Experiences Of Elders Research Articles

Street redesign, active mobility and well-being for Pacific elders

ABSTRACT This qualitative study uses Talanoa methodologies to explore the everyday experiences of Pacific elders travelling around Māngere Central, Aotearoa New Zealand. A suite of street infrastructure changes for walking and cycling took place in the area between 2015 and 2017. While the evidence linking attributes of urban street design to physical activity behaviour is strong, there is little research on the impact of the built environment on Pacific elders’ active mobility. The study seeks to address this knowledge gap by focusing on the impacts of streetscape changes on the active travel and social connectivity of this group of residents. Findings indicate that post-intervention, elders feel significantly safer while walking, with active travel increasing for some. All elders in the study feel that important amenities are now more accessible, with some of significant cultural and social importance. As such, opportunities for social connection appear to have increased. Furthermore, the enhanced look and feel of the local environment is important to the elders interviewed, enhancing feelings of community pride and well-being for some. Further desired changes to support active mobility are discussed, and a logic model highlighting factors theorised to be particularly important for achieving mode shift among Pacific elders is proposed.

Integrity vs Despair: A Phenomenological Study on Filipino Widowed Elderly Lived Experiences

This phenomenological study elucidated the lived experiences of seven Filipino widowed elderly in Bulacan through in-depth interviews. Interpretative phenomenological analysis of transcribed interviews yielded multifaceted insights. Findings revealed three domains that were deemed vital in the study: (1) relationship of the widowed elders with their family; (2) aging experience of widowed elders in relation to widowhood; and (3) perception of widowed elders on dying in relation to widowhood. The participants cherished spousal bonds that provided meaning amidst occasional conflicts. Spousal loss impacted physical health, mental well-being, emotions, and social connections. Participants displayed resilience anchored in familial support, faith, and inner contentment, yet regrets and vulnerabilities persisted during bereavement. Reflections on mortality revealed acceptance of death, valuing familial harmony, and aspiring for loved ones’ well-being. This study offers qualitative insights into nuances, challenges, and sources of strength shaping elderly Filipino bereavement experiences. It contributes to scholarly understanding of marginalized elderly Filipinos’ needs, informing supportive interventions, community engagement, and social welfare policies. Recommendations include strengthening support systems and implementing community elderly programs. Further, research on male elderly and mixed-method approaches would be beneficial. The knowledge produced can guide evidence-based services addressing multifaceted demands in grieving spousal loss amidst aging.

A novel smart somatosensory wearable assistive device for older adults' home rehabilitation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Due to the Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) related social distancing measures and health service suspension, physical activity has declined, leading to increased falling risk and disability, and consequently, compromising the older adult health. How to improve the quality of older adult life has become a crucial social issue. In traditional rehabilitation, manual and repetitive muscle training cannot identify the patient's rehabilitation effect, and increasing the willingness to use it is not easy. Therefore, based on the usability perspective, this study aims to develop a novel smart somatosensory wearable assistive device (called SSWAD) combined with wireless surface electromyography (sEMG) and exergame software and hardware technology. The older adult can do knee extension, ankle dorsiflexion, and ankle plantar flexion rehabilitation exercises at home. Meanwhile, sEMG values can be digitally recorded to assist physicians (or professionals) in judgment, treatment, or diagnosis. To explore whether the novel SSWAD could improve the older adult willingness to use and motivation for home rehabilitation, 25 frail older adult (12 males and 13 females with an average age of 69.3) perform the rehabilitation program with the SSWAD, followed by completing the system usability scale (SUS) questionnaire and the semi-structured interview for the quantitative and qualitative analyses. In addition, we further investigate whether the factor of gender or prior rehabilitation experience would affect the home rehabilitation willingness or not. According to the overall SUS score, the novel SSWAD has good overall usability performance (77.70), meaning that the SSWAD makes older adult feel interested and improves their willingness for continuous rehabilitation at home. In addition, the individual item scores of SUS are shown that female older adult with prior rehabilitation experience perform better in "Learnability" (t = 2.35, p = 0.03) and "Confidence" (t = -3.24, p = 0.01). On the contrary, male older adult without rehabilitation experience are more willing to adopt new technologies (t = -2.73, p = 0.02), and perform better in "Learnability" (t = 2.18, p = 0.04) and "Confidence" (t = -3.75, p < 0.001) with the SSWAD. In addition, the result of the semi-structured interview shows that the operation of the SSWAD is highly flexible, thus reducing older adult burden during the rehabilitation exercise and using them long-term. This novel SSWAD receives consistently positive feedback regardless of the gender or prior rehabilitation experience of elders. The SSWAD could be used as a novel way of home rehabilitation for elders, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Older adult can do rehabilitation exercises at home, and physicians could make proper judgments or adjust suitable treatments online according to the sEMG data, which older adult can know their rehabilitation progress at the same time. Most importantly, older adult do not have to go to the hospital every time for rehabilitation, which significantly reduces time and the risk of infection.

