scholarly journals Loneliness as a mediator of the impact of social isolation on cognitive functioning of Chinese older adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 599-604 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rumei Yang ◽  
Haocen Wang ◽  
Linda S Edelman ◽  
Eunjin L Tracy ◽  
George Demiris ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Adult Children ◽  
Social Activity ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Living Alone ◽  
Activity Engagement ◽  
Chinese Older Adults ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background and Objective older adults have increased risk of social isolation, loneliness and cognitive functioning impairment, but the relationships among these factors are not conclusive. We investigated the potential mediation mechanism of loneliness on the association between social isolation and cognitive functioning among Chinese older adults within their cultural context. Design secondary analysis of the baseline wave (2011–12) of the harmonised China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. Setting and Subjects community-dwelling older adults in China (N = 7,410 participants aged 60–101 years). Methods we applied a multiple indicator multiple cause approach to determine whether the construct of social isolation is well defined by four indicators (social activity engagement, weekly adult children contact, caregiving for grandchildren and living alone) and used structural equation modelling to examine the direct and indirect effects among variables of interest. Results the results demonstrated that social activity engagement, weekly adult children contact and caregiving for grandchildren were significantly related to social isolation (β = −0.26 to −0.28) (Living alone was fixed to 1 for model identification.) The indirect effect of social isolation on cognitive functioning through loneliness was significant (β = −0.15), indicating loneliness was an important mediator. However, the direct effect of social isolation on cognitive functioning also remained significant (β = −0.83), suggesting a partial mediation effect. Conclusions our study highlights the mediation role of loneliness in the relationship between social isolation and cognitive functioning among Chinese older adults. The findings support the beneficial effects of maintaining social relations and coping with feelings of loneliness on older adults’ cognitive functioning.

scholarly journals Cognitive Outcomes during COVID-19 confiNemeNt in Elderly and their Caregivers using Technologies for DEMentia (CONNECT DEM): study protocol (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Marian Goodman-Casanova ◽  
Elena Dura-Perez ◽  
Gloria Guerrero-Pertiñez ◽  
Pilar Barnestein-Fonseca ◽  
Jose Guzman-Parra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Mild Dementia ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

BACKGROUND Coronavirus disease 2019 has forced worldwide the implementation of unprecedented restrictions to control its rapid spread and mitigate its impact. The Spanish government has enforced social distancing, quarantine and home confinement. This restriction of daily life activities and separation from loved ones may lead to social isolation and loneliness with health-related consequences in community-dwelling older adults with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia and their caregivers. Additionally, an inadequate access to healthcare and social support services may aggravate chronic conditions. Technology home-based interventions emerge for combating social isolation and loneliness preventing the risk of viral exposure. OBJECTIVE The aim of this cohort study is to explore, analyze and determine the impact of social isolation on: 1) cognition, quality of life, mood, technophilia and perceived stress of community-dwelling older adults with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia, and on caregiver burden; 2) health and social care services access and utilization, and 3) cognitive, social and entertainment use of ICTs. METHODS This study will be conducted in the Spanish region of Andalucía (Málaga). In total 200 dyads, consisting of a person with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia (PMCI/MD) and their informal caregiver will be contacted by telephone. Potential respondents will be participants of the SMART 4 MD (N=100) and TV-AssistDem (N=100) clinical trials. RESULTS The change in means in the variables will be analyzed comparing baseline results in the previous studies with those during and after confinement using the ANOVA test of repeated measures or the non-parametric Friedman test if appropriate. The performance of a multivariate analysis of variance (ANCOVA) to introduce possible covariates will also be contemplated. A 95% confidence level will be used. CONCLUSIONS If the hypothesis is proven, these findings will demonstrate the negative impact of social isolation due to the COVID-19 confinement on cognition, quality of life, mood, and perceived stress of community-dwelling older adults with mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia, the impact on technophilia, caregiver burden, and health and social care services access and utilization; and the cognitive, social and entertainment use of ICTs during the COVID-19 confinement and afterwards. CLINICALTRIAL NCT: 04385797

scholarly journals Stress and Adjustment During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study on the Lived Experience of Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra J. Jasmine Fiocco ◽  
Charlie Gryspeerdt ◽  
Giselle Franco
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Independent Living ◽  
Living Arrangement ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Behavioral Strategies ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing measures were put into place to flatten the pandemic curve. It was projected older adults were at increased risk for poor psychological and health outcomes resulting from increased social isolation and loneliness. However, little re-search has supported this projection among community-dwelling older adults. While growing body of research has examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on older adults, there is a paucity of qualitative research that captures the lived experience of community-dwelling older adults. The current study aimed to better understand the lived experience of community-dwelling older adults during the first six months of the pandemic. Semi-structured one on one interviews were conducting with independent living older adults aged 65 years and older. After achieving saturation, 22 interview were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Following a recursive process, two overarching themes emerged from the data: perceived threat and challenges of the pandemic and coping with the pandemic. Specifically, participants reflected on the threat of contracting the virus and challenges associated with living arrangement, social isolation, and financial insecurity. Participants shared their coping strategies to maintain health and wellbeing, including behavioral strategies, emotion-focused strategies, and social support. Overall, this re-search highlights resilience among older adults during the first six months of the pandemic.

