scholarly journals Perspectives From the 85+ Lifestyle Leaders on Social Isolation and Multigenerational Relationships

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 276-276
Author(s):  
Taylor Patskanick
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Weak Ties ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Intergenerational Programming

Abstract The oldest of older adults are especially impacted by many of the measures recommended to slow the spread of COVID-19. This presentation explores changes in Lifestyle Leaders’ experiences with loneliness and their beliefs about the impact of COVID-19 on multigenerational relationships and intergenerational programming. For example, 55.6% strongly agreed or agreed with the statement, “The pandemic will have been more socially impactful on younger generations than older generations.” Lifestyle Leaders remain interested (68%) in virtual or socially distanced intergenerational programming. Particular activities of interest included technology tutoring, pen pals, and outdoor or virtual socializing. Additionally, this presentation will highlight how the Lifestyle Leaders have been impacted by a loss in weak ties and the extent to which the pandemic has prompted them to take on new roles in their families, including “accepting” paid and unpaid caregiving and experiences living with children and grandchildren during the pandemic.

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

Impact of Social Isolation on Physical Activity and Factors Associated With Sedentary Behavior in Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Giovana Z. Mazo ◽  
Felipe Fank ◽  
Pedro S. Franco ◽  
Bruna da Silva Vieira Capanema ◽  
Franciele da Silva Pereira
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Sedentary Behavior ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Moderate Physical Activity ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
The Impact

The objective was to analyze the impact of social isolation on moderate physical activity and factors associated with sedentary behavior of older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was a cross-sectional study involving 111 older adults (aged 71.0 ± 6.87 years). The data were collected at two time points: in November 2019 and in June 2020. There was a decline in moderate physical activity when the minutes/week were compared before and during social isolation (p < .001). Sedentary behavior was associated with the condition of living alone. Older adults who lived alone were 3.29 times more likely to spend 4 hr or more in sedentary behavior than those who lived with a partner (95% confidence interval [1.01, 10.74]). Government agencies must establish PA-related health promotion strategies, especially in developing and low-income countries. Therefore, home exercises need to be encouraged to prevent the consequences of this pandemic period.

scholarly journals Management of bio-psycho-social frailty to reduce hospital use and improve survival of older adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
G Liotta ◽  
N Accarino ◽  
S Orlando ◽  
S Gentili ◽  
E Terracciano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Hospital Care ◽  
Admission Rate ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Hospital Admission Rate ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Ageing of population is associated to the increase of care demand. Many health systems are still centered on hospital care, that sometime is not appropriate. The shift from hospital to community care requires a new model of service delivery. Aim of this paper is to assess the impact of a community service based on the assessment of frailty, on mortality and use of hospital care by older adults. Methods A cohort made up by 8,592 over-75 subjects (67.1% female, mean age 84.5; SD ± 5.29) has been assessed once a year for bio-psycho-social frailty by the administration of the Short Functional Geriatric Evaluation questionnaire. The enrolled subjects were involved in a Community-based pro-Active Monitoring Program which provides interventions aimed at reducing social isolation. Mortality, use of hospital care and use of residential long-term care have been recorded during the follow up and separate and cumulative incidence rate was measured. Results The sample was stratified in Robust (37.5%), Pre-frail (24.0%), Frail, (29.5%) and Very Frail (9.1%) individuals. Mortality, Hospital admission rate and Residential LTC admission rate were higher in the very frails than among the other groups. However, according to social isolation, the integrated subjects at the baseline assessment, showed the highest incidence of negative events: 29.5%, 20.8%, 21.0%, .and 20.8% for integrated, mild isolated, moderate isolated and severely isolated individuals respectively (p &lt; 0.001). The logistic regression analysis, adjusted for age, gender and level of frailty, confirmed the protective role of reducing social isolation among isolated individuals compared with integrated ones (OR: 0.729; CL95% 0.673-0.720). Conclusions The assessment of bio-psycho-social frailty could be the starting point for effective intervention at community level, like the program mentioned above. Management of frailty may lead to an improvement of public health outcomes. Key messages Intervention dealing with social isolation are able to revert the increase of mortality related to the lack of social resources. Management of frailty may lead to an improvement of public health outcomes.

