Perceptions Of Older Adults Research Articles

Hemşirelik Öğrencilerinin Afetlerde Yaşlılar Hakkındaki Mit Görüşlerinin Değerlendirilmesi

Ensuring the health welfare of older adults in emergencies and disasters is a public health problem. This study aims to analyze the evaluation of the myths, which older adults are exposed to during disasters and emergencies, by the nursing students of a university. The number of the students in the descriptive cross-sectional study was 377, and 83.0% of the population were reached. The data of the variables included some questions of the questionnaire used by the UNISDR in a research about the elderly and the myth questions in the book entitled International Disaster Nursing. 80.4% of the research group were female and 56.0 were junior class students, whereas 93.6% lived with both parents and 38.5% had a disaster. The mean (SS) age of the group was 19.89 (1.7) and the mean scores of the participants were 2.97 (1.07) for the Older People Myth Index (OPMI), 30.94 (6.19) for the vulnerability index and 6.41 (1.73) for the value index. . In logistic regression modeling with selected variables, there was a relationship between the junior variable and the OPMI. Accordingly, the junior class is inadequate in terms of elderly disaster myth rating compared to the senior class (OR = 2.11; GA = 1.055-4.225, p <0.05). There was a relationship between the students' OPMI scores and the junior classes. Therefore, it was found that education had a positive effect on the perception of older adults.

Perceptions of older adults about the concept of privacy and in terms of video-based AAL technologies

Perceptions of older adults about the concept of privacy and in terms of video-based AAL technologies

Egocentric distance perception in older adults: Results from a functional magnetic resonance imaging and driving simulator study.

The ability to appropriately perceive distances in activities of daily living, such as driving, is necessary when performing complex maneuvers. With aging, certain driving behaviors and cognitive functions change; however, it remains unknown if egocentric distance perception (EDP) performance is altered and whether its neural activity also changes as we grow older. To that end, 19 young and 17 older healthy adults drove in a driving simulator and performed an functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiment where we presented adults with an EDP task. We discovered that (a) EDP task performance was similar between groups, with higher response times in older adults; (b) older adults showed higher prefrontal and parietal activation; and (c) higher functional connectivity within frontal and parietal-occipital-cerebellar networks; and (d) an association between EDP performance and hard braking behaviors in the driving simulator was found. In conclusion, EDP functioning remains largely intact with aging, possibly due to an extended and effective rearrangement in functional brain resources, and may play a role in braking behaviors while driving.

Untapped Insight: A Longitudinal Qualitative Analysis of Older Adults' Advice During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Due to a lifetime of experience, older adults are uniquely positioned to contribute advice and insight to others during a historical, societal crisis such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This qualitative study explores the solicited advice older adults offered their peers, family members, and communities throughout the first year of the pandemic. A sample of 72 older adults aged 70-97 from Minnesota and North Dakota were asked what advice they would provide to others in June 2020 and again in April/May 2021. Participants were asked to provide advice on individual coping and how community members should support older adults during the pandemic, as well as how others should adjust after the pandemic. Responses were coded and developed into overarching themes. Older adults advised others during the pandemic to foster mental and physical well-being, develop positive life perspectives, and connect to others as strategies to cope through the pandemic. Participants advised that after the pandemic people should remain vigilant, return to normal, and emerge as better people. Advice targeted to meeting the needs of older adults during the pandemic included: adopt selfless attitudes, take intentional actions, and maintain balance. A longitudinal approach revealed that advice remained consistent over time, despite the circumstances caused by COVID-19 changing. Findings suggest that older adults utilize their life experiences and coping strategies as sources for drawing advice. These findings also suggest that older adults are sources of insight during crises. Future research should investigate additional advice older adults can offer and how willingly communities listen. Applied work should give older adults opportunities to provide far-reaching advice as well as develop interventions aimed at decreasing ageist perceptions of older adults in times of crisis.

A Study for Active Lifelong Education for Older Adults by Collaboration with Higher Education : Cases of Japanese Universities

The purpose of this study is to suggest collaborations with higher education institutions such as universities in lifelong education for older adults. By analysis on the cases in Japan, a country that has faced super-aged society and the learning needs of retired babyboomers, this study tried to elaborate its importances and implications to the Korean society. To do so, the broad context of lifelong education for older adults in Japan was investigated. Then, two representative cases of collaboration with universities namely Extension Center by Waseda University and Rikkyo Second Stage College by Rikkyo University in Japan were investigated along with the general context of lifelong education for older adults in Japan to understand how the expansion of lifelong education for older adults were possible and gained proposed outcomes. As results, this study found that collaboration of higher education brought meaningful changes in the perception of older adults from passive to active learners whose learning orientations expand beyond personal purposes to reach social ones. Also, intergenerational characteristics of higher learning shown in these two cases show the possibility that learning of older adults contributes in resolving various social issues in super-aged societies. Suggestions from these cases when applied to Korean context were elaborated.