scholarly journals Stress and Adjustment during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study on the Lived Experience of Canadian Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (24) ◽  
pp. 12922
Author(s):  
Alexandra J. Fiocco ◽  
Charlie Gryspeerdt ◽  
Giselle Franco
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Living Arrangements ◽  
Independent Living ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Behavioral Strategies ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing measures were put into place to flatten the pandemic curve. It was projected that older adults were at increased risk for poor psychological and health outcomes resulting from increased social isolation and loneliness. However, little research has supported this projection among community-dwelling older adults. While a growing body of research has examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on older adults, there is a paucity of qualitative research that captures the lived experience of community-dwelling older adults in Canada. The current study aimed to better understand the lived experience of community-dwelling older adults during the first six months of the pandemic in Ontario, Canada. Semi-structured one-on-one interviews were conducted with independent-living older adults aged 65 years and older. A total of 22 interviews were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Following a recursive process, two overarching themes were identified: perceived threat and challenges of the pandemic, and coping with the pandemic. Specifically, participants reflected on the threat of contracting the virus and challenges associated with living arrangements, social isolation, and financial insecurity. Participants shared their coping strategies to maintain health and wellbeing, including behavioral strategies, emotion-focused strategies, and social support. Overall, this research highlights resilience among older adults during the first six months of the pandemic.

scholarly journals HOW ARE SOCIAL ISOLATION AND LONELINESS RELATED TO COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING AMONG CHINESE OLDER ADULTS?

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S850-S851
Author(s):  
Rumei Yang ◽  
Haocen Wang ◽  
Eunjin L Tracy ◽  
Linda S Edelman ◽  
Katherine Sward ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Indirect Effect ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Mediation Effect ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Chinese Older Adults ◽  
Increased Risk

Abstract Older adults have increased risk of social isolation, loneliness, and cognitive functioning decline, but the relationships among these factors are not conclusive. We used the 2011 and 2012 waves of the harmonized China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study to: 1) measure the association between social isolation and cognitive functioning among Chinese older adults within their cultural context, and 2) investigate the potential mediation mechanism of loneliness on this association. Specifically, we applied a multiple indicator multiple cause approach to determine whether the construct of social isolation is well defined by four indicators (social activity engagement, weekly adult children contact, caregiving for grandchildren, and living alone). We used structural equation modeling to examine the direct and indirect effects among variables of interest. The results demonstrated that three indicators of social isolation were significantly associated with cognitive functioning (β =-0.26 to -0.28, all ps<0.05). The indirect effect of social isolation on cognitive functioning through loneliness was significant (β = -0.15, p<0.05), indicating loneliness was an important mediator. After controlling for the indirect effect of loneliness, the direct effect of social isolation on cognitive functioning remained significant (β =-0.83, p<0.05), suggesting a partial mediation effect. Our study confirms that social isolation contributes to cognitive functioning decline among Chinese older adults and that loneliness plays a mediating role. The findings suggest maintaining social relations and coping with feelings of loneliness are beneficial to older adults’ cognitive functioning.

scholarly journals Frailty as a Moderator of the Relationship Between Social Isolation and Health Outcomes

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 269-270
Author(s):  
Fereshteh Mehrabi ◽  
François Béland
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Social Participation ◽  
Social Ties ◽  
Extended Family ◽  
Adverse Outcomes ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Previous studies have reported that social isolation is a predictor of adverse outcomes, which is also closely associated with frailty. Very little is known about the moderating role of frailty on the impact of social isolation on health. We performed a cross-sectional analysis of the first wave of the FRéLE longitudinal study, consisting of 1643 Canadian community-dwelling older adults aged 65 years and over. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to examine the interaction between social isolation and frailty on health, controlling for socioeconomic characteristics and life habits. Social isolation was measured through social participation, social networks and support for different social ties namely, friends, children, extended family, and partner. In contrast to Berkman’s theory on the impact of social isolation on health, we found that frailty had no modifying role on the effects of social isolation on health. Frailty was significantly associated with all adverse outcomes. Less social participation was associated with ADLs, IADLs, depression and cognitive decline. The absence of friends was associated with depression and cognitive decline. Less support from children and having no children were associated with ADLs, comorbidity and depression. Fewer contact with extended family and having no family members were notably associated with ADLs and IADLs. Those who received less support from a partner or had no partner were more depressed and had more difficulties in performing IADLs. This study suggests that older adults who participate in social activities and have social ties, feel better with respect to physical health than those who feel isolated.