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 Technology and Social Isolation, Loneliness, and Health Inequities Among Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 931-932
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Jutai ◽  
Joshua Tuazon
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Health Inequities ◽  
Care Seeking ◽  
Adverse Health Outcomes ◽  
Full Analysis ◽  
Advance Research ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, older adults have been advised to stay-at-home to reduce the risk of infection. Social distancing and quarantine measures increase their vulnerability to adverse health outcomes like depression and cardiovascular disease. Technology is an effective tool to promote social connectedness among older adults affected by the pandemic; however, its role in reducing loneliness and health inequities is not well understood. The goal of this project was to construct a model for how technologies may be deployed to mitigate the impact of a pandemic on social isolation, loneliness, and health inequities for older adults. PubMed, SCOPUS, and PsychINFO were searched for the following keywords: “social isolation,” “loneliness,” “social support,” “resilience,” “technology,” “pandemic,” and “health inequities.” Articles selected for full analysis attempted to understand or observe how technology alleviates social isolation and/or loneliness among older adults. Research evidence indicates that using technology reduces loneliness directly and indirectly (by reducing social isolation) and can strengthen social support, which in turn promotes resilience among older adults. Video-based technologies encourage care-seeking behaviors in this population. There is insufficient evidence to determine technology’s relationship to health inequities experienced by older adults. The model we have proposed should help advance research on the relationship between technology and health inequities among older adults that may be aggravated by pandemic-like situations. We hypothesize that technology interventions for social support and functional competence should be sequenced in order to have the best effects on reducing health disparities.

scholarly journals A Virtual Companionship Intervention Reduces Loneliness During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 966-966
Author(s):  
Ellen Rudy ◽  
Kelsey McNamara ◽  
Rajiv Patel ◽  
Corey Sturm
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Free Access ◽  
National Service ◽  
Medicare Advantage ◽  
Virtual Visits ◽  
Clinical Conditions ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Loneliness and social isolation are established risk factors for many clinical conditions yet few scalable interventions exist. Papa Inc. is a national service that pairs older adults with “Papa Pals” (empathetic, laypeople) who provide companionship and assistance with everyday tasks. Participants have free access if their Medicare Advantage plan offers it. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Papa provided virtual companionship visits via telephone or video. This study evaluated the impact of virtual companionship visits on loneliness status (UCLA 3-item Loneliness Scale) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sample (N=894) included adults ages 65+ who identified as lonely at baseline and who completed at least one virtual visit between March 18, 2020 and December 31, 2020. Virtual visits were classified into four categories based on participants’ total number of visit minutes: Low (124 ave min), Medium Low (ML) (305 ave min), Medium High (MH) (567 ave min), and High (1360 ave min). Lonely and severely lonely participants engaged a mean of 573 and 673 minutes in the program, respectively. Improvement in loneliness status was associated with greater use of minutes for the ML and MH participants compared to Low participants (ML OR: 1.46 95CI: 1.00 - 2.11, MH OR 1.65 95CI: 1.13 - 2.40). These findings indicate that a virtual companionship intervention can be an impactful and scalable tool for older adults who want to age at home and have limited social support, especially during the uncertain COVID landscape. Further research is warranted to understand persistent loneliness.

scholarly journals Identifying frail populations for disease risk prediction and intervention planning in the Covid-19 era: a focus on social isolation and psychosocial vulnerability

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Cerami ◽  
Marco Canevelli ◽  
Gaia Santi ◽  
Caterina Galandra ◽  
Alessandra Dodich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Health Status ◽  
General Population ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Social Vulnerability ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
The Impact

Background: The early identification of fragile populations in the Covid-19 era would help governments to allocate resources and plan strategies to contain consequences of the pandemic. Beyond frailty, social vulnerability to environmental stressors, such as the social distancing enforced to reduce the SARS-CoV2 contagion, can modify long-term disease risk and induce health status changes in the general population. Methods: We assessed frailty and social vulnerability indices in 1258 Italian residents during the lockdown phase (March 14-31, 2020) via an on-line survey. We compared indices taking into account age categories (young, middle, older adults and elders) and gender. Results: While frailty showed a linear increase with age and was greater in females than in males, social vulnerability was higher in young adults and elders compared to middle aged and older adults, and in males than females. Both frailty and social vulnerability contributed in explaining the individual perception of the impact of Covid-19 emergency on health, which was further modulated by proactive attitudes/behaviors and social isolation.Conclusions: Social isolation and loneliness following the Covid-19 outbreak may exert dramatic psychosocial effects in the general population. The early detection of vulnerable categories, at risk to become ill and develop long-lasting health status changes, would help in the next future to prevent consequences on general well-being by allocating resources to targeted interventions managing psychosocial distress and increasing young adults and elderly resilience towards the post-Covid-19 crisis.

