Collaborative framework for working with older simulated participants (SP)

IntroductionAs the global population ages, healthcare providers must prepare for the complexities associated with caring for older adults, defined according to the WHO, as being over the age of 60. Simulation-based education in healthcare allows caregivers to practice and master skills and competencies associated with care of older adults. Simulated patients/participants (SP), well people trained to portray other individuals, are an effective choice when training behavioural skills (eg, communication). When working with older SPs, it is important to recognise unique considerations and requirements related to physiological changes, in physical, cognitive and sensory systems associated with normal ageing.MethodSP educators from two different countries, with diverse backgrounds and contexts, collaborated through an iterative, consensus-based process to create a framework for working with older SPs.ResultsA practical three-phase framework with specific strategies was developed that synthesised elements of best practices related to simulation methodology with relevant clinical evidence.DiscussionEffective collaboration with older SPs is achievable through investing resources in preparing, training and ensuring their well-being. Through faculty development of healthcare simulation educators, we can ensure that older SPs and simulation communities have the right tools and support to safely and effectively contribute to simulation-based education.

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Driving, transportation, and mobility in the older adult

Oxford Textbook of Geriatric Medicine ◽

10.1093/med/9780198701590.003.0169 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 1303-1310

Author(s):

Benjamin M. Shapiro ◽

L. Jaime Fitten

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Older Adult ◽

Well Being ◽

Driving Safety ◽

Crash Risk ◽

Accident Risk ◽

Healthy Older Adults ◽

Crash Rates ◽

Normal Ageing ◽

The Impact

Older adults drive more miles than prior generations and have mobility and transportation needs that are central to independence and well-being. While older adult crash rates have decreased due to safety improvements, those aged 80 years and older have higher morbidity and mortality from crashes due to physical vulnerabilities. Normal ageing is associated with cognitive, motor, and sensory changes that prompt healthy older adults to modify their driving. Older adults use a wide range of potentially driver-impairing medications that increase accident risk. Glaucoma, visual field changes from strokes, and other impairments assessed in the Useful Field of View test can significantly increase crash risk. Moderate and advanced dementia results in unsafe driving due to the impact on ‘process skills’, resulting in the prevailing opinion that they should not drive. However, there is no appropriate screening instrument to assess driving safety among older adults.

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Too old for technology? Use of wearable healthcare devices by older adults and their willingness to share health data with providers

Health Informatics Journal ◽

10.1177/14604582211058073 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 27 (4) ◽

pp. 146045822110580

Author(s):

Ranganathan Chandrasekaran ◽

Vipanchi Katthula ◽

Evangelos Moustakas

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Technology Use ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Well Being ◽

Sociodemographic Factors ◽

Wearable Devices ◽

Health Data ◽

Health Conditions ◽

Annual Household Income

Wearable healthcare devices offer tremendous promise to effectively track and improve the well-being of older adults. Yet, little is known about the use of wearable devices by older adults. Drawing upon a national survey in US with 1481 older adults, we examine the use of wearable healthcare devices and the key predictors of use viz. sociodemographic factors, health conditions, and technology self-efficacy. We also examine if the predictors are associated with elders’ willingness to share health data from wearable devices with healthcare providers. We find low level of wearable use (17.49%) among US older adults. We find significant positive associations between technology self-efficacy, health conditions, and demographic factors (gender, race, education, and annual household income) and use of wearable devices. Men were less likely (OR = 0.62, 95% CI 0.36–1.04) and Asians were more likely (OR = 2.60, 95% CI 0.89–7.64) to use wearables, as did healthy adults (OR = 1.98, 95% CI 1.37–2.87). Those who electronically communicated with their doctors (OR = 1.86, 95% CI 1.16–2.97), and those who searched online for health information (OR = 1.79, 95% CI 1.03–3.10) were more likely to use wearables. Though 80.15% of wearable users are willing to share health data with providers, those with greater technology self-efficacy and favorable attitudes toward exercise are more willing.

