Well-being Of Seniors Research Articles

O6 Meals on Wings: A Food Recovery Meal Program to Improve the Nutritional Health and Well-Being of Seniors

Background For the older adult, maintenance of good nutritional health is essential to functioning, the prevention or management of chronic disease, and quality of life. Compounding this problem is the increasing numbers of seniors that are food insecure. Studies show approximately half of community-dwelling elders are at nutrition risk which leads to increased risk for additional health problems, functional decline, reduced quality of life and hospitalization. The Meals on Wings program offers a solution for some of those seniors in need by recovering unused food that would normally be wasted from area hospitals and repackaging it into healthful meals. The meals are delivered to home-bound seniors using student volunteers to recover food, prepare the meals and deliver to the seniors. This program not only fights hunger in the community but also helps decrease food waste. Objective Investigate the impact of a food recovery and meal delivery program on the nutritional health, social well-being, and isolation of home-bound seniors. Evaluate the impact of volunteering on student volunteers' empathy and perception of social responsibility. Study Design, Setting, Participants This study utilizes a within-group, pretest-posttest design. There are two study groups: home-bound seniors on the waitlist for Meals on Wheels and students enrolled at the University of North Florida. Measurable Outcome/Analysis Seniors’ nutritional health and social well-being are measured using a pre-post methodology. Surveys are given at enrollment, three months, and six months, and include the following measures: MNA-SF, 24-hour food recall, USDA 6-Item Food Security Survey, WHO-5 Well-Being Index, and the 3-Item Loneliness Scale. Student volunteers are surveyed at program start and at 90 days using the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire-Public Service Motivation Scale. Results After six months, the program has: delivered 2,048 meals; seen significant improvements in senior's nutritional health parameters; and seen a significant improvement in students' public service motivation. Conclusion Receiving home-delivered meals for a short duration significantly improves recipients' nutritional health and well-being, improves student public service motivation, and reduces food waste. Funding None.

3572 The Flint Community’s Action Plan to Rebuild Trust and Encourage Resiliency During the Post Water Crisis Phase

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: o To review the community’s recommendations on how to rebuild trust in the Flint community. o To review effective community engagement strategies utilized with the Flint Special Projects for project conceptualization, participant recruitment, data analysis, project oversight, and dissemination. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: The study population includes nearly two hundred residents representing seniors, youth and diverse ethnicities recruited to participate in eleven focus group meetings. The population also represents the general public who attended informational meetings in Flint, Michigan to learn about the crisis and allow residents to voice their opinions and concerns during the onset of the crisis. The project is a mixed methods community based participatory research effort that utilized community decision making in all phases of the effort such as pre-conception, implementation, dissemination and advocacy to encourage the community’s recommendations are adopted at policy and institutional responsiveness levels. It includes three community engaged research efforts: (project 1) A qualitative analysis of community sentiment provided during 17 recorded legislative, media and community events, and (projects 2-3) two mixed methods efforts utilizing purposive sampling of stakeholders whose voice may not have been heard. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: The project presents a qualitative analysis of the community’s voice during the onset of the man-made disaster when the community first became aware of the emergency manager’s plans to switch the water source. It also reflects current perspectives of community voice since the projects are scheduled to end late February 2019. Findings from a trust measure administered to nearly two hundred residents will be presented, along with a qualitative analysis of focus group findings among segments of the population (seniors, youth, and diverse ethnicities) who may have been left out of narratives on the water crisis. Finally, the project will compare empowerment and resiliency approaches being utilized in Flint, Michigan to recover from the disaster with other approaches grounded in literature and theory. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: Communities of color often experience social determinants of health which negatively impact their health, well-being and human rights. Some Flint citizens are experiencing negative health consequences (i.e., rashes, brain and behavioral sequelle, fertility, etc.) as a result of the disaster, and are uncertain of health outcomes in the future. This is the first project to rigorously document and analyze levels of trust and mistrust in the city of Flint since the water disaster occurred. The qualitative research will guide future clinical research that will benefit this traumatized community experiencing high levels of mistrust (i.e., government, elected officials, etc.). The community engaged methodology involved residents and study participants in all phases of the project including project oversight, validating and analyzing data, and dissemination. This methodology will contribute to existing literature and theory on community based participatory research, community engaged research, team science and citizen science. The approaches empowered a call to action among residents, for example, seniors who attended two senior focus group sessions shared “they are hopeful and have a purpose,” resulting in the creation of a council (with officers) at their housing complex to advocate for the well-being of seniors during the recovery process. Recruitment methodologies were extremely successful due to resident level trust in community leaders and community partner organizations. Finally, the project’s examination of approaches encouraging empowerment and resiliency will provide lessons learned for other communities challenged with crisis.

