Good Life Research Articles

INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO ADDRESSING LONELINESS AND PROMOTING AGING IN COMMUNITY

Abstract Research has shown that older adults who are lonely and socially isolated are at increased risk for various negative health outcomes. This symposium brings together leading experts across the globe in the fields of gerontology, public health, and social work to share innovative approaches to addressing loneliness and fostering connections. The symposium will begin with Dr. Ma from the National Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) to share the voice of seniors on digital inclusion for a healthy community in Singapore. Dr. Shapira from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, and her research team will discuss a 7-session digital intervention to promote effective coping and alleviate depression and loneliness among older adults in Israel. The symposium will then examine community-based efforts, with Dr. Hou from The University of Central Florida (UCF) in the United States discussing the role of healthcare providers in screening and identifying loneliness and examining communication and comfortability in conducting loneliness screening among older patients. Lastly, Dr. Kuo from Chung-Shan Medical University (CSMU) will introduce the five domains of living a good life and how older adults responded to these topics to prepare themselves for better aging in the community. The presenters will discuss strategies for fostering community-based support networks to address community-dwelling older adults’ physical, social, and emotional needs. This global symposium will also examine the role of technology in supporting community-based efforts, including using virtual communication platforms, online resources, and digital tools to promote community engagement and connection. This is an International Comparisons of Healthy Aging Interest Group Sponsored Symposium. This is a collaborative symposium between the Aging Among Asians and International Comparisons of Healthy Aging Interest Groups.

Moving between doing and being-Meanings of person-centredness as narrated by nursing home managers. Aphenomenological hermeneutical study.

This study aimed to illuminate meanings of person-centredness as narrated by nursing home managers in nursing homes rated as highly person-centred. A phenomenological hermeneutical approach was used. Twelve nursing home managers in 11 highly person-centred nursing homes in 7 municipalities in Sweden were included in this interview study. The findings were interpreted, reflected and discussed through the lens of Ricoeur. Meanings of person-centredness could be understand as moving between doing and being through knowing, sensing, sharing and giving for person-centredness. These aspects contributed via knowledge, understanding, interaction and action that involved doing for and being with older persons through these caring dimensions. By moving between doing for, being with and being part of the overall nursing home narrative, knowing, sensing, sharing and giving could support the persons' identity in different ways. This may also contribute to sense-making, preserving dignity and promoting self-esteem when aiming to provide a good life for older persons in nursing homes, within an ever-present ethical frame. This study illuminated meanings of person-centredness as narrated by nursing home managers. No patient of public contribution was investigated.

Questions of (non)Disclosure among People Living with Alzheimer’s Disease in Denmark

This article explores questions of (non)disclosure among people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, arguing that whether to reveal one’s diagnosis to family and friends is not a straightforward choice. I use the term (non)disclosure to emphasize the fluidity of that choice, as participants often toggle between revelation and concealment. Common to various strategies is an aim to avoid the strong associations with dementia as social death. By following the aftermaths of disclosure, the article shows that people with Alzheimer’s disease living in Denmark do not experience social death. Rather, they experience marginalization and estrangement but also continuing care. The article reveals that while social death is commonly ascribed to Alzheimer’s, this ascription does not account for the manifold social implications of the diagnosis. The continuing care that people with Alzheimer’s disease receive is often overlooked. To challenge commonplace mischaracterizations of dementia as social death, we must take seriously the experiences of people living with the disease and contribute to redefining common understandings of dementia in ways that include the continuity of social recognition and the possibility of living a good life.

The Influence of Age and Income on Financial Planning: A Case Study on its Impact on Retirement Planning Decision

Retirement refers to a stage in life when an individual stops working and transitions into a life of leisure and relaxationwhere involvement in activities decreases and becomes more limited. Even after a person reaches retirement age, a good retirement life needs continued job and a source of regular income. Retirement planning includes financial planning and preparation to ensure a comfortable standard of living after the cessation of employment. Inadequate retirement planning will typically result in some dissatisfaction during retirement. Therefore, it is crucial to have a good retirement plan. The reasonto conduct this study is to examine the significance of demographic variables and its impact while preparing for retirementin India amongst young employees. The objectivehere is determining the importanceofvariables including age and incomewith regard to financial planning for retirement. The study is conducted in Indian context. Age and income are the demographic factors on which the study is conducted. The conclusions of this research will aidpeople of India in creating a sound retirement plan for their future.

