Rethinking Elective Cataract Surgery Diagnostics, Assessments, and Tools after the COVID-19 Pandemic Experience and Beyond: Insights from the EUROCOVCAT Group

The progressive deterioration of the visual function in patients on waiting lists for cataract surgery has a negative impact on their quality of life, especially in the elderly population. Patient waiting times for cataract surgeries in many healthcare settings have increased recently due to the prolonged stop or slowdown of elective cataract surgery as a result of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19). The aim of this review is to highlight the impact of such a “de-prioritization” of cataract surgery and to summarize some critical issues and useful hints on how to reorganize cataract pathways, with a special focus on perioperative diagnostic tools during the recovery phase and beyond. The experiences of a group of surgeons originating from nine different countries, named the European COVID-19 Cataract Group (EUROCOVCAT), have been combined with the literature and recommendations from scientific ophthalmic societies and healthcare institutions. Key considerations for elective cataract surgery should include the reduction of the number of unnecessary visits and examinations, adoption of precautionary measures, and implementation of telemedicine instruments. New strategies should be adopted to provide an adequate level of assistance and to guarantee safety conditions. Flexibility will be the watchword and regular updates would be necessary following scientific insights and the development of the pandemic.

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The Impact of the Minimum Wage on Employment: An EU Panel Data Analysis

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13169359 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (16) ◽

pp. 9359

Author(s):

Cristian Valeriu Paun ◽

Radu Nechita ◽

Alexandru Patruti ◽

Mihai Vladimir Topan

Keyword(s):

Panel Data ◽

Minimum Wage ◽

Fixed Effects ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Panel Data Analysis ◽

The Elderly ◽

Special Focus ◽

Female Workers ◽

Cointegration Tests ◽

The Impact

Minimum wage laws have become one of the most debated state interventions in the economy, being considered by many specialists as a very efficient tool used to correct certain labour market failures. The aim of this paper is to explore the relationship between minimum wage and employment dynamics, with a special focus on some vulnerable categories recognized in the literature (young people, female workers, the elderly, etc.). Thus, we analysed the relation between the dynamics of minimum wages and that of employment in 22 EU countries, panel data (1999–2016). The results suggest a negative impact of the minimum wage on total employment and on sensitive categories (youth, female workers, the elderly). The long-running negative impact holds for all but one group (55–64 years). The models were tested for random and fixed effects and the results were correspondingly adjusted with country and time and random and fixed effects. Cointegration tests and the tests using lagged minimum wage also confirm a robust relationship between the dynamics of the minimum wage and that of employment over time. Our findings are consistent with many previous studies and confirm the recommendations to prudently use this public policy tool.

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Health risk assessment and countermeasure analysis of the elderly population exposed to PM2.5 microenvironment

Work ◽

10.3233/wor-205361 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Yan Xu ◽

Wantian Cui

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Risk ◽

Elderly Population ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Negative Impact ◽

The Elderly ◽

Exposure Concentration ◽

Physical Diseases ◽

The Impact

BACKGROUND: China’s atmospheric PM2.5 pollution is serious, and PM2.5 exerts a negative impact on the human respiratory system, cardiovascular, and mental health, and even more serious health risk for the elderly with weak immunity. OBJECTIVE: This work aims to analyse the impacts of PM2.5 microenvironment exposure on the health of the elderly and provide corresponding countermeasures. METHODS: The survey subjects are 118 retired elderly people in the community. PM2.5 exposure concentrations are monitored in summer (June 10 ∼ July 10, 2019) and winter (November 25 ∼ December 25, 2019). RESULTS: The exposure concentration in winter is higher than that in summer, with statistical difference (P < 0.05). Under the impact of PM2.5 microenvironment exposure, smoking in the elderly can increase the concentration of PM2.5, and long-term exposure to PM2.5 in the elderly can cause mental health problems. CONCLUSION: Long-term exposure of the elderly to the PM2.5 microenvironment leads to physical diseases and even psychological problems, which requires attention.

