The importance of sources of meaning in life of community dwelling psychologically frail older people

Purpose Psychological frailty adds most to overall feelings of frailty, but is often neglected, although meaning in life is important for psychological well-being. The purpose of this paper is to explore the sources of meaning in life within psychologically frail older people. Design/methodology/approach Data (n= 16,872) generated from the Belgian Ageing Studies were collected, using the Comprehensive Frailty Assessment Instrument and the Sources of Meaning Profile (SOMP-R) instrument. Psychometric properties of the SOMP-R were explored using factor and reliability analysis and one-way-ANOVA analysis were used to asses mean differences. Findings Financial security, meeting basic needs and personal relations play an important role as sources of meaning in life. Moreover, the SOMP-R showed excellent psychometric properties. Research limitations/implications Due to the cross-sectional design of this study, evolution in time and causal links could not be assessed. Practical implications The findings of this study emphasize that sources of meaning in life are relevant and can be assessed using the SOMP-R upon which individually tailored care plans can be developed. The results show that, meaning in life as such plays an important role for psychologically frail older people. As a consequence, this offers insights to support these older people. Caregivers and policymakers might therefore take these results into account. Guarantee and/or follow up a frail individual’s financial security, assessing and enabling one’s personal relationships and meeting their basic needs are very important when taking care of psychologically frail older individuals. Social implications Besides the practical implications, the social inclusion of psychologically frail older people seems to be relevant. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the association between meaning in life and psychological frailty in later life is not yet investigated. Further the findings of this study emphasize that sources of meaning in life are relevant and can be assessed using the SOMP-R upon which individually tailored care plans can be developed.

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Teaming up for more comprehensive care: case study of the Geriatric flying squad and emergency responders (Ambulance, Police, Fire and Rescue)

Journal of Integrated Care ◽

10.1108/jica-05-2021-0025 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Lynda Elias ◽

Genevieve Maiden ◽

Julie Manger ◽

Patricia Reyes

Keyword(s):

Older People ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Rapid Response ◽

Initial Evaluation ◽

Local Health ◽

Model Of Care ◽

Frail Older People ◽

Content Type ◽

Emergency Responders

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe the development, implementation and initial evaluation of the Geriatric Flying Squad's reciprocal referral pathways with emergency responders including New South Wales Ambulance, Police and Fire and Rescue. These innovative pathways and model of care were developed to improve access to multidisciplinary services for vulnerable community dwelling frail older people with the intent of improving health and quality of life outcomes by providing an alternative to hospital admission.Design/methodology/approachThis is a case study describing the review of the Geriatric Flying Squad's referral database and quality improvement initiative to streamline referrals amongst the various emergency responders in the local health district. The implementation and initial evaluation of the project through online survey are further described.FindingsSustainable cross-sector collaboration can be achieved through building reciprocal pathways between an existing rapid response geriatric outreach service and emergency responders including Ambulance, Police, Fire and Rescue. Historically, emergency services would have transferred this group to the emergency department. These pathways exemplify person-centred care, underpinned by a multidisciplinary, rapid response team, providing an alternative referral pathway for first responders, with the aim of improving whole of health outcomes for frail older people.Practical implicationsEnablers of these pathways include a single point of contact for agencies, extended hours to support referral pathways, education to increase capacity and awareness, comprehensive and timely comprehensive assessment and ongoing case management where required and contemporaneous cross-sector collaboration to meet the medical and psychosocial needs of the client.Originality/valueThe Geriatric Flying Squad reciprocal pathways are a unique model of care with a multi-agency approach to addressing frail older people's whole of health needs.

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The psychometric properties of the Chinese version—reintegration to normal living index (C-RNLI) for identifying participation restriction among community-dwelling frail older people

BMC Geriatrics ◽

10.1186/s12877-017-0424-5 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Justina Yat-Wa Liu ◽

Ka Wai Ma

Keyword(s):

Older People ◽

Psychometric Properties ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Chinese Version ◽

Participation Restriction ◽

Frail Older People

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Making Geriatric Assessment Work: Selecting Useful Measures

Physical Therapy ◽

10.1093/ptj/81.6.1233 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 81 (6) ◽

pp. 1233-1252 ◽

Cited By ~ 84

Author(s):

Jessie M VanSwearingen ◽

Jennifer S Brach

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Physical Therapy ◽

Older People ◽

Psychometric Properties ◽

Physical Function ◽

Physical Performance ◽

Reliability And Validity ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Frail Older People ◽

Community Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract Often the goal of physical therapy is to reduce morbidity and prevent or delay loss of independence. The purpose of this article is to describe issues to consider when selecting measures of physical function for use with community-dwelling adults over the age of 65 years. We chose 16 measures of physical function for review because they have been used in studies of community-dwelling older adults and some psychometric properties of reliability and validity have been described in the literature. Three major issues are discussed: (1) appropriateness of the measure for community-dwelling older adults, (2) practical aspects of test administration, and (3) psychometric properties. These issues are illustrated using examples from the 16 measures. Two scenarios, applying the measures to the assessment of physical performance of community-dwelling well older people and to the assessment of physical performance of community-dwelling frail older people, are used to illustrate how this information can be used.

