Using Angels and Devils: A Board Game Developed for Play in Nursing Homes

The incidence of perceptual deprivation and social isolation effects, possible correlates of such effects, and the potential for remediation of effects was studied for thirty-two nursing home residents through playing a discussion-stimulating board game called Angels and Devils. Results indicate a high incidence of sensory deprivation and social isolation effects in the population, as measured by resident response to questionnaire items. These do not correlate with length of institutionalization, amount of social contact, or degree of medical restriction, and may be reduced by stimulating resident-staff discussion. Findings are interpreted as indicating the need for more research in application of board games to ameliorate negative effects emerging in institutional environments.

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Lockdown and visual hallucinations in older people: a community perspective

BJPsych Open ◽

10.1192/bjo.2021.348 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (S1) ◽

pp. S119-S120

Author(s):

Rim Roufael

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Community Mental Health ◽

Older People ◽

Social Isolation ◽

Sensory Deprivation ◽

Community Support ◽

Cognitive Stimulation ◽

Visual Hallucinations ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Charles Bonnet Syndrome

ObjectiveAfter COVID-19 was declared as a pandemic, different countries have enforced lockdowns, and shielding to mitigate the spread of the virus as preventing loss of lives was the priority.Our aim is to look for possible explanations for increased rates of visual hallucinations presented to Community Mental Health Teams for Older People during the period of lockdown.Case reportA review of clinical cases presenting with new onset visual hallucinations to the Community Mental Health Teams for Older People during the lockdown period in 2020 was summarised in two case scenarios. One scenario represents cases with known background of dementia, while the other scenario represents new referrals during the lockdown period with no known psychiatric background. In those cases, the visual hallucinations started during lockdown with no clear cause, did not respond to psychotropic medications, physical health investigations were all normal and hallucinations improved markedly with the end of the lockdown and social isolation.DiscussionFrom clinical practice point of view, during the period of lockdown in the COVID-19 pandemic, visual hallucinations has been one of the commonest presentations reported to the Community Mental Health Teams for Older People. Families were calling frequently reporting that their loved ones were “seeing things”. Possible underlying causes include: social isolation, sensory and perceptual deprivation, visual impairment and Charles Bonnet syndrome, lack of cognitive stimulation activities with progress of dementia, superimposed delirium, in addition to depression secondary to loneliness, reduction in community support, increased alcohol consumption and negative effects of repeated media consumption.ConclusionThere has been a marked increase in reporting visual hallucinations in the shielding older people population in the community during the period of lockdown in the COVID-19 pandemic. This shielded population was not exposed to COVID-19, so it didn't give an explanation to this new phenomenon. Though there are multiple possible causative factors, the effect of the lockdown itself with its resultant social isolation and sensory deprivation remains to be the most significant. Shielding the older people population throughout the COVID-19 pandemic came as an essential measure as the physical safety and preventing loss of lives was the priority; however the lockdown had significant negative effects on the mental health of the shielding population. It remains unclear if those negative effects are going to be reversible in the future, resulting in poor quality of life.

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Psychological Impact of COVID-19 lockdown_PREPRINT

10.31234/osf.io/fjxze ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Valerie van Mulukom ◽

Barbara Muzzulini ◽

Bastiaan T Rutjens ◽

Caspar J. Van Lissa ◽

Miguel Farias

Keyword(s):

Social Isolation ◽

Online Survey ◽

Psychological Impact ◽

Social Contact ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Health Crisis ◽

Public Health Crisis ◽

Mitigating Factors ◽

The Usa

This study addressed the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and examined factors exacerbating or mitigating the negative effects of lockdown. Results from a large multi-country online survey (N=8,229) showed average elevated levels of anxiety and depression (especially in the USA, UK, and Brazil), associated with feelings of low control and social isolation. Although social isolation increased with the duration of quarantine, it was mitigated by frequent communication with close others. Other mitigating factors include adaptive but not maladaptive coping, and the perception and trust that one’s government is dealing with the outbreak. Taking individual actions to avoid contracting the virus were associated with higher anxiety, except when done professionally by essential workers. We suggest that the psychological detrimental effects of lockdown can be alleviated by maintaining frequent social contact, adaptive coping, and governmental actions which show capability, benevolence, and integrity in managing a public health crisis.

