Elderly

Trajectories of alcohol consumption among the elderly widowed population: A semi-parametric, group-based modeling approach

by Hui Liew

Using the 1992 to 2008 Health and Retirement Study (HRS), this extends previous research to examine the temporal... more Using the 1992 to 2008 Health and Retirement Study (HRS), this extends previous research to examine the temporal processes underlying the relationship between widowhood and subsequent drinking behaviors among the elderly widowed population and to examine the potential predictors of these trajectories. The semi-parametric mixture modeling (SPMM) approach found that that the type of drinking trajectory that characterize the post-bereavement drinking behavior of an individual is largely dependent upon the characteristics of the individuals (e.g. gender), the health conditions and health behavior of deceased spouse, prebereavement alcohol consumption, and depression. Men, respondents whose deceased spouses had cancer, and respondents who were married to a drinker seem to have greater difficulty overcoming the transitional burden associated with widowhood. They should be the main target of policy interventions designed to reduce alcohol use disorders.

Researching the health needs of elderly Indian migrants in New Zealand

by Ruth DeSouza

De Souza, R. (2006). Researching the health needs of elderly Indian migrants in New Zealand. Indian Journal of Gerontology, 20 (1&2), 159-170.

The older adult population in New Zealand is increasing and becoming more ethnically diverse, with this comes a... more The older adult population in New Zealand is increasing and becoming more ethnically diverse, with this comes a requirement for health and social service professionals to become more knowledgeable about the cultural needs of their clients and to provide care that is cognisant of language, culture and religion. Indians have a long history of settlement in New Zealand; however this has not been reflected in policy or service provision. Reasons for this include a focus on the bicultural relationship with indigenous Māori and a relatively small Indian population. The Immigration Act 1987 has led to an increase in the cultural diversity of migrants and the number of Indians. Policy has not kept pace with these demographic changes and there is a need to develop the health workforce for working with Indians and other migrants. This article begins by tracing the changing demographics of age and ethnicity in New Zealand and the relationship with migration policy. Indian history, settlement and health in New Zealand are exoplored then a brief overview of research is presented along with the identification of gaps and recommendations for an expansion of current health research and practice agendas such as cultural safety, ethnicity data collection and areas for research.
Keywords: Indians, health, settlement, Asian, older adults, New Zealand

Psychiatry - life events and social support in late life depression

by Luís Fernando Tófoli

Clovis Alexandrino-Silva, Tania Ferraz Alves, Luís Fernando TófoliI,  Yuan-Pang Wang, Laura Helena Andrade

OBJECTIVES: To examine the association of life events and social support in the broadly defined category of depression... more OBJECTIVES: To examine the association of life events and social support in the broadly defined category of depression in late life.
INTRODUCTION: Negative life events and lack of social support are associated with depression in the elderly. Currently, there are limited studies examining the association between life events, social support and late-life depression in Brazil.
METHODS: We estimated the frequency of late-life depression within a household community sample of 367 subjects aged 60 years or greater with associated factors. ''Old age symptomatic depression'' was defined using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview 1.1 tool. This diagnostic category included only late-life symptoms and consisted of the diagnoses of depression and dysthymia as well as a subsyndromal definition of depression, termed ''late subthreshold depression''. Social support and life events were assessed using the Comprehensive Assessment and Referral Evaluation (SHORT-CARE) inventory.
RESULTS: ''Old age symptomatic depression'' occurred in 18.8% of the patients in the tested sample. In univariate analyses, this condition was associated with female gender, lifetime anxiety disorder and living alone. In multivariate models, ''old age symptomatic depression'' was associated with a perceived lack of social support in men and life events in women.
DISCUSSION: Social support and life events were determined to be associated with late-life depression, but it is important to keep in mind the differences between genders. Also, further exploration of the role of lifetime anxiety disorder in late-life depression may be of future importance.
CONCLUSIONS: We believe that this study helps to provide insight into the role of psychosocial factors in late-life depression.

Keywords: Depression; Ageing; Life Events; Social Support; Elderly; Brazil.

Graduate Foundation Scheme with a Focus on Dignity and Older Adults

by Allyson Lipp

The care experiences of older people in Wales and rest of the UK have risen to the top of the political agenda... more The care experiences of older people in Wales and rest of the UK have risen to the top of the political agenda recently, and it is the role of the nurse manager to find ways to meet the demands of the ‘dignity agenda’. A review by the Older People’s Commissioner of Wales (Marks 2011) recommended that ‘better knowledge of the needs of older people with dementia is needed, together with improved communication, training, support and standards of care’.  In an effort to meet this recommendation, a health care organization, Cwm Taf Health Board, has developed a Graduate Foundation Programme which focuses on the dignity of older patients in various hospital settings. This article describes the develoment and implementation of the Programme.