Barriers and Challenges to Self-Care among Older Adults with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Qualitative Study

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a chronic disease causing disability in older adults. Self-care is an effective strategy for KOA management in older adults and clinicians have shown increased interest regarding the challenges of self-care activities in these patients. The present study aimed to explore the perception of older adults' patients with KOA regarding barriers and challenges faced in their self-care management. In this qualitative study, data were collected using purposeful sampling and in-depth semi-structured interviews with 22 older adults with KOA, their first-degree caregivers, and medical team members in Mashhad, northeast Iran, from April to December 2020. All the interviews were transcribed verbatim. Interviews continued until reaching data saturation. All interviews were recorded. Data analysis was done using conventional content analysis according to the technique described by Graneheim and Lundman. The MAXQDA (Version 10) was used to organize, code, and manage the data. Three main themes (confusion, confrontation with increasing stresses, and social rupture) were emerged as the barriers and challenges to self-care among older adults with KOA. The results of this study provide a broad range of context-specific of barriers and challenges to self-care among older adults with KOA, which can be used for designing and implementing appropriate interventions to improve self-care in these patients.

CN62 Patient and public involvement in cancer research: The needs and perceptions of older adults living with and after cancer

Patient and public involvement (PPI) is a movement to involve and engage people affected by research, and members of the public, in the development, conduct and reporting of health and social care research. PPI is a relatively new development in health research and there is relatively limited understanding of the perceptions and needs of older adults affected by cancer to enable meaningful engagement in cancer research. Therefore, this study aims to explore the perceptions of PPI and percieved facilitators and barriers of PPI for older adults living with and after cancer.

Understanding Intergenerational Tension during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Ambivalent Ageism

ABSTRACT During the COVID-19 pandemic, older adults have been depicted in negative stereotypical ways (e.g., vulnerable, a burden), which may have heightened intergenerational tensions, including conflict regarding relinquishing resources and positions (succession), shared resources (consumption), and distinct groups (identity). The current study assessed attitudes and perceptions of older adults in March/April 2021. Hostile and benevolent ageism predicted greater perceived intergenerational tension (consumption and identity), whereas only hostile ageism predicted more succession tension. Consumption and identity tension as well as hostile ageism predicted fewer intentions to help older adults, whereas benevolent ageism predicted greater behavioral intentions. Implications and future directions are discussed.

The effect of aging on identification of Mandarin consonants in normal and whisper registers.

Consonant perception in older adults has been widely explored in recent years. However, how aging affects the identification of Mandarin consonants, especially in whispered condition, are under studied. Mandarin consonants and whispering speech have unique features, which may result in different identification difficulties for older adults. The current study investigated older adults' identification of Mandarin consonants in phonated and whispered conditions in comparison with the performance of younger adults. It was found that in phonated condition, older adults showed the lowest accuracy for affricatives and fricatives owing to their insensitivity to high-frequency information. The lower accuracy of affricatives and plosives was largely attributed to the difficulty in recognizing articulatory places. Identifying aspirated plosives was much more difficult than unaspirated counterparts for older adults. In whispered condition, the recognition of voiced consonants and aspirated-unaspirated distinction became challenging, especially for older adults. Contrary to the expectation, some consonants became easier to be recognized in the whispered condition, i.e., /ph, tɕh, x/. These findings enrich our understanding of how aging affects consonant identification in different languages and less ideal conditions. It also suggests that the listener's ability, language uniqueness, and characteristics of distorted speech should be all taken into consideration when investigating speech perception in adverse conditions.

Reducing ageism toward older adults and highlighting older adults as contributors during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID‐19 pandemic exacerbated ageism (stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination) toward older adults in the United States, highlighting the belief that older adults are a burden. Prior to the pandemic, a growing body of research sought to reduce ageism using the PEACE (Positive Education about Aging and Contact Experiences) model. Extending that research, participants were randomly assigned to watch three videos (less than 10 min total) that challenged stereotypes about aging and older adults, depicted positive intergenerational contact, and highlighted older adults as contributors to society (experimental condition) or three videos on wallpaper (control condition). Experimental participants (undergraduate students in Study 1 and a national community sample of young adults in Study 2) reported increased endorsement of older adults as contributors to society and positive stereotypes of older adults. In addition, in Study 2, negative stereotypes of older adults and views of intergenerational conflict were also reduced among experimental (vs. control) participants. These promising findings show that relatively brief ageism reduction interventions are effective during the pandemic and for the first time, that the perception of older adults as contributors to society can be increased. Future directions and implications for social policies are discussed.

