Well-being Of Elderly People Research Articles

CYBER-CRIMES AGAINST ELDERLY PEOPLE IN INDIA – SEARCH FOR DEFENCE MECHANISM TO COUNTER

The crimes against elderly people in India is experiencing significant growth. Contemporary offenders specifically focus on elderly individuals as victims of various criminal acts, including cyber-crimes. These concerns are likely to have had a detrimental impact on the quality of life and overall well-being of elderly people. Since 2014, the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) in India has incorporated a distinct category to account for offences perpetrated against the elderly population. The prevailing cultural norms perpetrate acts of violence and harm against the elderly and parental figures, as evidenced by the content of this recent publication. The occurrence of crime against the elderly prior to 2014 should not be inferred as nonexistent based solely on the 2014 item. Conversely, the data reveals a significant surge in the number of reported cases among elderly individuals. Initially, the study discusses various laws and policies which are meant for elderly people. Keeping those laws and policies in the background, the study will analyze the surge in cyber-crimes against elderly people. Lastly, the study will seek to reduce the gap between the existing social measures and the commission of crimes against elderly by posing certain recommendations to enhance the safety of them.

The Effect of Physical Exercise on Functional Capacity and Perception of Well-Being in Older Adults

Study purpose. The study aimed to evaluate the effect of strength training exercises on functional capacity, quality of life and perception of well-being in elderly people. Materials and Methods. It was used a mixed study with sequential explanatory design, in which 25 elderly females between 62 and 85 years participated in a physical exercise program for eight weeks, with a frequency of 3 days and sessions of 58 minutes on average. The Senior Fitness Test battery of test item was conducted with a grip strength test, heart rate monitoring in a 6-minute test, SF-36 health questionnaire and post-intervention focus group oriented to well-being analysis. Results. Cardiorespiratory capacities, strength and flexibility improved significantly (p< .05), but agility and heart rate did not change (p> .05). Scores increased in the 8 quality of life dimensions analyzed, and in subjective well-being, health improvement was identified in both the self-perception and autonomy of daily activities related to vitality, motivation, social interaction and adherence to physical activity. The findings indicate that physical exercise based on strength training improves functional capacity, health-related quality of life and the well-being of seniors. Conclusions. The findings of this study show that eight weeks of physical exercise based on strength training with affordable means (own body weight, elastic bands and dumbbells) with a frequency of 3 days a week, contribute to improving the functional capacity of strength and flexibility in upper and lower limbs, and cardiorespiratory endurance in older females. This intervention was also found to have a positive impact on quality of life, as well as on the perception of well-being.

Psychological Effects of 2.5D Photographs on the Well-being of Elderly People

Psychological Effects of 2.5D Photographs on the Well-being of Elderly People

Ageism among dentists who are Facebook users in Greece.

The phenomenon of ageism in healthcare is a significant threat to elderly people's well-being. There is a literature gap regarding the topic of ageism among dental professionals in Greece. This study aims to contribute to filling this gap. A cross-sectional study was conducted using recently validated in Greece 15-item ageism 6-point Likert-scale. The scale has been previously validated in the environment of senior dental students. Purposive sampling was used to select participants. A total of 365 dentists responded to the questionnaire. As to the internal consistency of the scale, Cronbach's alpha found to be very low (α = 0.590) to support the reliability of a total of 15 Likert-type questions (items) of the scale. However, the factor analysis resulted in three factors that achieved high reliability towards validity. The demographic comparison with these factors and single items revealed statistically significant gender differences in ageism (with males being more ageist than females), and differences related to other socio-demographic factors, which however, were related to factors or items individually. The study revealed that the Greek version of the ageism scale for dental students had not further validity and reliability among dentists. However, some items were distributed into three factors that presented significant validity and reliability. This is of great importance for the ongoing research on the topic ″ageism in dental healthcare″.

Quality of life in aging process: the role of work-related psychosocial conditions and social support

Aging has been a growing source of increased opportunities raised by longevity, but also a growing source of concern,particularly with regard to the mental health and the well-being of elderly people. As such, it is highly relevant to have a better understanding of the relationship between workplace related psychosocial factors and quality of life, not only among working population, but also among retired individuals.
 The main objective of this study is to better understand and characterize the relation between quality of life (QoL), work-related psychosocial conditions, and social support for both working and retired adults. Participants were 1.330, 62.2% of which female, with ages ranging between 55 and 75 years old. 47% of the respondents were working and 46 % were retired. Three structural equation models were tested, using the total sample and by labor situation (working and retired). The results showed that the stress management (with a greater effect in retired participants) and the social support (with a greater effect in working participants) have a positive influence on the QoL factor. Better work-related psychosocial conditions and higher social support were predictors of higher/better QoL. Our study allowed us to conclude that QoL is influenced by working situation, social support and work-related psychosocial conditions. This is a powerful message to policy makers in view of the growth of older populations.