Graduate Foundation Scheme with a Focus on Dignity and Older Adults

by Allyson Lipp

The care experiences of older people in Wales and rest of the UK have risen to the top of the political agenda... more The care experiences of older people in Wales and rest of the UK have risen to the top of the political agenda recently, and it is the role of the nurse manager to find ways to meet the demands of the ‘dignity agenda’. A review by the Older People’s Commissioner of Wales (Marks 2011) recommended that ‘better knowledge of the needs of older people with dementia is needed, together with improved communication, training, support and standards of care’.  In an effort to meet this recommendation, a health care organization, Cwm Taf Health Board, has developed a Graduate Foundation Programme which focuses on the dignity of older patients in various hospital settings. This article describes the develoment and implementation of the Programme.

WAYFINDING STUDY IN VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS: THE ELDERLY VS. THE YOUNGER-AGED GROUPS.

by seunghae lee

International Journal of Architectural Research, 2011

Abstract
This study aims to examine the impact of architectural
wayfinding aids on wayfinding performances... more Abstract
This study aims to examine the impact of architectural
wayfinding aids on wayfinding performances in
comparison of the elderly group and the youngeraged
group. An ambulatory healthcare facility was
simulated using Virtual Reality (VR) to develop two
levels of wayfinding aids for the same environments.
The base model included minimal wayfinding aids,
and the design model included more wayfinding
aids. The VR environment was presented in the form
of video in order to test wayfinding performances
at three different wayfinding decision points. Results
showed that age and wayfinding aids impacted
wayfinding performances. The younger-aged group
performed wayfinding better compared to the
elderly group. Participants who were tested in the
design model were more successful in wayfinding
compared to the elderly group. The elderly group
reported that more salient wayfinding aids such as
a big logo and paint colors helped their wayfinding
while the younger-aged group reported less salient
aids such as door designs as helpful wayfinding aids.
When there were minimal wayfinding aids, the elderly
participants needed to rely mostly on memory recall
by remembering turns or paying close attention. When
participants felt that the wayfinding test was difficult,
their performances were less successful. Findings
in this study suggest that wayfinding design for the
elderly should consider the limited ability of recall and
therefore, design wayfinding aids more frequently
with more salient aids to avoid confusion. The elderly
group needed to rely on their limited cognitive ability
when there were not enough wayfinding aids, which
make them experience difficulties in wayfinding.
Keywords
Elderly; healthcare; virtual reality; wayfinding.

A longitudinal study of bereavement phenomena in recently widowed elderly men

by Gerard Byrne

Psychometric properties and health correlates of the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory in Australian community-residing older women

by Gerard Byrne

Objective: To assess the psychometric properties and health correlates of the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI) in a... more Objective: To assess the psychometric properties and health correlates of the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI) in a cohort of Australian community-residing older women.
Method: Cross-sectional study of a population-based cohort of women aged 60 years and over (N 1⁄4 286). Results: The GAI exhibited sound internal consistency and demonstrated good concurrent validity against the state half of the Spielberger State Trait Anxiety Inventory and the neuroticism domain of the NEO five-factor inventory. GAI score was significantly associated with self-reported sleep difficulties and perceived memory impairment, but not with age or cognitive function. Women with current DSM-IV Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) had significantly higher GAI scores than women without such a history. In this cohort, the optimal cut-point to detect current GAD was 8/9. Although the GAI was designed to have few somatic items, women with a greater number of general medical problems or who rated their general health as worse had higher GAI scores.
Conclusion: The GAI is a new scale designed specifically to measure anxiety in older people. In this Australian cohort of older women, the instrument had sound psychometric properties.

Development and validation of a short form of the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory

by Gerard Byrne

Background: Anxiety symptoms and anxiety disorders are highly prevalent among older people and are associated with... more Background: Anxiety symptoms and anxiety disorders are highly prevalent among older people and are associated with considerable disability burden. While several instruments now exist to measure anxiety in older people, there is a need for a very brief self-report scale to measure anxiety symptoms in epidemiological surveys, in primary care and in acute geriatric medical settings. Accordingly, we undertook the development of such a scale, based on the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory.
Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of randomly selected, community-residing, older women (N = 284; mean age 72.2 years) using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses. DSM-IV diagnostic interviews were undertaken using the Mini International Diagnostic Interview, fifth edition (MINI-V).
Results: We developed a 5-item version of the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory, which we have termed the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory – Short Form (GAI-SF). We found that a score of three or greater was optimal for the detection of DSM-IV Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) in this community sample. At this cut-point, sensitivity was 75%, specificity was 87%, and 86% of participants were correctly classified. GAI-SF score was not related to age, MMSE score, level of education or perceived income adequacy. Internal consistency was high (Cronbach’s α = 0.81) and concurrent validity against the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory was good (rs = 0.48, p < 0.001).
Conclusions: The GAI-SF is a short form of the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory, which we recommend for use in epidemiological studies. It may also be useful in primary care and acute geriatric medical settings.

