Providing an Authentic Voice? Understanding Migrant Homelessness through Critical Poetic Inquiry

Ethical considerations in social research tend to focus on data collection rather than data interpretation and representation. The tendency of qualitative research to limit ethical concern to confidentiality and anonymity in the representation of data, combined with the academic convention of maintaining an objective distance from the object of study, creates tensions for the reflexive researcher. On the one hand, they must meet academic expectations to communicate findings with demonstrable reliability and validity. At the same time, there are deontological obligations—to protect study participants (and groups they represent) from harm, to honour their contributions accurately and to report with integrity. This article argues for the use of poetic ‘re-presentation’, both as a form of inquiry and unique mode of data representation and as a means of obtaining a deeper understanding of the experience of migration and homelessness. By integrating insights from Critical Race Methodology, the article deploys the concept of ‘counter-storytelling’ through poetic inquiry. The article concludes that this approach enables a nuanced, insightful approach, allowing the authentic voice of migrant groups negotiating the complexities of homelessness to be clearly articulated and heard.

Self-Perceptions of Aging Among Dementia Caregivers: Evidence from the UK Protect Study

Contact with older adults impact the perceptions people have towards their own aging self (Jarrott & Savla, 2015) and how they prepare for their own age-related change (Kornadt et al., 2015). Caregivers have close, intimate contact with older adults, yet no research explores how that contact may impact caregivers’ perceptions of their own aging. In this exploratory study, we compare perceptions of one’s own aging between current and previous formal caregivers, non-formal caregivers, and never-caregivers. We utilized data from 1978 informal caregivers, 247 formal caregivers, and 5586 never-caregivers of the 2019 wave of the UK Protect Study. We conducted ANCOVA tests to compare global levels of Awareness of Age-Related Change (AARC) gains and losses, AARC gains and losses specific to cognition, attitudes towards one’s own aging, and felt age across the three subgroups of participants with different caregiving roles. Omnibus results suggested that there were significant group differences (p<.05) in global levels of AARC gains and losses, AARC gains specific to cognition, and attitudes towards one’s own aging (p<.05) for female, but not male, caregivers. However, effect sizes were either small or negligible. Therefore, despite frequent contact with older adults, dementia caregivers may not have better or worse self-perceptions of aging than non-caregivers. Such findings may be reflective of intergenerational ambivalence, and future work should consider how the nature of the caregiving situation (i.e. relationship quality, intensity of the care, caregiver burden) shapes caregivers’ perceptions of their own aging, especially over time as caregivers navigate their own aging processes.

Exploring awareness of age-related changes among over 50s in the UK: findings from the PROTECT study

ABSTRACT Objectives: Older people describe positive and negative age-related changes, but we do not know much about what contributes to make them aware of these changes. We used content analysis to categorize participants’ written comments and explored the extent to which the identified categories mapped onto theoretical conceptualizations of influences on awareness of age-related change (AARC). Design: Cross-sectional observational study. Participants: The study sample comprised 609 UK individuals aged 50 years or over (mean (SD) age = 67.9 (7.6) years), enrolled in the PROTECT study. Measurements: Between January and March 2019, participants provided demographic information, completed a questionnaire assessing awareness of age-related change (AARC-10 SF), and responded to an open-ended question asking them to comment on their responses. Results: While some of the emerging categories were in line with the existing conceptual framework of AARC (e.g. experiencing negative changes and attitudes toward aging), others were novel (e.g. engagement in purposeful activities or in activities that distract from age-related thoughts). Analysis revealed some of the thought processes involved in selecting responses to the questionnaire items, demonstrating different ways in which people make sense of specific items. Conclusions: Results support the ability of the AARC questionnaire to capture perceived age-related changes in cognitive functioning, physical and mental health, and engagement in social activities and in healthy and adaptive behaviors. However, findings also suggest ways of enriching the theoretical conceptualization of how AARC develops and offer insights into interpretation of responses to measures of AARC.

Differences In Awareness of Positive And Negative Age-Related Changes Account For Variability In Health Outcomes

Higher awareness of positive age-related changes (AARC gains) is related to better mental health, whereas higher awareness of negative age-related changes (AARC losses) is related to poorer mental and physical health. So far perceived gains and losses have been explored separately, but people report gains and losses concurrently in varying degrees, and different profiles of gains and losses may be differentially associated with health. We identified profiles of gains and losses and explored whether different profiles differed in physical, mental, and cognitive health. We used cross-sectional data from the PROTECT study (N= 6,192; mean(SD) age= 66.1(7.0)). Using latent profile analysis, a four-class solution showed the best model fit. We found that 45% of people perceived many gains and few losses (Class 1); 24% perceived moderate gains and few losses (Class 2); 24% perceived many gains and moderate losses (Class 3); 7% perceived many gains and many losses (Class 4). Analysis of variance and Chi-square tests showed that Class 1 had relatively better physical, mental, and cognitive health, followed by Classes 2, 3, and 4. Experiencing one’s ageing to a high degree as gain may be related to better health only when individuals interpret ageing as involving low levels of loss across several life domains. Risk in terms of poorer health emerged in those who perceived high losses. Considering gains and losses in parallel, rather than separately, may lead to a more fine-tuned understanding of relations with health.

Biomarkers for length of hospital stay, changes in muscle mass, strength and physical function in older medical patients: protocol for the Copenhagen PROTECT study—a prospective cohort study

IntroductionSarcopenia is generally used to describe the age-related loss of muscle mass and strength believed to play a major role in the pathogenesis of physical frailty and functional impairment that may occur with old age. The knowledge surrounding the prevalence and determinants of sarcopenia in older medical patients is scarce, and it is unknown whether specific biomarkers can predict physical deconditioning during hospitalisation. We hypothesise that a combination of clinical, functional and circulating biomarkers can serve as a risk stratification tool and can (i) identify older acutely ill medical patients at risk of prolonged hospital stays and (ii) predict changes in muscle mass, muscle strength and function during hospitalisation.Method and analysisThe Copenhagen PROTECT study is a prospective cohort study consisting of acutely ill older medical patients admitted to the acute medical ward at Copenhagen University Hospital, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg, Denmark. Assessments are performed within 24 hours of admission and include blood samples, body composition, muscle strength, physical function and questionnaires. A subgroup of patients transferred to the Geriatric Department are included in a smaller geriatric cohort and have additional assessments at discharge to evaluate the relative change in circulating biomarker concentrations, body composition, muscle strength and physical function during hospitalisation. Enrolment commenced 4 November 2019, and proceeds until August 2021.Ethics and disseminationThe study protocol has been approved by the local ethics committee of Copenhagen and Frederiksberg (H-19039214) and the Danish Data Protection Agency (P-2019-239) and all experimental procedures were performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Findings from the project, regardless of the outcome, will be published in relevant peer-reviewed scientific journals in online (www.clinicaltrials.gov).Trial registration numberNCT04151108