‘Singing for the Brain’: A qualitative study exploring the health and well-being benefits of singing for people with dementia and their carers

Background: In December 2019, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), or COVID-19, raised worldwide concern. Since then, the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively influenced health and wellness across the globe and caused nearly three million deaths. This study focuses on informal caregivers of people with dementia, a disease that affects about 50 million older adults worldwide and requires much caregiving support. Objective: Examine the current literature on the impact of COVID-19 on the health and well-being of informal caregivers for people with dementia. Method: This rapid review was conducted across five electronic databases for quantitative and qualitative articles published through March 15, 2021. Results: The 10 studies included in this review reported quantitative descriptive data from across the globe; however, no studies existed from the U.S. or East Asia countries. All of the studies examined the psychological rather than physical impact of COVID-19 and highlighted risk and protective factors in the areas of psychosocial (resilience, neuropsychiatric, and social isolation), sociodemographic (gender and education), and environmental (home confinement, living arrangement, and dementia stage). Conclusion: COVID-19 has had a considerable negative impact on the psychological well-being of informal caregivers of people with dementia, namely causing more depression and anxiety than pre-pandemic.

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Ambiguous Encounters: Revisiting Foucault and Goffman at an Activation Programme for Asylum-seekers

Refugee Survey Quarterly ◽

10.1093/rsq/hdaa004 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 39 (2) ◽

pp. 177-206 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Katrine Syppli Kohl

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Study ◽

Asylum Seekers ◽

Well Being ◽

Strategic Interactions ◽

Cyclical Process ◽

Health And Well Being ◽

Roll Out

Abstract This qualitative study combined the approaches of Foucault and Goffman to investigate the consequences of a “roll-out” neoliberal “activation” programme on Denmark’s reception of asylum-seekers. The analysis found that the activation programme is an ambiguous technology of power intended to shape asylum-seekers into productive citizens by simultaneously disciplining them and improving their health and well-being, while using their labour to reduce costs. The strategic interactions in the job centre reflected the ambiguities created by these oft-incongruent aims, and activation caused conflicts as it amplified activities experienced as meaningless and humiliating. I argue that these consequences stem from the ambiguity, uncertainty, and trouble produced at the intersection of competing projects of rule in a “sensitive space”, and that the individualisation of responsibility for their own marginalisation, simultaneously serve to exclude asylum-seekers and to confine them to categories that license continued institutional discipline. Thereby, the intervention feeds cyclical process of failed integration and ill-fated interventions. Indeed, by individualising the responsibility for integration, such interventions depoliticise the marginalisation of citizens of immigrant decent and legitimise efforts to reduce immigration by fuelling problematisations of immigrants as expensive, deviant, and less employable.

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Developing a best practice pathway to support improvements in Indigenous Australians’ mental health and well-being: a qualitative study: Figure 1

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2015-007938 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 5 (8) ◽

pp. e007938 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Rachael Hinton ◽

David J Kavanagh ◽

Lesley Barclay ◽

Richard Chenhall ◽

Tricia Nagel

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Qualitative Study ◽

Best Practice ◽

Well Being ◽

Indigenous Australians ◽

Health And Well Being

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‘It is not a quick fix’ structural and contextual issues that affect implementation of integrated health and well-being services: a qualitative study from North East England

Public Health ◽

10.1016/j.puhe.2017.07.019 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 152 ◽

pp. 99-107 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

M. Cheetham ◽

S. Visram ◽

R. Rushmer ◽

G. Greig ◽

E. Gibson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Study ◽

Well Being ◽

North East ◽

Integrated Health ◽

Health And Well Being

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Cognitively Based Compassion Training

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190464684.013.19 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Jennifer S. Mascaro ◽

Lobsang Tenzin Negi ◽

Charles L. Raison

Keyword(s):

Immune Function ◽

Neural Activity ◽

Well Being ◽

Stress Physiology ◽

Future Research ◽

Beneficial Impact ◽

The Brain ◽

Health And Well Being ◽

Initial Research

Recent research has examined the beneficial impact of kindness-based meditation practices, including cognitively-based compassion training (CBCT). Here we provide a theoretical and practical account of CBCT and review the emerging evidence that it affects the brain and body in ways that are relevant for health. Initial research demonstrated that CBCT alters immune function and stress physiology, and augments empathy as well as the neural activity supporting it. More recent studies indicate that CBCT is differentially effective, depending on the population that practices. We suggest directions for future research to best examine the apparently complex effects of CBCT on health and well-being.

