Under reconstruction: the impact of COVID-19 policies on the lives and support networks of older people living alone

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna Pfabigan ◽  
Paulina Wosko ◽  
Barbara Pichler ◽  
Elisabeth Reitinger ◽  
Sabine Pleschberger
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
Support Networks ◽  
Living Alone ◽  
Telephone Interviews ◽  
The Impact

In the spring of 2020, the Austrian government introduced COVID-19 containment policies that had various impacts on older people living alone and their care arrangements. Seven qualitative telephone interviews with older people living alone were conducted to explore how they were affected by these policies. The findings show that the management of everyday life and support was challenging for older people living alone, even though they did not perceive the pandemic as a threat. To better address the needs of older people living alone, it would be important to actively negotiate single measures in the area of conflict between protection, safety and assurance of autonomy.

scholarly journals Effect of the Information Support Robot on the Daily Activity of Older People Living Alone in Actual Living Environment

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 2498
Author(s):  
Jumpei Mizuno ◽  
Daisuke Saito ◽  
Ken Sadohara ◽  
Misato Nihei ◽  
Shinichi Ohnaka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Older People ◽  
Daily Activity ◽  
Living Environment ◽  
Living Alone ◽  
Information Support ◽  
Sleep Patterns ◽  
High Cognitive Function ◽  
Environment Study ◽  
The Impact

Information support robots (ISRs) have the potential to assist older people living alone to have an independent life. However, the effects of ISRs on the daily activity, especially the sleep patterns, of older people have not been clarified; moreover, it is unclear whether the effects of ISRs depend on the levels of cognitive function. To investigate these effects, we introduced an ISR into the actual living environment and then quantified induced changes according to the levels of cognitive function. Older people who maintained their cognitive function demonstrated the following behavioral changes after using the ISR: faster wake-up times, reduced sleep duration, and increased amount of activity in the daytime (p < 0.05, r = 0.77; p < 0.05, r = 0.89, and p < 0.1, r = 0.70, respectively). The results suggest that the ISR is beneficial in supporting the independence of older people living alone since living alone is associated with disturbed sleep patterns and low physical activity. The impact of the ISR on daily activity was more remarkable in the subjects with high cognitive function than in those with low cognitive function. These findings suggest that cognitive function is useful information in the ISR adaptation process. The present study has more solid external validity than that of a controlled environment study since it was done in a personal residential space.

scholarly journals The impact of adult mortality on the living arrangements of older people in rural South Africa

2005 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 431-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
VICTORIA HOSEGOOD ◽  
IAN M. TIMÆUS
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Older People ◽  
Living Arrangements ◽  
Adult Mortality ◽  
Living Alone ◽  
Rural South ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Quality Infrastructure ◽  
Rural South Africa

This paper examines changes in households with older people in a northern rural area of KwaZulu Natal province, South Africa, between January 2000 and January 2002. The focus is the impact of adult deaths, especially those from AIDS, on the living arrangements of older people. The longitudinal data are from the Africa Centre Demographic Information System. In 2000, 3,657 older people (women aged 60 years or older, men 65 years or older) were resident in the area, and 3,124 households had at least one older member. The majority (87%) of older people lived in three-generation households. Households with older people were significantly poorer, more likely to be headed by a woman, and in homesteads with poorer quality infrastructure than households without older members. By January 2002, 316 (8%) of the older people in the sample had died. Of all the households with an older person, 12 per cent experienced at least one adult death from AIDS. The paper shows that older people, particularly those living alone or with children in the absence of other adults, were living in the poorest households. They were also coping with an increasing burden of young adult deaths, the majority of which were attributable to AIDS.

scholarly journals How Prefrail Older People Living Alone Perceive Information and Communications Technology and What They Would Ask a Robot for: Qualitative Study

10.2196/13228 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (8) ◽  
pp. e13228
Author(s):  
Katia Daniele ◽  
Maura Marcucci ◽  
Cesarina Cattaneo ◽  
Nunzio Alberto Borghese ◽  
Lucia Zannini
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Older People ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Information And Communications Technology ◽  
Advanced Technology ◽  
Living Alone ◽  
Communications Technology ◽  
The Past