Elders’ experience with augmented gaze: preliminary observations

Abstract Research on elders’ acceptance of virtual technologies is much needed. Here we studied the user experience of elders (N = 10, mean age = 88.2 years) during virtual biking, an exergame where participants pedal on a cycle ergometer and wear a Head-Mounted Display that provides them an immersive experience of a bike ride. We tested the effects of augmented gaze on user experience. Augmented gaze is a condition in which horizontal head turns yield amplified visual shifts, which is assumed to facilitate visual exploration. User experience was measured by asking participants to rate satisfaction, motivation, sense of presence and sense of safety. We found a very good acceptance of virtual biking and no signs of negative effects of augmented gaze. These preliminary observations suggest that augmented gaze may be a viable optimization of elders’ experience with certain virtual reality applications.

Self-care behaviors related to COVID-19 among Iranian elderly with and without a history of infection

Background &amp; Aim: Adopting self-care behaviors is considered an important factor in the prevention of COVID-19. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate Self-Care Behaviors Related to COVID-19 among Iranian elderly with and without a history of infection.&#x0D; Methods &amp; Materials: This descriptive-correlational study was conducted on 324 elderlies in Iran in 2021. Eligible seniors were selected by convenience sampling and placed into two groups: the elderly with a history of COVID-19 and the elderly without it. The data collection tools included the demographic form and the questionnaire on self-care behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data analysis was done with SPSS software version 25 using descriptive (frequency and percentage) and inferential statistics (Mann-Whitney u-test and independent t-test).&#x0D; Results: 165 men (50.90%) and 159 women (49.10%) participated in this study. The mean age of the participants was 70.60 ± 8.73. The results showed that there was a statistically significant difference between the self-care behaviors of the elderly with a history of COVID-19 and those without it; the elderly with a history of COVID-19 had more favorable self-care behaviors (p&lt;0.001).&#x0D; Conclusion: A history of COVID-19 results in better self-care behaviors. It can be justified by constructs of the health beliefs model, including perceived susceptibility, severity, and treatment. Therefore, it is necessary to improve self-care behaviors by using the experiences of infected elders in health education to influence the above mention constructs.

“Life is Bitter and Sweet”: The Lived Experience of Ethnic Minority Elders with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Rural, Thailand

The purpose of this study was to describe the lived experience of ethnic minority elders (EME) with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) to understand an individual's experience, perception, and behaviors connected to T2DM in rural areas where support is limited. The hermeneutic phenomenological methodology was used to explore the lived experience of EME with T2DM by using conversational interviews. Twenty EME were interviewed. The data analysis and interpretation followed the thematic analysis by van Manen. Analysis highlighted an overarching theme of "Life is Bitter and Sweet" and three main themes: (1) the struggle of living with diabetes, (2) living with inequalities, and (3) dealing with diabetes that reflects the experiences of EME with T2DM living in underserved areas based on the cultures, beliefs, and spirits. The finding led to recommendations to strengthen interventions by family members, improve supportive systems and services to improve knowledge, self-management, and maintain physical well-being in order to increase the quality of life for the EME with T2DM.

Older Refugees and Internally Displaced People in African Countries: Findings from a Scoping Review of Literature

Abstract By and large, the attention and resources of governments, NGOs, and humanitarian actors have been directed at children and working-age displaced people, ignoring the needs and perspectives of displaced elders. Africa is the continent with the largest number of displaced people aged 60 and over. To help achieve equity and better representation for this latter group, it appears essential to delineate and clarify the evidence base on displaced elders in Africa. We systematically searched bibliographic databases in the social and health sciences. One hundred forty-one papers met our inclusion criteria globally, of which 16 were based on data collected in African countries. The scoping review establishes that the main focus has been the specific vulnerabilities faced by older African displaced people, particularly with regard to physical health and the erosion of social support systems. Contrary to research on older displaced populations elsewhere, studies on the mental health of displaced elders in Africa are lacking. Similarly, more priority should be given to phenomenological and life course approaches to better understand the lived experience of displaced African elders.