Stress Detection in Seniors Using Biosensors and Psychometric Tests

Stress management is related to improved senior well-being and health. The purpose of this work is to identify individual characteristics that suggest the existence of stress and associate these characteristics with features extracted from biometric signals. For identifying these characteristics, on the one hand emotional/psychological measurements are collected using specific questionnaires and on the other hand features are extracted from biosignals collected using wireless sensors. The results of a pilot study with the participation of 12 seniors (mean age 59.7 ±5.8) are reported. Our results indicate that electrodermal activity and heart rate variability features are valid stress indicators for seniors.

The holiday-related predictors of wellbeing in seniors

ABSTRACTThere has been an increase in research on the relationship between holidays and wellbeing in the last decade. However, only a few studies have investigated this association in seniors and the impact of holiday-related predictors of wellbeing is understudied. The aims of this study were to: 1) compare the profile of senior tourists and senior non-tourists on socio-demographic indicators, health, physical activity, and social relations, 2) compare the profile of senior tourists and senior non-tourists on wellbeing, after adjusting for control variables, and 3) examine the impact of holiday-related predictors (frequency, mean duration, frequency of physical, social, cognitive and relaxing activities, degree of perceived health benefits) on wellbeing of senior tourists, over and above the role of various relevant covariates. A sample of 4130 seniors (Mage = 68.2 years, SD = 5.8, range 60–85) filled out a questionnaire related to the last holiday, daily activities, health, and wellbeing. Results showed that senior tourists were younger, more educated, wealthier, and healthier than senior non-tourists. In addition, the levels of wellbeing were higher in senior tourists compared to senior non-tourists, after adjusting for control variables. Hierarchical regressions analyses revealed that frequent holidays, a greater frequency of social and cognitive activities, as well as the degree of perceived health benefits were associated with higher wellbeing.

Wellbeing and older adults in primary health care in Poland.

The Polish health service is in need of improvement because of the increasing number of geriatric patients. Identifying the resources available to patients is important for ameliorating deficits. The goal of this research was to measure the health and wellbeing of seniors and to investigate to what extent health services meet their needs. Differences in access and scope of received services between patients from different localities (i.e villages, small towns and big cities) were analysed. Questionnaires (Satisfaction with Life Scale; VAS Numeric Pain Distress Scale) and a structured interview assessing the quality of healthcare were carried out in 2015 on a sample of 459 seniors. Each candidate gave consent for participation in the study. Statistica 12.5 software was used for analyses. The overall measure of satisfaction with life of the respondents (M=22.34 SD=5.78) was good. Inhabitants of small towns had a significantly lower sense of quality of life than seniors from big cities (Tukey HSD = 0.047, p<.05). Multimorbidity and polypharmacy were present to a limited extent. The issue of discrimination of older individuals by medical personnel affected a fifth of seniors living in villages, and one- third of those living in big cities. Geriatric patients did not have equal opportunities for access to medical services. State-provided geriatric care is insufficient and does not meet the real needs of patients. A holistic care approach and/or individualized care for older adults are often indicated but are only theoretical constructs in Poland. This inefficient system places the burden of caregiving on the family of the ageing patient. Anxiety among geriatric patients is growing regarding exclusion and lack of care.

Ambient Assisted Living for Improvement of Health and Quality of Life—A Special Issue of the Journal of Informatics

The demographic change with respect to the ageing of the population has been a worldwide trend[...]

Development and Evaluation of a Mobile Application Suite for Enhancing the Social Inclusion and Well-Being of Seniors

Smart mobile devices, due to their ubiquitous nature and high level penetration in everyday life, can be a key component of an Ambient Assisted Living system to improve the quality of life of older people. This paper presents the development and evaluation of Senior App Suite, a system created for assisting seniors’ personal independence and social inclusion. The system integrates mobile computing combined with web and service-oriented technologies to offer a mobile application suite that seniors can easily use to access services, spanning various application areas such as social networking, emergency detection and overall well-being. The research hypothesis is that using such services can be beneficial for decreasing social isolation. There is quantitative indication that this assumption is realistic backed up also by the qualitative analysis from the user’s feedback derived during a pilot study (n = 22) suggesting that Senior App Suite can motivate people in new activities, maintain connection with social ties, give joy and self-confidence, and increase the frequency and quality of social interactions. Our contribution is a detailed methodology spanning the research, design, development, and evaluation of a solution that aims to improve the quality of life of seniors while addressing open issues identified in related initiatives.