Views of in-person and virtual group exercise before and during the pandemic in people with Parkinson disease.

Due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), many health/wellness programs transitioned from in-person to virtual. This mixed-methods study aims to explore the perceptions of older adults with Parkinson disease (PD) regarding in-person versus virtual-based Parkinson-specific exercise classes (PDEx). Explore experiences, perceptions, and perceived effect of participating in and transitioning from in-person to virtual PDEx in people with Parkinson disease (PwPD). Cross-sectional mixed-methods design using an online survey and focus groups. PwPD who participated in an in-person and virtual PDEx (n=26) were recruited to participate and completed online surveys and focus groups from their home during the COVID-19 pandemic. PwPD who participated in an in-person and virtual PDEx and agreed to participate completed an online survey (n=16; male=8; mean age=74 years) and focus groups (n=9; male=4; mean age=75 years). N/A MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Participants completed survey questions and participated in focus groups regarding their perceptions, attitudes, and perceived changes in PD-related symptoms since participating in the PDEx, as well as barriers and facilitators to participating in virtual PDEx. Participants felt PDEx was somewhat to very safe and beneficial. In the computer, comfort, and perceptions survey, participants reported perceived improved mobility (63%), balance (75%), and overall health (63%) since participating the PDEx, whereas some participants reported improved mental health (38%). Participants reported minimal difficulty with accessing virtual PDEx. Most participants stated that they would prefer to participate in a combination of in-person and virtual programming. Focus-group participants emphasized that virtual PDEx provided social and emotional support and improved confidence to perform and maintain an exercise regimen. PwPD who transitioned from an in-person to a virtual PDEx felt the program was safe, effective, and improved or prevented declines in their mobility and balance. PwPD who transitioned to a virtual PDEx also reported benefits in non-motor symptoms such as social isolation.

Understanding perspectives on health-promoting behaviours among older adults with hypertension

ABSTRACT Purpose Health-promoting behaviours (HPBs) are considered the key to determining health among older adults with hypertension. Increasing our understanding of older adults’ views on HPBs could facilitate the development of interventions aimed at improving their quality of life. This study aims to describe the perceptions of older adults with high blood pressure concerning their HPBs and associated factors. Methods Semi-structured interviews with 40 individuals in Thailand were used to collect the data, which were analysed using thematic analysis. Results The results were categorized into five main themes related to personal, social, and environmental factors. Older adults explained that their experiences with HPBs involve taking responsibility for controlling blood pressure by following a doctor’s prescription, modifying their lifestyles to be healthier, sustaining social relationships, and experiencing spiritual growth through religious practices for inner peace. Older adults also identified environmental factors that influenced their engagement in HPBs depending on their residential areas. Conclusions The findings of this study highlight the importance of practices in which professionals support and encourage older adults to perform HPBs to maintain health and improve their well-being.

Creating shared value (CSV) and mutually beneficial relationships to address societal issues and develop corporate competitive advantage: A case study of Yuhan-Kimberly and an aging population

Through creating shared value (CSV) initiatives, companies have attempted to contribute to solving social problems that the public sector cannot address alone, such as migration, health, climate change, and job losses due to automation. Companies are also using CSV as business opportunities to develop their competitiveness. Only a few studies, however, have examined how organizations can develop and implement CSV programs, and the outcomes of those programs. We conducted a case study on how a multinational company, Yuhan-Kimberly, a joint venture of Kimberly-Clark and Yuhan, developed and implemented its CSV program, and created win-win, mutually beneficial impacts, in response to an increasingly aging society in Korea. South Korea is the world’s most rapidly aging society with the highest poverty and suicide rates among older adults. Yuhan-Kimberly’s CSV initiative includes fostering small-sized senior care businesses, creating jobs for older adults, changing the negative perception of older adults, and ultimately creating a market ecosystem for the older adult care industry. We used triangulation through company documents, including annual sustainability reports (N = 10), news reports (N = 623), company-conducted survey results (N = 80), and in-depth interviews (N = 14) with employees and members of other organizations and publics. The results reveal how the company developed and implemented a CSV program to cultivate mutually beneficial relationships and shared value for the company, older adults, other organizations, and society. The results indicate that CSV programs can be powerful relationship cultivation strategies to create mutual benefits both for society, by providing sustainable and feasible solutions, and for organizations, by enhancing their competitive advantages.

