scholarly journals The Spanish Intergenerational Study: Beliefs, Stereotypes, and Metacognition about Older People and Grandparents to Tackle Ageism

Geriatrics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 87
Author(s):  
Aida Muntsant ◽  
Paula Ramírez-Boix ◽  
Rocío Leal-Campanario ◽  
Francisco Javier Alcaín ◽  
Lydia Giménez-Llort
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older People ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Male Students ◽  
Negative Stereotypes ◽  
Intergenerational Study ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Prejudice And Discrimination

Ageism can be seen as systematic stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination of people because of their age. For a long time, society has accepted negative stereotypes as a norm. When referring to older adults, the United Nations Global Report on Ageism warns about a severe impact. The Intergenerational Study for a Healthy Aging, a questionnaire about believes, stereotypes, and knowledge about older people and grandparents, was administered to 326 Spanish biology and medical students. Here we report the results of stereotype analysis through adjective qualification of the youth and older people performed before the survey. Content analysis of two open questions about metacognition at the end of the survey is also presented. The results show that: (1) The questionnaire promoted metacognition; (2) Positive metacognition toward grandparents was higher than for the general old population; (3) Most participants were not conscious about ageism; (4) Gender was a key factor—male students were more ageist than females; (5) The feeling of guilt was higher in the questionnaire about older people; (6) The metacognition exercise elicited thoughts and, in few cases, the need to take action to tackle ageism. In conclusion, both activities promoted active thoughts about older people vs. grandparents and helped participants realize unconscious ageism—specifically toward the older population—serving as an awareness activity that may help tackle ageism.

scholarly journals Thoughts on the Ageing Body

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Ghillani
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older People ◽  
Active Role ◽  
The Body ◽  
Negative Stereotypes ◽  
Artificial Image ◽  
The Media ◽  
Ageing Body ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Positive Representations

AbstractRecent studies have taken into account the fact that the lives of older people have changed drastically in the past fifty years. Older people today engage more with society and are also expected to maintain an active role in their communities. In order to maintain a positive social status, todays older adults need both to challenge negative stereotypes and also to achieve the “unachievable” positive representations in the media. Society plays a complex game of bodily images: the artificial image of the human body in the media, the image that individuals try to project, and the image that society reflects back to the individual. When the three don’t coincide, the collision creates a distancing effect. To truly understand the lived experiences of older adults in contemporary society we must explore the changing perceptions of the body. This review will illustrate the arguments both classical and contemporary through an exploration of the ageing female body, which remains the focus of most of the literature.

scholarly journals Digital Health Interventions for Healthy Aging: A Qualitative User Evaluation and Ethical Assessment

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcello Ienca ◽  
Christophe Schneble ◽  
Reto Kressig ◽  
Tenzin Wangmo
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older People ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Functional Independence ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Healthy Ageing ◽  
Health Technologies ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract BackgroundDigital health technologies are being increasingly developed with the aim of allowing older adults to maintain functional independence throughout the old age, a process known as healthy ageing. Such digital health technologies for healthy ageing are expected to mitigate the socio-economic effects of population ageing and improve the quality of life of older people. However, little is known regarding the views and needs of older people regarding these technologies. AimThe aim of this study is to explore the views, needs and perceptions of community-dwelling older adults regarding the use of digital health technologies for healthy ageing. MethodFace-to-face, in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with community-dwelling older adults (median age 79.6 years). The interview process involved both abstract reflections and practical demonstrations. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed according to inductive content analysis. ResultsThree main themes and twelve sub-themes emerged. The three main themes revolved around the following thematic areas: favorable views and perceptions on technology-assisted living, usability evaluations and ethical considerations. ConclusionsOur study reveals a generally positive attitude towards digital health technologies as participants believed digital tools could positively contribute to improving their overall wellbeing, especially if designed in a patient-centered manner. Safety concerns and ethical issues related to privacy, empowerment and lack of human contact also emerged as key considerations.

scholarly journals SHAPE: A Healthy Aging Community Project Designed Based on the Salutogenic Theory

