Journal of Aging Research最新文献

Introduction: As people age, they increasingly face physical and cognitive decline, which can negatively affect their subjective health experience. To improve subjective health experience among older adults, it is crucial to understand its key predictors. Current literature points to frailty and vitality from geriatric research as well as acceptance and control from psychological science as key predictors. However, until now, they have never been incorporated in one composite model. Therefore, this study aims to develop, validate and differentiate a composite model integrating these predictors.

Methods: An online questionnaire covering sample characteristics and instruments on frailty, vitality, acceptance, control and subjective health experience was distributed among a sample of 753 older adults recruited from a research panel. Data were analysed using descriptive, reliability, validity and model statistics.

Results: Frailty shows modest to moderate negative relationships with acceptance, control and subjective health experience and a stronger negative relationship with vitality. Vitality relates moderately positively to control and subjective health experience and modestly to acceptance. Control has a strong positive relationship with acceptance and a modest one with subjective health experience. Acceptance shows a moderate positive relationship with subjective health experience. Frailty has a moderate significant negative indirect relationship with subjective health experience, through several modest but significant pathways involving vitality, acceptance and control combined or alone. Pathways with control alone are modest and nonsignificant. The models explain 41.5%-52.6% of the variance in subjective health experience.

Conclusion: It might be worthwhile to consider deploying the key concepts of the model, such as frailty, vitality, acceptance or control, as starting points for the development of future interventions concerning the subjective health experience of older adults. Such interventions may target frailty and promote vitality through tailored support, while aligning delivery with older adults' needs for control and acceptance.

Background: Thailand has aged fast, becoming a superaging society. Simultaneously, ongoing rapid digital transformation puts older people at risk of being left behind. Research assessing the digital skills of older people and their application of digital technology for health is a literature gap.

Method: This study is an explanatory-sequential design mixed-method study. Community survey of 500 community older adults in Northern Thailand applied London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) digital skills instrument to measure "operational internet skills," "information navigation skills," "social skills," "creative skills," and "mobile skills" and perceived health and technology use for health promotion. Quantitatively, Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests identified differences in the digital skills across sociodemographic and internet use characteristics, while multivariable ordinal logistic regressions analyzed types of digital skills associated with health outcomes. Qualitatively, thematic analyses explained the quantitative findings in detail.

Results: The mean age of the participants was 68.36 years, of which 69% were female. Ordinal logistic regression identified that higher "social skills" positively influenced self-rated health (β = 0.32, 95% CI = 0.11-0.52), while 'Information navigation skills' affected internet use to access healthcare (β = 0.20, 95% CI = 0.04-0.36). Older adults with higher levels of 'operational skills' and 'social skills' positively associated with application of technology for health promotion in terms of improving eating habits ('operational skills', β = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.28-0.79; 'social skills', β = 0.64, 95% CI = 0.45-0.83); accessing healthcare ('operational skills,' β = 0.49, 95% CI = 0.23-0.75 'social skills' β = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.55-0.93) and accessing long-term care services ('operational internet skills,' β = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.21-0.73; 'social skills' β = 0.66, 95% CI = 0.47-0.85). Multiple focus-group interviews of older persons revealed how smart phone apps enabled them to stay connected, seek care and help others.

Conclusion: Therefore, it is urgent to enhance digital skills and internet use among older populations to promote healthy aging.

The rapid increase in the global aging population presents significant psychosocial and economic challenges, especially in underdeveloped nations. This study examines the experiences of elderly retired government employees (65+) in Debre Tabor Metropolitan City, Ethiopia, using a qualitative hermeneutical phenomenological approach. Structured interviews with 15 participants revealed key issues affecting their well-being. Findings show severe isolation and loneliness, with many feeling abandoned by their families and society. Emotional distress is common, with some expressing a desire for death due to neglect and a perceived loss of purpose. Financial instability worsens their hardships, as rising inflation and inadequate pensions make necessities unaffordable. Social marginalization and economic struggles lead to declining mental and physical health, increasing vulnerability. Elder abuse is a major concern, with many experiencing neglect, psychological distress, and a lack of respect from younger generations. Malnutrition further impacts their quality of life. The study emphasizes the need for stronger social support, policy reforms, and economic measures to protect elderly individuals. Recommendations include strengthening intergenerational relationships, revising pension policies, improving healthcare access, and implementing social programs to enhance community integration and support.

Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) and anaemia of chronic disease are both common causes of morbidity in the elderly population, where they increase hospitalization and mortality. The risk of IDA is increased in gastrointestinal bleeding caused by aspirin at low doses administered daily, which has been widely used to prevent cardiovascular diseases. The current research will compare the occurrence of IDA between patients under 81 mg of low-dose aspirin and nonaspirin users. The electronic medical records were reviewed for a retrospective cohort study in the King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (2016-2023). The inclusion criteria were patients aged over 60 years who were taking 81 mg aspirin daily, and 1308 patients were included (654 aspirin users and 654 nonusers). The number of men using aspirin was 378 (56.5), and those not using it were 291 (43.5). The number of women using aspirin was 276 (43.2), and those not using it were 363 (56.8). In the IDA cases, there were 136 (20.8) and 165 (25.2) cases in aspirin and nonaspirin users, respectively. Although this was not a significant difference, the load of haemoglobin in aspirin users was markedly less with a high concentration of ferritin in the bloodstream than in nonusers. Hypertension was a risk factor for IDA. The IDA rates were higher in nonaspirin users in females, old patients and chronic steroid users. Aspirin and nonaspirin users did not differ significantly in terms of IDA incidence. Nonetheless, there were a decreased haemoglobin and an increased ferritin in aspirin users. Potential confounders may include age and BMI, which need to be considered when monitoring low-dose aspirin patients in old age.