Analisis Dampak Krisis Moral pada Siswa Sekolah Dasar Era Revolusi Society 5.0

A crisis is an event that has more negative implications in an organization. The crisis also has much potential for the negative in affecting an organization or a company and in the community. Whereas morals are things that fit with ideas which are commonly accepted by humans, which are good and which are bad. Assessments of morals are measured in local cultures. When such a person does according to the values that are in society it is accepted and the person has good value. So the moral crisis is the negative that can influence a system and aspects of that good life in the home, school, and community environment. The crisis phase is that crisis build up, the second crisis breakout, the third chrinic crisis stage, and the last crisis stage. Furthermore, the revolutionary society 5.0 concept, which will play a major role in transforming data into a new kind of wisdom that ultimately enhances human ability, opens the door to a meaningful life. In the society 5.0 era a great amount of information would accumulate in the virtual world. The impact is that the world is becoming so connected that national boundaries seem to be lost.

HUMAN NATURE IN THE PERSPECTIVE OF ISLAMIC PHILOSOPHY

As unique creatures, humans have specific characteristics that make them different from other creatures. It certainly makes scientists interested in studying it and including this theme in particular fields of study, including Islamic philosophy. Thus, this study aims to describe Human Nature from the Perspective of Islamic Philosophy. The method used is qualitative with literature study techniques, while the documentation model becomes a tool for data collection. Then, the essential and relevant things according to the theme are recorded, a careful analysis of the contents is carried out, and finally, it is concluded. The results of the study show that human nature in Islamic philosophy is placed as a creature that has a myriad of potentials with which he must maintain a relationship with the universe and its contents and continue to pay attention to ethical, moral, and social values to others to worship Allah so that he can achieve optimally the highest goal is to get a good life in the world and be safe in the afterlife.

Ubuntu as a valued capability for university students in South Africa

Universities are often described as institutions that can promote the wellbeing of their local populations. This is because they are central for advancing human development aims which support the aspirations of students and the communities from which they come. Nevertheless, we know this potential can be constrained by historical processes of oppression and negation of indigenous ways of being and doing. Applying the Capabilities Approach and Human Development paradigm as a normative framework for the outcomes of university education in the South African context, we argue for a focus on the centrality of capabilities (real freedoms) in assessing how well universities are doing to support student wellbeing. We pay special attention to one capability which we see as architectonic for other freedoms, which is Ubuntu. While Ubuntu is generally understood as a moral philosophy, in this paper we articulate it as a valued capability in the space of higher education. We also argue that it is a capability that has transformative and decolonial potential that can enable universities to promote student wellbeing if the conditions to practice it are in place.
 Drawing from data collected through qualitative and participatory approaches in two longitudinal research projects that were carried out between 2016 and 2021 with undergraduate students in diverse universities in South Africa, we show that Ubuntu informs students’ conceptions of humanity and their aspirations for ‘a good life’ and that it can inform the vision of transformed and decolonised university spaces that reflect indigenous ways of being and indigenous ways of seeing the world.

Pressure to attend university: beyond narrow conceptions of pathways to a “good life”

ABSTRACT Securing stable, well-paid employment has become increasingly difficult for youth world-wide, negatively affecting their health and wellbeing. In recent years, this job insecurity has been exacerbated by compounding natural, economic, and social disasters. At the same time, young people are increasingly being encouraged to pursue higher education to secure a more viable future. This paper examines the post-school transitions of 22 Australian school leavers who were interviewed while at school between 2012 and 2017 and then again 1–5 years post-school. We investigated their transition into work and/or further education in the light of (1) profound societal change, and (2) the dominant narrative of university as necessary for the “good life.” We found that young people face immense pressure to attend university, even if their career aspirations do not require a degree, while other post-school pathways are derided. This pressure can compound stress and mental ill-health and is exacerbated by the limited career education available to students during schooling. In the context of immense transformation in contemporary society, we argue that conceptions of “worthy” post-school pathways must be broadened and communicated to young people through high-quality career education as they navigate their post-school transitions.