A thermal sensation model for elderly under steady and transient uniform conditions

Sub-optimal thermal conditions influence the health and well-being of elderly people and deteriorate their cognitive functions due to age-induced changes in thermoregulatory mechanisms. Addressing the thermal comfort needs of elderly is better aided when a robust predictive thermal sensation (TS) model exists. However, available TS models in the literature are based on physiological and subjective data collected from young subjects, and their use to assess elderly TS is inappropriate.In this work, a model for predicting elderly TS under steady and transient states was developed from published experimental data under controlled environment. The model predicts the mean TS of elderly people in terms of their average skin temperature, rate of change of skin temperature and core temperature. The model was coupled with a robust elderly bioheat model, enabling the prediction of elderly TS from environmental conditions. The TS model was further extended with a correlation that links the required physiological data for sensation prediction with few segmental skin temperatures that can be measured to enable the development of TS monitoring devices for the elderly. The model and the approach of using segmental temperatures in TS prediction were validated using different experimental measurements and subjective data than those used in the model development. Good agreement between experimental and predicted TS was achieved under varying steady and transient environments. The model predicts the elderly TS in ambient temperatures ranging from 13 °C to 43 °C and in transient settings with up to a 10 °C step rise or drop in ambient temperature.

The wellbeing of elderly people during the COVID-19 pandemic: A narrative review

BACKGROUND: Quarantine and social distancing are important to avoid spreading the coronavirus. Being active, healthy and happy is a central part of managing daily challenges. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to improve understanding regarding the wellbeing of the elderly during COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: For the literature review, keywords such as wellbeing and COVID-19 were searched for associations with terms such as elderly, ageing and old people. Only research published in peer-reviewed journals and written in English was considered in this study. The studies included in the analysis were only those published between the start of the pandemic and April 2021. RESULTS: From a total of 75 searches, eight studies fit the inclusion criteria. Elderly people are the population group most vulnerable to COVID-19, which threatens their lives and wellbeing. Technology such as artificial intelligence can maintain the wellbeing of the elderly. Lockdown, the lack of social interaction and the limited access to medications and health facilities can worsen the physical and mental health and the psychological wellbeing of the elderly. Conclusion: It is important to highlight elderly care and mitigation programmes related to physical activities and cognitive psychology to prevent mental and functional decline in older people. Further studies should focus on their quality of life and the wellbeing.

Dyadic Satisfaction and Shared Affectivity Are Associated with Psycho-Sexual Functioning in Elderly Men and Women

Objectives The quality of sexual life of elderly people represents an understudied topic of sexual medicine and of psycho-sexology. Hence, we aimed to evaluate the association of specific psycho-relational variables, such as intimacy, increased affective gestures towards a partner (AGtP), daily shared activities, and dyadic satisfaction, with the psychosexual wellbeing of elderly people, expressed in terms of sexual satisfaction. Methods: A cohort of elderly people was selected from a sample of a broader study evaluating the role of sexual activity in protecting the emotional wellbeing of a population subjected to quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the presence of sexual dysfunctions, the emotional wellbeing (i.e., absence of anxiety and/or depression), and the quality of the partners’ relationships were studied. For the study’s purpose, the Sexual Health Inventory for Males (SHIM), the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), the Orgasmometer and the Orgasmometer-F, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7), the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale were adopted. Results: A group of 124 elderly subjects (≥60) was selected for the study’s purposes. Among these, 84% were males (120/124), and 16% were females (20/124). All the subjects declared to be in a stable relationship and to be sexually active during the first lockdown period. Gender differences were found for the Dyadic Satisfaction subscale (males: 37.04 ± 6.57; females: 32.85 ± 10.04; p < 0.05) and the Orgasmometer (males: 7.64 ± 1.30; females: 6.60 ± 2.46; p < 0.01). Linear regression analysis showed the association between higher Orgasmometer scores and: (i) the absence of sexual dysfunctions (β = −1.213; SE = 0.271; p < 0.0001), (ii) higher dyadic satisfaction (β = 0.042; SE = 0.019; p < 0.05), and (iii) reduced shared activities with partner (β = −0.463; SE = 0.143; p < 0.01) and increased affective gestures towards partner (DAS measured AGtP) (β = 0.595; SE = 0.065; p < 0.0001). Post hoc analysis of ANCOVA with the Bonferroni correction method showed a significant difference in the Orgasmometer scores between subjects with and without sexual dysfunction (mean difference: 2.102; SE = 0.340; pBonf < 0.001), with healthy subjects reporting higher scores compared to dysfunctional ones. Conclusions: It is reasonable to suppose that, beyond the presence of sexual dysfunctions, the sexual health of elderly people may benefit from the quality of the relationship, and, specifically, from the presence of affective gestures towards the partner and the dyadic satisfaction. To the contrary, the quantity of time spent together, sharing specific activities, may be considered a factor worsening relational and sexual health. These data should be considered during the evaluation of sexual health among elderly people.