scholarly journals The association between social isolation and musculoskeletal health in older community-dwelling adults: findings from the Hertfordshire Cohort Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregorio Bevilacqua ◽  
Karen A. Jameson ◽  
Jean Zhang ◽  
Ilse Bloom ◽  
Kate A. Ward ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Mineral Density ◽  
Physical Capability ◽  
Time Points ◽  
Hertfordshire Cohort Study ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Purpose Social isolation has been associated with both physical and psychological adverse outcomes and is prevalent in older adults. We investigated the impact of social isolation on bone mineral density (BMD) and physical capability in community-dwelling older adults. Methods Data were collected in 2011 and 2017 from the Hertfordshire Cohort Study. In 2011, we assessed social isolation using the six-item Lubben Social Network Scale (LSNS-6) and the Maastricht Social Participation Profile (MSSP) and depressive and anxiety symptoms using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Physical capability was assessed by performing tests of gait speed, chair stands, timed up and go and balance at both time points. BMD was assessed using dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) at both time points. Results Data were available from 369 participants in 2011 and 184 in 2017. Forty percent of men and 42.4% of women were socially isolated. Isolated participants had higher odds of depressive disorder (OR 3.01, 95% CI 1.27–7.11, p < 0.02). Social isolation at baseline was associated with poor physical capability scores at follow-up (OR 5.53, 95% CI 1.09–27.99, p < 0.04). No associations were found between social isolation and BMD at either time point. Conclusions Social isolation was associated with higher odds of having depressive symptoms and predicted the development of poor physical capability 6 years later. Further longitudinal studies that include loneliness as a covariate are warranted.

scholarly journals Longitudinal Relationship Between Living Alone and Activity Engagement of Chinese Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 921-921
Author(s):  
Fengyan Tang ◽  
Ke Li
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Interaction ◽  
Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽  
Living Arrangement ◽  
Leisure Activity ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Living Alone ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Activity Engagement ◽  
Chinese Older Adults

Abstract The living arrangement of older adults plays a key role in their health status and psychological well-being. Yet the relationship between living arrangement and activity engagement remains unclear. Using data from three waves of the nationally representative China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) with a study sample of 7,479 respondents aged 60 or older, this study examined the effect of living alone on the frequency of activity engagement among Chinese older adults. Two types of activity engagement were examined in this study, including social interaction with friends and leisure activity (i.e., play chess, go to a sport or club). The multinomial logistic regression analyses were performed using generalized structural equation modeling (GSEM). Compared with those living with others, older adults living alone were older, more likely to be female and living in urban areas, and with fewer years of education and more functional limitations. The results also indicated that after controlling for a set of covariates, living alone status was significantly associated with the increased likelihood of high and medium frequency of both social interaction and leisure activity in reference to no engagement. This study not only improves the understanding of activity engagement preference of Chinese older adults who are living alone but also indicates the importance of improving community facilities and outdoor spaces to promote activity engagement among older adults.

Living Alone, Social Isolation and Depressive Disorder Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults in an Urn Community in Korea

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 58-64
Author(s):  
Jee Hoon Sohn ◽  
Seung Hee Ahn ◽  
Seung Joon Cho ◽  
Hwo Yeon Seo ◽  
Kyoung Nam Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Depressive Disorder ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Living Alone ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

scholarly journals Health impacts of the “Stay at Home” order on community dwelling older adults and how technologies may help: A focus group study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Daly ◽  
Colin Depp ◽  
Sarah Graham ◽  
Dilip V. Jeste ◽  
Ho-Cheol Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Potential Game ◽  
Viral Spread ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Mental And Physical Health ◽  
At Home

BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in nearly 250,000 deaths as of mid-November 2020 with 80% of those being people over 65 years of age. Since March 2020, preventive measures including lockdowns, social isolation, quarantine and social distancing have been implemented to reduce viral spread. These measures, while effective for risk prevention, may contribute to increased social isolation and loneliness among older adults and negatively impact mental and physical health. OBJECTIVE A qualitative study was conducted to identify the impact of the “Stay-at-Home” order on older adults living in a Continued Care Senior Housing Community (CCSHC) in southern California. METHODS Four 90-minute focus groups were convened using the Zoom communications platform during May 2020 with 21 CCSHC residents participating. Participants were asked to describe how they were managing during the “stay-at-home” mandate that was implemented in March 2020, including impact on their physical and mental health. Transcripts of each focus group were analyzed using qualitative methods. RESULTS Four themes emerged from the qualitative data including: Impact of Quarantine on Health and Well-Being; 2 - Communication Innovation; 3 - Effective Ways of Coping with Quarantine; and 4 – Improving Access to Technology and Training. Participants reported a threat to their mental and physical health directly tied to quarantine and exacerbated by social isolation and decreased physical activity. Technology was identified as a lifeline for many who are socially isolated from friends and family. CONCLUSIONS Technology access, connectivity, and literacy are potential game-changers to supporting the mental and physical health of older adults and must be prioritized. CLINICALTRIAL N/A

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