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

scholarly journals Health Impacts of the Stay-at-Home Order on Community-Dwelling Older Adults and How Technologies May Help: Focus Group Study

JMIR Aging ◽  
10.2196/25779 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. e25779
Author(s):  
Jessica R Daly ◽  
Colin Depp ◽  
Sarah A Graham ◽  
Dilip V Jeste ◽  
Ho-Cheol Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Potential Game ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Mental And Physical Health ◽  
At Home

Background As of March 2021, in the USA, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in over 500,000 deaths, with a majority being people over 65 years of age. Since the start of the pandemic in 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 their mental and physical health. Objective This study aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting “Stay-at-Home” order on the mental and physical health of older adults and to explore ways to safely increase social connectedness among them. Methods This qualitative study involved older adults living in a Continued Care Senior Housing Community (CCSHC) in southern California, USA. Four 90-minute focus groups were convened using the Zoom Video Communications platform during May 2020, involving 21 CCSHC residents. Participants were asked to describe how they were managing during the “stay-at-home” mandate that was implemented in March 2020, including its 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: (1) impact of the quarantine on health and well-being, (2) communication innovation and technology use, (3) effective ways of coping with the quarantine, and (4) improving access to technology and training. Participants reported a threat to their mental and physical health directly tied to the quarantine and exacerbated by social isolation and decreased physical activity. Technology was identified as a lifeline for many who are socially isolated from their friends and family. Conclusions Our study findings suggest that technology access, connectivity, and literacy are potential game-changers to supporting the mental and physical health of older adults and must be prioritized for future research.

scholarly journals Changes in health behaviors, mental and physical health among older adults under severe lockdown restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esther García-Esquinas ◽  
Rosario Ortolá ◽  
Iago Gine-Vázquez ◽  
José A Carnicero ◽  
Asier Mañas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Behaviors ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Viewing Time ◽  
Housing Conditions ◽  
Mental And Physical Health

AbstractBackgroundWe aimed to examine main changes in health behaviors, mental and physical health among older adults under severe lockdown restrictions during the COVID-19.MethodsWe used prospective data from 3041 participants in four cohorts of community-dwelling individuals aged ≥65 years in Spain. Data were obtained using validated questionnaires through a pre-pandemic face-to-face interview and a telephone interview conducted between weeks 7 to 15 after the beginning the COVID-19 lockdown. Lineal or multinomial, as appropriate, regression models with adjustment for the main confounders were used to assess changes in the outcome variables from the pre-pandemic to the confinement period, and to identify their associated factors.ResultsOn average, the confinement was not associated with a deterioration in lifestyle risk factors (smoking, alcohol intake, diet or weight), except for a decreased physical activity and increased sedentary time, which reversed with the end of confinement. However, chronic pain worsened, and moderate declines in mental health, that did not seem to reverse after restrictions were lifted, were observed. Several subgroups of individuals were at increased risk of developing unhealthier lifestyles or mental health decline with confinement: (i)-males (for physical activity and sedentariness), (ii)-those with greater social isolation (for diet, physical activity, mental health), (iii)-feelings of loneliness (for diet, sleep quality, mental health), (iv)-poor housing conditions (for diet, physical activity, TV viewing time), (v)-unhealthy sleep duration (for physical activity and sedentariness), and (vi-worse overall health or chronic morbidities (for physical activity, screen time, mental health). On the other hand, previously having a greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet and doing more physical activity protected older adults from developing unhealthier lifestyles with confinement.ConclusionsThe lockdown during the first wave of the COVID-19 in Spain, which was one of the most restrictive in Europe, only led to minor average changes in health behaviors among older adults. However, mental health was moderately affected. If another lockdown were imposed on this or future pandemics, public health programs should specially address the needs of older individuals with male sex, greater social isolation, poor housing conditions and chronic morbidities, because of their greater vulnerability to the enacted movement restrictions

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 A rapid review of mental and physical health effects of working at home: how do we optimise health?

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jodi Oakman ◽  
Natasha Kinsman ◽  
Rwth Stuckey ◽  
Melissa Graham ◽  
Victoria Weale
Keyword(s):  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Selection Criteria ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Rapid Review ◽  
Foreseeable Future ◽  
Working At Home ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Mental And Physical Health ◽  
At Home

Abstract Background The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in changes to the working arrangements of millions of employees who are now based at home and may continue to work at home, in some capacity, for the foreseeable future. Decisions on how to promote employees’ health whilst working at home (WAH) need to be based on the best available evidence to optimise worker outcomes. The aim of this rapid review was to review the impact of WAH on individual workers’ mental and physical health, and determine any gender difference, to develop recommendations for employers and employees to optimise workers’ health. Method A search was undertaken in three databases, PsychInfo, ProQuest, and Web of Science, from 2007 to May 2020. Selection criteria included studies which involved employees who regularly worked at home, and specifically reported on physical or mental health-related outcomes. Two review authors independently screened studies for inclusion, one author extracted data and conducted risk of bias assessments with review by a second author. Results Twenty-three papers meet the selection criteria for this review. Ten health outcomes were reported: pain, self-reported health, safety, well-being, stress, depression, fatigue, quality of life, strain and happiness. The impact on health outcomes was strongly influenced by the degree of organisational support available to employees, colleague support, social connectedness (outside of work), and levels of work to family conflict. Overall, women were less likely to experience improved health outcomes when WAH. Conclusions This review identified several health outcomes affected by WAH. The health/work relationship is complex and requires consideration of broader system factors to optimise the effects of WAH on workers’ health. It is likely mandated WAH will continue to some degree for the foreseeable future; organisations will need to implement formalised WAH policies that consider work-home boundary management support, role clarity, workload, performance indicators, technical support, facilitation of co-worker networking, and training for managers.