Investigation Report on the Present Situation of Subjective Well-being of Aged People in the Xianning City

Aim. To understand the subjective well-being of the elderly in Xianning City, explore the mental health of the elderly for our aging society to develop guidelines and policies to help the elderly to finish the happiness of the last journey of life. Method. Uses method which the questionnaire, the interview unify, selects Newfoundland Commemoration University Happiness Meter (MUNSH), carries on the investigation to the Xianning city 426 senior citizen. Result. 1) the Xianning city senior citizen to oneself present life felt as a whole, the overall subjective happy heart level is very satisfiedly high; 2) the Xianning city senior citizen's subjective happy heart in the years of schooling, the marital status, relates with the children on has the remarkable difference; 3) the different life style senior citizen in emotion PA, negative emotion NA, experience PE, in negative experience NE these four dimensions the difference is remarkable. Conclusion. The subjective well-being of seniors in Xianning City is in good condition. Their happiness is obviously affected by education level, marital status the relationship with children, life style and other factors.

Modalités et espaces de pratique de loisirs des baby-boomers et des seniors

Le vieillissement de la population commande de renouveler les façons de penser l’aménagement des milieux de vie pour renforcer le bien-être des aînés, dans lequel le loisir joue un rôle clé. À ce titre, le milieu municipal est appelé à jouer un rôle important sur cette problématique. Cet article présente les résultats d’un sondage mené en 2015 à Montréal auprès de 464 répondants âgés de 50 ans et plus. Cette recherche démontre l’importance accordée par les aînés aux pratiques de loisir libres et aux espaces extérieurs multifonctionnels. Finalement, les résultats obtenus révèlent certaines différences plus ou moins marquées entre les baby-boomers (personnes âgées entre 50 et 69 ans) et les seniors (personnes âgées de 70 ans et plus).

Elderly Abuse – The Need for Social Work Intervention

Elder abuse has devasting consequences. It jeopardizes the health and well-being of seniors and has significant implications for the health and social support. Elderly abuse has been a serious social and public health issue. It undermines a senior's independence, dignity and sense of security. It damages lives and destroys relationships in the process. When there is a need of intervention in problems of aged, Geriatric social work has to play a key role in finding out solutions for problems of senior citizens. This present paper concentrates on finding intensity and forms of elderly abuse in Davangere District of Karnataka. Elderly abuse can take various forms such as physical, psychological, emotional or financial abuse. It can also be the result of intentional or unintentional neglect. In many parts of the world elder abuse occurs with little recognition or response. Until recently, this serious social problem was hidden from the public view and considered mostly a private matter. Even today, elder abuse continues to be a taboo, mostly underestimated and ignored by societies across the world. Evidence is accumulating, however, to indicate that elder abuse is an important public health and societal problem.

The model of measuring the subjective well-being of a senior age group

The model of measuring the subjective well-being of a senior age group of population built on a reflective base is proved. The model methodology is based on the theory of needs, daily practices, system and life words of individual existence, and it allows defining measured parameters of subjective well-being recorded by the emotional involvement in main spheres of life. The goal of the paper is to justify the model content and to identify key indicators of the subjective significant indices of senior well-being. The objective of the study is to identify factors influencing the level of the subjective well-being of senior population. The study of the problem involves an explication method and a hermeneutical approach used to clarify the basic concepts of the research. Due to theoretical analysis, it is concluded that the subjective well-being is interpreted as an integral, relatively stable individual emotional response to the impact of the social environment and conditions of his/ her life. It is a result of human understanding and experiencing the meanings and significance of different aspects of human life, evolved from the conditions of human existence, which define the satisfaction degree of his/her needs, life opportunities, self-assertion, self-realization, and actions that are taken to get benefits.

