Acceptance and use of communication technology by the elderly (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malcolm Clarke ◽  
Precious Onyeachu
Keyword(s):  
Elderly Population ◽  
Population Aging ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Smart Phone ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Target Groups ◽  
Flu Vaccination ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Working Age

BACKGROUND Population aging is a global phenomenon, with the proportion of the population over the age of 60 increasingly rapidly. However ownership and use of technology by people in this age group remains low, which impacts on introduction of and the assumptions made for, technology-based activities such as telehealth and telemedicine. It is essential to gain accurate information on the level of technology ownership in target groups. However, many studies on levels of technology ownership and use report using electronic methods for their survey, which introduces bias and may result in a higher value. OBJECTIVE To determine the level of ownership of technology in the elderly population using an unbiased data collection methodology. METHODS Our study collects data from patients invited to attend a clinic for their annual flu vaccination, and thereby captures a cross section of the population that is unbiased by the collection method. 309 patients completed a questionnaire, and were considered in three (3) age groups; young adults (25 to 45) (n=72), working-age (46 to 59) (n=80) and older adults (60 and above) (n=157). RESULTS In the older adult group (60+), 50 people (32%) out of 157 respondents had a mobile or smart phone and 107 (68%) did not; 38 people (24%) out of 157 respondents owned and used a computer and 119 (76%) had never used or owned a computer or tablet CONCLUSIONS Our results show a significantly lower ownership of technology in the elderly than found in other similar studies, which we attribute to the method of collection of the data, and consider to be a true reflection of the ownership in the general population.

scholarly journals Letter to the Editor: Microbiota in the Respiratory System—A Possible Explanation to Age and Sex Variability in Susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 117863612098860
Author(s):  
Vishal Shah
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory System ◽  
Elderly Population ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Elderly Adult ◽  
Human Respiratory Tract ◽  
System A ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Children And Young Adults ◽  
Age And Sex

The Human respiratory tract is colonized by a variety of microbes and the microbiota change as we age. In this perspective, literature support is presented for the hypothesis that the respiratory system microbiota could explain the differential age and sex breakdown amongst COVID-19 patients. The number of patients in the older and elderly adult group is higher than the other age groups. The perspective presents the possibility that certain genera of bacteria present in the respiratory system microbiota in children and young adults could be directly or through eliciting an immune response from the host, prevent full-fledged infection of SARS-CoV-2. The possibility also exists that the microbiota in older adults and the elderly population have bacteria that make it easier for the virus to cause infection. I call upon the scientific community to investigate the link between human microbiota and SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility to further understand the viral pathogenesis.

scholarly journals Population aging and the historical development of intergenerational transfer systems

Genus ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald Lee
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Population Aging ◽  
Intergenerational Transfers ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Intergenerational Transfer ◽  
Agricultural Revolution ◽  
Public Transfers ◽  
Working Age ◽  
Social Sharing ◽  
Private Transfers

Abstract From our evolutionary past, humans inherited a long period of child dependency, extensive intergenerational transfers to children, cooperative breeding, and social sharing of food. Older people continued to transfer a surplus to the young. After the agricultural revolution, population densities grew making land and residences valuable assets controlled by older people, leading to their reduced labor supply which made them net consumers. In some East Asian societies today, elders are supported by adult children but in most societies the elderly continue to make private net transfers to their children out of asset income or public pensions. Growing public intergenerational transfers have crowded out private transfers. In some high-income countries, the direction of intergenerational flows has reversed from downward to upwards, from young to old. Nonetheless, net private transfers remain strongly downward, from older to younger, everywhere in the world. For many but not all countries, projected population aging will bring fiscal instability unless there are major program reforms. However, in many countries population aging will reduce the net cost to adults of private transfers to children, partially offsetting the increased net costs to working age adults for public transfers to the elderly.

scholarly journals Accumulative pension system in Ukraine: theoretical and applied discourse

2021 ◽  
pp. 22
Author(s):  
Lyudmyla Alekseyenko
Keyword(s):  
Social Insurance ◽  
Pension System ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Active Role ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Theoretical Concept ◽  
Social Insurance System ◽  
Theoretical Concepts ◽  
Role Of The State ◽  
Working Age

Introduction. The study of theoretical and empirical aspects of the accumulative pension system should help to identify patterns and contradictions of its development in society. In order to conduct an effective economic policy on the introduction of a funded pension system, it is necessary to define a theoretical concept of a model of the active role of the state in socio-economic processes or a moderate liberal model. Reforming the pension system is a rather long process and requires both the definition of the main directions, principles and measures for the development of the funded pension system, and changes in the values, principles and norms of behavior of citizens.The purpose is to substantiate the theoretical concept, trends, problems of the accumulative pension system and the directions of its introduction into society.Research methods are based on the dialectical method of scientific knowledge and a systematic approach to knowledge of economic phenomena and processes, theoretical generalization, systematization, which allowed to reveal the problems of the accumulative pension system based on theoretical concepts and economic-statistical analysis of demographic load of working age and after working age.Results. The indicators influencing the introduction of the second level of the pension system were monitored. The dynamics of indicators of demographic load of the population of pre-working and post-working age is analyzed. The focus is on the peculiarities of wages and final consumer expenditures of households and the general government sector. It was found that in general, citizens belong to the elderly population, so to prevent further deterioration of the ratio between age groups, it is advisable to increase the effectiveness of the social insurance system. The expediency of paying more attention to actuarial statistics to determine the future size of pensions and their exact calculation is substantiated.Prospects. Further research is important to focus on improving the efficiency of the multi-component funded pension system in the context of ensuring compliance with the values, principles and norms of the society.