scholarly journals DRIVING CESSATION AND SOCIAL ISOLATION IN OLDER ADULTS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S827-S827
Author(s):  
Weidi Qin ◽  
Xiaoling Xiang ◽  
Harry O Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Family Income ◽  
Functional Limitation ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
Mixed Effects ◽  
Driving Cessation ◽  
Ordered Logistic Regression ◽  
The Impact

Abstract This study aimed to investigate the impact of driving cessation on social isolation in older adults. Data came from the National Health and Aging Trends Study round 1 through round 6 surveys. Study sample consisted 6,916 Medicare beneficiaries aged 65+ who were eligible drivers at baseline. Social isolation measure was based on social domains concerning marriage, family and friends, church participation, and club participation. The impact of driving cessation on social isolation was assessed using mixed-effects ordered logistic regression and piece-wise regression. In multivariable mixed-effects ordered logistic regression, past-year non-drivers had a two-fold increase in the odds of being in a higher social isolation category (OR=2.1, p&lt;.001). The odds of social isolation were higher among persons aged 85-89 (OR=1.40, p&lt;.001) or 90+ (OR=1.99, p&lt;.001) as compared with those aged 65-69, among men as compared with women (OR=2.54, p&lt;.001), among persons living alone (OR=3.95, p&lt;.001), with elevated depressive symptoms (OR=1.54, p&lt;.001), and with possible (OR=1.39, p&lt;.001) or probable dementia (OR=1.51, p&lt;.001). The odds of social isolation decreased significantly as education and family income levels increased. Functional limitation was associated with higher odds of social isolation. Piecewise regression analysis showed social isolation score increased by 0.08 points (p=.024), indicating short-term impacts of incident driving cessation. Driving cessation is associated with higher risk of social isolation in older adults. Interventions to provide alternative transportation resources and reduce social isolation among older adults may improve public health impact by targeting older adults who recently stopped driving.

scholarly journals Impact of the AGE-ON Tablet Training Program on Social Isolation, Loneliness, and Attitudes Toward Technology in Older Adults: Single-Group Pre-Post Study

JMIR Aging ◽  
10.2196/18398 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. e18398
Author(s):  
Sarah E Neil-Sztramko ◽  
Giulia Coletta ◽  
Maureen Dobbins ◽  
Sharon Marr
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Training Program ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Attitudes Toward Technology ◽  
Basic Features ◽  
The Impact

Background The internet and technology can help older adults connect with family and friends. However, many older adults face obstacles to internet and technology use, such as lack of knowledge or self-efficacy. Objective The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of the AGE-ON tablet training program on social isolation, loneliness, and quality of life. Methods Adults aged >60 years took part in a series of 6 weekly workshops covering the basic features of a tablet. Before and after the program, social isolation, loneliness, social support, and quality of life were assessed. In addition, data on current tablet use and attitudes toward technology use were collected. Satisfaction with the program was also assessed at the end of the study using 6 Likert scale questions. Results The participants (N=32; mean age 76.3, SD 8.6 years) were predominantly female (n=20, 63%) and retired (n=30, 94%). The participants reported that they were highly satisfied with the program. After completing the program, no differences in social isolation, loneliness, social support, or quality of life were found. Frequency of tablet use increased and the attitudes of the participants toward technology improved. Conclusions The AGE-ON program resulted in increased tablet use frequency and may improve comfort and attitudes toward tablet use among older adults. This program may assist older adults in overcoming obstacles to internet and technology use to better connect with family and friends; however, further work targeting older adults who are socially isolated or at risk of social isolation is needed to more fully understand whether tablet training programs are beneficial in this population. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03472729; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03472729

scholarly journals Pain in Older Adults: Epidemiology, Impact and Barriers to Management

2007 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pat Schofield
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
The Impact

• There will be increased numbers of older adults in society in the next few decades. • Older adults are more likely to have pain problems and other co-morbidities. • Generally pain is poorly managed in older adults and this becomes worse when cognitive impairment exists. • The impact of chronic pain on older adults will be greater than that of their younger counterparts in terms of social isolation. • Attitudes and barriers exist in both the older adults themselves and their younger counterparts.

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