Background In the last decade, the family system has changed significantly. Although in the past, older people used to live with their children, nowadays, they cannot always depend on assistance of their relatives. Many older people wish to remain as independent as possible while remaining in their homes, even when living alone. To do so, there are many tasks that they must perform to maintain their independence in everyday life, and above all, their well-being. Information and communications technology (ICT), particularly robotics and domotics, could play a pivotal role in aging, especially in contemporary society, where relatives are not always able to accurately and constantly assist the older person. Objective The aim of this study was to understand the needs, preferences, and views on ICT of some prefrail older people who live alone. In particular, we wanted to explore their attitude toward a hypothetical caregiver robot and the functions they would ask for. Methods We designed a qualitative study based on an interpretative phenomenological approach. A total of 50 potential participants were purposively recruited in a big town in Northern Italy and were administered the Fried scale (to assess the participants’ frailty) and the Mini-Mental State Examination (to evaluate the older person’s capacity to comprehend the interview questions). In total, 25 prefrail older people who lived alone participated in an individual semistructured interview, lasting approximately 45 min each. Overall, 3 researchers independently analyzed the interviews transcripts, identifying meaning units, which were later grouped in clustering of themes, and finally in emergent themes. Constant triangulation among researchers and their reflective attitude assured trustiness. Results From this study, it emerged that a number of interviewees who were currently using ICT (ie, smartphones) did not own a computer in the past, or did not receive higher education, or were not all young older people (aged 65-74 years). Furthermore, we found that among the older people who described their relationship with ICT as negative, many used it in everyday life. Referring to robotics, the interviewees appeared quite open-minded. In particular, robots were considered suitable for housekeeping, for monitoring older people’s health and accidental falls, and for entertainment. Conclusions Older people’s use and attitudes toward ICT does not always seem to be related to previous experiences with technological devices, higher education, or lower age. Furthermore, many participants in this study were able to use ICT, even if they did not always acknowledge it. Moreover, many interviewees appeared to be open-minded toward technological devices, even toward robots. Therefore, proposing new advanced technology to a group of prefrail people, who are self-sufficient and can live alone at home, seems to be feasible.

scholarly journals A qualitative study of old patients’ experiences of the quality of the health services in hospital and 30 days after hospitalization

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingvild Lilleheie ◽  
Jonas Debesay ◽  
Asta Bye ◽  
Astrid Bergland
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
World Health Organization ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
Financial Burden ◽  
Healthcare Quality ◽  
World Health ◽  
Old Patients ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background: The number of people aged 80 years and above is projected to triple over the next 30 years. People in this age group normally have at least two chronic conditions. The impact of multimorbidity is often significantly greater than expected from the sum of the effects of each condition. The World Health Organization has indicated that healthcare systems must prepare for a change in the focus of clinical care for older people. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines healthcare quality as care that is effective, efficient, integrated, patient centered, equitable and safe. The degree to which healthcare quality can be defined as acceptable is determined by services’ ability to meet the needs of users and adapt to patients’ expectations and perceptions.Method: We took a phenomenological perspective to explore older patients’ subjective experiences and conducted semistructured individual interviews. Eighteen patients (aged from 82 to 100 years) were interviewed twice after discharge from hospital. The interview transcriptions were analyzed thematically.Results: The patients found their meetings with the health service to be complex and demanding. They reported attempting to restore a sense of security and meaning in everyday life, balancing their own needs against external requirements. Five overarching themes emerged from the interviews: hospital stay and the person behind the diagnosis, poor communication and coordination, life after discharge, relationship with their next of kin, and organizational and systemic determinants.Conclusion: According to the WHO, to deliver quality healthcare, services must include all six of the dimensions listed above. Our findings show that they do not. Healthcare focused on measurable values and biomedical inquiries. Few opportunities for participation, scant information and suboptimal care coordination left the patients with a feeling of being in limbo, where they struggled to find balance in their everyday life. Further work must be done to ensure that integrated services are provided without a financial burden, centered on the needs and rights of older people.

scholarly journals Everyday life in a Swedish nursing home during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative interview study with persons 85 to 100 years

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. e048503
Author(s):  
Qarin Lood ◽  
Maria Haak ◽  
Synneve Dahlin-Ivanoff
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Home ◽  
Nursing Homes ◽  
Older People ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
Older Persons ◽  
Qualitative Interview ◽  
Interview Study ◽  
Main Theme ◽  
Qualitative Interview Study ◽  
The Impact

ObjectiveTo understand and report on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the everyday lives of frail older persons living in nursing homes by exploring their experiences of how the pandemic-related restrictions had influenced them and in what way.DesignEmpirical qualitative interview study.SettingA publicly run nursing home in an urban area in Sweden in June 2020. The nursing home had visitor restrictions, cancelled activities and physical distancing requirements since March 2020.ParticipantsA total of 10 persons, 85–100 years, living in a Swedish nursing home during the COVID-19 pandemic, were recruited through nursing home management and interviewed in June 2020 using medically approved visors and physical distancing.AnalysisInterviews were analysed using thematic analysis, which involves familiarisation, coding and definition of themes. Transcripts were coded into data-driven categories before being organised into categories that described and explained the data.ResultsThe analysis resulted in the main theme ‘It is like living in a bubble’, that describes everyday life in the nursing home during the pandemic as a world of its own in which the older persons felt both protected and isolated. This is described in four subthemes: living 1 day at a time, without fear of the virus; feeling taken care of; having limited freedom and missing out on the little extras.ConclusionsContributing to the growing area of COVID-19-related research, our findings provide novel insights into how pandemic-related restrictions in nursing homes represent a risk of isolating older people from the outside world and diminishing their freedom. Put in relation to the previous research, these findings could be applied beyond the pandemic, to develop research and practice that puts focus on how to support older people to decide for themselves how to spend the rest of their lives.