Social-Historical Accounts of Hope and Resilience: Experiences of Prominent Sexual Orientation Minority Elders

ABSTRACT Despite the challenges faced by sexual orientation minority (SOM) individuals, many SOM individuals are able to persist and develop resiliency over the course of their lives. The present study explored how prominent SOM elders perceived the LGBTQ+ community as developing hope and resiliency in relation to major events of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+) rights development. Using a basic qualitative approach, we analyzed interview data and three categories emerged. More specifically, these categories were: (1) internalization of societal views; (2) fostering safety and acceptance by creating a sense of community; and (3) sources of inspiration for initiating change. The resulting categories show the complex interaction of social influences and resiliency during times of societal reformation. We discuss the implications of how group-based emotions and identity processes during times of societal reformation foster a life-long resilience.

Four elders journeying ageing in isolation during uncertain or anxious times: an elder-directed, cross-disciplinary project about faith

ABSTRACT The role of spirituality and faith remains crucial for positive ageing. However, the voices and experiences of elders during and post-pandemic are understated. This elder-directed autoethnography considers the question: What role did your faith play in coping with social isolation? Four Christian elders narrate their spiritual journey leading to hope in uncertain times. The narratives highlight how their faith, routine, and rituals are bringing them calm, building resilience, and helping them cope with the dynamism of living in isolation. While the pandemic is immensely challenging, it is also providing the opportunity for reflection, faith-building, and encouragement to surrender to God.

Study on the Impact of Online Courses for Pregnant and Lying-In Women on Maternal and Infant Health during the Epidemic.

The sudden outbreak of the new crown pneumonia has brought online learning from a supporting role to the center of the teaching stage in an instant. On the basis of the feasibility analysis and demand analysis of the microcourse learning system, this paper uses Sina cloud server to build the WeChat public platform learning online course and designs and implements the microcourse learning system function based on the microcourse public platform. We completed the recording, editing, publishing, and testing of microclass courses and provided services for teachers and pregnant women's microclass learning in order to achieve better learning results. A total of 151 people regularly participate in maternity school courses, accounting for 30.4%. There are 190 people who have never attended the maternity school course, accounting for 38.2%. There are 156 people who occasionally participate in maternity school courses, accounting for 31.4%. The top five sources of health information during pregnancy are books, maternity schools, experience of elders, the Internet, and television. The results of one-way analysis of variance showed that pregnant women of different ages had statistically different scores in the dimensions of knowledge and ideas (P < 0.05). There are statistical differences in the scores of pregnant women with different economic incomes in this dimension (P < 0.05). The women with economic income ≥5000 yuan/month have the highest scores, and those with economic income ≥5000 yuan/month have the lowest scores. The scores of pregnant women who participated in the maternity school were significantly higher than those who did not participate in the maternity school (P < 0.05). There are statistical differences in the scores of maternal and child health basic skills among pregnant women of different age groups (P < 0.05). The women aged ≥35 years old have the highest scores, and those aged 20–24 years old have the lowest scores. The differences in the scores of pregnant women with different economic incomes in this dimension are statistically significant (P＜0.05). The women with economic income ≥5000 yuan/month have the highest score, and those with economic income<2000 yuan/month have the lowest score. Participation in maternity schools has an impact on the scores of this dimension. Pregnant women who regularly participate in maternity schools have the highest average scores, and those who do not participate in maternity schools have the lowest average scores.

‘My Grandmother Never Told Me That Before!’

Hmong ethnic minority populations in Vietnam’s northern borderlands have a long history of oral tradition and story-telling. Yet with an historical absence of literacy and no self-created written archives, the first-hand knowledge and experiences of Hmong elders is seldom communicated beyond their kin. At the request of a Hmong community member we developed a collaborative, intergenerational oral history project that would allow stories of Hmong elders to be shared on the internet. Concurrently, we trained Hmong youth in research methods, helping to improve their English skills and contribute to inter-generational knowledge transfer. Drawing on debates regarding collaborative North-South ethnography, positionality and critical reflexivity, and feminist fieldwork approaches, we contemplate our roles as two Global North researchers interacting with Global South ethnic minority youth and elders, and the degree to which we were able to help support the creation of subaltern counter-narratives to Vietnamese state discourses of upland minority histories.’

The Spirit in Numbers 11

Abstract Numbers 11 is a foundational passage for OT pneumatology and supports pentecostal theology and practice. There, God, through Moses, expressed his plan that all believers should be empowered for prophetic ministry by the Holy Spirit. That experience of the seventy elders involved a kind of prophesying that was probably praise and prayer in tongues, as in Acts 2.