The Relationship Between Meaning in Life and Health Behaviors in Adults Aged 55 Years and Over During the COVID-19 Pandemic: the Mediating Role of Risk Perception and the Moderating Role of Powerful Others Health Locus of Control.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has impacted many people's meaning in life and health behaviors. This study aimed to verify the relationship among meaning in life (MIL), epidemic risk perception, health locus of control (HLC), and preventive health behaviors among older adults after the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a pandemic. In this longitudinal study, 164 participants aged 55years and above completed the following measures at time 1 (February 19, 2021) and one month later at time 2 (March 19, 2021): Meaning in Life in the Epidemic Questionnaire, Epidemic Risk Perception Questionnaire, Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale, and Health Behaviors Before and After the Epidemic Survey. Hayes' SPSS Process Macro was used to analyze the mediating effect of epidemic risk perception (model 4) and the moderating role of powerful others HLC in the mediation model (model 14). The results showed that after controlling for gender, age, education level, and health behaviors at the baseline, risk perception had a significant mediating effect on the relationship between MIL and preventive health behaviors (β = .02, SE = .01, 95% CI [.00, .04]). In addition, powerful others HLC had a moderating effect on the second half of the mediating effect (β = .02, p = .02, 95% CI [.00, .03]). Specifically, compared to the older adults with low powerful others HLC, the risk perception of older adults with high powerful others HLC increased preventive health behaviors. Practitioners should adequately cultivate older adults' risk awareness and reinforce the importance of advice from doctors and professionals, thereby effectively enhancing the preventive health behaviors of older adults in China during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Long-Term Outcomes and Perceptions of Older Adults after the HOP-UP-PT Program

Aim: Describe the 3- and 6-month outcomes and perceptions of older adults who participated in a HOP-UP-PT clinical trial. Methods: A questionnaire was administered to HOP-UP-PT participants to garner frequency of self-reported falls, healthcare utilization, perceptions of interventions, and fiscal considerations 3- and 6- months after program completion. Results: 76 total respondents, mean age 77 (SD = 7) years and 75% female. A fall was reported by 12% and 16%, additional therapy needs by 16% and 17%, and hospitalization by 3% and 6% at the 3- and 6-month encounters, respectively. Respondents agreed or strongly agreed to positive benefits of the HOP-UP-PT interventions as follows: exercise (71%, 69%), wearable activity monitor (59%, 59%), automated blood pressure monitor (78%, 87%), and improved nutrition (48%, 41%). Respondents were willing to contribute 10% of program cost and 93% supported insurers covering the cost gap. Conclusion: HOP-UP-PT participants had positive outcomes and perceptions in after program participation.

Exploring the experiences of older adults living with asthma in the United Kingdom: A co-produced qualitative study

BackgroundOlder adults are the fastest growing population in the UK, but asthma is often underdiagnosed, undertreated and poorly self-managed in this population. It is necessary to explore the experiences of older adults with asthma to identify areas of research that could improve quality of life. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of older adults in the UK living with asthma and how it impacts their lives. MethodsTelephone interviews were conducted with 15 adults with General Practitioner diagnosed asthma, aged 60 years and over, from across the UK. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed. This study was co-produced with an Asthma UK Centre for Applied Research (AUKCAR) Patient and Public Involvement Lead and guided by the National Institute for Health Research UK standards for Public Involvement in Research to ensure meaningful public involvement. ResultsThemes clustered around impact of asthma, managing asthma, interaction with healthcare and understanding of asthma. Participants experienced increased physical, psychological and social impacts of asthma management as they aged which led to feelings of isolation. Competing multimorbidities and polypharmacy complicate treatment and self-management of asthma. Ageism and a lack of empathy from health care providers were mentioned by the majority participants. Quality of care varied widely across the UK, however all participants had seen a healthcare professional for an asthma review in the previous 12 months. ConclusionsOlder adults experience increased challenges in managing their asthma due to increased multimorbidities, polypharmacy and ageism from healthcare providers.

Working-Memory, Alpha-Theta Oscillations and Musical Training in Older Age: Research Perspectives for Speech-on-speech Perception.