2021 ◽  
pp. 329-347
Author(s):  
Betsy Seah ◽  
Wenru Wang
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older People ◽  
Sense Of Coherence ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Spiritual Health ◽  
Health Resource ◽  
Community Project ◽  
Aging Program ◽  
Resource Program ◽  
Oriented Approach

AbstractSalutogenesis introduces a paradigm that requires a perceptual change towards what creates health and how health can be facilitated. Removing the lens of pathogenesis, aging is an achievement to be embraced and older people are valued as assets for their wealth of experiences, resources, skills and knowledge. From the perspectives of older adults, the concept of healthy aging is multidimensional, comprising bio-psycho-social-spiritual health. Evidence shows that sense of coherence via resistance resources promotes health outcomes among older adults. However, very few works have attempted to operationalise the salutogenic theory to promote healthy aging among older community dwellers. This chapter provides a detailed description of the Salutogenic Healthy Aging Program Embracement (SHAPE) intervention for senior-only household dwellers. SHAPE represents an application of the salutogenic concepts: sense of coherence and resistance resources. SHAPE is an integrative person-centric multi-dimensional health resource program that employs an asset-based insight-oriented approach. Illustration of examples in which how the salutogenic concepts were operationalised in developing the SHAPE intervention approach, its content, activities and the conduction of the intervention are presented.

scholarly journals Investigating the WHAT and WHY on older adults’ use of neighborhood open spaces following an environmental intervention

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanja Schmidt ◽  
Charlotte Skau Pawlowski ◽  
Jacqueline Kerr ◽  
Jasper Schipperijn
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Interaction ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Organized Activities ◽  
Environmental Intervention ◽  
Mixed Methods Design ◽  
Open Spaces ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Key Factor

Abstract Using neighborhood open spaces (NOS) may be an easy way for older adults to maintain healthy aging through physical activity and social interaction. Little is known about older adults’ use of NOS, their preferences, and barriers to using them. This paper presents older adults’ use of NOS in a deprived neighborhood before and after an intervention and factors promoting or inhibiting their use using convergent mixed methods design. Participatory research was employed involving older adults in the intervention. The System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities was used to observe older adults’ use of 13 NOS in spring 2017 (baseline) and spring 2018 (follow-up). Ten interviews were conducted in 2018 to identify barriers and facilitators for using NOS. Two NOS had a pavilion built and, in one NOS, benches were renovated, including building raised flower beds and small tables. At baseline, 209 older adults were observed, whereas 329 were observed at follow-up. More (44%) older adults were observed at follow-up in the NOS with the renovated benches. No use of the two pavilions was observed. The interviews identified six factors important for older adults’ use of NOS: weather, support for social caretakers, support for resourceful volunteers, organized activities, social interaction, and sense of ownership. Organizational resources, such as social caretakers and volunteers, are important to promote older adults’ use of NOS. Social interaction is a key factor for older adults’ use of NOS and should be prioritized by health promoters.

scholarly journals Nothing to be ashamed of: sex robots for older adults with disabilities

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy S Jecker
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older People ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Disabled People ◽  
Bodily Integrity ◽  
Human Capabilities ◽  
Negative Stereotypes ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Sex Robots ◽  
Positive Argument

This paper spotlights ways in which sexual capacities relate to central human capabilities, such as the ability to generate a personally meaningful story of one’s life; be physically, mentally and emotionally healthy; experience bodily integrity; affiliate and bond with others; feel and express a range of human emotions; and choose a plan of life. It sets forth a dignity-based argument for affording older people access to sex robots as part of reasonable efforts to support their central human capabilities at a floor level. The argument develops stepwise: (1) first, I dispel ageism and negative stereotypes about later-life sexuality, showing their deep historical roots in medicine and science; (2) second, I set forth a positive argument, grounded in capability accounts of justice, for deploying sex robots for older people with disabilities; (3) finally, after responding to objections, I conclude that sex robots are a reasonable way to support later-life sexuality for persons with disabilities. While often depicted as a product for younger, able-bodied people, this paper is a bid for reimagining sex robots as a product for older, disabled people.