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"Sibaaqun" Edukasi Pengenalan Huruf Hijaiyah Melalui Permainan Papan

Journal of Animation & Games Studies ◽

10.24821/jags.v5i2.3033 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 133-152

Author(s):

Moch. Tryandi Budiman Sasmita ◽

Samuel Gandang Gunanto ◽

Pandan Pareanom Purwachandra

Keyword(s):

Negative Impact ◽

Islamic Education ◽

Board Game ◽

Educational Media ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Board Games ◽

The World ◽

Effects On Children ◽

The Creation ◽

Islamic Literature

The world of children is identical with a games or playing. Children learn by playing or by playing a game. But as time goes on, many games have more negative effects on children. The creation of works with the title "Sibaaqun Educational Media Introduction to Hijaiyah Letters and Islamic Literature through the Board Game", has the purpose of conveying knowledge of Islam and introducing the Hijaiyah letters to children through board games. The creation of the work of this board game intends to reduce the negative impact that children receive when playing. By making a game by inserting education in it, and also how to make the game run is non-boring. With the creation of this work, children can learn by playing. Children will get Islamic education in a board game.Keywords: board game, Hijaiyah letters, Islamic games, children's games

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Experimental and subject factors determining responses to sensory deprivation, social isolation, and confinement.

Journal of Abnormal Psychology ◽

10.1037/h0025748 ◽

1968 ◽

Vol 73 (3, Pt.1) ◽

pp. 183-194 ◽

Cited By ~ 47

Author(s):

Marvin Zuckerman ◽

Harold Persky ◽

Katherine E. Link ◽

Gopak K. Basu

Keyword(s):

Social Isolation ◽

Sensory Deprivation

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Reducing Loneliness in Stationary Geriatric Care with Robots and Virtual Encounters—A Contribution to the COVID-19 Pandemic

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18094846 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (9) ◽

pp. 4846

Author(s):

Andreas Follmann ◽

Franziska Schollemann ◽

Andrea Arnolds ◽

Pauline Weismann ◽

Thea Laurentius ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nursing Homes ◽

Social Isolation ◽

Nursing Home Residents ◽

Phone Call ◽

Observational Trial ◽

General Acceptance ◽

Frequency Of Use ◽

Geriatric Hospital ◽

Hospital Patients ◽

The Subject

The bans on visiting nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, while intended to protect residents, also have the risk of increasing the loneliness and social isolation that already existed among the older generations before the pandemic. To combat loneliness and social isolation in nursing homes, this trial presents a study during which social networks of nursing home residents and elderly hospital patients were maintained through virtual encounters and robots, respectively. The observational trial included volunteers who were either residents of nursing homes or patients in a geriatric hospital. Each volunteer was asked to fill in a questionnaire containing three questions to measure loneliness. The questionnaire also documented whether video telephony via the robot, an alternative contact option (for example, a phone call), or no contact with relatives had taken place. The aim was to work out the general acceptance and the benefits of virtual encounters using robots for different roles (users, relatives, nursing staff, facilities). Seventy volunteers with three possible interventions (non-contact, virtual encounters by means of a robot, and any other contact) took part in this trial. The frequency of use of the robot increased steadily over the course of the study, and it was regularly used in all facilities during the weeks of visitor bans (n = 134 times). In the hospital, loneliness decreased significantly among patients for whom the robot was used to provide contact (F(1,25) = 7.783, p = 0.01). In the nursing homes, no demonstrable effect could be achieved in this way, although the subject feedback from the users was consistently positive.

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Profiles of Loneliness and Social Isolation in Physically Active and Inactive Older Adults in Rural England

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18083971 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (8) ◽

pp. 3971

Author(s):

Jolanthe de Koning ◽

Suzanne H. Richards ◽

Grace E. R. Wood ◽

Afroditi Stathi

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Older Adults ◽

Social Isolation ◽

Physical Environment ◽

Vigorous Physical Activity ◽

Social Contact ◽

Physical Activity Behaviour ◽

Rural Setting ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Physically Active

Objective: Loneliness and social isolation are associated with higher risk of morbidity and mortality and physical inactivity in older age. This study explored the socioecological context in which both physically active and inactive older adults experience loneliness and/or social isolation in a UK rural setting. Design: A mixed-methods design employed semi structured interviews and accelerometer-measured moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Interviews explored the personal, social and environmental factors influencing engagement with physical activities, guided by an adapted-socioecological model of physical activity behaviour. Findings: Twenty-four older adults (MeanAge = 73 (5.8 SD); 12 women) were interviewed. Transcripts were thematically analysed and seven profiles of physical activity, social isolation and loneliness were identified. The high-MVPA group had established PA habits, reported several sources of social contact and evaluated their physical environment as activity friendly. The low MVPA group had diverse experiences of past engagement in social activities. Similar to the high MVPA, they reported a range of sources of social contact but they did not perceive the physical environment as activity friendly. Conclusions: Loneliness and/or social isolation was reported by both physically active and inactive older adults. There is wide diversity and complexity in types and intensity of PA, loneliness and social isolation profiles and personal, social and environmental contexts.