scholarly journals Shutting Down Sex

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 9-13
Author(s):  
Lara McKenzie
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Living Alone ◽  
Global Context ◽  
Global North ◽  
The Impact

This article examines the transformation of singledom during the COVID-19 pandemic, scrutinising the impact of rules and regulations governing proximity, touch and sex. I focus on government responses in Australia, situating the nation’s experience in a global context. National discussions were strangely sexless, presuming widespread coupledom and emphasising the lost, non-sexual intimacies of families and older people. I contrast this to broader theoretical claims of a ‘transformation of intimacy’ that posit a move to atomised relations across the Global North, including a growing tendency towards singledom. Yet assumptions of coupledom clearly persist in Australian policy and social life. I reflect on transformations of singledom and living alone during and prior to the pandemic, exposing tensions between theorisations, local realities, and the governance of sex and singledom.

scholarly journals How Prefrail Older People Living Alone Perceive Information and Communications Technology and What They Would Ask a Robot for: Qualitative Study (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katia Daniele ◽  
Maura Marcucci ◽  
Cesarina Cattaneo ◽  
Nunzio Alberto Borghese ◽  
Lucia Zannini
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Older People ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Information And Communications Technology ◽  
Advanced Technology ◽  
Living Alone ◽  
Communications Technology ◽  
The Past

BACKGROUND In the last decade, the family system has changed significantly. Although in the past, older people used to live with their children, nowadays, they cannot always depend on assistance of their relatives. Many older people wish to remain as independent as possible while remaining in their homes, even when living alone. To do so, there are many tasks that they must perform to maintain their independence in everyday life, and above all, their well-being. Information and communications technology (ICT), particularly robotics and domotics, could play a pivotal role in aging, especially in contemporary society, where relatives are not always able to accurately and constantly assist the older person. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to understand the needs, preferences, and views on ICT of some prefrail older people who live alone. In particular, we wanted to explore their attitude toward a hypothetical caregiver robot and the functions they would ask for. METHODS We designed a qualitative study based on an interpretative phenomenological approach. A total of 50 potential participants were purposively recruited in a big town in Northern Italy and were administered the Fried scale (to assess the participants’ frailty) and the Mini-Mental State Examination (to evaluate the older person’s capacity to comprehend the interview questions). In total, 25 prefrail older people who lived alone participated in an individual semistructured interview, lasting approximately 45 min each. Overall, 3 researchers independently analyzed the interviews transcripts, identifying meaning units, which were later grouped in clustering of themes, and finally in emergent themes. Constant triangulation among researchers and their reflective attitude assured trustiness. RESULTS From this study, it emerged that a number of interviewees who were currently using ICT (ie, smartphones) did not own a computer in the past, or did not receive higher education, or were not all young older people (aged 65-74 years). Furthermore, we found that among the older people who described their relationship with ICT as negative, many used it in everyday life. Referring to robotics, the interviewees appeared quite open-minded. In particular, robots were considered suitable for housekeeping, for monitoring older people’s health and accidental falls, and for entertainment. CONCLUSIONS Older people’s use and attitudes toward ICT does not always seem to be related to previous experiences with technological devices, higher education, or lower age. Furthermore, many participants in this study were able to use ICT, even if they did not always acknowledge it. Moreover, many interviewees appeared to be open-minded toward technological devices, even toward robots. Therefore, proposing new advanced technology to a group of prefrail people, who are self-sufficient and can live alone at home, seems to be feasible.

scholarly journals A qualitative study of old patients’ experiences of the quality of the health services in hospital and 30 days after hospitalization