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Diverse Approaches to Assessing What Matters to Older Adults

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.1937 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 581-581

Author(s):

Erin Emery-Tiburcio ◽

Robyn Golden

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Health System ◽

Health Systems ◽

Medical Center ◽

Simulated Patients ◽

Care Plans ◽

Health Community ◽

Diverse Backgrounds ◽

Real Patients ◽

What Matters

Abstract Asking older adults What Matters to them and assuring that care plans are aligned with these preferences is the cornerstone of an Age-Friendly Health System (AFHS). Health systems have struggled to identify clear ways to ask this question and meaningfully utilize the responses. Both simple and complex options for addressing this challenge have been developed at Rush University Medical Center. At Rush, nurses began asking every inpatient What Matters and placing the response on the white board in the patient’s room. Results of this practice include increased awareness of staff and significant increases in patient satisfaction. Qualitative analysis of responses yields increased awareness of patterns that the hospital can more systematically address. The Rush Center for Excellence in Aging hosts Schaalman Senior Voices, in which older adults from diverse backgrounds are given the unique opportunity to offer their perspectives on life, health and aging related to “What Matters” to them. The films have been used effectively to stimulate conversations among older adults and families in the community and in health professions courses, and with health systems executives. The Rush College of Medicine has integrated AFHS training into communication skills for medical students. Faculty introduce the 4Ms and demonstrate methods for having What Matters (WM) conversations. Students then practice WM conversations with simulated patients; some have had the opportunity to practice with real patients in preceptorships. Implications for the health system and community will be discussed as Rush builds an Age-Friendly Health Community.

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Gender and psychological well-being in older adults

International Psychogeriatrics ◽

10.1017/s1041610220000824 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 32 (11) ◽

pp. 1293-1302

Author(s):

M. Pilar Matud ◽

Juan Manuel Bethencourth ◽

Ignacio Ibáñez ◽

Demelza Fortes

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Older Adults ◽

Successful Aging ◽

Sex Role ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Well Being ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Social Determinant ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Psychological Well Being

ABSTRACTObjectives:Gender is an important social determinant of health, but gender has played only a marginal role in the geriatric and gerontology research and practice. The aim of this study was to examine the relevance of gender to the psychological well-being of older adults.Design:A cross-sectional study was conducted.Setting:The study was carried out in Spain.Participants:A total of 1,201 people aged between 65 and 94.Measurements:The participants completed sociodemographic data and four questionnaires: The Bem sex role inventory, the Ryff’s psychological well-being scale, the York self-esteem inventory, and the Social support scale.Results:Men scored higher than women in self-acceptance, autonomy, purpose in life, and environmental mastery. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed that, although the most important predictors of psychological well-being in both women and men were self-esteem and social support, both masculine/instrumental and feminine/expressive traits were associated with higher psychological well-being, although the effect size was higher for the masculine/instrumental trait. Furthermore, education was associated with psychological well-being in the case of females.Conclusions:Gender plays an important role in the psychological well-being of older adults. The results of this research are relevant for healthcare providers and policy-makers interested in promoting successful aging and increasing the well-being of older people.

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Presidential Symposium: From Disruption to Transformation: Challenging and Changing the New Normal

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.969 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 251-252

Author(s):

Deborah Waldrop ◽

Philip Rozario ◽

Emily Greenfield

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Assisted Living ◽

Ethnically Diverse ◽

Well Being ◽

High Turnover ◽

Systemic Racism ◽

Neighborhood Conditions ◽

New Normal ◽

Emergency Operations ◽

Diverse Backgrounds

Abstract While the refrain “We’re all in this together” is meant to describe a sense of universality of our exposure and adaption to the Covid-19 pandemic life, the deeply rooted racial and economic injustices and ongoing health crises continue to expose the inequities experienced by many older adults. In this symposium, we focus on existing disparities and possibilities for transformation. The first paper discusses systemic racism as a structural driver of practices and policies that influence poverty, poor housing and neighborhood conditions, worse health profiles, relationship loss and social isolation among older Black adults. The second paper illuminates the importance of health equity and collaboration between aging and healthcare systems to improve the well-being outcomes and address disparities of older adults from racial-ly/ethnically diverse backgrounds. The third paper illustrates how the privatization of Medicare has created bureaucratic complexities that increase cost and burdens for beneficiaries. The fourth paper presents the ways that the pandemic has exposed the challenges of a nonexistent Long Term Services and Support system; specifically, in refocusing our attention on the working conditions of in-home and residential workers, such as poor compensation, and high turnover and mounting demands on families. The fifth paper addresses the importance of collaboration between nursing homes and assisted living communities with governmental emergency operations in times of disasters and public health crises. Each paper addresses pressing issues that have created the “new normal” for older adults; together the presenters explore the disruptions and offer solutions for renewed transformation.

