Implications For Older People Research Articles

Sleep and cognitive health in older people

Sarah Palmer looks at the implications for older people when they do not get enough sleep or when they are getting too much sleep.

Oral health for healthy aging

During the 74th World Health Assembly, a resolution was passed aiming to achieve better oral health as part of universal health coverage, with plans to draft a global strategy and action plan. Oral diseases are a significant problem globally, with implications for older people’s health and quality of life. Oral health is important for healthy aging. Integration of oral health into primary care settings and use of a life-course approach have been shown to be effective in the 8020 campaign in Japan. Accurate data on prevalence of oral disease is required to monitor effectiveness of public health approaches, which should be segregated based on setting, sociodemographic status, and comorbidities. These public health approaches should also be adapted and tailored for implementation during the current COVID-19 pandemic. These considerations are essential to progress the agenda of oral health for healthy aging.

Loneliness and Patterns of Health Service Usage: Evidence From Healthy Ageing in Scotland

Loneliness is associated with poorer health status and health outcomes. Yet, little is known about how loneliness in ageing populations is associated with health service usage. Loneliness (UCLA-3) was measured in older people in Scotland (Healthy Ageing in Scotland, HAGIS, n = 1,057). We analysed socio-demographic, perceived health, and health behaviour characteristics using descriptive statistics and logistic regression. The survey data (HAGIS, 2016/17) were linked to retrospective administrative health data to investigate patterns of health service usage (from 2005), such as the number of hospital visits and mean length of stay, and their associated costs. Two-part models were used to highlight variation i) in those who had ever vs never been admitted to hospital, and ii) between those who had been admitted. Our results highlight the variation in hospital service usage in those experiencing loneliness and opens discussion on the implications for older people and hospital services.

Implications for older people’s lifestyle during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic: The Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES)

Implications for older people’s lifestyle during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic: The Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES)

Precariously placed: Home, housing and wellbeing for older renters.

Older renters may encounter a wide range of challenges and constraints in their experiences of ageing, housing and community life that influence their wellbeing. We employ a two-part conceptualisation of precarity and resilience to investigate how housing-related precarities may impact upon experiences of ageing and home during later life. We draw on narratives collected through in-depth interviews with 13 older renters living in a particularly high-pressure housing market within the greater Auckland area. We ground our analysis in ideas of precarity and resilience evident in participants' experiences of being 'at home' at the scale of both the dwelling and wider community. Results show that experiences of renting and ageing can be complicated and compromised in diverse ways by interrelated aspects of precarity and resilience related to housing, community, health, financial and personal circumstances. Distance or isolation from services and healthcare, tourism-related infrastructural pressures, and community changes can intensify precarious experiences of home, and can have implications for older people's wellbeing, as well as their ongoing opportunities to age well in place. In addition to these potential precarities, older renters appear to draw strength from their familiarity with, attachment to, and enjoyment of, place and community. These responses demonstrate older renters' capacity for resilience to challenge and adversity when ageing in rented places.

Storm resilience of New Zealand housing and the implications for older people – Preliminary study

Abstract New Zealand is susceptible to a wide range of natural hazard events. The response of dwellings to these adverse events is critical to both the resilience of whole communities and the individuals within them, with older people being particularly vulnerable when homes are damaged or destroyed. Older people are defined as those 65 years and older. In New Zealand, most older people are owner-occupiers and they must therefore confront the tasks of making good their dwellings and dealing with insurance companies after an adverse event. This research investigates just how vulnerable older people are in adverse natural events, through the examination of both physical and functional aspects of their dwelling, compared to those dwellings owned by the general population. The data from the 2010 House Condition Survey (HCS) by BRANZ (an independent research, testing and consulting company providing resources for the New Zealand building industry) provided an opportunity for a preliminary examination of this, in particular the resilience of the New Zealand dwelling stock in the context of storms and weather-related adverse events. An assessment was then made of the vulnerable features of housing inhabited by the general population compared with those 65+. It was found that older people do not appear to be substantially or systematically more exposed to dwellings with less resilient designs, materials or amenities. This paper identifies some additional questions to the existing HCS that will lead to a more comprehensive understanding of households’ storm-related resilience in New Zealand.