CONFORMACIÓN DE AMBIENTES FAVORECEDORES DE BIENESTAR EMOCIONAL PARA PERSONAS MAYORES CON DETERIORO COGNITIVO INCIPIENTE

Undoubtedly, the environment and the set of environmental factors that surround us can have a great influence on the perceived sense of well-being. However, there are few studies that analyze, jointly, the influence of a selection of factors for the conformation of environments that favor well-being, especially oriented to elderly people with cognitive impairment. It is in this context that the present study arises, with the aim of determining the influence of a set of ten factors (ambient temperature, lighting, ambient music, etc.) on the emotional well-being of elderly people with early symptoms of cognitive impairment, which is particularly important in today's increasingly aging society, where the gradual development of cognitive impairment is inevitable. For this purpose, the advances achieved in previous research carried out by the authors are summarized, and a method based on the execution of a set of experiments is described, using collections of images to assess the emotional interpretation of each individual under the influence of different combination of simulated conditions (selected external factors) in their environment, processing and analyzing the data obtained by means of machine learning techniques. The realization of these experiments and the application of the proposed analysis method will allow obtaining knowledge that can be used for the design of specific living environments for elderly people with cognitive impairment where the sense of emotional well-being and the preservation of their mental faculties are favored. Key words: Emotional interpretation, environmental factors, Soft Computing, clustering, advanced age.

Investigating Self-Care Agency and Well-Being of Elderly People

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships between self-care agency and well-being perceptions of elderly people and to reveal whether or not self-care agency and well-being differ based on some socio-demographic characteristics. In the study, the data were collected by using Self-Care Agency Scale and WHO-5 Well-Being Scale from 394 elderly individuals residing in the city center of Burdur province between November and December 2019. In data analysis, descriptive statistical methods, one-way analysis of variance, two independent groups t-test, reliability analysis, correlation analysis and regression analysis were used. The correlation analysis results of the study indicated that there was a positive and moderate correlation between self-care agency and well-being of the participants (r = 0.41). According to the regression analysis, participants’ perception on self-care agency accounted for 17.3% of total variance on well-being. According to this, increasing perceptions on self-care agency statistically increased well-being perceptions (t = 9.069; p < .001). In addition to, it was determined in the study, while participants’ well-being scores showed significant differences in terms of age groups, and their’ self-care agency and well-being scores showed statistically significant differences according to the educational level.

Improving mental health and wellbeing in elderly people isolated at home due to architectural barriers: A community health intervention

ObjectivesTo explore the health effects of a community health intervention on older people who are isolated at home due to mobility problems or architectural barriers, to identify associated characteristics and to assess participants’ satisfaction. DesignQuasi-experimental before–after study. SettingFive low-income neighbourhoods of Barcelona during 2010–15. Participants147 participants, aged ≥59, living in isolation due to mobility problems or architectural barriers were interviewed before the intervention and after 6 months. InterventionPrimary Health Care teams, public health and social workers, and other community agents carried out a community health intervention, consisting of weekly outings, facilitated by volunteers. MeasurementsWe assessed self-rated health, mental health using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), and quality of life through the EuroQol scale. Satisfaction with the programme was evaluated using a set of questions. We analysed pre and post data with McNemar tests and fitted lineal and Poisson regression models. ResultsAt 6 months, participants showed improvements in self-rated health and mental health and a reduction of anxiety. Improvements were greater among women, those who had not left home for ≥4 months, those with lower educational level, and those who had made ≥9 outings. Self-rated health [aRR: 1.29(1.04–1.62)] and mental health improvements [β: 2.92(1.64–4.2)] remained significant in the multivariate models. Mean satisfaction was 9.3 out of 10. ConclusionThis community health intervention appears to improve several health outcomes in isolated elderly people, especially among the most vulnerable groups. Replications of this type of intervention could work in similar contexts.