The fitness for the Ageing Brain Study II (FABS II): protocol for a randomized controlled clinical trial evaluating the effect of physical activity on cognitive function …

by Gerard Byrne

Development of the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI)

by Gerard Byrne

Psychiatric drug prescribing in elderly Australians: Time for action

by Gerard Byrne

Recent epidemiological studies have revealed very high ratres of antipsychotic, antidepressant and anxiolytic and... more Recent epidemiological studies have revealed very high ratres of antipsychotic, antidepressant and anxiolytic and sedative-hypnotic drug use among Australians. These large-scale analyses supplement previous data across a number of settings demonstrating higher rates of use in those over 60 years, with the highest rates in those 80-95 years of age. This issue is of growing concern, given the increasing size of the elderly population and the greater vulnerability of older people to adverse effects of drugs and to interactions among the multiple the multiple drugs often prescribed. On the basis of these new data and significant previous findings, we argue for the urgent need to review psychotropic prescribing among the elderly on the grounds of safety and cost.

What Should Happen to the Future Accommodation of the Elderly in Malaysia?

by Yusnani Yusof

Nierówności społeczne w kontekście badania kapitału społecznego ludzi starych. Przykład Domu Pomocy Społecznej i Uniwersytetu Trzeciego Wieku w Białymstoku (Social inequality in the context of social capital of the elderly from Białystok. Based on examples from nursing homes for the elderly and University of the Third Age)

by Andrzej Klimczuk

A. Klimczuk, Nierówności społeczne w kontekście badania kapitału społecznego ludzi starych. Przykład Domu Pomocy Społecznej i Uniwersytetu Trzeciego Wieku w Białymstoku (Social inequality in the context of social capital of the elderly from Białystok. Based on examples from nursing homes for the elderly and University of the Third Age), [in:] A. Fabiś, M. Muszyński (eds.), Społeczne wymiary starzenia się, Biblioteka Gerontologii Społecznej. Tom IV, Wyd. Wyższa Szkoła Administracji, Uniwersytet Łódzki, Bielsko-Biała 2011, p. 101-117.

Complexity of the changes taking place in modern societies makes it is necessary to deepen the analysis of the impact... more Complexity of the changes taking place in modern societies makes it is necessary to deepen the analysis of the impact of social inequality on the activity of old people. Dissemination of new technologies and organizational forms allows solving many social problems and improving the quality of human life. At the same time broadens the range of areas in which old people are losing their authority and differ in expertise required for the achievement of socially valued goods. Article aims to highlight the importance of inequality for the activity of the elderly and its relationship to social capital in conditions of shaping social dispersion space order. Study brings closer chosen results of empirical studies portraying the dimensions of internal diversity of seniors.
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Złożoność przemian zachodzących we współczesnych społeczeństwach sprawia, iż niezbędne staje się pogłębienie analiz oddziaływania nierówności społecznych na aktywność ludzi starych. Upowszechnianie się nowych technologii i form organizacyjnych pozwala na rozwiązanie wielu problemów społecznych i podniesienie jakości życia ludzkiego. Jednocześnie poszerza się zakres dziedzin, w których ludzie starzy tracą swój autorytet oraz różnią się między sobą kompetencjami wymaganymi do osiągania społecznie cenionych dóbr. Celem artykułu jest zwrócenie uwagi na znaczenie nierówności dla aktywności ludzi starych oraz jej związków z kapitałem społecznym w warunkach kształtowania się w polskiej przestrzeni społecznej ładu rozproszonego. Opracowanie przybliża wybrane wyniki badań empirycznych, które ukazują wymiary zróżnicowania kategorii społecznej ludzi starych.

Bezpieczeństwo ludzi starych w kontekście badań nad kapitałem społecznym na przykładzie mieszkańców Białegostoku (The safety of elderly people in the context of social capital research - Bialystok residents example)

by Andrzej Klimczuk

A. Klimczuk, Bezpieczeństwo ludzi starych w kontekście badań nad kapitałem społecznym na przykładzie mieszkańców Białegostoku (The safety of elderly people in the context of social capital research - Bialystok residents example), [in:] M. Halicka, J. Halicki, K. Czykier (eds.), Zagrożenia w starości i na jej przedpolu, Uniwersytet w Białymstoku, Białystok 2010, p. 75-90.

