliness are. METHODS: 469 retired older adults (60+) provided 8,814 repeated observations of loneliness (27 waves) in the Austrian Corona Panel Project between March 2020 and December 2021. Ordinal mixed regression models were used to estimate the effect of the stringency of COVID-19 restrictions (SI) on loneliness. RESULTS: The proportion of older adults who reported to be often lonely correlated closely (r=0.63) with the SI over time: both peaked during lockdowns (SI=82, often lonely=10-12%) and were lowest during the summer of 2020 (SI=36, often lonely=5- 6%). Results from regression models indicate, that when the SI increased above 60 (=strict lockdown), an increase in loneliness followed. Older adults who lived alone were more affected than those living with others. CONCLUSIONS: Stringent COVID-19 restrictions lead to situational loneliness, par- ticularly among those who lived alone. Efforts should be made to enable older adults who live alone to have save in-person contact during lockdown periods.

scholarly journals The Impact of Weather and Seasons on Falls and Physical Activity among Older Adults with Glaucoma: A Longitudinal Prospective Cohort Study

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 3415
Author(s):  
Hursuong Vongsachang ◽  
Aleksandra Mihailovic ◽  
Jian-Yu E ◽  
David S. Friedman ◽  
Sheila K. West ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Fall Prevention ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
Activity Promotion ◽  
Injurious Fall ◽  
Multivariable Regression ◽  
Multivariable Regression Models ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Understanding periods of the year associated with higher risk for falling and less physical activity may guide fall prevention and activity promotion for older adults. We examined the relationship between weather and seasons on falls and physical activity in a three-year cohort of older adults with glaucoma. Participants recorded falls information via monthly calendars and participated in four one-week accelerometer trials (baseline and per study year). Across 240 participants, there were 406 falls recorded over 7569 person-months, of which 163 were injurious (40%). In separate multivariable regression models incorporating generalized estimating equations, temperature, precipitation, and seasons were not significantly associated with the odds of falling, average daily steps, or average daily active minutes. However, every 10 °C increase in average daily temperature was associated with 24% higher odds of a fall being injurious, as opposed to non-injurious (p = 0.04). The odds of an injurious fall occurring outdoors, as opposed to indoors, were greater with higher average temperatures (OR per 10 °C = 1.46, p = 0.03) and with the summer season (OR = 2.69 vs. winter, p = 0.03). Falls and physical activity should be understood as year-round issues for older adults, although the likelihood of injury and the location of fall-related injuries may change with warmer season and temperatures.

scholarly journals The Importance of Studying Health Behavior in Older Adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 827-827
Author(s):  
Jaime Hughes ◽  
Susan Hughes ◽  
Mina Raj ◽  
Janet Bettger
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Behavior Change ◽  
Chronic Conditions ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Multiple Chronic Conditions ◽  
Prior Work ◽  
Time Changes ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Behavior change is an inherent aspect of routine geriatric care. However, most research and clinical programs emphasis how to initiate behavior change with less emphasis placed on skills and strategies to maintain behaviors over time, including after an intervention has concluded. This presentation will provide an introduction to the symposium, including a review of prior work and our rationale for studying the critical yet overlooked construct of maintenance in older adults. Several key considerations in our work include the impact of multiple chronic conditions, declines in cognitive and functional capacity over time, changes in environmental context and/or social support, and sustainability of community and population-level programs and services.

scholarly journals The psychosocial benefits of providing non-kin childcare in older adults: A longitudinal study with older New Zealanders

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Á Szabó ◽  
Eva Neely ◽  
C Stephens
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Grandparental Childcare ◽  
Psychosocial Benefits ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Over Time ◽  
New Zealanders

© The Author(s) 2019. Community grandparenting may promote the well-being of older adults. We examined the impact of non-kin and grandparental childcare on quality of life and loneliness using longitudinal data from 2653 older New Zealanders collected over 2 years. Providing both non-kin and grandparental childcare predicted greater self-realisation for women only and was associated with reduced levels of control and autonomy for men. Non-kin childcare was also associated with reduced social loneliness over time independent of gender. Findings suggest that non-kin grandparenting has psychosocial benefits for older adults. Surrogate grandparenting offers promising avenues for those without grandchildren to experience the benefits of grandparenting.

scholarly journals Differential impacts of repeated sampling on odor representations by genetically-defined mitral and tufted cell subpopulations in the mouse olfactory bulb

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas P. Eiting ◽  
Matt Wachowiak
Keyword(s):  
Information Processing ◽  
Olfactory Bulb ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Response Patterns ◽  
Repeated Sampling ◽  
Tufted Cell ◽  
Cell Subpopulations ◽  
Genetic Targeting ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Over Time