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Implementation of an innovative web-based conference table for community-dwelling frail older people, their informal caregivers and professionals: a process evaluation

BMC Health Services Research ◽

10.1186/1472-6963-12-251 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

Sarah HM Robben ◽

Marieke Perry ◽

Mirjam Huisjes ◽

Leontien van Nieuwenhuijzen ◽

Henk J Schers ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older People ◽

Process Evaluation ◽

Informal Caregivers ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Frail Older People ◽

Web Based

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When I am old I shall wear purple: a qualitative study of the effect of group poetry sessions on the well-being of older adults

Working with Older People ◽

10.1108/wwop-08-2016-0018 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 20 (4) ◽

pp. 195-198 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Richard Seymour ◽

Michael Murray

Keyword(s):

Older People ◽

Assisted Living ◽

Well Being ◽

Content Type ◽

Short Period ◽

Different Types ◽

Poetry Reading ◽

The Impact ◽

Health And Well Being ◽

Practical Implications

Purpose There is increasing evidence that participation in various art forms can be beneficial for health and well-being. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of participating in a poetry reading group on a group of older residents of an assisted living facility. Design/methodology/approach Six poetry sessions, each on a different theme, were conducted with a group of volunteer participants. These sessions, those of pre- and post-study focus groups and interviews with the group facilitator and staff contact were audio-recorded. The transcripts of the recordings were then subjected to a thematic analysis. Findings Overall the participants were enthused by the opportunity to participate in the project and the benefits were confirmed by the support staff. In addition, reading poetry on particular themes promoted different types of discussion. Research limitations/implications The number of participants in this study was small and the study was conducted over a short period of time. Practical implications This paper confirms the impact of poetry reading for older people. The challenge is to explore this impact in more detail and over community as well as residential settings. Originality/value This paper is the first empirical report on the value of poetry reading for older people.

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Assets-based approaches to developing age friendly communities: learning from the bristol ageing better programme

Working with Older People ◽

10.1108/wwop-07-2021-0038 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Amy Beardmore ◽

Penny Beynon ◽

Christine Crabbe ◽

Carol Fry ◽

Jan Fullforth ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Community Development ◽

Older People ◽

Production Method ◽

Project Delivery ◽

Development Projects ◽

Practical Application ◽

Content Type ◽

Diverse Groups ◽

Practical Implications

Purpose International attention is increasingly turning to the challenge of creating age-friendly environments. This study aims to examine the application of asset-based approaches in undertaking community development projects with older people. The paper intends to share the learning that may be useful when designing community development projects for older people in the future. Design/methodology/approach This study followed a multiple project case study design, with a focus on project delivery practices. It was undertaken as a co-production exercise involving university researchers and trained older volunteer community researchers (CRs). Over 18–24 months of qualitative research was conducted in relation to six area-based urban projects between 2018 and 2020. Findings There were five leading themes as follows: mapping and building on assets in highly localised settings; creating governance and direction through steering groups; developing activities with diverse groups of older people; reaching isolated and lonely older people; building local capacity to embed sustainability. Practical implications The effectiveness of assets-based approaches in promoting age-friendly agendas appears to be contingent on the values, skills, capacity and resourcing of delivery agencies, alongside wider public sector investment in communities. Diversity and inequalities amongst older people need to be taken into account and community development that specifically focuses on older people needs to be balanced with the whole population and intergenerational practice. Originality/value This paper provides an empirical account of the practical application of assets practices specifically in the context of the age-friendly community agenda. The co-production method brings together insights from academic and volunteer older CRs.

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The importance of a room with a view for older people with limited mobility

Quality in Ageing and Older Adults ◽

10.1108/qaoa-01-2018-0003 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 19 (4) ◽

pp. 273-285 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Charles Musselwhite

Keyword(s):

Older People ◽

Design Methodology ◽

Social Care ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Content Type ◽

Limited Mobility ◽

Human Element ◽

Health And Social Care ◽

Vantage Points ◽

Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how older people who are almost entirely housebound use a view from their window to make sense of the world and stay connected to the outside space that they cannot physically inhabit. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews with 42 individuals were carried out who were living at home, were relatively immobile and had an interesting view outside they liked from one or more of their windows. Findings The findings suggest that immobile older people enjoy watching a motion-full, changing, world going on outside of their own mobility and interact and create meaning and sense, relating themselves to the outside world. Practical implications Findings suggest that those working in health and social care must realise the importance of older people observing the outdoors and create situations where that is enabled and maintained through improving vantage points and potentially using technology. Originality/value This study builds and updates work by Rowles (1981) showing that preference for views from the window involves the immediate surveillance zone but also further afield. The view can be rural or urban but should include a human element from which older people can interact through storytelling. The view often contains different flows, between mundane and mystery and intrigue, and between expected and random.

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Caring relationships and efficient social care provision

International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy ◽

10.1108/ijssp-08-2013-0089 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 35 (5/6) ◽

pp. 419-436 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Sue Hollinrake ◽

Will Thomas

Keyword(s):

Older People ◽

Service Providers ◽

Care Provision ◽

Care Providers ◽

Budget Cuts ◽

Caring Relationships ◽

Content Type ◽

Support Mechanism ◽

Practical Implications ◽

Insight Into

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand the nature of support that helps older people continue living in their own homes for as long as they wish to. Design/methodology/approach – The research made use of a participatory approach in which service users, service providers and commissioners were involved in the design of the approach in addition to contributing to the research as participants in their own right. Findings – This paper presents analysis from the research which focuses on the importance of caring relationships for providing a support mechanism. The authors question whether budget cuts and efficiency drives within statutory care providers preclude the notion of caring relationships. Practical implications – The authors suggest, in the light of the evidence presented, that statutory service providers should acknowledge the role that caring relationships play in providing support for older people. Whilst budget cuts make providing support for caring relationships more challenging, the authors suggest that there is scope for delivering services and support in ways which promote the types of interactions which better support older people living independently. Originality/value – The analysis presented here provides a distinctive, timely and thoughtful insight into support for older people at a time when public sector budgets are under increasing pressure.

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