Machine Learning based Health-Care Chatbot

Healthcare is essential to lead a good life. However, it is rather difficult to procure the consultation with the physician for each and every well-being problem. As we all know the world is suffering from a pandemic situation still. Our GDP gradually decreased, as of now it has web application but with less functionality to spread awareness of COVID-19 and to connect essential COVID-19-related health services to the people. The thought is to create a medical chatbot (Viro-attack) using Artificial Intelligence that may diagnose the disease and provide fundamental information about the illness sooner than consulting a health care provider. This will lend a hand to scale back healthcare prices and strengthen accessibility to medical knowledge thru scientific chatbot. This Viro-attack web application helps us to get updates related to COVID-19 and it spreads awareness about Corona virus in this web application. It also provides a vaccine related updates and current active cases in nearest locality of the user. And this web application will be containing all the COVID-19 related information and the user can also get their health status in the web application by entering their current symptoms if they have any. The Viro-attack stores the information in the database to spot the sentence keywords and to make a question resolution and answer the query. Ranking and sentence similarity calculation is performed the use of n-gram, TFIDF and cosine similarity. The score might be obtained for every sentence from the given input sentence and more equivalent sentences can be acquired for the query given. The third celebration, the skilled program, handles the question introduced to the bot that’s not understood or isn’t providing in the database.

What’s Good About Inclusion? An Ethical Analysis of the Ideal of Social Inclusion for People with Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities

‘Social inclusion’ is the leading ideal in services and care for people with intellectual disabilities in most countries in the Global North. ‘Social inclusion’ can refer simply to full equal rights, but more often it is taken to mean something like ‘community participation’. This narrow version of social inclusion has become so ingrained that it virtually goes unchallenged. The presumption appears to be that there is a clear moral consensus that this narrow understanding of social inclusion is good. However, that moral consensus is not clear in the case of people with profound intellectual and/or multiple disabilities (PIMD), who are not able to express their needs and preferences verbally. Moreover, social inclusion has proven to be difficult to conceptualize and implement for people with PIMD. Therefore, it becomes imperative to ask about the ethical rationale of the narrow understanding of social inclusion. For what reasons do we think social inclusion is good? And do those reasons also apply for people with PIMD? This article addresses these questions by providing an ethical analysis of the ideal of social inclusion for people with PIMD. It discusses four ethical arguments for social inclusion and probes their relevance for people with PIMD. The article argues that none of these arguments fully convince of the value of the narrow understanding of social inclusion for people with PIMD. It ends with advocating for an ethical space for imagining a good life for people with PIMD otherwise.

Book Review: Passionate Work: Endurance After the Good Life

Book Review: Passionate Work: Endurance After the Good Life

Can’t Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation

It is surprising how one generation can be unmindful of another generation’s lived reality and challenges. How well do the Baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) and Generation X (or Gen X, born between 1965 and 1980) understand the lived reality of the millennials (Generation Y or Gen Y, born between 1981 and 1996)? Surely, boomers and Gen X’s would benefit from understanding millennials and their upbringing, cultural conditioning, and expectations. Anne Helen Petersen’s Can’t Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation is a good starting point in this understanding. The book’s central theme is the feeling of millennials’ “burnout” in the face of growing up, securing a career, and raising children. “Can’t even” means one is emotionally overwhelmed. Petersen explores five topics: (i) the conditioning of the millennials by their boomer parents, (ii) millennials’ expectations of college and university, (iii) internships and graduate employment and careers, (iv) leisure and free time, and (v) parenthood. Petersen investigates the millennials’ “burnout” and opportunities and challenges in the broader context of late capitalism (neoliberal ideology) and global events (the 2003 Iraq War, the 2008 recession, and the COVID-19 pandemic). Overall, the book highlights that a balanced and quality life for millennials requires intergenerational understanding and government policies to enable them to experience the “good life”.

P2/O3 biphase integration promoting the enhancement of structural stability for sodium layered oxide cathode

O3-type sodium layered oxides have garnered significant attention as highly promising candidates for sodium ion batteries due to their high theoretical capacity. However, they often encounter challenges associated with complex and irreversible phase transitions and sluggish kinetics. To overcome these issues, herein we integrate the O3-type phase with the P2-type phase and systematically investigate the influence of different ratios of P2 phase in O3-type NaxLi0.05Mn0.55Ni0.3Cu0.075Mg0.025O2 pentanary layered oxides on the electrochemical performance by tuning the sodium contents. The LMC3-P2/O3-32 with optimized P2 phase ratio of 32.3 % exhibits a high reversible capacity of 157.0 mAh g−1 at a rate of 0.2C and excellent capacity retention rate of 63.5 % after 1000 cycles at 10C. The LCM3-P2/O3-32 also demonstrates good cycle life and rate capability in full cells when coupled with a hard carbon anode. In situ X-ray diffraction analyses confirm that the detrimental phase transformations to Na-poor O1 phase and the irreversible phase transitions occurred in the pure O3 cathode can be effectively suppressed in the P2/O3 biphasic cathode. The less Jahn-Teller active ions, enhanced phase transition reversibility and improved diffusion kinetics of Na+ ions are responsible for the improved cyclability and rate capability in the P2/O3 nanoscale intergrowth cathode. Our work shed light on the leverage of P2 and O3 phases through phase integration in layered oxides cathodes, which can serve as a guideline for the further development of high-performance cathode materials for advanced sodium ion batteries.