AbstractSniffing—the active control of breathing beyond passive respiration—is used by mammals to modulate olfactory sampling. Sniffing allows animals to make odor-guided decisions within ~200 ms, but animals routinely engage in bouts of high-frequency sniffing spanning several seconds; the impact of such repeated odorant sampling on odor representations remains unclear. We investigated this question in the mouse olfactory bulb, where mitral and tufted cells (MTCs) form parallel output streams of odor information processing. To test the impact of repeated odorant sampling on MTC responses, we used two-photon imaging in anesthetized male and female mice to record activation of MTCs while precisely varying inhalation frequency. A combination of genetic targeting and viral expression of GCaMP6 reporters allowed us to access mitral (MC) and superficial tufted cell (sTC) subpopulations separately. We found that repeated odorant sampling differentially affected responses in MCs and sTCs, with MCs showing more diversity than sTCs over the same time period. Impacts of repeated sampling among MCs included both increases and decreases in excitation, as well as changes in response polarity. Response patterns across ensembles of simultaneously-imaged MCs reformatted over time, with representations of different odorants becoming more distinct. MCs also responded differentially to changes in inhalation frequency, whereas sTC responses were more uniform over time and across frequency. Our results support the idea that MCs and TCs comprise functionally distinct pathways for odor information processing, and suggest that the reformatting of MC odor representations by high-frequency sniffing may serve to enhance the discrimination of similar odors.

scholarly journals Body Composition in Community-Dwelling Older Adults Before and After SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Longitudinal Prospective Study in a Rural Village Struck by the Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 215013272110477
Author(s):  
Oscar H. Del Brutto ◽  
Robertino M. Mera ◽  
Denisse A. Rumbea ◽  
Pedro Pérez ◽  
Bettsy Y. Recalde ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Body Composition ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
The Body ◽  
Study Results ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

Background: Information on the body composition of inhabitants of remote communities during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is limited. Using a longitudinal population-based study design, we assessed the association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and changes in body composition. Methods: Community-dwelling older adults living in a rural Ecuadorian village received body composition determinations before and 1 year after the pandemic as well as serological tests for detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. The independent association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and abnormalities in body composition at follow-up was assessed by fitting linear mixed models for longitudinal data. Results: Of 327 enrolled individuals, 277 (85%) received baseline and follow-up body composition determinations, and 175 (63%) of them became SARS-CoV-2 seropositive. Overall, diet and physical activity deteriorated during the follow-up. Multivariate random-effects generalized least squares regression models that included the impact of time and seropositivity on follow-up body composition, showed that neither variable contributed to a worsening in body composition. Multivariate logistic regression models disclosed that the serological status at follow-up cannot be predicted by differences in body composition and other baseline covariates. Conclusions: Study results suggest no increased susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection among older adults with abnormal body composition and no significant changes as a result of worse physical activity and dietary habits or seropositivity during the length of the study. Together with a previous study in the same population that showed decrease in hand-grip strength after SARS-CoV-2, results confirm that dynapenia (and not sarcopenia) is associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection in older adults.

Toxicity, response, and survival in older adults with metastatic melanoma treated with checkpoint inhibitors.

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 9544-9544
Author(s):  
Nienke A De Glas ◽  
Esther Bastiaannet ◽  
Frederiek van den Bos ◽  
Simon Mooijaart ◽  
Astrid Aplonia Maria Van Der Veldt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Overall Survival ◽  
Metastatic Melanoma ◽  
Older Patients ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Performance Status ◽  
Toxicity Response ◽  
Grade 3 ◽  
The Impact

9544 Background: Checkpoint inhibitors have strongly improved survival of patients with metastatic melanoma. Trials suggest no differences in outcomes between older and younger patients, but only relatively young patients with a good performance status were included in these trials. The aim of this study was to describe treatment patterns and outcomes of older adults with metastatic melanoma, and to identify predictors of outcome. Methods: We included all patients aged ≥65 years with metastatic melanoma between 2013 and 2020 from the Dutch Melanoma Treatment registry (DMTR), in which detailed information on patients, treatments and outcomes is available. We assessed predictors of grade ≥3 toxicity and 6-months response using logistic regression models, and melanoma-specific and overall survival using Cox regression models. Additionally, we described reasons for hospital admissions and treatment discontinuation. Results: A total of 2216 patients were included. Grade ≥3 toxicity did not increase with age, comorbidity or WHO performance status, in patients treated with monotherapy (anti-PD1 or ipilimumab) or combination treatment. However, patients aged ≥75 were admitted more frequently and discontinued treatment due to toxicity more often. Six months-response rates were similar to previous randomized trials (40.3% and 43.6% in patients aged 65-75 and ≥75 respectively for anti-PD1 treatment) and were not affected by age or comorbidity. Melanoma-specific survival was not affected by age or comorbidity, but age, comorbidity and WHO performance status were associated with overall survival in multivariate analyses. Conclusions: Toxicity, response and melanoma-specific survival were not associated with age or comorbidity status. Treatment with immunotherapy should therefore not be omitted solely based on age or comorbidity. However, the impact of grade I-II toxicity in older patients deserves further study as older patients discontinue treatment more frequently and receive less treatment cycles.[Table: see text]

