The Effects of Singing-Centered Music Activities on the Sense of Local Community and Social Well-being of Older Adults

Background: This scoping review analyzed research about how music activities may affect participants' health and well-being. Primary outcomes were measures of health (including symptoms and health behaviors) and well-being. Secondary measures included a range of psychosocial processes such as arousal, mood, social connection, physical activation or relaxation, cognitive functions, and identity. Diverse music activities were considered: receptive and intentional music listening; sharing music; instrument playing; group singing; lyrics and rapping; movement and dance; and songwriting, composition, and improvisation.Methods: Nine databases were searched with terms related to the eight music activities and the psychosocial variables of interest. Sixty-three papers met selection criteria, representing 6,975 participants of all ages, nationalities, and contexts.Results: Receptive and intentional music listening were found to reduce pain through changes in physiological arousal in some studies but not others. Shared music listening (e.g., concerts or radio programs) enhanced social connections and mood in older adults and in hospital patients. Music listening and carer singing decreased agitation and improved posture, movement, and well-being of people with dementia. Group singing supported cognitive health and well-being of older adults and those with mental health problems, lung disease, stroke, and dementia through its effects on cognitive functions, mood, and social connections. Playing a musical instrument was associated with improved cognitive health and well-being in school students, older adults, and people with mild brain injuries via effects on motor, cognitive and social processes. Dance and movement with music programs were associated with improved health and well-being in people with dementia, women with postnatal depression, and sedentary women with obesity through various cognitive, physical, and social processes. Rapping, songwriting, and composition helped the well-being of marginalized people through effects on social and cultural inclusion and connection, self-esteem and empowerment.Discussion: Music activities offer a rich and underutilized resource for health and well-being to participants of diverse ages, backgrounds, and settings. The review provides preliminary evidence that particular music activities may be recommended for specific psychosocial purposes and for specific health conditions.

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“WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER!”: AN INQUIRY ON THE PERSONAL NETWORKS OF SELECTED OLDER ADULTS IN POST-HAIYAN DISASTER

Innovative Issues and Approaches in Social Sciences ◽

10.12959/issn.1855-0541.iiass-2021-no1-art5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Reggy Capacio Figer

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Considerable Increase ◽

Local Community ◽

Well Being ◽

The Elderly ◽

City Government ◽

Personal Networks ◽

Personal Connections ◽

The Church ◽

Post Disaster

We have seen a considerable increase in the number of natural disasters worldwide. There are hurricanes, earthquakes, landslides, drought, tsunami among others that have affected us in recent years. Because of climate changes, these calamities have become more severe and destructive. Unfortunately, the perils of these disasters are almost always borne by those in the vulnerable sectors of the society. One of the at-risks sectors is the elderly community. With the world becoming aged and mature, it is essential to look into the well-being of older adults especially in disaster situations. The author believes that cultivating their personal networks will help safeguard the elders’ welfare. This study, consequently, explores on the personal connections of selected older adults in post-disaster community in Tacloban, a city ravaged by super typhoon (ST) Haiyan in 2013. Using focused interviews, findings revealed that older adults remain steadfast and positive on the impacts of ST Haiyan. Because of their personal ties with their families, relatives, the local community, city government, NGOs, and the church, they were able to seek help and support from their networks, which, in effect nurtured resilience in them. It is hoped that through this study, personal networks will be fostered and capitalized to enable, engage, and empower elders in catastrophic conditions.

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Seniors’ Campus Continuums: Local Solutions for Broad Spectrum Seniors Care

10.21203/rs.2.16668/v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Frances Margaret Morton-Chang ◽

Shilpi Majumder ◽

Whitney Berta

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Local Community ◽

Social Care ◽

Well Being ◽

System Level ◽

Integrative Model ◽

Term Care ◽

Health And Social Care ◽

Community Supports ◽

Housing Options

Abstract Background As demand and desire to “age-in-place” grows within an aging population, challenges exist to realizing this wish. Changing demographics and new areas of need have governments nationally and internationally calling for more focused attention on integrative approaches to health and well-being. Seniors’ Campus Continuums seek bridge the “divide” between health and social care for residents and local community. This paper investigates factors that influence Campus evolution, ongoing functioning, and ability to offer wrap around care for older adults wishing remain in their own home and community. Methods This research uses a comparative case study approach across multiple bounded cases to explore how Seniors’ Campus Continuums operating in various contexts integrate health, housing and social care around older adults living on the campus and in the local community. Six seniors’ campuses from across Ontario offering four physically co-located components – mixed independent housing options, internal community supports to residents, external community supports to the broader community, and a long-term care home – were studied and compared. Results Eight factors that promote or impede Seniors’ Campus Continuum evolution, design and function, and ability to provide wrap-around care to older adults with progressive needs are identified including: i. historical legacies; ii. windows of opportunity; iii. organizational structure and capacity; iv. intentional physical and social design; v. campus services mix, amenities and partnerships; vi. policy rigidities and enablers; vii. human resources shortages and innovation; viii. funding limitations and opportunities. Together these factors describe opportunities to optimize care on many levels. Conclusion Seniors’ Campus Continuums offer creative boundary-spanning approaches to address a variety of needs while taking into account local contexts. At an individual level, campuses increase access to a range of care supports and housing options to benefit seniors’ health and wellbeing. At an organizational level, they offer consistency and coordination of care, improved economies of scale, and rich environments for training/research, education and volunteering. At a system level, they offer potential to help people avoid ending up in the “wrong places.” This study fills a gap in evidence-based research around understanding of this integrative model and offers lessons learned for future development.

