scholarly journals The positive effects of caring for family carers of older adults: a scoping review

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 349-375
Author(s):  
Alex Pysklywec ◽  
Michelle Plante ◽  
Claudine Auger ◽  
William B. Mortenson ◽  
Jacquie Eales ◽  
...  

The negative effects of caring are well documented; however, positive effects have received less attention. A scoping review of 22 studies published between 2000 and 2018 was conducted regarding the positive effects of family caring for older adults. Our analysis revealed that positive effects are embedded in relationships, summarised in three themes: in relationship with one’s self (the carer), for example, personal growth; in relationship with the care recipient, for example, a deepened dyadic relationship; and in relationship with others, for example, new care-related relationships. Seeing the positive effects of caring relationally may shape environmental factors, such as assistive device, social policy or health services development.

Author(s):  
Jovita Tan ◽  
Karl Andriessen

Background: Experiencing the death of a close person, especially in emerging adults and students, can have profound effects on the bereaved individual’s life. As most research in this field has focused on negative effects of a loss, little is known about potential positive effects experienced by bereaved university students. This study investigated the experience of grief and personal growth in a sample of students from The University of Melbourne, Australia. Methods: Semi-structured interviews via Zoom/telephone with bereaved students (n = 14), who were invited to reflect on their loss and any personal growth potentially experienced. Thematic analysis of the data was based on a deductive and inductive approach. Results: The analysis identified four themes: (i) sharing of grief as a coping mechanism, (ii) balance between grief reactions and moving forward in life, (iii) lessons learned and personal growth, and (iv) adopting values from the deceased person and continuing bonds. Conclusions: Participants emphasized personal growth regarding self-perception and philosophical views on life. Following the loss, they preferred peer support, and used formal services only when they had a specific need. The findings indicate the importance of social support for bereaved students, and the complimentary role of peer and professional support. Hence, academic institutions should offer supportive services tailored to both students and professionals to help bereaved students.


Author(s):  
Ronald W. Berkowsky

Elder mistreatment is a major public health issue both in the US and around the globe. While extensive research has elucidated the association between elder mistreatment and health in older adults, little is known about the relationship between elder mistreatment and more eudaimonic measures of psychological well-being. Using data from the 2011 wave of the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, this project examined the association between older adults’ experience with varied forms of elder mistreatment and eudaimonic dimensions of psychological well-being including autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations with others, purpose in life, and self-acceptance. Ordinary least squares regression analyses found significant associations between experiences of elder mistreatment and psychological well-being. In particular, older adults who reported feeling that someone was too controlling over their daily lives and older adults who reported making donations to organizations they later worried were not legitimate reported significantly lower scores on all six psychological well-being dimensions. The results of this study suggest the negative effects of elder mistreatment can extend to more eudaimonic feelings of well-being, and programs designed to treat victims of elder mistreatment should incorporate strategies that help strengthen psychological well-being.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Josh Taylor ◽  
Lauren Avellone ◽  
Rob Cimera ◽  
Valerie Brooke ◽  
Aliza Lambert ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: Understanding the cost-benefit of vocational rehabilitation services is critical to improve competitive integrated employment outcomes for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this scoping review was to analyze and synthesize micro and macroeconomic analyses of various types of vocational services which promote the employment outcomes of individuals with IDD. METHODS: This scoping review searched peer-reviewed and grey literature sources published between 2000 and 2020, examining both micro and macroeconomic analyses. RESULTS: A total of 26 studies met inclusion criteria. The majority of studies reported positive effects for the cost-benefit of integrated service approaches such as supported and customized employment. Conversely, our findings show no cost-benefit for sheltered workshops, and in some cases, negative effects. CONCLUSION: Limitations to the included studies as well as implications and recommendations for practice, policy, and future research are discussed.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sojib Bin Zaman ◽  
Raihan Kabir Khan ◽  
Roger G. Evans ◽  
Amanda G. Thrift ◽  
Ralph Maddison ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Information and communication technology (ICT) offer considerable potential for supporting older adults to manage their health, including chronic health conditions. However, there are mixed opinions about the benefits and effectiveness of using ICT in healthcare for older adults. OBJECTIVE We aimed to (i) map the use of ICT for the management of chronic diseases in older adults, and (ii) identify barriers to, and challenges for, its use among older adults. METHODS A scoping review was conducted using four databases (Ovid Medline, Embase, Scopus, and PsycInfo) to identify eligible articles from January 2000 to July 2020. Publications incorporating the use of ICT (e-health, mHealth, telehealth, decision support systems, remote monitoring, and mobile apps) in people aged >55 years with chronic conditions were included. We conducted a ‘strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT)’ framework analysis to explore implied enablers of, and barriers to, using ICT in healthcare. RESULTS Of the 286 articles identified, 23 articles (n=4122 participants) met the inclusion criteria. A range of technologies were reported, including: electronic Health (n=5), mobile Health (n=6), telehealth (n=6); mobile applications (n=2), or mixed ICT platforms (n=4). The range of chronic conditions included congestive heart failure (n=9), diabetes (n=7), chronic respiratory disease (n=6), and mental health (n=5). ICT initiatives were all designed to help people self-manage chronic diseases with minimal support from healthcare providers or clinics. Among all the included studies, ICT demonstrated positive effects. Investigators highlighted operational and implementation challenges for integrating health ICT systems in routine practices. Barriers to using ICT in older adults included knowledge gap, lack of willingness to adopt new skills, and reluctance to use health technologies. ICT implementation-related challenges such as slow internet connectivity and lack of the appropriate reimbursement policy were reported. We also identified a list of enablers for using ICT, which could help design mitigation strategies. CONCLUSIONS ICT has the potential to support the care of chronic diseases among older adults, but its integration with routine healthcare is lacking. There is a need to improve awareness and education about ICT among those who could benefit from such initiatives, including older adults, caregivers, and healthcare providers. For promoting ICT adoption, more sustainable funding is required. We recommend involving clinicians and caregivers at the time of designing ICT initiatives. CLINICALTRIAL Not applicable