Working memory training: Effects on cognition and psychological well-being of seniors without dementia and depression

Working memory (WM) is vital for other cognitive functions and the maintenance of the activities of daily life. It is known to follow a trajectory of marked decline in aging. WM training may enhance cognitive performance and facilitate autonomy of older people. This study aimed to investigate the impact of an-eight-session WM training on the cognitive performance and psychological well-being (PWB) of older adults without dementia and depression. The impact of cognitive training on PWB has rarely been investigated. In all, 31 individuals received WM training (EG) and 29 took part in a wait list control group (CG). Pre and post-test protocols included the Mini Mental State Examination, the Story sub-test of the Rivermead Behavioural Memory Test, the Short Cognitive Test (SKT), Colored Trails, Verbal Fluency animal category, Direct and Indirect Digit Span. PWB was assessed with the Personal Development Scale, based on the Ryff PWB scales. WM training was offered once a week in groups of 6 participants and lasted 90 minutes. Training involved completing classical WM tasks adapted for the context of group training. The EG exhibited significantly higher gains from pre to post-test in the SKT Total and Attention and Delayed Memory sub-tests and in all but one factor of the Personal Development Scale. The results suggested that WM training may contribute to cognitive performance among healthy seniors as it generated higher performance in target (SKT Attention) and transfer tasks (SKT Memory). Cognitive training may also have positive impact in reported well-being in old age.

Promoting mental health of immigrant seniors in community

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore if and how community organizations providing services to late-in-life Punjabi immigrants in British Columbia, Canada, offer services with the potential to promote their mental health or well-being. The authors also wanted to know how Punjabi seniors perceived available services and if they supported their mental well-being. Design/methodology/approach – To guide the research, the authors used the VicHealth Framework, which identifies three overarching social and economic determinants of mental health: social inclusion (SI), freedom from violence and discrimination, and access to economic resources and participation. This mixed methods study combines descriptive survey and qualitative focus group data with input from Punjabi seniors and community service providers. Findings – All three mental health determinants were identified as important by service providers and seniors, with SI as the most important. Family dynamics (shaped by migration and sponsorship status) influence all three determinants and can promote or diminish mental well-being. Research limitations/implications – The pilot study is limited in sample size and scope and further inquiry with different groups of immigrant older adults is warranted. Practical implications – Service providers assert that more outreach and sustainable funding are needed to reach the majority of potential beneficiaries unable to participate in community programmes. Information on mental well-being of seniors should be targeted at both seniors and their families. Originality/value – The VicHealth Framework provided a unique lens through which to explore the contributions of community organizations to mental health promotion for immigrant older adults.

The Effect of a Community-Engaged Arts Program on Older Adults' Well-being.

This mixed-methods study evaluated the effect of a community-engaged arts program on the physical, emotional, and social well-being of seniors. Weekly workshops were offered over a three-year period at community centers where artists worked with four groups of seniors to produce a collective art piece or performance for public presentation. Participants completed pre- and post- questionnaires, and group interviews were conducted at the program's end. Paired t-test analyses indicated that seniors experienced improvement in perceived overall health, experience of pain, and sense of community. Interpretive descriptive analysis of the group interviews revealed six themes that informed understanding : (1) providing structure and discipline; (2) facilitating coping; (3) requiring hard work and effort; (4) bringing out one's artistic side; (5) promoting social involvement; and (6) making a contribution. These results are consistent with previous research and contribute to further understanding of how community-engaged arts can benefit the well-being of older people.

Promoting Nutritional Well-being in Seniors: Feasibility Study of a Nutrition Information Series

Better Living Health and Community Services developed a 12-week community-based nutrition information series (NIS) for people aged 55 or older. The purpose of this feasibility study was to describe briefly the process of developing and implementing the 12-week NIS and to identify the practicality and plausibility of the program in terms of its process and content attributes, using Thorncliffe Park community as the test site. A pre- and post-test design was used to identify changes in participants' perception of their nutritional and overall well-being. Twenty-four participants who completed at least four sessions participated in the post-evaluation follow-up. Only participants' perception of their eating habits demonstrated a significant, positive improvement (t24=2.1, P<0.05). The results suggest that the NIS has the potential to promote the health and well-being of community-living seniors. The development and implementation of the NIS provided considerations for program practicality. However, additional work is needed to examine the plausibility of the program in meeting its stated objective to promote awareness of nutrition as an important concept for healthy aging. Community-practising dietitians are instrumental in providing credible nutrition information to facilitate healthy eating in older Canadians.

Social Dancing and Older Adults: Playground for Physical Activity

This research focuses on social dancing and its relationship to well-being in the later stage of life. While dancing as a form of physical exercise for seniors has been studied, social dancing has not been as thoroughly investigated. This popular cultural and social activity can contribute to the life of older adults in a variety of ways. The purpose of this study is to identify the ways in which social dancing contributes to the well-being of seniors. To this end we observed, surveyed, and formed a focus group from two dance locations in Olomouc, Czech Republic. As a result of participant observation, questionnaires, and a focus group there were three main findings. 1). Social dance can be a health enhancing physical activity. 2). As opposed to a dance class, social dance promotes a playful and spontaneous atmosphere. 3). This weekly scheduled event of dancing adds a positive reconnection and continuation with one’s memory, youth, and history. Communities should be encouraged to establish social dance as an option for all ages, especially older adults.

