Conducting Research With Older Adults With Vision Impairment: Lessons Learned and Recommended Best Practices

Abstract Across North America, a growing number of older adults have a core housing need and lack access to affordable, suitable or adequate housing. Although federal, state/provincial and local backdrops vary across Canadian and American contexts, seniors’ housing providers in both countries face similar challenges and must develop innovative policy and program responses to help older adults age in place. We hosted an international seniors’ housing conference to create a platform for cross-national collaboration among multidisciplinary seniors housing experts. This event offered an opportunity to exchange best practices, emerging research, and policy solutions, and establish a set of shared priorities for advancing seniors housing that were applicable to two nations with different social systems. This paper will reflect on the exchange of knowledge and best practices related to housing preservation, eviction prevention, and access to supports during COVID-19, and the lessons learned fostering a cross-national collaborative network of seniors housing experts.

Download Full-text

A Case Study: Growing Community Partnerships with a Service-Learning Intergenerational Computing Course

The Journal of Community Informatics ◽

10.15353/joci.v8i1.3065 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Jean F Coppola ◽

Sharon Stahl Wexler ◽

Lin J. Drury ◽

Janna C. Heyman ◽

Barbara A. Thomas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Service Learning ◽

Best Practices ◽

Community Partnerships ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Technology Research ◽

Research Project ◽

Positive Perspective ◽

Significant Change

This article presents an interdisciplinary and intergenerational technology research project. Uniquely trained undergraduates enrolled in an Intergenerational Computing service-learning class instruct older adults in geriatric facilities. Geriatric facilities have few staff to work with older adults for technology activities. This model is based on mutually beneficial partnerships. Information on best practices, research instruments, classroom exercises, and lessons learned is presented for replication into the reader’s agency and discipline. A statistically significant change in students’ attitude and advocacy toward older adults was found, as well as a more positive perspective and awareness of careers in the field of aging.

Download Full-text

Let's Build Theatre Communities . . . or Not: Virtual Teaching and Scholarship in an Exclusionary World

Theatre Survey ◽

10.1017/s0040557421000247 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 62 (3) ◽

pp. 332-336

Author(s):

Linda Lau ◽

Rae Mansfield

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Best Practices ◽

Virtual Environment ◽

Academic Environment ◽

Scholarly Book ◽

Teaching And Research ◽

The Past ◽

Working Together ◽

New Challenges ◽

Conducting Research

As collaborators who have been working together virtually since 2017, we have written plays and articles, conducted artist interviews, and are in the process of writing a book about teaching older adults theatre. When the pandemic came, everything else in our lives moved online, and we encountered new challenges with both our teaching and our scholarship. We were tasked with transitioning our theatre students to a virtual environment while conducting research for our book. We knew what was successful for us, as working online had helped our own practice, but would it be effective for students? And was it possible to write a scholarly book without access to academic libraries and archives? Our experiences over the past year reminded us that it shouldn't require a pandemic to rethink best practices in teaching and research. While the lessons we learned were because of a restructured academic environment, the issues we addressed existed previously and were often ignored. These are some of the things we will take with us postpandemic as educators and scholars.

Download Full-text

Adapting Tactical Military Structures to the Current and Future Operational Environments

International conference KNOWLEDGE-BASED ORGANIZATION ◽

10.2478/kbo-2020-0024 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

pp. 157-162

Author(s):

Paul Tudorache ◽

Lucian Ispas

Keyword(s):

Best Practices ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Organizational Adaptation ◽

Common Denominator ◽

Military Operations ◽

The Future ◽

Military Units

AbstractUsing the lessons learned from recent military operations such as Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) from Syria and Iraq, we proposed to investigate the need for tactical military units to adapt operationally to grapple with the most common requirements specific to current operational environments, but also for those that can be foreseen in the future. In this regard, by identifying the best practices in the field that can be met at the level of some important armies, such as USA and UK, we will try to determine a common denominator of most important principles whose application may facilitate both operational and organizational adaptation necessary for tactical military units to perform missions and tasks in the most unknown future operational environments.

Download Full-text

Lessons Learned and Best Practices from Managing CCS/CCUS Projects

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.3366199 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Jared Walker

Keyword(s):

Best Practices ◽

Lessons Learned

Download Full-text

Political Science Research in the Middle East and North Africa

10.1093/oso/9780190882969.001.0001 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Keyword(s):

Middle East ◽

Research Methods ◽

North Africa ◽

Quantitative Research ◽

Real Life ◽

Field Research ◽

Science Research ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Conducting Research ◽

Personal Accounts

Based on personal accounts of their experiences conducting qualitative and quantitative research in the countries of the Middle East and North Africa, the contributors to this volume share the real-life obstacles they have encountered in applying research methods in practice and the possible solutions to overcome them. The volume is an important companion book to more standard methods books, which focus on the “how to” of methods but are often devoid of any real discussion of the practicalities, challenges, and common mistakes of fieldwork. The volume is divided into three parts, highlighting the challenges of (1) specific contexts, including conducting research in areas of violence; (2) a range of research methods, including interviewing, process-tracing, ethnography, experimental research, and the use of online media; and (3) the ethics of field research. In sharing their lessons learned, the contributors raise issues of concern to both junior and experienced researchers, particularly those of the Global South but also to those researching the Global North.