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Talk or Walk? Gait Speed over Self-Report in Association with Cognitive Speed in Healthy Older Adults

GeroPsych ◽

10.1024/1662-9647/a000202 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 32 (1) ◽

pp. 41-52

Author(s):

Matthew C. Costello ◽

Shane J. Sizemore ◽

Kimberly E. O’Brien ◽

Lydia K. Manning

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Older Adult ◽

Gait Speed ◽

Well Being ◽

Self Report ◽

Subjective Report ◽

Healthy Older Adults ◽

Relative Value ◽

Cognitive Speed ◽

Age Range

Abstract. This study explores the relative value of both subjectively reported cognitive speed and gait speed in association with objectively derived cognitive speed. It also explores how these factors are affected by psychological and physical well-being. A group of 90 cognitively healthy older adults ( M = 73.38, SD = 8.06 years, range = 60–89 years) were tested in a three-task cognitive battery to determine objective cognitive speed as well as measures of gait speed, well-being, and subjective cognitive speed. Analyses indicated that gait speed was associated with objective cognitive speed to a greater degree than was subjective report, the latter being more closely related to well-being than to objective cognitive speed. These results were largely invariant across the 30-year age range of our older adult sample.

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Leisure Activities and the Subjective Well-Being of Older Adults in Croatia

GeroPsych ◽

10.1024/1662-9647/a000179 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 31 (1) ◽

pp. 31-39 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ljiljana Kaliterna Lipovčan ◽

Tihana Brkljačić ◽

Zvjezdana Prizmić Larsen ◽

Andreja Brajša-Žganec ◽

Renata Franc

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Leisure Activities ◽

Leisure Activity ◽

Later Life ◽

Perceived Health ◽

Well Being ◽

Hierarchical Regression ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Convenience Sample ◽

Financial Status

Abstract. Research shows that engagement in leisure activities promotes well-being among older adults. The objective of the current study was to examine the relationship between subjective well-being (flourishing) and leisure activities (total number of different activities in the previous year) in a sample of older adults in Croatia, thereby considering the variables of sex, marital status, financial status, and self-perceived health. The differences in the examined variables between the groups of older adults who reported to be engaged in new activities with those who did not were also examined. The sample of N = 169 older adults aged 60 years and above was drawn from a convenience sample of adult internet users in Croatia. Participants reported their self-perceived health and the number of leisure activities they engaged in over the previous year as well as completing the Flourishing Scale. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that older adults who were engaged in more various leisure activities, who perceived better financial status, and who were married reported higher levels of flourishing. A comparison of the two groups of older adults with and without engagement in leisure activities showed that those engaged in at least one leisure activity were more likely to be women, reported higher levels of flourishing, and perceived their own financial status as better. This study indicated that engaging in leisure activities in later life might provide beneficial effects for the well-being of older adults.

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Analysis of Self-Concept in Older Adults in Different Contexts

European Journal of Psychological Assessment ◽

10.1027/1015-5759.20.4.262 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 20 (4) ◽

pp. 262-274 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Manuel de Gracia Blanco ◽

Josep Garre Olmo ◽

María Marcó Arbonès ◽

Pilar Monreal Bosch

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Nursing Home ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

External Validity ◽

Aging Process ◽

Well Being ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Self Concept ◽

Self Perceptions ◽

Discriminatory Capacity

Summary: Self-concept is a construct consisting of a group of specific self-perceptions that are hierarchically organized. Age-associated changes of self-concept are related to the individual's perception of the changes occurring throughout the aging process. The authors examined external validity and internal consistency of an instrument that has been developed to assess self-concept in older adults and examined self-concept's characteristics in two different contexts. Results confirm the multidimensionality of the scale and show a satisfactory external validity, indicating good discriminatory capacity. Findings support the hypothesis that older people who live in a nursing home have a poor self-esteem, self-concept, and psychological well-being and have a greater presence of depressive symptoms than people who live in their own home.

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