•Policy should account for barriers to digital technology use in older adults.•Impacts of digital technology at the micro and macro levels relate to inclusion.•Behaviours of digital technology use ...synthesise across societies and communities.•Older adults use digital technology to facilitate and include themselves and others.•Digital technology empowers and protects older adults from the digital divide.
As more and more of the business of society is transferred and conducted online, older adults frequently find themselves without the skills to participate effectively. This is frequently confounded by limited physical mobility and a decrease in their social network and contact. This paper examines the lived reality of that process and how digital technology could be used to enhance the life activity of older adults and their wellbeing by increasing their social network. Seventeen older adults (10 female, 7 male Mage=71.67, SDage=10.05) participated in two focus groups that each lasted approximately 90min. Interpretative phenomenological analysis yielded two main themes: digital technology serving as a tool to disempower and empower. Findings support evidence of a digital divide and how that divide is evolving from the ideographic perspective of digitally-engaged older adults and for society. Discussions also surround barriers to digital technology use for older adults, the codification of digital technology use within society, and how older adults use digital technology in a facilitative and inclusive way to empower themselves and protect them from the negative effects of the digital divide.
•Prevalence of social and emotional loneliness among older adults in Hikkaduwa Municipality, a coastal suburb in Sri-Lanka is high.•Unmarried/widowhood/separation status is a risk factor for social ...and emotional loneliness in aging population.•Older adults who have rated themselves to have poor general health status were significantly lonely than the older adults who were having good self-rated general health status.
Loneliness is defined as an unpleasant experience due to lack of social interactions. Older adults are more susceptible to loneliness resulting poor quality life. There is evidence that loneliness can have both physical and mental health consequences. Our cross-sectional study aimed to describe the prevalence and associated factors of social and emotional loneliness (SEL) among older adults in Hikkaduwa Municipality (HM), a suburb in Sri Lanka. A multistage cluster sample of 120 older adults were interviewed administering a questionnaire comprising of De-Jong-Gierveld Loneliness Scale. Prevalence of SEL was calculated. Chi-square test was used to describe associated factors of SEL. We found a high prevalence of SEL of 47.8% in HM. Unmarried/ widowed status, non usage of phones and self-rated poor general health status were significantly associated with SEL. Several sociodemographic and social and health related factors significantly related to loneliness were observed, calling for further exploration of this to improve the life of the older adults. Interventions such as developing telephone hotlines, befriending schemes, facilitating to participate in activities of interest, frequent medical check-up are recommended.
Depression is an important public health issue among older adults, often associated with their sleep-related problems. We aimed to investigate the association between sleep-related problems and ...depressive symptoms among Chinese community-dwelling older adults.
This cross-sectional study utilized self-reported data from 2896 participants (aged ≥60 years) from Shanghai, China. Nocturnal sleep duration and difficulty initiating sleep (DIS) symptoms were obtained through face-to-face questionnaires. Nocturnal sleep duration was categorized as ‘short’ (<7 h), ‘normal’ (7–8 h), and ‘long’ (>8 h). Subsequently, the 3 groups were further divided into 6 groups based on the presence of DIS, and the combined sleep behaviors were termed ‘sleep patterns'. Logistic regression was conducted to assess the association of sleep variables and sleep patterns with the risk of depressive symptoms.
Compared to the reference group, ‘short sleep duration’ and DIS symptoms were associated with depressive symptoms (with odds ratios (OR) of 1.50 and 1.79, respectively, with 95% confidence intervals (CI) of 1.14–1.97 and 1.39–2.31). When compared to ‘normal sleep duration without DIS', both ‘short sleep duration with DIS' (OR = 2.60, 95% CI: 1.81–3.72) and ‘normal sleep duration with DIS' (OR = 1.60, 95% CI: 1.03–2.49) were statistically associated with depressive symptoms in adjusted regression models.
Short sleep duration and DIS symptoms were found to be associated with depressive symptoms. Combining DIS symptoms with sleep duration, DIS was identified as a risk factor for elevated depressive symptoms in individuals with short and normal sleep durations. In managing depressive symptoms, it is imperative to thoroughly evaluate insomnia and nighttime sleep, which can provide valuable insights for nursing and medical policy.
•The uptake of PPSV23 in older adults was negatively associated with incident dementia who required daily living care.•Such associations were observed regardless of the follow-up period or influenza ...vaccination.•The uptake of IIV was not associated with incident dementia, regardless of the follow-up period or PPSV23.•PPSV23 was independently associated with incident dementia, whereas the IIV was not.
It is unclear whether inactivated influenza vaccination (IIV) or pneumococcal vaccination are associated with the risk of dementia; however, both types of vaccination are recommended for older adults. Studies have shown that the IIV is negatively associated with incident dementia; however, the uptake of pneumococcal vaccinations has not been considered. We investigated the independent associations of IIV and 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) with incident dementia in older adults.
Health-related information on older Japanese adults was obtained through a baseline survey conducted in 2013 (baseline survey). The uptake of IIV and PPSV23 was determined in a second survey conducted in 2016 (second wave). Both surveys were conducted among independent Japanese older adults aged ≥ 65 years at the two surveys and who had not been certified as needing long-term care (LTC). In the second wave, 9,865 participants were followed up for 3.5 years (short-term follow-up), and 6,995 participants were followed up for six years and five months (long-term follow-up) until they required LTC due to dementia onset (incident dementia). A competing risk model with stabilized inverse probability weighting (SIPW) was constructed to calculate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) of incident dementia.