Episodic Memory in Later Life: Benefits of Prayer and Meditation

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-40
Author(s):  
Nirmala Lekhak ◽  
Tirth R. Bhatta ◽  
Jaclene A. Zauszniewski
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
Secondary Analysis ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Estimating Equation ◽  
Generalized Estimating Equation ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Retirement Study ◽  
Over Time

Purpose: To examine the effects of prayer and meditation on the episodic memory of older adults. Design: Secondary analysis of Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Method: Drawing from a subsample of HRS ( n = 1,135), this study utilized generalized estimating equation regression models to examine the effects of meditation and prayer on changes in episodic memory of older adults over time. Findings: Findings show a statistically significant positive effect of the use of prayer (0.50, p < .05) on episodic memory score at baseline. We also observed a slight gain in episodic memory over time for older adults who used prayer (0.04, p = .05). Meditation was not found to have a statistically significant effect on changes in memory in later life. Conclusion: This study illustrates the benefits of prayer in preserving memory and provides much needed empirical basis for community-level interventions to enhance memory in later life.

Comparison of International Differences in the Volatility of Economic Growth and Non-Performing Loan Ratio: A Statistical Study Based on the Quantile Regression Model

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 1094-1101
Author(s):  
Song Qin ◽  
Zhenlei Wang ◽  
◽  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Panel Data ◽  
Quantile Regression ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
Banking Sector ◽  
Statistical Study ◽  
Quantile Regression Model ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

What is the level of non-performing loans in China’s banking sector and in different countries? Has the relationship between economic growth and the non-performing loan ratio changed? Is there a difference in the effect of the economic growth of different economies on the rate of non-performing loans in the banking sector? This study analyzes the relationship between economic growth and the non-performing loan ratios and characteristics of 13 countries from 2005-2014 based on quantile regression models with panel data. The results showed that the relationship between economic growth and the non-performing loan ratio was positive before the financial crisis in 2008 but was negative after 2008. The non-performing loan ratio in Canada, Mexico, and the US was low before 2008 and high after 2008. The impact of economic growth on the non-performing loan ratio was more significant for countries with a high non-performing loan ratio than for countries with a low non-performing loan ratio.

A Longitudinal Analysis of Efficacy Expectations and Exercise in Older Adults

2004 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 331-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Resnick
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Outcome Expectations ◽  
Analysis Of Covariance ◽  
Regular Exercise ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Efficacy Expectations ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Over Time

The purpose of this study was to consider the longitudinal changes in self-efficacy and outcome expectations for exercise and the impact of these variables on maintaining regular exercise over a 4-year period in a group of older adults living in a continuing care retirement community. There were 78 individuals who completed all four surveys. The participants had at least a high school education, and the majority were Caucasian (99%), female (83%) and either widowed or never married (80%). The mean age of the participants was 84.4 ± 5.1 years. Based on repeated measure analysis of covariance, controlling for mental and physical health, there was not a statistically significant difference in self-efficacy expectations (F = 2.0, p > .05) or outcome expectations (F = 2.2, p > .05) over time. There was a statistically significant decrease in exercise over time (F = 9.9, p < .05). Using path analysis it was demonstrated that self-efficacy expectations, outcome expectations, and physical health directly and indirectly influenced maintenance of regular exercise. Age, gender, and mental health had a limited and inconsistent influence on maintenance of exercise. Future research and clinical work should focus on developing and testing interventions that strengthen both self-efficacy and positive outcome expectations in older adults to facilitate maintenance of exercise behavior over time.

scholarly journals Dopamine-Related Genotype Predicts Trajectories of Gait Reserve in Older Adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 756-757
Author(s):  
Briana Sprague ◽  
Andrea Rosso ◽  
Xiaonan Zhu ◽  
Caterina Rosano
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Mixed Models ◽  
Gait Speed ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
Physical Factors ◽  
Community Ambulation ◽  
Related Genotype ◽  
Comt Polymorphism ◽  
Task Adaptation ◽  
Over Time

Abstract The capacity to increase one’s gait speed is critical for maintaining safe community ambulation. There is limited work on the longitudinal changes in this capacity and its predictors. Because lower dopamine is associated with lower task adaptation and motivation, we hypothesized that lower dopamine would predict more decline in rapid gait speed. Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) polymorphism and at least 3 repeated rapid and usual pace gait speed assessments were obtained over 10 years in 1,261 older adults (mean age=75.2, 867 White, 659 women). Linear mixed models computed person-specific rapid and usual pace gait speed trajectories. Regression models adjusted for usual gait trajectory tested whether COMT predicted rapid gait trajectory; covariates included, demographic, psychological, cognitive, and physical factors. Val/Val carriers (lower dopamine) declined more in rapid gait compared to Met/Met carriers (higher dopamine; adjusted b=-.002, SE=.001, p=.042). Modifying dopamine may positively influence the ability to maintain rapid gait over time.

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