The effects of coping strategies and relaxation exercises on anxiety, hopelessness, life satisfaction, and well-being in the elderly people with diabetes: an experimental study

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of coping strategies and relaxation exercises on anxiety, hopelessness, life satisfaction, and well-being in elderly people with diabetes.Materials and Methods: A total of 30 participants were randomly assigned to three experimental conditions. In the first condition, the participants were informed about diabetes as well as how to cope with it. In the second condition, the participants were provided with breathing and relaxation exercises, which were accompanied by relaxing music, in addition to informing about diabetes and coping strategies. The control group was only informed about diabetes. The data were analyzed by ANOVA with 3 x 2 last factors repetitive.Results: There was no difference between the conditions in terms of state anxiety, hopelessness and life satisfaction scores (p>0.05), but the difference after the intervention was significant (p0.05). According to the Scheffe test, a) status anxiety score was determined between the first condition and the control group; b) life satisfaction score was significantly different between the first condition and second condition and between the second condition and control group. Significant differences were also found between pre-and post-intervention concerning anxiety, hopelessness and life satisfaction scores. Conclusions: Findings suggest that explaining the methods of coping with diabetes can decrease the level of state anxiety, and the addition of breathing and relaxation exercises can enhance life satisfaction.

Property Law for the Ages

Within the next 40 years, the number of Americans over age 65 is projected to nearly double. This seismic demographic shift will necessitate a reckoning in a number of areas of law and policy, but property law is especially unprepared. Built primarily for young and middle-aged white men, the common law of property has been critiqued for decades for the ways in which it oppresses or simply leaves behind people based on their race, sex, Native heritage, and more. This Article contributes a new focus on property law’s treatment of people based on their advanced age. Burdened by higher relocation costs, more inelastic incomes, and shorter time horizons than those faced by younger people, elderly people encounter a doctrine that often fails to protect their interests. This Article explores five areas of property law and evaluates how each fits—or, more frequently, fails to fit—the characteristics of many older subjects. From the law of takings to the law of waste, and from tenant protections to homeowners associations, not only is the law a poor fit, but the consequences for the health, safety, finances, and well-being of elderly people are often dramatic. At the same time, one of the rare significant efforts made thus far to protect older people from some of these consequences—the Fair Housing Act’s protection for age-restricted communities—has generated new inequities of its own that raise important questions about competing civil rights priorities. Accordingly mindful of the dangers of over-correction, this Article offers institutional reforms in each area aimed to better protect the interests of older people without unduly infringing upon those of others.

Personnes âgées à domicile avec limitations fonctionnelles: étude préliminaire d'une intervention centrée sur le bien-être et l'autonomie.

In the context of demographic aging, preventing autonomy loss is a major issue. Adapting care systems to help keep seniors at home is a daily challenge."La Mutualité Française", a national mutual insurance company, has implemented in one of its healthcare services an innovative program to strengthen well-being: "The Well-Being Autonomy Pole." This program comprises five Prevention and Support Care components and hypothesizes that strengthening the well-being of elderly people already suffering from physical limitations would prevent their autonomy decline.The originality of this program is its focus on elderly people who have rarely been studied in terms of preventing autonomy loss, given their existing functional limitations.A first evaluation was carried out over three months to verify the methodological feasibility of an impact assessment and to provide preliminary results on the effectiveness of the program. Key findings suggest improved levels of self-esteem, physical well-being, psychological autonomy and decreased anxiety. Methodological limitations of this first feasibility assessment and perspectives for future research are discussed.

P-02-82 The Evolution of Sexuality in Geriatric Patients: A Correlation Between Sexual Activity and Quality of Life of Elderly Men