A necessary voice: Climate change and lived experiences of youth in Rigolet, Nunatsiavut, Canada

Globally, youth voices and their experiences, observations, and perceptions about climatic and environmental change and variability are relatively absent in the published literature to date. To address this gap, the goal of this research was to explore the observations and perceptions of climate change held by youth (12–25years old) in the Inuit community of Rigolet, Nunatsiavut, Canada. Twenty in-depth interviews were conducted with youth in Rigolet to gather data about climatic and environmental changes young people have observed, and the subsequent impacts of these changes on their lives, culture, and community. Youth reported observing and experiencing climatic and environmental changes throughout their lives, with reported impacts falling within five main themes: changing travel conditions and access to hunting; challenges to Inuit culture; a concern for Elder and senior well-being; strong climate-related emotional responses; and youth-identified potential adaptation strategies. More broadly, this research demonstrated that young people have valuable knowledge and perspectives to offer. In particular, researchers, community leaders, and policy makers are encouraged to meaningfully engage youth as crucial stakeholders in future climate change work, research, dialogue, and policy.

농촌건강장수마을 사업의 성과와 과제

In order to improve the quality of life and support the successful living of the elderly people in rural community, the Senior Well-being Villages Project has been carried out by Rural Development Administration since 2005 in Korea. This timely project, however, produces good results with 582 villages so far, we must endeavor to upgrade it more effectively. This study is to find complementary way of improving the project, and the results of the study are summarized as follows. First of all, the sustainable and practical strategies of the health care for the rural elderly must be adopted. The elderly people's mutual care system can be a good option for improving the existing project. Secondly, the cooperative heath care system must combine with this project. In this regards, health cooperative federation system can be also a challenging option. The beneficially activity of rural elderly people, which is a component of this project, must be linked with rural social enterprise or community venture. The local experts or capable men of various fields including family, the aged problem, social welfare, and regional development, must be appointed, and the support system enables them to do their jobs actively in the Senior Well-being Villages Project as well as other community works.

여성노인의 활동체력과 건강관련 삶의 질의 경로분석 모형

Successful aging aims to extend healthy life expectancy and quality of life(QOL) for all people as they age. The purpose of this study was to examine the structure of health-related QOL(HRQOL) with functional fitness among elderly women. The subjects were 243 older adults aged 60 years or more(72±6.0 yrs) in the senior wellbeing centers or nursing home. HRQOL was assessed by Medical Outcomes Survey Short Form-36(MOS SF-36) that includes the physical component summary(physical QOL) and mental component summary(mental QOL). Functional fitness was estimated with Senior Fitness Test Manual by Rikli & Jones. Activities of Daily Living(ADL) was assessed by Barthel Index and the Lawton and Brody questionnaire. Path analysis models(LISREL 8.52) were used to examine the structure of HRQOL. The explanatory power of the path analysis model was 35% for physical QOL and 11% for mental QOL. Physical QOL was influenced by ADL, disease, and leg and upper strength. Mental QOL was influenced by economic status and disease. ADL was influenced by dynamic balance, endurance, upper flexibility. The path analysis model suggested that leg and upper strength and ADL have important impact on HRQOL among the older people.

Contribution of interaction with family, friends and neighbours, and sense of neighbourhood attachment to survival in senior citizens: 5-year follow-up study

This study examines how social engagement with family, friends and neighbours and a sense of attachment to neighbourhood are associated with 5-year survival among senior citizens in Japan. A cohort study was conducted with 3283 seniors of Tokyo born in 1903, 1908, 1913, or 1918 who were recruited from stratified random sampling of resident registration records of two cities in the Tokyo metropolitan area. They were administered with a questionnaire in 1992, and the responses were compared with their 5-year survival status in 1997. Multiple logistic regression analyses indicated that activities with family, friends and neighbours are significant predictors of 5-year survival of senior citizens, independent of the baseline demographics, lifestyle and health status. The analysis further indicated that a sense of attachment to neighbourhood (i.e., expression of a desire to continue staying in the current residential area) significantly predicts 5-year survival of female senior citizens and enhances the survival benefits of activities with friends and neighbourhood activities. Our results highlight the importance of strengthening and enhancing the quality of community life to sustain the health and well-being of seniors and overcome challenges associated with an aging population.