Dysphagia: implications for older people

SummaryDysphagia represents a salient concern in many conditions prevalent in older people. There are direct implications for morbidity and mortality. The importance of recognizing and managing dysphagia in hospital and the community also extends to psychosocial impact and quality of life, as well as health, economic and ethical-legal issues. This review outlines reasons for the importance of recognizing and treating dysphagia. It then proceeds to look at recent developments in our understanding of the nature, assessment and management of dysphagia in older people. Whilst there are well-established practices in assessment and management, ongoing work continues to challenge the validity and reliability of many methods. These concerns are covered and directions for future developments highlighted.

Home visits on a downward trend: what are the implications for older people?

The International Journal of Integrated Care (IJIC) is an online, open-access, peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes original articles in the field of integrated care on a continuous basis.IJIC has an Impact Factor of 5.120 (2020 JCR, received in June 2021)

The power of music in the lives of older adults

A compelling body of research demonstrates that music continues to offer powerful potential for enhancing health and well-being in old age. Active music-making has been found to provide a source of enhanced social cohesion, enjoyment, personal development, and empowerment, and to contribute to recovery from depression and maintenance of personal well-being throughout these latter stages of adult life. Within a context where life expectancy at age 65 years is rising rapidly and yet where increasing numbers of older people are reported to be living in isolation or suffering from depression, this body of research has important implications for understanding how access to active music-making may enhance the lives of older people. This article reviews a body of literature relating to specific benefits of active participation in music-making amongst older people. A case study is presented, illustrating some of the key points from the literature. Some barriers to participation are identified and implications for older people and their carers are discussed.

A systematic review exploring factors supporting partnership working between generalist and specialist palliative care services: implications for older people

BackgroundThe care that most people receive at the end of their lives is provided not by specialist palliative care professionals but by generalists such as GPs, hospital staff and others...

Court backs council's withdrawal of night help.

A court ruling that backed a local authority's decision to withdraw night time help to a stroke sufferer will have major implications for older people, according to the RCN.

Independent living units: Managing and renewing an ageing stock

Objectives: To report on a key challenge (and its implications) that Australian not‐for‐profit organisations face as they manage and renew an ageing stock of independent living units (ILUs) for older people. Methods: A national survey of ILU organisations complemented by 28 interviews with ILU managers, peak aged care organisations and government officers, and five workshops with ILU managers. Results: ILUs are a policy response to the housing needs of older people with low income and limited assets. However, ILU organisations face significant challenges as the overall condition of ILUs deteriorates, as they seek to meet higher expectations and as they move into a phase of renewal. Conclusions: The future of ILU organisations is at a watershed, with many reconsidering their role as providers of ILUs. Any extensive reduction in ILUs will have implications for older people, for public housing providers and for delivery of community care to older renters.

Dysphagia: implications for older people

This review opens with an outline definition of dysphagia, its causes, and why it is vital that people involved in the health care of older people should be aware of it. A brief consideration of prevalence is followed by an overview of assessment options. We conclude with a section on management.

Big brother or brave new world? Telecare and its implications for older people’s independence and social inclusion

Telecare is advocated as a means of effectively and economically delivering health and social care services in people’s homes, using technology that can monitor activities and safety, provide virtual home visiting, activate reminder systems, increase home security and convey information. Significant planned investment by central government will be rewarded if telecare results in fewer older people requiring institutional care, and more remaining independent in their own homes longer than would otherwise be the case. This paper, which reports on focus group work with older people, carers and professional stakeholders, considers key issues rarely addressed in provider-led studies. Emerging social policy implications centre on the potential impact of telecare on service users’ autonomy and privacy and, controversially, as a replacement for human support. We argue that the development of relevant policy and practice in respect of telecare has to pay close and careful attention to concerns held by all stakeholders, particularly in regard to individual choice, surveillance, risk-taking and quality of service.