The Good Death of a Christian Through the Eyes of Sophie de Ségur (1799–1874)

This paper attempts to analyse how Sophie de Ségur (1799–1874) performed the mission of spreading the Catholic faith through children’s literature. The biography of this Russian woman who converted to Catholicism is presented at the beginning, together with her connections with the Ultramontane environment being active in nineteenth-century France. This is to prove that de Ségur’s writing activities were part of a planned programme aimed at shaping society in the spirit of Catholicism. The analysis is carried out on the examples of how she presented scenes of a good Catholic death in three novels for children: "Les vacances, Jean qui grogne et Jean qui rit and La sœur Gribouille". The study is divided into three parts: the death of the mother, the death of the child, and the death of the sinner, according to the criterion whose death was described. It is shown that in de Ségur’s perspective, a good death is a reward for a good and pious life. The social aspect of death and good preparation for it are also important.

Good Life according to Rubem Alves

This paper will examine Rubem Alves' concept of “good life”, through a literature review. Alves' eudaimonistic ethics can be found in his theology of human hope and, in a sparse way, in his late theopoetic texts. After his disenchantment with the great political utopias, Alves started to develop insights on how to live a good life in a way, at the same time, aware of the pain and, even so, hopeful. This research will consider the different phases of Alves' thinking and how he dialogues with other thinkers on three major themes: the meaning of life, suffering and the virtues necessary to live a meaningful life. This article shows how Alves tries to balance the perception of the transience and harshness of life with the concept that life needs to be lived with pleasure and desire, but without falling into hedonism.

Bio-inspired graphene nanocomposite enabled electrochemical immunosensor for detection and quantification of NS1 protein of dengue virus

Dengue is a serious illness that affects a large portion of the global population. Infection with the dengue virus may have been silent or symptomatic, making identification crucial for tracking the virus's propagation and protecting society from its catastrophic consequences. The non-structural dengue protein NS1 has been used as a biomarker in the diagnosis of dengue because it circulates widely in the blood during the acute phase of the infection and is associated with viremia. In this study, we have reported the development of an electrochemical immunosensor using nanobio-inspired platform composed of ternary nanocomposite of reduced graphene oxide (rGO), polydopamine (pDA) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) immobilized with Anti-NS1 antibodies for the detection of NS1 protein. The nanocomposite formation and antibody immobilization are confirmed using various microscopic, spectroscopic and electrochemical techniques. The differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) has been used to investigate the detailed electrochemical properties and immunosensing response of the developed immunosensor device. The designed immunosensor showed linear detection response for NS1 protein from 1 ng ml−1 to 100 µg ml−1 with a sensitivity of 1.78 ng ml−1 mA−1 and good shelf life. This developed immunosensor with exceptionally low detection limit revealed its potential for early diagnosis of dengue virus infection.

Sanitary, hygienic, and welfare aspects of keeping Pomeranian Spitz in a breeding private kennel

The market situation regarding the breeding of decorative dogs of the Pomeranian breed and providing consumers with appropriate services in this field of activity dictate the rules and create the conditions of competition between market participants, which encourages improvement, development, and constant monitoring of it in terms of novelties and needs that provide opportunities for comfortable care and decent maintenance of pupils. The work aimed to analyze the impact of sanitary and hygienic factors and ensuring healthy housing conditions on the functional state of the body and mental health of Pomeranian Spitz dogs in the conditions of the private breeding kennel Fluffy Luxury Pom in the suburbs of Lviv. To fulfill this task, a study of the hygienic parameters of the air environment, compliance with the hygiene of feeding and drinking of the wards, peculiarities of the care of the wool coat, and compliance with the concept of animal welfare – the principle of “Five Freedoms” was carried out. It has been established that the technological solutions for keeping Pomeranian Spitz dogs in the conditions of this kennel are characterized by compliance with hygienic requirements for the air environment at the proper level and meeting sanitary standards. Thus, the air temperature was 17 °C, and its movement speed was 0.15 m/s. In the absence of the smell of ammonia, the illuminance ratio corresponded to 1:2. The animals are fed with industrial complete ration super premium 1st Choice feed, the use of which, according to recommendations, helps dogs strengthen the immune system, slow down the aging process, maintain health and activity. This type of food requires constant free access of dogs to clean water, and the containers are kept clean by changing the filling every day. Regarding the quality characteristics of the water, it was established that it fully meets the standard. Dogs of this breed are characterized by a beautiful, lush coat requiring special care. Evaluating the level of compliance with individual hygienic procedures, it was established that they are carried out at a high level, as evidenced by the appearance of the animals. According to the statements of John Webster, the welfare of animals is defined by advocating the main three conditions - to live a natural life, to be healthy, and to be happy. The dogs in this kennel are provided with a good life; the behavioral reactions of the wards themselves confirm this. During the research, the dogs behaved calmly, naturally, and playfully, which indicates the socialization of dogs; the purpose is to make the pet feel comfortable and calm in various life situations without causing trouble to its owner and his surroundings.