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Talk or Walk? Gait Speed over Self-Report in Association with Cognitive Speed in Healthy Older Adults

GeroPsych ◽

10.1024/1662-9647/a000202 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 32 (1) ◽

pp. 41-52

Author(s):

Matthew C. Costello ◽

Shane J. Sizemore ◽

Kimberly E. O’Brien ◽

Lydia K. Manning

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Older Adult ◽

Gait Speed ◽

Well Being ◽

Self Report ◽

Subjective Report ◽

Healthy Older Adults ◽

Relative Value ◽

Cognitive Speed ◽

Age Range

Abstract. This study explores the relative value of both subjectively reported cognitive speed and gait speed in association with objectively derived cognitive speed. It also explores how these factors are affected by psychological and physical well-being. A group of 90 cognitively healthy older adults ( M = 73.38, SD = 8.06 years, range = 60–89 years) were tested in a three-task cognitive battery to determine objective cognitive speed as well as measures of gait speed, well-being, and subjective cognitive speed. Analyses indicated that gait speed was associated with objective cognitive speed to a greater degree than was subjective report, the latter being more closely related to well-being than to objective cognitive speed. These results were largely invariant across the 30-year age range of our older adult sample.

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Leisure Activities and the Subjective Well-Being of Older Adults in Croatia

GeroPsych ◽

10.1024/1662-9647/a000179 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 31 (1) ◽

pp. 31-39 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ljiljana Kaliterna Lipovčan ◽

Tihana Brkljačić ◽

Zvjezdana Prizmić Larsen ◽

Andreja Brajša-Žganec ◽

Renata Franc

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Leisure Activities ◽

Leisure Activity ◽

Later Life ◽

Perceived Health ◽

Well Being ◽

Hierarchical Regression ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Convenience Sample ◽

Financial Status

Abstract. Research shows that engagement in leisure activities promotes well-being among older adults. The objective of the current study was to examine the relationship between subjective well-being (flourishing) and leisure activities (total number of different activities in the previous year) in a sample of older adults in Croatia, thereby considering the variables of sex, marital status, financial status, and self-perceived health. The differences in the examined variables between the groups of older adults who reported to be engaged in new activities with those who did not were also examined. The sample of N = 169 older adults aged 60 years and above was drawn from a convenience sample of adult internet users in Croatia. Participants reported their self-perceived health and the number of leisure activities they engaged in over the previous year as well as completing the Flourishing Scale. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that older adults who were engaged in more various leisure activities, who perceived better financial status, and who were married reported higher levels of flourishing. A comparison of the two groups of older adults with and without engagement in leisure activities showed that those engaged in at least one leisure activity were more likely to be women, reported higher levels of flourishing, and perceived their own financial status as better. This study indicated that engaging in leisure activities in later life might provide beneficial effects for the well-being of older adults.

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Analysis of Self-Concept in Older Adults in Different Contexts

European Journal of Psychological Assessment ◽

10.1027/1015-5759.20.4.262 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 20 (4) ◽

pp. 262-274 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Manuel de Gracia Blanco ◽

Josep Garre Olmo ◽

María Marcó Arbonès ◽

Pilar Monreal Bosch

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Nursing Home ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

External Validity ◽

Aging Process ◽

Well Being ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Self Concept ◽

Self Perceptions ◽

Discriminatory Capacity

Summary: Self-concept is a construct consisting of a group of specific self-perceptions that are hierarchically organized. Age-associated changes of self-concept are related to the individual's perception of the changes occurring throughout the aging process. The authors examined external validity and internal consistency of an instrument that has been developed to assess self-concept in older adults and examined self-concept's characteristics in two different contexts. Results confirm the multidimensionality of the scale and show a satisfactory external validity, indicating good discriminatory capacity. Findings support the hypothesis that older people who live in a nursing home have a poor self-esteem, self-concept, and psychological well-being and have a greater presence of depressive symptoms than people who live in their own home.

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