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 Impact of COVID-19 on Older Adults: Changes in Health Access, Health, Socialization and Adaptive Coping Activities

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 731-731
Author(s):  
Judith Scott ◽  
Sara Qualls ◽  
Stacy Yun
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Health Behaviors ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Service Access ◽  
Adaptive Coping ◽  
Health Service Access ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Mental And Physical Health

Abstract Indirect effects of stay-at-home guidelines may negatively affect mental health by reducing health self-care behaviors and engagement in social participation. This study reports on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on community-dwelling older adults’ perceived physical and mental health and everyday health behaviors. 126 older adults participated in a county-wide telephone survey during June-July of 2020, asking about changes in mental and physical health, and adaptations in health behaviors. We investigated the effects of three negative everyday health behavior changes during the pandemic (changes in health services access, perceived changes in health, and increased social isolation) as well as two positive everyday health behaviors (adherence to stay-at-home guidelines to reduce risk, and adaptive coping activities) on mental health and COVID-related distress. Examples of active coping strategies were stockpiling resources, spiritual practices, or outreach to others. Descriptive statistics, bivariate correlations, and multiple regressions characterized the impact of COVID-19 on perceived mental health. Descriptive data included changes in health service access, changes in mental and physical health, reduced social engagement, increased adherence to guidelines, and increased adaptive coping activities. Significant predictors of mental health impact of the pandemic were changes in health service access (β = .18, p < .05), health changes (β = .25, p < .01), and adaptive coping activities (β = .21, p < .05). Findings suggest COVID-19 distress may be alleviated with improved health care access and increased social contact. Mental health challenges may also benefit from increased engagement in adaptive coping activities.

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 Social Isolation, Loneliness, and Mental and Emotional Well-being among International Students in the United States

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-82
Author(s):  
Mehrete Girmay ◽  
Gopal K. Singh
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
International Students ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
International Student ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Domestic Students ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Mental And Physical Health

Background: Loneliness and social isolation have the ability to affect an individual's mental and physical health. With research linking both to morbidity and premature mortality, their effects must be viewed as important public health problems. Loneliness and social isolation can be especially pronounced in the international student community, particularly at the university level, as this population encounters challenges assimilating to their host university, surrounding community, and host country. This study explores the risks and sociocultural factors associated with loneliness, social isolation, and psychological distress with regards to the overall adjustment of international students. Methods: In this qualitative, narrative case study, 10 international graduate students at a university in the United States participated in two focus group sessions followed by individual interviews. Thematic areas and topics were identified using Barrer's three models of social support. Study was completed between December 2016 and September 2017. Results: All of the participants shared that they had experienced loneliness and social isolation at some point during their acculturative process resulting in perceived xenophobia and a sense of insincerity on behalf of domestic students when attempting to forge connections. For some, these experiences elicited feelings of depression, a disinterest in building connections with domestic students, and in attending social events held on campus and within the community, further exacerbating feelings of loneliness and social isolation. Conclusions and Implications for Translation: Results shed light on the impact that poor acculturation can have on the student's mental and physical health and how bridges between the international and non-international communities can be built and more importantly, sustained. There is a critical need for more effort to be focused on attending to both the mental and physical health needs of migrant students during their stay at the host university. Key words: • Acculturation • Social Isolation • Loneliness • Mental Health • International •  Student   Copyright © 2019 Girmay and Singh. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Com- mons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Daily Assessment of Executive Functioning and Expressive Suppression Predict Daily Functioning among Community-Dwelling Older Adults

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Stacey L. Brothers ◽  
Yana Suchy
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Executive Functioning ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Expressive Suppression ◽  
Emotion Regulation Strategy ◽  
Ecological Momentary ◽  
The Impact ◽  
At Home

Abstract Objective: Executive functioning (EF) is known to be associated with performance of instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). However, prior research has found that the degree to which EF fluctuates was more predictive of self-reported cognitive and IADL lapses than was average EF performance. One source of such EF fluctuations is engagement in an emotion regulation strategy known as expressive suppression (ES). Importantly, ES has also been shown to relate to IADL performance, presumably due to its impact on EF. However, past research is limited due to assessing IADLs only in the laboratory or via self-report. The present study examined (a) the association of daily EF and ES fluctuations with performance of actual IADL tasks in participants’ homes, and (b) whether any significant association between ES fluctuations and daily IADLs would be mediated by daily EF variability. Method: Participants were 52 older adults aged 60 to 95. Over the course of 18 days while at home, participants completed daily IADL tasks as well as daily measures of EF and ES via ecological momentary assessment. Results: Contrary to our hypothesis, average EF across days predicted at-home IADLs above and beyond daily EF variability, which itself was also predictive. ES variability also predicted daily IADLs, and this association was fully mediated by average daily EF. Conclusions: Daily fluctuations in ES appear to have a deleterious impact on performance of IADLs at home, likely due to the impact of such fluctuations on EF, although the average level of EF capacity is also important.

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.

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