Gaps in the Family Networks of Older People in Three Indonesian Communities

Family networks are widely assumed to be a key source of support for older people in Indonesia and Southeast Asia more generally, although empirical study of their composition and functioning is in its infancy. This paper draws on ethnographic and survey data collected in longitudinal research of ageing in three rural Indonesian communities, in order to identify demographic and social factors limiting the size of elders' networks. Gaps in networks commonly emerge as a result of childlessness, migration and alienation, but their implications for older people's vulnerability are shaped by socio-economic status, reputation and cultural norms.

An analysis of allied health professional training in care homes for older people in Glasgow

The training of care staff in care homes for older people is important to ensure the maintenance of evidence‐based and effective care. Moreover, training can assist in changing attitudes and promoting improved quality care for residents.To this end the Allied Health Professional (AHP) Care Homes Training Team provides training to care staff throughout the greater Glasgow area. This study sought to elicit service user views and opinions about the team's current provision to assist in informing prospective developments and enhancing future performance. Many of the responses discussed training in general in care homes and so should be of interest to all AHPs and others with an interest in care homes. Ten semi‐structured interviews were undertaken with home management staff, which were thematically analysed. The response rate was 100%. 648 care staff had received training from the team in the ten care homes. However, only 36% of these staff remained employed by the homes at the time of the study. Therefore, only the remaining staff received postal semi‐structured questionnaires. The response rate was 14% for these staff. A range of service users' opinions and views were elicited.Topics covered included: induction training, career progression through training, training records, team training and support provision, changes implemented as a result of training, barriers to implementing training, structure/times/content and delivery of training sessions, training gaps, information and training for managers and appropriate topics for training. Feedback was extremely positive but the study raised wider implications for older people's care in care homes, which merit further research and debate.

Dysphagia: implications for older people

Dysphagia is defined as difficulty in swallowing solids or liquids and is distinct from odynophagia, which is pain on swallowing. Dysphagia occurs in a range of conditions that affect the oral, pharyngeal and oesophageal phase of swallowing. The problem of dysphagia assumes greater importance in older persons. Some people may not be able to communicate that a problem exists. In others the lack of nutrition due to dysphagia compounds existing undernutrition, a common problem in institutionalized older persons. This paper discusses dysphagia in the context of the older person and outlines the normal mechanism of swallowing, the important clinical distinction between oropharyngeal dysphagia and oesophageal dysphagia, the aetiology of dysphagia and issues of management.

Domestic spaces: uses and meanings in the daily lives of older people

This paper examines older people's everyday routines and their implications for older people's uses and perceptions of domestic spaces in both mainstream and sheltered housing settings. It draws from qualitative data collected during a large-scale survey of the housing and support needs of older people, and specifically the responses of 60 informants to personal interviews. The findings are that domestic spaces have a significant influence on the scope that older people have to retain a sense of self-determination. It is shown that environmental defects, such as poorly configured domestic spaces, have consequences for older people's sense of continuity and choice. The conclusions are that domestic spaces are living spaces that embody personal and family-oriented priorities. It is suggested that older people require adequate, accessible and personalised domestic spaces in order to facilitate three important objectives: routines, responsibilities and reflection.

Report on the Human Rights Act and its implications for older people

Report on the Human Rights Act and its implications for older people

The Human Rights Act: What are the implications for older people?

Help the Aged is launching a report outlining the terms of the Human Rights Act and its implications both for older people themselves and for public bodies responsible for providing services to them. Tessa Harding, head of policy at Help the Aged said: 'The Human Rights Act is an important turning point for older people. Not only does it establish key rights of individuals to freedom from inhuman and degrading treatment, to private and family life and so on; it also prohibits discrimination in accessing these rights.We expect older people and their advocates to use the Act to ensure greater fairness and equality in our society.'