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Influencing Attitudes and Preferences Toward Climate Change using a Multi-Player, Transportation Themed Board Game

10.32920/ryerson.14656359 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Alexandra Xiaoyi Kjorven

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Collective Action ◽

Real Life ◽

Board Game ◽

Life Choices ◽

Board Games ◽

Effective Combination ◽

Collective Action Problems ◽

Before And After ◽

Game Board

Traditional tabletop board games have soared in popularity in recent years, and used often as tools for education and entertainment. Board games are an especially engaging format for studying themes of collective-action problem solving. This study looks at one of the most complex collective-action problems of this generation, climate change, and evaluates how individual attitudes and preferences may be altered by playing a board game specifically designed to influence how people relate to an issue. The board game Wheels was introduced and taught to 18 participants, who engaged in five separate playtesting sessions where observation, survey and interview data were collected. The study evaluates participants' attitudes and preferences toward certain transportation and climate change topics before and after playing the game. The game showed promise in changing players' preferences toward certain modes of transportation - increasing preferences toward electric vehicles and cycling, and decreasing preference towards gas powered cars. These findings indicate that the effective combination of select climate change game mechanics in a highly personalized theme may produce an engaging and entertaining experience that has the potential to transcend the game board and impact players' outlook upon real life choices.

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Translational Modeling of Psychomotor Function in Normal and AD-Pathological Aging With Special Concerns on the Effects of Social Isolation

Frontiers in Aging ◽

10.3389/fragi.2021.648567 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 ◽

Author(s):

Lidia Castillo-Mariqueo ◽

Lydia Giménez-Llort

Keyword(s):

Social Isolation ◽

Social Life ◽

Functional Limitations ◽

Social Contact ◽

Physical Work ◽

Motor Deficits ◽

Psychomotor Function ◽

Frailty Phenotype ◽

One Year ◽

Physical Resistance

One year after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, its secondary impacts can be globally observed. Some of them result from physical distancing and severe social contact restrictions by policies still imposed to stop the fast spread of new variants of this infectious disease. People with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other dementias can also be significantly affected by the reduction of their activity programs, the loss of partners, and social isolation. Searching for the closest translational scenario, the increased mortality rates in male 3xTg-AD mice modeling advanced stages of the disease can provide a scenario of “naturalistic isolation.” Our most recent work has shown its impact worsening AD-cognitive and emotional profiles, AD-brain asymmetry, and eliciting hyperactivity and bizarre behaviors. Here, we further investigated the psychomotor function through six different psychomotor analysis in a set of 13-month-old 3xTg-AD mice and their non-transgenic counterparts with normal aging. The subgroup of male 3xTg-AD mice that lost their partners lived alone for the last 2–3 months after 10 months of social life. AD's functional limitations were shown as increased physical frailty phenotype, poor or deficient psychomotor performance, including bizarre behavior, in variables involving information processing and decision-making (exploratory activity and spontaneous gait), that worsened with isolation. Paradoxical muscular strength and better motor performance (endurance and learning) was shown in variables related to physical work and found enhanced by isolation, in agreement with the hyperactivity and the appearance of bizarre behaviors previously reported. Despite the isolation, a delayed appearance of motor deficits related to physical resistance and tolerance to exercise was found in the 3xTg-AD mice, probably because of the interplay of hyperactivity and mortality/survivor bias. The translation of these results to the clinical setting offers a guide to generate flexible and personalized rehabilitation strategies adaptable to the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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From Social Isolation to Becoming an Advocate: Exploring Athletes’ Grief Discourse About Lived Concussion Experiences in Online Forums

Communication & Sport ◽

10.1177/2167479518790039 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 (5) ◽

pp. 678-696 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

David Cassilo ◽

Jimmy Sanderson

Keyword(s):

Social Networks ◽

Social Isolation ◽

Lived Experiences ◽

Athletic Participation ◽

Daily Routine ◽

Online Forums ◽

Supportive Communication ◽

Online Spaces ◽

Concussion Recovery ◽

Isolation Effects

Athletes who sustain concussions endure a variety of physical, mental, emotional, and social isolation effects as they rehabilitate. Accordingly, concussion recovery can induce grieving processes as athletes navigate the loss of athletic participation, social networks, and daily routine disruption. This research sought to gain a richer understanding of athletes’ lived experiences with concussions through grief discourse shared in online narratives. Through an analysis of athletes’ experiences shared via 58 blog posts on three concussion websites, the data reveal how athletes frame the losses that concussions bring into their lives, the subsequent feelings and expressions that result, along with how they eventually cope. The information disclosed in these online spaces can benefit parents, friends, coaches, and others to better understand concussion recovery, thereby enhancing their supportive communication and behaviors towards athletes as they rehabilitate from concussions.

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