scholarly journals Learning Together During a Pandemic Lockdown: Connecting Older Mentors with Nursing Students

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 951-951
Author(s):  
Alison Phinney ◽  
Frances Affleck
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Nursing Education ◽  
Nursing Students ◽  
Older People ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Undergraduate Nursing ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Nursing education tends to focus on complex clinical issues affecting older adults who are acutely ill or in long-term care. This creates challenges for educators wanting to expose students to a greater range of experience, including realities of healthy aging. Opportunities to do things differently were presented when an established undergraduate nursing course on complex aging care underwent significant adjustment in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the course was condensed and moved online and clinical sites closed, invitations were extended to community-dwelling older people who wanted to “help teach nursing students about aging”. The response was overwhelming; over nine days, 118 people (ages 65-94) volunteered to be mentors. Through weekly online/ phone conversations, each person guided their assigned student to learn about diverse experiences of aging. Post-survey results showed the impact of these conversations. Over 90% of mentors felt they had contributed in a meaningful way to student learning and would do it again and recommend it to others. 85% of students felt it was a meaningful experience, offering comments like: “I am more mindful of my assumptions now” and “I learned to approach interactions with older adults as a collaboration; we have so much to give each other”. These results provide a needed counterpoint to the predominant COVID discourse of older people as “isolated, helpless, and needy”. Students came to understand that older people were also “engaged, active, and contributing” and identified how this had changed their view of aging. Implications for nursing education are explored.

Making Aging Healthier

Pained ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 207-208
Author(s):  
Michael D. Stein ◽  
Sandro Galea
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Older People ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Aging Population ◽  
Built Environments ◽  
Aging Populations

This chapter studies four new realities which need to be considered in addressing the needs of the aging population. First, healthy aging is the ultimate example of prevention in action. To age in a healthy way, we have to prevent disease from taking hold, suggesting a redoubled effort in preventing some of the conditions—such as obesity and substance use—that result in unhealthy older life. Second, we must take steps such as creating more accessible built environments, and ensuring older adults have volunteer opportunities, to make sure populations remain integrated in communities as they age. Third, we must close health gaps that exist among aging populations. These include gaps created by race, LGBTQ status, and socioeconomic status. Finally, we need to intensify our efforts to tackle the health challenges that older people face, such as Alzheimer’s disease.

scholarly journals Challenging and Dismantling Ageist Attitudes, Beliefs, and Behaviors Through Intergenerational Programs

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 480-480
Author(s):  
Tia Rogers-Jarrell ◽  
Brad Meisner
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older People ◽  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Negative Stereotypes ◽  
Age Stereotypes ◽  
Intergroup Contact Theory ◽  
Intergenerational Programs ◽  
Negative Beliefs ◽  
Age Segregation ◽  
Older Populations

Abstract Age stereotypes are complex and multifaceted: individuals can demonstrate and embody numerous and varied positive and negative stereotypes. Therefore, solutions to combat age stereotypes must also be complex and multifaceted. Additionally, both social and physical forms of age segregation are common in our society. This causes fewer and fewer opportunities for younger and older people to interact. Intergroup Contact Theory suggests age stereotypes can be reduced through increased intergenerational contact. One way to encourage contact between younger and older populations is through intergenerational programming. However, there is a lack of literature investigating the effects of intergenerational programs on perceptions of aging. The purpose of this paper was to critically review and explore literature on intergenerational programs to understand how they influence age stereotypes and ageist attitudes. The available literature suggests that intergenerational programs involving young children (ages 4-8), adolescents (ages 11-18), or emerging adults (ages 19-26) interacting with older adults (ages 65+) can significantly reduce age stereotypes towards older adults. Additionally, older adults (ages 65+) negative beliefs and attitudes towards younger people (ages 4-26) can also be deconstructed after participation in intergenerational programs. Intergenerational programs act to break down age barriers and promote connections and understandings between generations. These programs challenge the belief that older and younger people should live and participate in spaces that are separate from one another. Providing opportunities for younger and older people to participate in intergenerational programs is one way to promote respectful relationships and enhance the quality of life and health of all generations.

