Promoting Walking Among Older Adults Living in Retirement Communities

The authors tested the feasibility and acceptability, and explored the outcomes, of 2 walking interventions based on ecological models among older adults living in retirement communities. An enhanced intervention (EI) was compared with a standard walking intervention (SI) among residents in 4 retirement facilities (N= 87 at baseline; mean age = 84.1 yr). All participants received a walking intervention including pedometers, printed materials, and biweekly group sessions. EI participants also received phone counseling and environmental-awareness components. Measures included pedometer step counts, activities of daily living, environment-related variables, physical function, depression, cognitive function, satisfaction, and adherence. Results indicated improvements among the total sample for step counts, neighborhood barriers, cognitive function, and satisfaction with walking opportunities. Satisfaction and adherence were high. Both walking interventions were feasible to implement among facility-dwelling older adults. Future studies can build on this multilevel approach.

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Perceived barriers and contributors to sense of purpose in life in retirement community residents

Ageing and Society ◽

10.1017/s0144686x20001749 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-17

Author(s):

Nathan A. Lewis ◽

Naomi Reesor ◽

Patrick L. Hill

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Purpose In Life ◽

Retirement Community ◽

Retirement Communities ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Contributing Factors ◽

Sense Of Purpose ◽

The Social ◽

Continuing Care Retirement Communities ◽

Retirement Facilities

Abstract Despite the growing use of retirement communities and ageing care facilities, little is known about how residing in retirement residences may impact aspects of older adult wellbeing. Living in these communities may hold particular influence on residents’ sense of purpose, if they feel limited in their opportunities for individual action, or could serve to promote purposefulness depending on the social connections available. The current study sought to explore contributing factors as well as barriers to purpose in older adults living in three continuing care retirement communities. Using brief semi-structured interviews, 18 older adults were asked to describe their purpose in life, community-related activities and any perceived challenges limiting their ability to pursue this purpose. Thematic analysis was used to examine themes common across interviews. Interviews presented a mixed picture of the nature of purposefulness in retirement facilities. Residents espoused several benefits of community living such as social and leisure opportunities, while also noting several obstacles to their purpose, including health concerns and the belief that purpose in life was not relevant for older adults. These findings provide insight into how older adults can derive a sense of purpose from activities within their retirement community and how facilities can better tailor programmes to promote purposefulness and support personally valued roles for residents.

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Assessing physical and cognitive function of older adults in continuing care retirement communities: Who are we recruiting?

Contemporary Clinical Trials ◽

10.1016/j.cct.2014.12.003 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 40 ◽

pp. 159-165 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Abbie P. Wrights ◽

Christie W. Fain ◽

Michael E. Miller ◽

W. Jack Rejeski ◽

Jeff D. Williamson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Retirement Communities ◽

Continuing Care ◽

Continuing Care Retirement Communities

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“Every Step Counts!”: Effects of a Structured Walking Intervention in a Community-Based Senior Organization

Journal of Aging and Physical Activity ◽

10.1123/japa.21.2.167 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 21 (2) ◽

pp. 167-185 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Johan Pelssers ◽

Christophe Delecluse ◽

Joke Opdenacker ◽

Eva Kennis ◽

Evelien Van Roie ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Older Adults ◽

Social Activity ◽

Well Being ◽

Community Based ◽

Step Counts ◽

Intention To Treat ◽

Walking Intervention ◽

Systematic Training ◽

Load Intensity

This study evaluated “Every Step Counts!”—a 10-wk, structured walking intervention in a community-based senior organization—on promoting physical activity participation, fitness, and well-being among older adults (age ≥ 55 yr). The intervention prescribed pedometer-defined walks in weekly walking schedules. These were fitness-tailored and structured in walking load (intensity/volume) according to the principles of training progression. This intervention was offered as a social activity at meeting points of a community-based senior organization. Twenty-nine meeting points (n = 432) constituted the intervention condition. Ten meeting points (n = 148) formed the wait-list control condition. Measurements were organized at intervention start (pretest) and end (posttest). Intention-to-treat linear mixed models showed small positive intervention effects on physical activity, fitness, and aspects of well-being. These results confirm the effectiveness of structured walking interventions with systematic training progression and underscore the value of community-based senior organizations as intervention settings for older adults.

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Passive Smoking Exposure in Living Environments Reduces Cognitive Function: A Prospective Cohort Study in Older Adults

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17041402 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (4) ◽

pp. 1402 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Fan He ◽

Tian Li ◽

Junfen Lin ◽

Fudong Li ◽

Yujia Zhai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Passive Smoking ◽

Harmful Effect ◽

Living Environment ◽

Relative Risks ◽

Smoking Exposure ◽

Increased Risk ◽

State Examination

There is currently no consensus regarding the effects of passive smoking exposure on cognitive function in older adults. We evaluated 7000 permanent residents from six regions within Zhejiang Province, China, aged ≥60 years, without cognitive impairment at baseline and during follow-up examinations for two years. The Chinese version of the Mini-Mental State Examination was used to assess the participants’ cognitive function. Multivariate regression analyses were carried out to calculate the adjusted relative risks (RRs) as measures of the association between passive smoking exposure and cognitive impairment after adjusting for potential confounders. The results showed an association between passive smoking exposure in the living environment and increased risk of cognitive impairment (RR: 1.16; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01–1.35). No dose–response relationship between the cumulative dose of passive smoking exposure (days) and cognitive impairment was observed. The results of stratified analyses suggested a harmful effect of passive smoking exposure on cognitive function in non-smokers (RR: 1.24; 95% CI: 1.06–1.46), but not in smokers (RR: 1.11; 95% CI: 0.71–1.92). Therefore, passive smoking exposure increased the risk of cognitive impairment in older adults, especially non-smokers. More effective measures to restrict smoking in the living environment should be developed and implemented.

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Factors That Influence Walking Intervention Adherence for Older Adults Living in Retirement Communities

Journal of Aging and Physical Activity ◽

10.1123/japa.2020-0279 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Victoria S. Davila ◽

David E. Conroy ◽

Margaret K. Danilovich

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Older Adults ◽

Ecological Model ◽

Retirement Community ◽

Retirement Communities ◽

Supportive Services ◽

Full Spectrum ◽

Walking Intervention ◽

Walking Activity ◽

Exercise Classes

Walking interventions improve health outcomes among older adults. However, few clinical trials evaluate long-term behavior change adherence. The authors explored factors that influence walking adherence in older adults following their participation in a clinical trial. They conducted n = 7 focus groups with n = 23 participants enrolled in the parent study (ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT03654807). The authors used content analysis to code data according to the social–ecological model. They found that supportive services (exercise classes) in retirement communities have multilevel impacts on adherence to walking activity. Residents from communities offering services continued walking because of increased confidence gained in the parent trial, while residents in communities without services were motivated by their functional improvements. Residents voiced frustration with retirement community physical activity programs that did not address the full spectrum of physical functioning. Findings support the need for retirement communities to account for various motivational factors in tailoring programs to promote increased physical activity for older adults.

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