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The Long-Term Effects of Solitary Confinement From the Perspective of Inmates

The Prison Journal ◽

10.1177/00328855211060312 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 101 (6) ◽

pp. 652-674

Author(s):

Liat Tayer ◽

Tomer Einat ◽

Anat Yaron Antar

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Study ◽

Physical Exercise ◽

Behavioral Disorders ◽

Physical Aggression ◽

Well Being ◽

Solitary Confinement ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Health And Well Being ◽

Mental And Behavioral Disorders

This qualitative study analyzes the effects of solitary confinement on prisoners and the strategies used by them to cope with its difficulties. The findings indicate that solitary confinement is perceived as unfair and as intensifying hostile emotions and physical aggression, and that it is related to a range of long-term physiological, mental, and behavioral disorders. Three strategies are used to cope with the difficulties of solitary confinement: keeping to a ritualistic routine, a religious lifestyle, and physical exercise. We conclude that solitary confinement exacerbates the difficulties of detention and affects prisoners’ health and well-being for short and long terms.

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User Perception Towards mHealth Technologies for Health and Well-being Monitoring in Pregnancy Care: Qualitative Study (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.28628 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jane Li ◽

David Silvera-Tawil ◽

Marlien Varnfield ◽

M Sazzad Hussain ◽

Vanitha Math

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Study ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Mobile Applications ◽

Data Privacy ◽

Perinatal Care ◽

Well Being ◽

Technical Solution ◽

Pregnancy Care ◽

Health And Well Being ◽

In Pregnancy

BACKGROUND Mobile Health (mHealth) technologies, such as wearable devices and mobile applications have become popular for lifestyle and healthcare support. They have the potential to be beneficial for pregnancy monitoring, in the form of health and well-being tools to facilitate the tracking of health status changes, risks and complications of pregnant women. However, research on understanding clinicians’ and pregnant women’s interests, preferences and requirements for mHealth solutions tailored to pregnancy care is limited. OBJECTIVE This qualitative study aimed to understand clinicians’ and pregnant women’s perceptions on the potential use of mHealth to support the monitoring of health and well-being during pregnancy. METHODS Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four pregnant women, four postnatal women, and thirteen clinicians working in perinatal care. RESULTS Clinicians perceived the potential benefit of mHealth in supporting different levels of health and wellbeing monitoring, risk assessment and care provision in pregnancy care. The majority of women participants were open to the use of wearables and health monitoring devices and were more likely to use these technologies if they knew that clinicians can monitor the data. While some pregnancy-related medical conditions can be suitable for an mHealth model of remote monitoring, there are clinical and technical challenges for introducing mHealth in pregnancy care. Incorporating appropriate health and well-being measures, intelligent detection of abnormalities and tailored information for pregnant women were considered critical. Usability and data privacy were among the concerns of participants. The challenges of getting pregnant women engaged in longitudinal mHealth monitoring, the extra work required for clinicians in monitoring data, and the need for an evidence-based technical solution were highlighted. CONCLUSIONS mHealth technologies, such as wearable sensors, smart health devices and mobile applications capable of supporting the pregnancy journey are emerging. Clinical, technical and practical factors associated with the use of mHealth technologies to monitor health and well-being, as well as strategies for motivating pregnant women and clinicians’ in the use of the technologies need to be carefully considered before the introduction of mHealth pregnancy care routine and practices.

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