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingvild Lilleheie ◽  
Jonas Debesay ◽  
Asta Bye ◽  
Astrid Bergland
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Older People ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
Health Care Quality ◽  
Care Quality ◽  
World Health ◽  
Old Patients ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background The number of people aged 80 years and above is projected to triple over the next 30 years. People in this age group normally have at least two chronic conditions (multimorbidity). The impact of multimorbidity is often significantly greater than expected from the sum of the effects of each condition. The World Health Organization has indicated that health care systems must prepare for a change in the focus of clinical care for older people. The WHO defines health care quality as care that is effective, efficient, integrated, patient centered, equitable and safe. The degree to which health care quality can be defined as acceptable is determined by services’ ability to meet the needs of users and adapt to patients’ expectations and perceptions. This study explores experiences of the quality of the health services in hospital and the first 30 days at home after discharge by patients over 80 years of age. Method We took a phenomenological perspective to explore older patients’ subjective experiences and conducted semistructured individual interviews. Eighteen patients (aged from 82 to 100 years) were interviewed twice after discharge from hospital. The interview transcriptions were analyzed thematically. Results The patients found their meetings with the health service to be complex and demanding. They reported attempting to restore a sense of security and meaning in everyday life, balancing their own needs against external requirements. Five overarching themes emerged from the interviews: hospital stay and the person behind the diagnosis, poor communication and coordination, life after discharge, relationship with their next of kin, and organizational and systemic determinants. Conclusion According to the WHO, to deliver quality health care, services must include all six of the dimensions listed above. Our findings show that they do not. Health care focused on measurable values and biomedical inquiries. Few opportunities for participation, scant information and suboptimal care coordination left the patients with a feeling of being in limbo, where they struggled to find balance in their everyday life. Further work must be done to ensure that integrated services are provided without a financial burden, centered on the needs and rights of older people.

Caring in nursing homes to promote autonomy and participation

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 280-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Hedman ◽  
Elisabeth Häggström ◽  
Anna-Greta Mamhidir ◽  
Ulrika Pöder
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Homes ◽  
Older People ◽  
Registered Nurses ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Healthcare Personnel ◽  
Trusting Relationships ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Health And Well Being

Background: Autonomy and participation are threatened within the group of older people living in nursing homes. Evidence suggests that healthcare personnel act on behalf of older people but are still excluding them from decision-making in everyday care. Objective: The purpose was to describe registered nurses’ experience of caring for older people in nursing homes to promote autonomy and participation. Research design: A descriptive design with a phenomenological approach was used. Data were collected by semi-structured individual interviews. Analysis was inspired by Giorgi’s method. Participants and research context: A total of 13 registered nurses from 10 nursing homes participated. Ethical considerations: Ethical approval was obtained from the Regional Research Ethics Committee. Informed consent was achieved and confidentiality guaranteed. Findings: The essence of caring for older people in nursing homes to promote autonomy and participation consisted of registered nurses’ awareness of older people’s frailty and the impact of illness to support health and well-being, and awareness of acknowledgement in everyday life and trusting relationships. Paying attention to older people by being open to the persons’ wishes were aspects that relied on registered nurses’ trusting relationships with older people, their relatives and surrounding healthcare personnel. The awareness reflected challenges in caring to promote older people’s right to autonomy and participation in nursing homes. Registered nurses’ strategies, hopes for and/or concerns about development of everyday life in nursing homes were revealed and mirrored their engagement in caring for older people. Discussion and conclusion: Awareness of older people’s frailty in nursing homes and the importance of maintained health and well-being were described as the main source for promoting autonomy and participation. Everyday life and care in nursing homes needs to be addressed from both older people’s and healthcare personnel’s perspectives, to promote autonomy and participation for residents in nursing homes.

scholarly journals The Impact of Life Trajectories on Retirement: Socioeconomic Differences in Social Support Networks

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 327-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisca Ortiz ◽  
Elisa Bellotti
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Life History ◽  
Older People ◽  
Safety Net ◽  
Support Networks ◽  
Social Support Networks ◽  
Life Trajectories ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Over Time

In general, the literature about social support networks (SSNs) has been divided into two different statements: On the one hand, social support is a safety net that helps the ego confront disadvantages in life. On the other hand, studies have shown how SSNs could act as sources of constraints for ego, especially in poverty. In this study, we looked into the SSNs of older people over time and found how those two paths co‐exist and depend on the socioeconomic status of ego. Then, this article aims to discover how cumulative social inequalities intersect with social networks in facilitating or hampering social support over time, impacting retirement experience. Specifically, we want to observe if and how the life trajectories of older people from different socioeconomic statuses affect how people build their SSNs in terms of structure and composition. This article presents a mixed‐method project that collected qualitative life history interviews from 30 older women and men in Santiago, Chile. The results show that socioeconomic status plays a role in shaping individual experiences of retirement but that these experiences are shaped through SSNs structural and compositional characteristics. People identify salient life events and the relevant networks and conjointly discuss supportive and/or exploitative aspects of their networks. The amount of support they give to others or that they receive from their alters accumulates over time, resulting in a progressive social inclusion or exclusion mechanism. This article concludes that SSNs during retirement are shaped by the ego’s socioeconomic status and life history.

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