Enabling culturally safe sexual health services in western Sydney: a protocol to improve STI treatment outcomes for Aboriginal young people

BackgroundAboriginal people face challenges on several fronts when it comes to the health and wellbeing of their community, compared to the rest of the Australian population. This is no different in urban areas such as Australia’s largest urban Aboriginal community located in Blacktown, NSW, where sexually transmitted infections (STIs) remain an issue of concern. Across Australia, rates of infectious syphilis, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and hepatitis C infection have increased by 400, 260, and 15% respectively while gonorrhoea decreased 12% in the 5-year period from 2013 to 2017. This study explores how to address the barriers that prevent young Aboriginal people under 30 years of age from accessing STI treatment through Government Sexual Health Services.MethodsThis qualitative study will use purposeful sampling to recruit 20 male and 20 female health consumers, 10 Aboriginal elders and 10 sexual health clinicians. This recruitment will be undertaken with the assistance of the local Government Health Services and local Aboriginal organisations. One-on-one semi-structured interviews will be undertaken by someone of the same gender in order to address cultural preferences. Data will be entered into NVivo and thematically analysed.DiscussionThis study will seek to add to the literature that explores why young Aboriginal people do not access sexual health services. This study seeks to understand the experience of clinicians, Aboriginal elders and Aboriginal young people to provide practical policy and clinical redesign evidence that can be used to improve the experience and cultural safety of sexual health services in urban areas of Australia. The results of the qualitative research will be disseminated with the assistance of participating local Aboriginal organisations, and the findings will be published through peer-reviewed scientific journals and conference presentations.Trial registrationThe study is approved by the Western Sydney Local Health District Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC/16/WMEAD/449) and the New South Wales Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council’s Human Research Ethics Committee (1220/16).

‘I’m black, a woman, disabled and lesbian’: LGBT ageing and care services at the intersections in South Africa

Experiences of ageing and care are closely tied to structural location in terms of race, class, gender and sexuality among others. In South Africa, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people’s experiences of ageing and care are profoundly influenced by the patriarchal, postapartheid context. This study, the first of its kind in South Africa, was an exploratory study of the experiences of ageing and care among LGBT elders in two provinces in South Africa. Findings indicate that LGBT elders’ experiences of ageing and care are influenced by intersectionality and lack of access to care. In particular, the ageing and care experiences of black and Coloured LGBT elders, especially lesbian, bisexual and transgender women, are disproportionately impacted. Implications of these exploratory findings are that national ageing and care policies need to specifically name LGBT elders as a key group and that services be rolled out for LGBT elders.

Behavioral profiling: a generationwide study of players' experiences during brain games play

ABSTRACT An insight regarding few of the experiences during video games playing activity is still fuzzy. This paper presents an extensive empirical study that analyzes the experiences of 100 participants (i.e. 25 children, younger adults, older adults, and elders each) during brain games play. This concludes a number of significant correlations among the diverse kinds of players’ experiences (i.e. engagement, enjoyment, anxiety, usability, adaptability, and noninvasiveness). It is further identified by the study that the similarities and differences exist among the experiences of children, younger adults, older adults, and elders. Consequently, observations of the presented study provide an insight to successfully predict behavioral trends of the players during brain games play (i.e. in 5-point assessment sphere), which leads to narrow down the complexity of user feedback process for the respective game genre.

Gerotranscendence and active aging: the lived experience

ABSTRACT Active aging is a comprehensive and subjective concept that depends on an individuals’ personal experiences. The theory of gerotranscendence focuses on seniors and the aging process. This process would be of great value in dealing with the challenges that come in that period of life. The authors conducted this study to explore the lived experience of gerotranscendence and active aging among seniors. Following a directed content analysis procedure, we conduct semi-structured individual interviews with 39 community-dwelling seniors from the age of 60 including both genders living in Isfahan selected by purposeful sampling. Data collection and analysis were concurrent. The reliability of data was fulfilled by following Lincoln and Guba criteria. We stopped data collection when no new concept was added and data saturation was achieved. Based on the experience of elders, we identified three categories: 1) Self-transcendence, 2) Social transcendence, and 3) Cosmic level. These portrayed gerotranscendence as a continuous process confronting age-related change. The finding suggests that gerotranscendence was introduced as a dynamic process that occurred simultaneously with active aging accompanying the journey of life.