PPSV23 uptake was negatively associated with incident dementia among participants in both the short- and long-term follow-up periods after SIPW (short-term follow-up: HR: 0.77, 95 % CI: 0.63 – 0.95; long-term follow-up: HR: 0.83, 95 % CI: 0.70 – 0.97). Conversely, IIV uptake was not associated with incident dementia among participants in either follow-up group (short-term follow-up: HR: 0.86, 95 % CI: 0.63–1.16; long-term follow-up: HR: 0.99, 95 % CI: 0.76–1.29). The PPSV23 uptake was negatively associated with incident dementia in participants without the IIV uptake (short-term follow-up: HR: 0.44, 95 % CI: 0.24 – 0.81; long-term follow-up: HR: 0.47, 95 % CI: 0.29 – 0.76). Conversely, the IIV uptake was not associated with incident dementia regardless of the PPSV23 status (short-term follow-up: HR: 0.87, 95 % CI: 0.62 – 1.23; long-term follow-up: HR: 1.00, 95 % CI: 0.74 – 1.35).
Our results suggest that the PPSV23 uptake was independently associated with the incidence of dementia. However, the IIV uptake was not associated with the incidence of dementia.
The COVID-19 pandemic has created a new reality for consumers all around the globe. To cope, users of digital technologies have faced the necessity of adopting and using specific technologies ...practically overnight. They are doing this under the condition of social isolation, all while facing the fear of catching the disease. The purpose of the paper is to study the way unexpected circumstances cause disruptions in existing theoretical models and their implications for the post-COVID-19 era. Therefore, the paper examines the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model under the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic and social isolation, and it identifies herd behavior as a possible new mechanism affecting behavioral intention under these unique decision-making circumstances. Behavioral intention toward online shopping was analyzed using data from 420 individuals aged 60 and older who present an increasingly important potential market for electronic commerce and who are particularly affected by COVID-19. The main results show that performance expectancy still has the most important influence on behavioral intention, whereas the impact of social influence was not supported under these conditions. Rather, herd behavior was identified as particularly influential for behavioral intention. Based on the study results, the option to reconsider the social influence factor in the UTAUT model and its possible complementary mechanisms are discussed.
•Online shopping adoption among older adults during the pandemic was reviewed.•Social influence does not have a major role in behavioral intention to adopt online shopping.•Contrary to our expectations, COVID-19 fear does not influence behavioral intention to adopt online shopping.•Herd behavior importantly influences behavioral intention in the pandemic situation.•Complementary mechanisms to social influence in UTAUT are discussed.
Previous research has demonstrated a dose-response relationship between exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and adverse outcomes in adulthood. Despite widely known associations, previous ...reviews have primarily focused on outcomes in younger and middle-aged adults exposed to ACEs to the exclusion of older adults and do not consider the potential role of resilience for understanding outcomes in older adulthood.
The present scoping review aimed to examine the extent and nature of existing literature on the influence of ACEs and resilience on the cognitive, physical, mental, and social health outcomes among older adults.
We conducted a search of five electronic databases (CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, AgeLine, Scopus) using the following keywords: adversity, resilience, aging, and older adults. We limited our inclusion criteria to works published in English or French after 1998 as Felitti et al. published the first study describing ACEs in this year.
Of the 4926 studies screened, 27 studies met the inclusion criteria. Overall, results from the included studies indicated that exposure to adversity during childhood was associated with worse outcomes in older adulthood. Additionally, we found that resilience and resiliency-related factors (e.g., problem-focused coping strategies) mitigated or reduced harms associated with ACEs to improve outcomes in older adulthood.
Exposure to ACEs is associated with reduced functioning in later adulthood. Findings from this review indicate a need for further exploration into the role of ACEs, and the potential effects of resilience, on health outcomes in older adults to develop better individual- and population-level interventions for this group.
Objectives: Current tobacco use (CTU) and secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure among older adults in India (≥60 years) are prevalent in India and indicate the importance of addressing associated factors. ...Methods: Pooled Global Adult Tobacco Survey India 2009–2010 and 2016–2017 data (n = 17,299) for older adults examined prevalence of CTU and SHS exposure at home and/or in public places and associated socioeconomic and demographic correlates. Results: CTU among older adults in India was 44.6%, and SHS exposure at home and public places were 20.0% and 30.0%, respectively. Men, younger age-group, rural, lower education, lower wealth index, and lower knowledge were independently associated with CTU. Men, rural, lower education, lower wealth index, CTU, and lower knowledge were independently associated with SHS exposure at home. Men, younger age, and rural residence were associated with SHS exposure in public places. Conclusion: CTU and SHS exposure among older adults in India suggest targeted interventions to address associated social and demographic factors.
At the beginning of July 2022, when public health restrictions were lifted, we deployed a country-wide e-survey about how older people were managing now after COVID-19 pandemic-related anxiety. Our ...responder sample was stratified by age, sex, and education to approximate the Canadian population. E-survey responders were asked to share open-text messages about what contemporaries could do to live less socially isolated lives at this tenuous turning point following the pandemic as the COVID-19 virus still lingered. Contracting COVID-19 enhanced older Canadians’ risk for being hospitalized and/or mortality risk. Messages were shared by 1189 of our 1327 e-survey responders. Content analysis revealed the following four calls to action: (1) cultivating community; (2) making room for what is good; (3) not letting your guard down; and (4) voicing out challenges. Responders with no chronic illnesses were more likely to endorse making room for what is good. Those with no diploma, degree, or certificate least frequently instructed others to not let their guard down. While COVID-19 is no longer a major public health risk, a worrisome proportion of older people across the globe are still living socially isolated. We encourage health and social care practitioners and older people to share messages identified in this study with more isolated persons.
PDF