Worldwide Experiences with Assisted Peritoneal Dialysis

2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 503-508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Giuliani ◽  
Akash Nayak Karopadi ◽  
Mario Prieto-Velasco ◽  
Sabrina Milan Manani ◽  
Carlo Crepaldi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Peritoneal Dialysis ◽  
Elderly Patients ◽  
Elderly Population ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Clinical Results ◽  
Social Barriers ◽  
Stage Renal Disease ◽  
End Stage ◽  
Assisted Peritoneal Dialysis

End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is common in the elderly population, and renal replacement therapy (RRT) is often required. However, in this particular subgroup of patients, the choice between hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) is often not an easy decision to make. Published literature has adequately demonstrated that PD prevalence is significantly less than HD across all patient age groups despite several advantages. We also know that elderly patients are less likely to complete a PD assessment, due to both medical and social barriers. Additionally, elderly patients are often reluctant to go ahead with PD despite being eligible PD candidates, mainly due to the fear of performing self-therapy. Recently, many new assisted PD (asPD) programs have cropped up in several countries. The main aim of these programs is to overcome barriers to PD and to promote PD utilization among elderly and non-self-sufficient patients. Although asPD has proven to be associated with good clinical results, there still remain concerns about its greater use. In this review, we will first describe an ideal asPD model and then enumerate examples of strategies and outcomes associated with successful asPD programs worldwide.

Consumer preferences for banking technologies by age groups

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 587-602 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Harris ◽  
K. Chris Cox ◽  
Carolyn Findley Musgrove ◽  
Kathryn W Ernstberger
Keyword(s):  
New Technologies ◽  
Consumer Preferences ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Analysis Of Covariance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cohort Differences ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Concepts Of Technology

Purpose – The prevailing mindset is that younger people value and more readily adopt technology. The purpose of this paper is to determine if this is true with respect to banking practices. Design/methodology/approach – A survey was conducted to evaluate the importance of mobile, online, and physical-based banking across multiple age groups. Factor analysis and analysis of covariance were used to evaluate the responses. Findings – The results show that older consumers see more value in traditional, physical-based banking, all ages are equally interested in currently emerging technologies (online), and younger users are more interested in the newest technologies. Research limitations/implications – The stereotype of technology-adverse elderly may be too limiting. Age influences are not absolute barriers enacted by time, but are potentially learned behaviors. Practical implications – Practitioners interested in introducing new technologies to the elderly might consider making their innovations more compatible with existing technologies already in use. Originality/value – This study builds on the concepts of technology adoption and previous work on aging as it relates to adoption. However, it is shown that cognitive declines are not the only factor that can explain age-related differences in technology usage. Cohort differences in experience and resources may also be important. This is of value not only to the banks, but to all businesses that rely on consumer use of technology to maintain the business relationship.

Intergenerational Transfers and Public Expenditure on the Elderly in Modern Britain

1988 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Johnson ◽  
Jane Falkingham
Keyword(s):  
Social Services ◽  
Elderly Population ◽  
Public Expenditure ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
The United States ◽  
Generational Conflict ◽  
The Us ◽  
Families With Children ◽  
Poor Children

ABSTRACTIn the United States, much attention has recently been directed to the issue of whether the welfare system has become over-generous to the retired population, at the expense of families with children. The proportion of the US elderly population living in poverty has fallen significantly in the last fifteen years while the number of poor children has increased rapidly, and it has been suggested that this lack of investment in the next generation of workers may have disastrous longterm consequences for the U.S. economy. This paper considers whether similar trends are evident in Britain. It reviews data on the poverty and income of the elderly population, and finds little unequivocal evidence of relative economic gain over the last two decades, although it is clear that many children have suffered from the recent rise in unemployment-induced poverty. It also looks at direct public expenditure on the elderly through both the pension and the health and personal social services systems, and finds no evidence of a transfer of public resources away from children and towards the elderly population. The paper concludes that the British welfare state has been remarkably neutral in its allocation of resources between generations, and that, in the British context, any discussion of inter-generational conflict for welfare resources establishes a false dichotomy, because economic inequality within broad age groups is much greater than inequality between age groups.

scholarly journals Mathematical modeling of vaccination rollout and NPIs lifting on COVID-19 transmission with VOC: a case study in Toronto, Canada