scholarly journals 443Factors associated with frailty in a relatively healthy community-dwelling older adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
A R M Saifuddin Ekram ◽  
Joanne Ryan ◽  
Sara Espinoza ◽  
Anne Newman ◽  
Anne Murray ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older People ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
The United States ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Study Cohort ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Frailty Status ◽  
Healthy Cohort ◽  
Trial Participants

Abstract Background Frailty is gaining importance as a predictor of disability and mortality in aged adults, and becoming frail poses a challenge for healthy aging. We investigated the prevalence and factors associated with pre-frail and frail status in a large study cohort of community-dwelling healthy older adults from Australia and the United States. Methods A total of 19,114 individuals (87% Australian and 56% women) aged 65 years or older enrolled in a primary prevention clinical trial were evaluated. Frailty status was classified using the modified Fried phenotype criteria comprising exhaustion, body mass index, grip strength, gait speed and physical activity. Prevalence and factors associated with frailty status (e.g., demographic characteristics and lifestyle factors) were reported using descriptive statistics along with a logistic regression model. Results At baseline, 39.0% (95% CI: 38.3, 39.7) of older trial participants were pre-frail and 2.2% (95% CI: 2.0, 2.4) were frail, respectively. Women were more likely to be frail (65.1% vs. 36.9%) and prefrail (58.0% vs. 42.0%) than men. Lower levels of education (<12 years), living alone, ethnic minorities, current smoking and past alcohol use were some of the factors which were common among frail or prefrail. Conclusions Despite being a relatively healthy cohort, more than one-third of the older trial participants were pre-frail, which was more prevalent among specific subgroups of individuals. This study emphasizes the high burden of the prefrailty status even among a healthy cohort of community-dwelling older people. Key messages The burden of prefrailty is high, even among a healthy cohort of older people in the communities.

scholarly journals High Anemia Prevalence in Korean Older Adults, an Urgent Healthcare Problem: 2007-2016 KNHANES

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hee won Chueh ◽  
Hye Lim Jung ◽  
Ye Jee Shim ◽  
Hyoung Soo Choi ◽  
Jin Yeong Han
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older People ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
High Morbidity ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Female Sex ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Potential Risk Factors ◽  
The Difference

Abstract BACKGROUND: Anemia is associated with high morbidity and mortality in older people. However, anemia in older individuals is not fully understood, and national data on the prevalence and characteristics of anemia in Korean older people are lacking. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and characteristics of anemia in older adults using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) , which is the nation-wide cross-sectional epidemiological study conducted by Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare. METHODS: Data from the total of 62,825 participants of the 2007-2016 KNHANES were merged and analyzed to investigate differences in participant characteristics and potential risk factors for anemia. RESULTS: The prevalence of anemia was higher in the population aged ≥65 years (older adults) than in the younger population. Anemia was also more prevalent among females than among males, but the difference was not statistically significant in people aged >85 years. Being underweight, receiving a social allowance, living alone, and having comorbidities such as hypertension, arthritis, diabetes mellitus (DM), cardiovascular disease (CVD), stroke, cancer, and chronic renal failure (CRF) were more prevalent in older adults with anemia than in the group without anemia. In the univariate and multivariate analyses, older age, female sex, underweight, and comorbidities including arthritis, DM, CVD, stroke, cancer, and CRF were associated with an increased risk of anemia. Furthermore, the prevalence data were significantly higher in this study than in previous studies. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that age, female sex, underweight, and the presence of comorbidities such as arthritis, DM, CVD, stroke, cancer, and CRF were associated with an increased risk of anemia in Korean older adults. Our findings may be useful in developing interventions and programs aimed at healthy aging. Further study on causal relationships between anemia and other variables in the older population is necessary.

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