Theopolitan Worship: A Response to Indonesian Generation Z’s Yearning for Good Life

A good life is a picture of the ideal life that drives all our decisions and habits. Based on various research results from home and abroad, the author shows that Generation Z Indonesia has the following image of a good life: a life full of entertainment, a consumptive lifestyle, and financial stability. The author proposes the concept of theopolitan worship as a means of calibrating the good life of generation Z Indonesia through the local church. First of all, the author constructs the concept of theopolitan worship by bringing together Peter J. Leithart’s thoughts on theopolitan vision, reading, and liturgy. Theopolitan worship is a worship liturgy based on biblical narratives that redeem culture and move the church to play an active role in this world. Next, the author provides some support from neurological studies related to worship that triggers several neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin. Finally, the author explains the impact of the Word on entertainment and the impact of Holy Communion on the consumerism and financial stability of generation Z Indonesia.

Flourishing while withering: an explication and critique of Simone de Beauvoir’s phenomenology of aging

AbstractThis paper explores the process of aging from a phenomenological perspective. Supplementing the model of becoming old found in Simone de Beauvoir’s work with a phenomenology of human suffering and flourishing, it asks whether it is possible to lead a good life in the process of becoming old. Is it possible to flourish while experiencing bodily waning? Is it possible to flourish while experiencing the shrinking of one’s everyday world and the passing away of close others? Aging, at least in its protracted phases, appears to become full of suffering rather than flourishing. What are the prospects of finding meaningful life projects despite old age? By making use of insight found in Heidegger and other phenomenologists the paper tries to develop a slightly different view on aging than the one found in Beauvoir, stressing the importance of embodied experiences and life choices, which not only depend upon societal oppression and being objectified by others, but also upon processes of nature and the possibilities of an intergenerational intersubjectivity. Resources for this project is found in the philosophy of affectivity developed by Heidegger and other phenomenologists of facticity, such as Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Charles Taylor, Helmuth Plessner and Hannah Arendt.

Quality of Life in People with Dementia with Lewy Bodies: a think‐aloud study informing economic outcome measurement

AbstractBackgroundLittle is known about assessing the quality of life in economic evaluation in people with Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB). This study aimed to explore perspectives of people living with DLB, their insights, and preferences for assessing their quality of life with the goal of optimizing shared decision‐making and delivering person‐centred value‐based care that aligns with individual priorities and preferences.MethodA think‐aloud study, and an associated semi‐structured interview were conducted with people living with dementia, diagnosed, or waiting to receive a formal diagnosis and with the capacity to participate in the research recruited via memory services in Ireland and online support groups. During the interviews, participants were invited to reflect on a ‘good life’ and to ‘think aloud’ while completing four economic quality of life instruments with a perspective that goes beyond health (AD‐5D /QOL‐AD, AQOL‐4D, ICECAP‐O, ICECAP‐SCM). Qualitative data were analyzed using constant comparison.ResultAt the time of submission, 22 think‐aloud interviews had been conducted with people living with dementia of different diagnoses, including 10 interviews with people living with DLB. Preliminary findings indicate that factors such as personal and social relationships, being respected by others, and independence contribute significantly to the overall quality of life of a person living with DLB and evolve as the condition progresses.ConclusionAssessing quality of life in people with dementia is methodologically challenging. Economic quality of life instruments with a narrow health focus do not capture all aspects of a ‘good life’ that people living with DLB consider important. Implications of these findings warrant a broader economic quality of life instrument co‐designed with people living with DLB and their care partners.