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Aruffo ◽  
Pei Yuan ◽  
Yi Tan ◽  
Evgenia Gatov ◽  
Iain Moyles ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vaccination Coverage ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Vaccination Strategy ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Public Health Agencies ◽  
Initial Strategy ◽  
Working Age ◽  
Waning Immunity ◽  
Nonpharmaceutical Interventions ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT Background: Since December 2020, public health agencies have implemented a variety of vaccination strategies to curb the spread of SARS-CoV-2, along with pre-existing Nonpharmaceutical Interventions (NPIs). Initial strategy focused on vaccinating the elderly to prevent hospitalizations and deaths. With vaccines becoming available to the broader population, we aimed to determine the optimal strategy to enable the safe lifting of NPIs while avoiding virus resurgence. Methods: We developed a compartmental deterministic SEIR model to simulate the lifting of NPIs under different vaccination rollout scenarios. Using case and vaccination data from Toronto, Canada between December 28, 2020 and May 19, 2021, we estimated transmission throughout past stages of NPI escalation/relaxation to compare the impact of lifting NPIs on different dates on cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, given varying degrees of vaccine coverages by 20-year age groups, accounting for waning immunity. Results: We found that, once coverage among the elderly is high enough (80% with at least one dose), the main age groups to target are 20-39 and 40-59 years, whereby first-dose coverage of at least 70% by mid-June 2021 is needed to minimize the possibility of resurgence if NPIs are to be lifted in the summer. While a resurgence was observed for every scenario of NPI lifting, we also found that under an optimistic vaccination coverage (70% by mid-June, postponing reopening from August 2021 to September 2021can reduce case counts and severe outcomes by roughly 80% by December 31, 2021. Conclusions: Our results suggest that focusing the vaccination strategy on the working-age population can curb the spread of SARS-CoV-2. However, even with high vaccination coverage in adults, lifting NPIs to pre-pandemic levels is not advisable since a resurgence is expected to occur, especially with earlier reopening.

scholarly journals Cultural participation as a way of active aging - possibilities and initiative proposals

2018 ◽  
pp. 561-571
Author(s):  
Sanja Bozic ◽  
Milica Solarevic ◽  
Tаtjana Pivac ◽  
Ivana Blesic
Keyword(s):  
Elderly Population ◽  
Population Policy ◽  
Population Aging ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Active Aging ◽  
Cultural Institutions ◽  
Cultural Participation ◽  
Cultural Life ◽  
The City

Population policy on aging involves many forms of active aging, the most important of which are employment, social and cultural inclusion, volunteering and improvement of basic living conditions such as health care, adequate housing, and affordable transportation. Today, many European countries are facing the challenges of population aging, including Serbia, where the importance of active aging is still insufficiently recognized by society and key decision makers. The aim of this paper is to highlight the possibilities for promoting active aging through the inclusion of the elderly population in the cultural life of the city of Novi Sad, which faces the mentioned problem and lacks appropriate measures for the inclusion of the elderly population in the social and cultural life of the city. In addition, the aim of the study is to examine the attitudes of the cultural institutions regarding the possibility of adapting cultural contents to this target group, as well as for their inclusion in the realization of cultural contents. To achieve this, in-depth interviews were conducted with employees of the selected cultural institutions of the city. The obtained results will serve as the basis for the decision makers to define proposals of concrete actions to encourage active aging through the cultural contents of the city.

scholarly journals Trend of fall-related mortality among the elderly

2021 ◽  
Vol 55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yara Cristina Martins Monteiro ◽  
Maria Aparecida da Silva Vieira ◽  
Priscila Valverde de Oliveira Vitorino ◽  
Silvio José de Queiroz ◽  
Gabriela Moreira Policena ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Information System ◽  
Elderly Population ◽  
Temporal Trend ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Death Rates ◽  
Variation Rate ◽  
Related Mortality

ABSTRACT Objective: To analyze the temporal trend of fall-related mortality in elderly in Brazil from 2008 to 2016. Method: Study of time series of rates of fall-related mortality according to CID-10 from 2008 to 2016. Data from the Mortality Information System on death registers of people ≥ 60 living in Brazil were used. The specific rates of fall-related mortality among the elderly were calculated through the ratio between the number of deaths and the elderly population of that year and region. The populational information was obtained from the 2000 and 2010 censuses. The variation rate and temporal trend were obtained through linear regression (p < 0.05). Results: The fall-related deaths among the elderly aged ≥ 60 amounted to 72,234 (31.2%). Falls from the same level were the most frequent (53.8%) and death rates in all ages ranged from 29.7 to 44.7 per 100,000 elders. Fall-related deaths increased with age. Conclusion: There was a growing trend of fall-related deaths among elderly in all age groups, an event which is avoidable through the adoption of preventive measures. The high rates and growing trend of fall-related deaths, as well as the aging of the Brazilian population, suggest that public policies for protecting the elderly must be prioritized.

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