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Review of research on the impact of physical activity on mental state of the elderly

Physiotherapy ◽

10.1515/physio-2015-0008 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 23 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Paulina Morga ◽

Justyna Traczyk ◽

Klaudyna Wittenbeck ◽

Agnieszka Zygmont

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Mental State ◽

The Elderly ◽

Diagnostic Tools ◽

Everyday Activities ◽

The World ◽

Analysis Of Results ◽

The Impact ◽

Mental And Physical Health

AbstractThe aim of the review was to find the factors correlated to the state of mental and physical health of the elderly as well as the factors, behaviours and activities that can be influenced and potentially modified. We performed an analysis of results of research conducted in many places all across the world among the persons after the age of 50. The results of this research indicate a significant role of physical activity in functioning of the elderly. They show how it influences their performance of everyday activities, their mood and health. We discuss the research taking into account the diagnostic tools used, the interventions performed and their effectiveness.

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Tourism under the Early Phase of COVID-19 in Four APEC Economies: An Estimation with Special Focus on SARS Experiences

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17207543 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (20) ◽

pp. 7543

Author(s):

Bao-Linh Tran ◽

Chi-Chung Chen ◽

Wei-Chun Tseng ◽

Shu-Yi Liao

Keyword(s):

Hong Kong ◽

New Zealand ◽

Fixed Effects ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Asia Pacific ◽

International Tourism ◽

Special Focus ◽

Tourism Demand ◽

Data Set ◽

The Impact

This study examines how experience of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) influences the impact of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on international tourism demand for four Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, and New Zealand, over the 1 January–30 April 2020 period. To proceed, panel regression models are first applied with a time-lag effect to estimate the general effects of COVID-19 on daily tourist arrivals. In turn, the data set is decomposed into two nation groups and fixed effects models are employed for addressing the comparison of the pandemic-tourism relationship between economies with and without experiences of the SARS epidemic. Specifically, Taiwan and Hong Kong are grouped as economies with SARS experiences, while Thailand and New Zealand are grouped as countries without experiences of SARS. The estimation result indicates that the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has a significant negative impact on tourism demand, in which a 1% COVID-19 case increase causes a 0.075% decline in tourist arrivals, which is a decline of approximately 110 arrivals for every additional person infected by the coronavirus. The negative impact of COVID-19 on tourist arrivals for Thailand and New Zealand is found much stronger than for Taiwan and Hong Kong. In particular, the number of tourist arrivals to Taiwan and Hong Kong decreased by 0.034% in response to a 1% increase in COVID-19 confirmed cases, while in Thailand and New Zealand, a 1% national confirmed cases increase caused a 0.103% reduction in tourism demand. Moreover, the effect of the number of domestic cases on international tourism is found lower than the effect caused by global COVID-19 mortality for the economies with SARS experiences. In contrast, tourist arrivals are majorly affected by the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Thailand and New Zealand. Finally, travel restriction in all cases is found to be the most influencing factor for the number of tourist arrivals. Besides contributing to the existing literature focusing on the knowledge regarding the nexus between tourism and COVID-19, the paper’s findings also highlight the importance of risk perception and the need of transmission prevention and control of the epidemic for the tourism sector.

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Population Aging, Household Savings and Asset Prices: A Study Based on Urban Commercial Housing Prices

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11113194 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (11) ◽

pp. 3194 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Shihong Zeng ◽

Xinwei Zhang ◽

Xiaowei Wang ◽

Guowang Zeng

Keyword(s):

Asset Prices ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Interaction Analysis ◽

Population Aging ◽

Housing Prices ◽

The Elderly ◽

Dependency Ratio ◽

Household Savings ◽

Savings Rate ◽

The Impact

Currently, China’s aging population, high savings rate and high housing asset prices coexist, which has become a hot issue in academic research. First, considering the life-cycle hypothesis and overlapping generations model, asset prices are negatively correlated with the population dependency ratio and positively correlated with household savings. Second, based on census data from prefecture-level cities, a pooled regression model and two-stage least squares (2SLS) are used in this empirical research. The child dependency ratio was found to have a significant negative impact on housing prices, while the elderly dependency ratio had a positive impact on housing prices. The positive relationship between household savings and housing prices is highly significant. Finally, the interaction analysis shows that the impact of population aging on housing prices differs under different levels of household savings; thus, population aging affects housing prices through household savings, and the mediator dilutes and weakens this impact. The elderly generation’s release of savings could gradually inhibit housing prices. Population aging causes long-run downside risks but not a market meltdown.