During the normal course of aging, perception of speech-on-speech or “cocktail party” speech and use of working memory (WM) abilities change. Musical training, which is a complex activity that integrates multiple sensory modalities and higher-order cognitive functions, reportedly benefits both WM performance and speech-on-speech perception in older adults. This mini-review explores the relationship between musical training, WM and speech-on-speech perception in older age (> 65 years) through the lens of the Ease of Language Understanding (ELU) model. Linking neural-oscillation literature associating speech-on-speech perception and WM with alpha-theta oscillatory activity, we propose that two stages of speech-on-speech processing in the ELU are underpinned by WM-related alpha-theta oscillatory activity, and that effects of musical training on speech-on-speech perception may be reflected in these frequency bands among older adults.

Analysis of Verticality Perception in Older Adults With and Without Acute Stroke in Half-Lying Versus Sitting Positions.

Currently, there is no research consensus regarding the influence of body position on verticality perception in acute stroke. In this study, we aimed to compare the influence of half-lying and sitting positions on measurements of the subjective visual vertical (SVV) and the subjective haptic vertical (SHV) of individuals in the acute stroke phase. In this cross-sectional study, we compared these positional experiences in two groups of participants: adults in the acute stroke phase and elderly individuals without stroke. Independent variables were stroke versus no-stroke groups, in half-lying versus sitting positions. Analyzed variables of related interest were cognition (Mini-Mental State Examination or MMSE), stroke severity (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale or NIHSS), and trunk control (Trunk Impairment Scale or TIS). Dependent variables were visual and haptic verticality, as evaluated by SVV and SHV. There were observed differences in absolute SVV in sitting position between groups (p = 0.021), absolute SVV in half-lying position between groups (p = 0.033), absolute SHV in sitting position between groups (p = 0.003), absolute SHV in half-lying position between groups (p = 0.002), and constant SVV in half-lying position between groups (p = 0.007). In the stroke group there was a higher coefficient of variation of SVV and SHV in the half-lying position compared to sitting position. In the sitting position, we observed a very strong correlation between the TIS and absolute SHV (p = 0.008). We concluded that individuals in the acute phase of stroke had greater misperceptions of visual and haptic verticality than older adults without strokes and that individuals in the acute phase of stroke showed less variability in visual and haptic vertical perception in the sitting position than in the half-lying position. By implication, we should encourage the sitting position in the acute stroke phase and develop early strategies to increase the verticality perception.

Transcending borders and stereotypes: Older parents’ intergenerational contacts and social networking through digital platforms

Older adults are often portrayed as incompetent digital citizens, mostly stemming from the popular perception of older adults as “digital immigrants.” The purpose of this research study was to study how older adults can effectively engage in digital platforms. Following a qualitative approach, 30 older parents who have emigrated children (15 males and 15 females) from Kerala, India, were interviewed who were active users of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). The findings show how the respondents embraced digital technologies stemming from perceived emotional benefits associated with intergenerational contact, without which they would not have ventured into the digital space. From seeking emotional goals initially, the respondents gradually started pur­suing intellectual goals in the digital world. The varying degrees of exper­tise of older adults in the digital space indicate that they cannot arbitrarily be categorised as digital immigrants. Instead, they are “digital citizens” who gradually better themselves in social networks, information literacy and social participation online.

Uncovering Public Perceptions of Older Adults' Vaccines in Canada: A Study of Online Discussions from National Media Sources.

This study explored how a subsection of Canadians perceive older adults' vaccines through a qualitative analysis of comments posted in response to national online news articles. We used reflexive thematic analysis to analyse 147 comments from 31 news article comments sections published between 2015 and 2020 from five different national online news sources (CBC, National Post, Global News, Globe & Mail, and Huffington Post Canada) that focused on three older adults' diseases and vaccines: influenza, pneumococcal pneumonia, and herpes-zoster. Three themes encompassed the similarities and differences in how these three diseases were discussed: (1) the importance of personal experiences on stated stance in vaccine uptake or refusal, (2) questioning vaccine research and recommendations, and (3) criticisms of the government's unequal vaccine opportunities across different Canadian provinces. Our findings identified that perceptions regarding older adult vaccination were dependent on the vaccine type, and, therefore, we make suggestions for future researchers to build on our findings, particularly the need not to treat the research subject of "older adults' vaccines" as one entity. Gaining a better understanding of how older adults' vaccines are perceived in Canada will enable public health professionals to develop effective communication strategies that should ultimately improve vaccination rates for older adults.