Download Full-text

Association of objective and subjective far vision impairment with perceived stress among older adults in six low- and middle-income countries

Eye ◽

10.1038/s41433-021-01634-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Louis Jacob ◽

Karel Kostev ◽

Lee Smith ◽

Guillermo F. López-Sánchez ◽

Shahina Pardhan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

Vision Impairment ◽

Middle Income ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Low And Middle Income

Download Full-text

Music Interventions for Older Adults in Clinical Trials and Research Studies Across Cultures and Settings

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.3410 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 930-930

Author(s):

Tara Rose ◽

Elyse Manzo ◽

Katherine Erickson ◽

Joshua Valenzuela

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Best Practices ◽

Music Therapy ◽

Psychological Symptoms ◽

Treatment Options ◽

Age Groups ◽

Memory Loss ◽

Music Intervention ◽

Eligibility Criteria ◽

The U.S

Abstract Music interventions and music therapy have become more common globally as nonpharmacological treatment options for memory loss, pain management, reduction of behavioral and psychological symptoms, and increased quality of life. Knowledge of multiethnic interventions is important when creating evidence-based programs within culturally diverse countries, such as the U.S. The purpose of this systematic review is to analyze music interventions for older adults across the globe to better understand emerging best practices. A review of all trials registered at clinicaltrials.gov and registries in the WHO Registry Network containing the key words “music therapy” were included, regardless of intervention type. Of the 627 studies generated, 449 met the eligibility criteria, with 11% enrolling only older adults and 89% enrolling older adults along with other age groups. Studies were conducted in 6 continents, 48 countries (23% in the U.S.), and in 23 languages. Music interventions for specific medical conditions (64%) or medical procedures (24%) were the primary foci in studies. While studies crossed multiple continents, less than 2% referenced ethnicity or culture in the study details. Detailed data on intervention types, demographics, measures, settings, and methodology will be presented. Results suggest that best practices in music therapy are being developed world-wide for the multitude of health challenges faced by older adults and demonstrate the diversity of music interventions in both medical and community settings. Information from this review can be used to improve the implementation of music intervention programs and may be particularly beneficial in countries with diverse multicultural populations.

Download Full-text

Implementation of Remote Interventions in Older Adults: Lessons Learned During COVID-19 Isolation

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.3476 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 950-950

Author(s):

Jamie Rincker ◽

Jessica Wallis ◽

Angela Fruik ◽

Alyssa King ◽

Kenlyn Young ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Weight Loss ◽

Nutrition Education ◽

Underserved Populations ◽

Smart Phone ◽

Dropout Rate ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Drop Out ◽

Electronic Submission ◽

Weight Loss Interventions

Abstract Recommendations for older adults to socially isolate during the COVID-19 pandemic will have lasting impacts on body weight and physical activity. Due to the pandemic, two in-person RCT weight-loss interventions in obese older adults with prediabetes, Veterans Achieving Weight Loss and Optimizing Resilience-Using Protein (VALOR-UP, n=12) and the Egg-Supplemented Pre-Diabetes Intervention Trial (EGGSPDITE, n=7), were converted to remote formats and weekly nutrition (EGGSPDITE and VALOR-UP) and exercise (VALOR-UP only) classes were delivered using synchronous videoconference technology (Webex); classes were accessed via tablet/desktop/laptop or smart phone. Steps taken to transition participants to remote formats included technology training, implementation of staff tech-support, and delivery of nutrition education, tablets, scales, and exercise bands. The time to successfully transition participants was 1 week for early adopters (n=10) and up to 4 weeks for those with significant technology barriers (n=9); their difficulties included internet access, camera and microphone access and use, and electronic submission of weight and food records. Even with these challenges, in the first 3 months of remote delivery, participant dropout rate was low (10.5%, n=2), attendance was high (87.6% nutrition class (n=19); 76.4% exercise class (VALOR-UP, n=12)), and weight loss was successful (>2.5% loss (n=13); >5% loss (n=8)), showing that lifestyle interventions can be successfully adapted for remote delivery. Remote interventions also have potential for use in non-pandemic times to reach underserved populations who often have high drop-out rates due to caretaker roles, transportation limitations, and work schedules. These barriers were significantly reduced using a virtual intervention platform.

Download Full-text