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Back Pain and Heart Failure in Older Adults: Findings From the Health ABC Study

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.656 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 203-203

Author(s):

Jie Chen ◽

Yiming Zhang ◽

Eleanor Simonsick ◽

Angela Starkweather ◽

Ming-Hui Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heart Failure ◽

Older Adults ◽

Back Pain ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Smoking Status ◽

The Elderly ◽

Epidemiological Studies ◽

Negative Influence ◽

Epidemiologic Studies ◽

The Impact

Abstract Both back pain and heart failure (HF) have negative influence on all aspects of life. Little is known about the impact of back pain on older adults with HF. We include 1295 older adults who had data collected in the 11th year (2007-2008) of the Health, Aging and Body Composition (Health ABC) study to evaluate the effect of back pain on health status among older adults with and without HF. The participants aged 79-91, 54.8% were female and 34.8% were African American. Among 94 participants with HF, 63 (67.0%) had back pain; among 1201 participants without HF, 649 (54.0%) had back pain. Females reporting back pain had 4.76 (95% CI: 1.83, 12.37) times the odds of having HF compared to those without back pain. Male with back pain, compared to those without back pain, had 1.14 times (95% CI: 0.65, 2.02) the odds of having HF. Depressive symptoms were measured by the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale. Performance and functions were measured by the Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies in the Elderly (EPESE) performance score, the Health ABC performance battery score and self-reported difficulty with functional tasks. These symptom and performance measures were significantly associated with both back pain and HF, but not the interaction terms of back pain and HF after adjusting demographic variables including gender, race, smoking status and BMI category. The high incidence and negative impact of back pain highlighted the needs of developing strategies in pain management among older adults with and without HF.

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The Spiral Effect of Incarceration

Police Brutality, Racial Profiling, and Discrimination in the Criminal Justice System - Advances in Religious and Cultural Studies ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-1088-8.ch008 ◽

2016 ◽

pp. 138-150

Author(s):

Ekunwe Ikponwosa ◽

Stephen Egharevba

Keyword(s):

Negative Impact ◽

Participant Observation ◽

Waiting Times ◽

The United States ◽

Prison Sentence ◽

Remote Locations ◽

The Family ◽

One Year ◽

The Impact ◽

Latent Function

The discussions surrounding imprisonment in response to crime in society has traditionally been on deterrent. A latent function of incarceration is the impact that a prison sentence has on the family of prisoners. Not much attention has been given to the spiral effect on families during incarceration. For example, in the United States, with increasingly harsh sentences being served in prisons in remote locations, severe hardships fall upon inmates and their families. The present study explores the ways in which Finland has sought to reduce the negative impact of a prison sentence on both inmate and family members. The study is based on one year of participant observation in an “open prison” in Finland, and interviews and observations with inmates and their families (numbers of inmates and families observed). Two questions that guide this research are: 1) What problems arise due to the incarceration of a family member? 2) What strategies are employed to respond to these problems? For example, having served times in prison reduces ex-prisoners' marriages as marriages does prevent recidivism. In other words, wives often instilled discipline in their partners in such a way to avoiding deviant behaviour. The open prison in Finland does reduces ill-mannered treatment of inmate partners by prison staffs during visits, reduces expensive collect calls, and the long waiting times for visitations, etc.