Population's aging is currently one of the most significant phenomenon in the XXI century, with very important consequences in every section of society. Human longevity has grown in a significant way thanks to differents factors: the meaningful ones are surely the adoption of modern life stiles and the unstoppable scientific progress. All this brings to the conception that old people are facing up to new set of stimolus and necessities lead to sexuality; something that they wouldn't have experienced in the past. This happened especially for a series of social cliché and prejudices which made old people's sexuality not accepted by the community and not so interesting. Precisely for this, scientific community has started studying this fascinating theme only in the last few years. In this descriptive cross sectional study we recruited 40 male subjects between 65 and 90 years old. Through the employment of specific tests (IIEF 5; BDI; QLI; MMSE), we collected data referred to some aspects: sexual function, cognitive state, mood tone, and quality of life in general. The aim of the study was to verify a possible relationship between presence/absence of sexual behaviour and individual's quality of life. Positive and significant relations emerged, with both BDI and IIEF5 scores predicting QLI scores. Multiple regression models were used to try to understand the differential role of both construct in the QLI scores. It was found that each score less of BDI contribute to a diminution of 0.29 in the QLI score while each score in the IIEF5 contribuite to an increase of 0.13 in QLI score. IIEF5 scores has been found to increase QLI score in elderly men. Is it important to promote sexual wellbeing in elderly people, conteracting the ageist culture that see sexuality as an aspect important just for young people.

Psychological peculiarities of subjective well-being of residents in geriatric homes

The article is dedicated to the theme of subjective well-being of elderly people living in geriatric homes. Social and psychological peculiarities of life satisfaction of senior people were analysed in the works of Ukrainian and foreign authors. The research found life sat-isfaction of people who have alack of social contacts is connected with the value orienta-tions of hedonism and spirituality, hardiness, mental health and low sense of pain. These physiological, social and psychological components were generalized into the structure of subjective well-being

Modeling approach to study singlehood phenomenon among elderly people

The paper studies the loneliness phenomenon as a systemic problem of economic, social and emotional wellbeing of elderly people. The aim of this paper is to substantiate the modeling methodology of loneliness among elderly people, show the structure and content of its vision model. Loneliness is viewed as a systemic problem related to the daily practices of the elderly person, his well-being or disadvantage in the economic, social and emotional aspects. The authors propose the level search model for studying the loneliness phenomenon and consider its practical use in the evaluation of singlehood among elderly people. Methodological principles are identified to trace a connection between the inner and outer nature of singlehood.

Elderly parents and their adult children: A study on the role of intergenerational family relations in the psychological well-being of elderly people

Elderly parents and their adult children: A study on the role of intergenerational family relations in the psychological well-being of elderly people

Democratization of runtime verification for internet of things

Internet of Things (IoT) devices have gained more prevalence in ambient assisted living (AAL) systems. Reliability of AAL systems is critical especially in assuring the safety and well-being of elderly people. Runtime verification (RV) is described as checking whether the observed behavior of a system conforms to its expected behavior. RV techniques generally involve heavy formal methods; thus, it is poorly utilized in the industry. Therefore, we propose a democratization of RV for IoT systems by presenting a model-based testing (MBT) approach. To enable modeling expected behaviors of an IoT system, we first describe an extension to a UML profile. Then, we capture the expected behavior of an interaction that is modeled on a Sequence Diagram (SD). Later, the expected behaviors are translated into runtime monitor statements expressed in Event-Processing Language (EPL), which are executed at the edge of the IoT network. We further demonstrate our contributions on a sample AAL system.

Dietary education with customised dishware and food supplements can reduce frailty and improve mental well-being in elderly people: A single-blind randomized controlled study.

The elderly population is increasing rapidly worldwide, and frailty is a common geriatric syndrome. Comprehensive dietary management strategies may have beneficial effects on frailty prevention and reversal. This 3-month single-blind, paralleled, randomized controlled trial compared the effects of micronutrients and/or protein supplements, and a personalised diet on frailty status in elderly individuals. Between 2014 and 2015, 40 prefrail or frail subjects aged >=65 years were recruited at Miaoli General Hospital, Taiwan. Of these, 37 completed the study, and 36 were included in the analysis. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups: (1) the control (2) multiple micronutrient supplements, (3) multiple micronutrients plus isolated soy protein supplement, and (4) individualised nutrition education with customised dishware and food supplements (mixed nuts and skimmed milk powder). Dietary intake, protein biomarkers, frailty score, and geriatric depression score were assessed. Individualised nutrition education with customised dishware and food supplements significantly increased the participants' intake of vegetables, dairy, and nuts, in addition to increasing the concentration of urinary urea nitrogen. It yielded a significant reduction in frailty score (p<0.05) and a borderline reduction (p=0.063) in geriatric depression score. No significant beneficial changes were observed for the other two intervention groups. Our study indicated that a dietary approach with easy-to-comprehend dishware and food supplements to optimize the distribution of the consumption of six food groups improved frailty status and, potentially, psychological well-being in elderly people.