2018 ◽  
Vol 82 (8) ◽  
pp. 493-501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colleen McGrath ◽  
Ann Marie Corrado

IntroductionWith the increasing proportion of older adults aging with vision loss, low-vision assistive devices can help to support occupational engagement; however, such devices are grossly underused among this population. The overarching purpose of this project was to examine the environmental factors that influence technology adoption for older adults with age-related vision loss.MethodsA one-day workshop, which utilized a variety of hands-on methods including Show & Tell, Technology Interaction, and an “App” Assessment activity, was conducted. A total of 19 participants attended the workshop, including 10 older adults with age-related vision loss, six caregivers, one healthcare provider, and two technology industry professionals.ResultsA total of four themes emerged, including: (1) making life harder; (2) relying on support networks; (3) factoring in the pragmatics; and (4) not me, not yet. These themes illustrate the various ways that environmental factors, including physical, social, cultural, and institutional/political factors, influence decision-making regarding technology adoption by older adults with age-related vision loss.ConclusionThis paper demonstrates several environmental factors that influence low-vision assistive device adoption among older adults with age-related vision loss. With their holistic view of clients, including an appreciation for environmental influences, occupational therapists are well positioned to help identify those environmental barriers limiting low-vision assistive device adoption and use.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S217-S217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teja Pristavec ◽  
Elizabeth A Luth

Abstract Health and demographic mortality risk factors among older adults are well documented. However, less is known about the dyadic relationship between caregiver characteristics and care recipient mortality outcomes. In a nationally representative sample of older adults, we prospectively explore 1) whether and how having an informal caregiver is associated with care recipient mortality, and 2) among those with caregivers, how caregivers’ experiences of burden and benefits relate to care recipient mortality. We match 6 waves of National Health and Aging Trends Study (2011-2016) with 2011 National Study of Caregivers data. We conduct survival analysis on 7,369 older adults and a subsample of 1,341 older adult-informal caregiver dyads to address our research questions. First, we find that simply having an informal caregiver increases mortality risk by 71% (p<0.001) over the 6-year time period, even when adjusting for key demographic, economic and health factors. Second, we find that older adults whose caregivers perceive burden have a significantly higher mortality risk. This risk is reduced if the caregiver also perceives caregiving benefits. The risk of death is 41% higher for older adults whose caregivers report burden but no benefit compared to those with caregivers who report neither burden nor benefit. Further research should investigate possible reasons why merely having a caregiver increases older adults’ mortality risk. Interventions to increase caregivers’ sense of benefit and reduce their burden may be an effective way of decreasing mortality risk for older adults with declining health and functional ability.


2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Keith

Abstract. The positive effects of goal setting on motivation and performance are among the most established findings of industrial–organizational psychology. Accordingly, goal setting is a common management technique. Lately, however, potential negative effects of goal-setting, for example, on unethical behavior, are increasingly being discussed. This research replicates and extends a laboratory experiment conducted in the United States. In one of three goal conditions (do-your-best goals, consistently high goals, increasingly high goals), 101 participants worked on a search task in five rounds. Half of them (transparency yes/no) were informed at the outset about goal development. We did not find the expected effects on unethical behavior but medium-to-large effects on subjective variables: Perceived fairness of goals and goal commitment were least favorable in the increasing-goal condition, particularly in later goal rounds. Results indicate that when designing goal-setting interventions, organizations may consider potential undesirable long-term effects.


2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 123-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raffael Heiss ◽  
Jörg Matthes

Abstract. This study investigated the effects of politicians’ nonparticipatory and participatory Facebook posts on young people’s political efficacy – a key determinant of political participation. We employed an experimental design, using a sample of N = 125 high school students (15–20 years). Participants either saw a Facebook profile with no posts (control condition), nonparticipatory posts, or participatory posts. While nonparticipatory posts did not affect participants’ political efficacy, participatory posts exerted distinct effects. For those high in trait evaluations of the politician presented in the stimulus material or low in political cynicism, we found significant positive effects on external and collective efficacy. By contrast, for those low in trait evaluations or high in cynicism, we found significant negative effects on external and collective efficacy. We did not find any effects on internal efficacy. The importance of content-specific factors and individual predispositions in assessing the influence of social media use on participation is discussed.


2019 ◽  
pp. 59-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolai M. Svetlov ◽  
Renata G. Yanbykh ◽  
Dariya A. Loginova

In this paper, we assess the effects of agricultural state support of corporate farms on their revenues from agricultural production sales in 14 Russian regions that differ in technology, environment and institutional conditions. In addition to the direct effect of the state support, the indirect effects via labor and capital are revealed. For this purpose, we identify production functions and statistical models of production factors for each of these regions separately. We find out diverse effects of the state support on revenues among the regions. Positive effects prevail. Negative effects are mainly caused by labor reductions that follow subsidy inflows. Another cause of negative effects is the soft budget constraints phenomenon.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document