Polish society gathers features specific to „late modernity” period. In this period grows up the meaning of... more Polish society gathers features specific to „late modernity” period. In this period grows up the meaning of organizational forms, flow of information, trust to other people and complicated technical systems, uncertainty, taking a risk as well as progressive economic, political and cultural globalization. One of threats and challenges is the process of population ageing. The article attempt to recognition of specific safety problems of old men's in Białystok. Safety is treated as necessary condition for far more researches on practical solutions connected with the professional activity of seniors and growth of their social participation. Assurance of seniors safety can lead to lowering costs of their maintenance as well as the formation of positive attitudes towards old age and cultural openness. The work brings closer connections between safety and social capital topics as well as chosen empirical analyses.
**
Społeczeństwo polskie nabiera cech specyficznych dla okresu „późnej nowoczesności”. Wzrasta znaczenie form organizacyjnych, przepływu informacji, zaufania do innych ludzi i skomplikowanych systemów technicznych, niepewności, podejmowania ryzyka oraz postępującej globalizacji ekonomicznej, politycznej i kulturowej. Jednym z zagrożeń i wyzwań jest proces starzenia się społeczeństw. Artykuł stanowi próbę poznania specyfiki bezpieczeństwa ludzi starych w Białymstoku. Traktowane jest ono jako warunek konieczny do dalszych poszukiwań praktycznych rozwiązań pozwalających na wydłużanie aktywności zawodowej seniorów i wzrost ich uczestnictwa społecznego. Jego zapewnienie może prowadzić do obniżenia kosztów ich utrzymania oraz kształtowania pozytywnych postaw wobec starości i otwartości kulturowej. Praca przybliża powiązania problematyki bezpieczeństwa i kapitału społecznego oraz wybrane wyniki analiz empirycznych.

Loneliness, social support networks, mood and wellbeing in community‐dwelling elderly

by Ronan Conroy

Visuospatial memory in healthy elderly, AD and MCI: a review

by Francesco Ruotolo

Iachini, T., Iavarone, A., Senese, V.P., Ruotolo, F., & Ruggiero, G. (2009). Visuospatial memory in healthy elderly, AD and MCI: a review. Current Aging Science, 2, 43-59

In the literature it is commonly reported that several spatial abilities decline with normal aging, even though such a... more In the literature it is commonly reported that several spatial abilities decline with normal aging, even though such a decline is not uniform. So far, it is not yet clear which spatial components present a normal age-related decline, which ones are preserved and at what point the deficit is so severe to represent an index of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or a symptom of potential degenerative progression as in the early-stage Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In particular, AD (from early onset) is characterised by impairments in constructive abilities, visuospatial intelligence, spatial shortterm memory deficits, and disorders of spatial orientation (topographical disorientation). MCI indicates a condition, generally affecting older individuals, characterized by cognitive deficits including memory and/or non memory impairments and at high risk of progression to dementia. Three MCI subgroups have been distinguished and a very high risk of developing AD is associated to the amnestic MCI subtypes. Further, recent studies have suggested that the allocentric component of spatial memory might be taken as predictor of AD from MCI. Given the frequency of visuospatial deficits in early-stage AD, evaluation of visuospatial processes is a promising approach to find predictive markers of AD. Here we report a review of the literature exploring specific visuospatial components in normal aging, MCI, and AD. In this way we could shed some light on the role of these components in the progression from MCI to AD and pave the way for future studies.

Correlação entre domínios de qualidade de vida e lócus de controle da saúde em idosos residentes na comunidade

by Guilherme Wendt

Resumo

OBJETIVOS: verificar as correlações existentes entre qualidade de vida, lócus de controle da saúde e... more Resumo

OBJETIVOS: verificar as correlações existentes entre qualidade de vida, lócus de controle da saúde e dados sociodemográficos em uma amostra de idosos residentes na comunidade.

MÉTODOS: este estudo teve um delineamento quantitativo e transversal. A amostra foi composta por 113 idosos, com idades entre 60 e 98 anos. Os instrumentos utilizados foram: ficha de dados sociodemográficos, Escala de Lócus de Controle da Saúde e Avaliação de Qualidade de Vida Abreviada (WHOQOL-Bref). Para a análise estatística utilizamos o coeficiente de correlação de Pearson, o teste t de Student e a Análise de Variância (ANOVA). Os resultados com valores de p menores que 0,05 foram considerados estatisticamente significativos.

RESULTADOS: verificou-se correlação positiva moderada entre número de atividades de lazer e domínio psicológico da qualidade de vida (r=0,320; p=0,001), assim como entre número de atividades de lazer e domínio meio ambiente da qualidade de vida (r=0,320; p=0,001). Os resultados apontaram ainda para correlação fracamente positiva entre domínio físico da qualidade de vida e lócus de internalidade (r=0,220; p=0,019), anos de escolaridade (r=0,206; p=0,029) e número de atividades de lazer (r=0,282; p=0,002).

CONCLUSÕES: o lócus de controle da saúde mostrou correlação com a qualidade de vida no idoso. De um modo geral, os idosos que apresentaram lócus de controle interno e também os que possuíam uma vida mais ativa evidenciaram maior qualidade de vida.