Extending the Active Ageing Index to Hong Kong Using a Mixed-Method Approach: Feasibility and Initial Results

The rapid demographic transition heightens the urgency to develop a monitoring mechanism for policymakers to evaluate the impact of population ageing. The Active Ageing Index (AAI), developed for 28 European Union countries, has served as a global quantitative toolkit to benchmark the diverse experience of active ageing and older people’s potential. One can presume that the experiences of Asian elders are different to those with Europeans who have different cultural backgrounds. Thus, an approach that incorporates Eastern culture needs to be developed. In this paper, key findings of the focus group discussions with older men and women across the territories of Hong Kong are summarized. The lay perceptions of active ageing in the general public are identified and compared with the constituents of the European AAI. Also, the relative importance of the indicators given by the older Chinese people were differentiated by their demographic characteristics. The extent to which the older Chinese citizens and the expert groups of the AAI revealed similar judgement on the relative importance of the indicators of active ageing are also examined. The results reported in this paper illustrate how the mixed-method approach could serve as an appropriate method in extending the active ageing research in the Asia-Pacific region. The insights obtained would inform the construction of a more meaningful AAI in the Asian context. It is argued that incorporating the perspective of older people to encapsulate the defining characteristics of active ageing will lead to a wider acceptance of the AAI in a policy-setting mechanism.

The LGBT Elder Americans Act

The social positioning of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) older adults is influenced by a constellation of historic and contemporary policies that shape the way they interact with the world around them. Although the past few decades have witnessed several legislative decisions that reflect a more open stance toward LGBT individuals, there remains a lack of federal policies that protect them. This paper provides a critical analysis of the LGBT Elder Americans Act of 2019, a bill amending the Older Americans Act of 1965 to include LGBT older adults in the definition of those with “greatest social needs” for the purpose of service planning and implementation. As a theoretical framework, we apply a life course perspective and an equity lens to examine the promise and limitations of the LGBT Elder Americans Act in meeting the needs of LGBT older adults. It is critically important for social work practitioners, policy makers, and scholars to understand the principles that drive policy debates so that they can advocate on behalf of the most vulnerable members of the population. We offer three recommendations for future policy making: i) Apply a life course perspective to understand the lived experiences of LGBT elders; ii) Apply an equity lens to public policy; and iii) Expand research to guide and advance policy development.

Un bénévolat jeunesse pour favoriser la participation sociale des aînés : l’expérience des participants au projet intergénérationnel Sunny Action

The Sunny Action project aims to bridge the gap between generations by inviting young people aged 12 to 18 to volunteer in residential centers during the summer months. The young people accompany the elderly during the leisure activities and thus promote a context of social participation. This paper describes the intergenerational experience of young people and elders through volunteering and social participation within the Sunny Action project. During the summer of 2015 the authors conducted a case study on the Sunny Action project. They carried out semi-structured interviews with 11 elderly people and the project coordinator and conducted two focus groups with 14 young volunteers. The following themes were discussed: the motivations and expectations, the attitudes required, the benefits obtained, and satisfaction with the project. Results show that the Sunny Action project generates several benefits for young people, but also for seniors and their living environment.

ROLE OF FAMILY CARE AND SUPPORT IN EXPERIENCE OF BEREAVEMENT AMONG ELDERS: CASE STUDY

Ponte Academic JournalApr 2020, Volume 76, Issue 4 ROLE OF FAMILY CARE AND SUPPORT IN EXPERIENCE OF BEREAVEMENT AMONG ELDERS: CASE STUDYAuthor(s): Saba Zer Naz Hafsa ,Asia Mushtaq, Fazaila Sabih, Amna Hassan, Syeda Rabia Shaheen, Fatima AfsarJ. Ponte - Apr 2020 - Volume 76 - Issue 4 doi: 10.21506/j.ponte.2020.4.22 Abstract:Life is a journey, in this every one of us experiences gains and losses. When we gain\\\\r\\\\nsomething significant we experience happiness, but when we lose something we experience\\\\r\\\\nnegative emotional states like negative affect that is sadness, in some cases depression and in\\\\r\\\\nextreme case grief and bereavement. Prolonged grief and bereavement can lead to major\\\\r\\\\ndepression. Mostly people experience grief and turn to reconcile their original positive energies\\\\r\\\\nwithout any help, facilitator and intervention. Whereas, sometimes some people are not able to\\\\r\\\\nreconcile and remain stick to their grief and bereavement state. At this point they need\\\\r\\\\nfacilitation and special care. Current case revealed the significance of early detection of\\\\r\\\\ndepressive illness with reference to bereavement among elderly and the role of family care and\\\\r\\\\nsupport in fighting with the said problem. It is concluded there is a need to optimize family\\\\r\\\\nsupport (family support includes siblings, parental, off springs, spouse support) during the period\\\\r\\\\nof bereavement to minimize the burden and suffering of family members.\\\\r\\\\nKeywords: depression, grief, bereavement, primary care, family support Download full text:Check if you have access through your login credentials or your institution Username Password