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Health Care Service Designs with ICT

Applied Mechanics and Materials ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.135-136.565 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 135-136 ◽

pp. 565-572

Author(s):

Chuang Chun Chiou

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Care Service ◽

Health Care Service ◽

Service Design ◽

The Elderly ◽

Diagnostic Tools ◽

Service Levels ◽

Interactive Tools ◽

Critical Issues ◽

Information And Communication

The applications of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on new health care service design have drawn vast interests from both academics and industry. In this study we systematically analyzed the needs of different levels for the elderly. From home care service to acute medical treatment at hospital, the selection of appropriate service mainly depends on the level of medication. We address some critical issues and new trends for designing new care service via ICT. The study finds that the availability of enhanced Internet access, innovative interactive tools and devices, integrated health information systems, as well as gene-based screening and diagnostic tools will be the main areas for new health service design which can be tailored for the needs of different service levels.

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When Grandparents Move In

Social Psychology ◽

10.1027/1864-9335/a000415 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 51 (5) ◽

pp. 299-308 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Brian T. Smith ◽

Kelly Charlton

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Older Adult ◽

Aging Process ◽

Negative Impact ◽

The Elderly ◽

Growing Up ◽

Attitudes Toward Older Adults ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship

Abstract. This paper explores the impact of growing up with an older adult in the home on one’s attitudes toward older adults. We surveyed 309 participants for their opinions on older adults, whether they grew up living with an older adult, and whether the older adult they lived with was ill. Those who grew up with an older adult had significantly lower opinions of the elderly but had less anxiety around their own aging process. This negative impact of contact seemed especially pronounced if the older adult was ill. Results indicate that although contact in and of itself can have a positive benefit on opinions toward the elderly, the nature of the relationship impacts the effectiveness of the contact.

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PSYCHOSOCIAL ISSUES IN COVID-19 PANDEMIC

10.25215/1794795529 ◽

2021 ◽

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Daily Life ◽

Opportunity To Learn ◽

The Elderly ◽

Health Crisis ◽

Medical Needs ◽

The World ◽

The Impact ◽

At Home

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has sparked a global health crisis that has altered our perceptions of the world and our daily lives. Not only has the velocity of infection and transmission patterns undermined our feeling of agency, but the safety measures to restrict the virus's spread also demanded social and physical separation, prohibiting us from seeking solace in the company of others. The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has wreaked havoc on daily life and normal activities as well as having serious health, economic, financial, and societal consequences Lockdowns and physical/social distancing measures were enforced in numerous countries throughout the world beginning in March 2020. COVID-19 has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people all over the world. This high death toll, combined with the rapid changes in daily life brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, may have a negative impact on child and adolescent mental health. Individuals' reactions to the security measures adopted to combat the epidemic varied depending on the social roles they played. Some segments of the population seem to be more exposed to the risk of anxious, depressive, and post-traumatic symptoms as the population is more susceptible to stress. COVID-19 pandemic has generated a situation like mass hysteria or fear. This mass fear of COVID-19, termed as “Coronaphobia”, has generated a plethora of psychiatric manifestations across societies. In India, the first and foremost responses to the pandemic have been fear and a sense of clear and imminent danger. Fears have ranged from those based on facts to unfounded fears based on misinformation circulating in the media, particularly social media. All of us respond differently to the barrage of information from all the available sources. It is equally important to consider the impact of the various phases of the pandemic on children, the elderly and pregnant women. The worries of adults can be transmitted to children and make them anxious and fearful. They can become very easily bored, angry and frustrated. Without an opportunity for outdoor play and socialization, they may become increasingly engrossed in social media and online entertainment, which can make them even more socially isolated when they emerge out of this situation. Parents need to know means of keeping the children engaged, providing an opportunity to learn new skills at home, as well as encourage children to participate in activities, get them engaged in “edutainment” and hone their extracurricular skills as well. Children with special needs may need innovative approaches to engage them and keep them active at home. For the elderly, they can feel further isolated and neglected, become more worried about their families, and increasingly worried about their health. They may not have the support systems to care for them, particularly in terms of their medical needs. This can aggravate into anxiety and depression.

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