Throughout adulthood, the ability to access employment is vital for financial well-being, social inclusion and civic participation. This scoping review explores the factors that facilitate or challenge the abilities of workers age 50 and older to obtain and maintain paid employment. A total of 244 academic and grey literature articles were included in this scoping review. To frame the data extraction and analysis of included literature, we drew on Human Ecology Theory, a multidisciplinary theory that posits that individuals affect and are affected by the contexts they inhabit. Four key contexts were identified that impact older workers' employability (and the relevant codes that comprise each context): individual context (health, income and wealth accumulation, education and skills, employment history, lifestyle preferences and personal characteristics); family context (obligations with intimate partners, obligations to dependent children and caregiving obligations); workplace context (organizational characteristics, workplace policies, job characteristics and workplace relationships) and sociopolitical context (ageism, government labour and pension policies and macroeconomic conditions). We conclude that the employability of older workers is not attributable to a single factor within any of these contexts. Rather, older workers' abilities to maintain their labour force participation are fluid, situational and temporal, including aspects that arise across a person's life course as forms of cumulative advantage or disadvantage. Policies to support older workers' labour force participation require governments and employers to recognize how the dynamic lived experiences and relationships of individuals-within families, workplaces and society-shape their employability in later life.

The Rohingya people have been subjected to egregious human rights abuses, culminating in a mass exodus to the Cox's Bazar district of Bangladesh in 2017. This study investigated the knowledge, attitudes, and practices surrounding older persons within the Rohingya refugee community while also elucidating the present community support mechanisms crucial for their well-being, through a sequential mixed-methods approach. The study specifically focuses on older Rohingya persons aged 60 years and above. A printed survey questionnaire was administered to 377 Rohingya refugees residing in camps, complemented by key informant interviews (KIIs) conducted with eight experts and community leaders to gain nuanced insights into the challenges and support systems. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics to determine the prevalence of specific knowledges, attitudes, and practices while qualitative data from KIIs were subjected to thematic analysis in alignment with numerical facts, identifying recurring themes related to community support and vulnerabilities. The findings revealed that a significant majority (89.92%) of older Rohingya refugees lived within extended family structures, underscoring the importance of intergenerational coresidence, and a substantial proportion of respondents (87.23%) acknowledged and respected the wisdom and experience of elders. Family bonds, sociocultural, and religious factors played significant roles in ensuring personal care. However, older persons faced numerous vulnerabilities related to insufficient food, unfriendly infrastructure, inadequate healthcare, poor social services, and so on. This paper concludes with several recommendations particularly to strengthen community support for the well-being of older Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh.

Introduction: This study explores the role of Pakistani women caregivers in older people's decision-making regarding access to healthcare services and medicine practices, including attitudes towards medicine adherence and self-medication.

Methods: Data were collected from 52 women who cared for older people using focus group discussions and semistructured interviews. The study was conducted in the rural and urban regions of Sargodha District, Punjab.

Results: Informal women caregivers play a pronounced role in decision-making about healthcare access and medicine-taking practices for older people. Treating illnesses at home with allopathic medicines is a common practice in both urban and rural settings. Caregivers were unaware of the risk associated with a delay in health-seeking and self-medication.

Conclusion: Findings suggest that educational interventions and coaching should be provided to improve family caregivers' knowledge so that they can contribute to better health outcomes for older people.

Aim: To identify the experiences, expectations, and preferred transitional care expressed by nursing home residents and close family, thus mapping perceived barriers and facilitators to improve this identification process.

Design: In this study, a qualitative design was employed.

Methods: Individual, semistructured interviews were conducted.

Data sources: Interviews of 12 participants (3 residents and 9 close family) were conducted. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify underlying themes.

Results: The following three themes were identified: (1) changes in life situations, (2) dimensions of transfer quality, and (3) interactions with staff.

Conclusion: Nursing home residents and close family emphasize that proper medical care is necessary. However, this is insufficient without addressing multiple ongoing life changes of individuals transitioning between nursing homes and emergency departments. Yet, this effort to manage life changes is significantly insufficient without the support of healthcare professionals.

Introduction: This study investigated domain-specific physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) among older adults living in a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) as a function of risk of mobility disability.

Methods: Secondary cross-sectional data from 100 older CCRC residents were analyzed. The short physical performance battery (SPPB) assessed mobility disability risk, and PA and SB were self-reported. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U test, and Quade's nonparametric ANOVA, with significance set at p < 0.05.

Results: Fifty-nine participants had an SPPB score < 10, indicating high mobility disability risk, while 41 had a score ≥ 10, indicating low risk. The low-risk group had higher total PA (67.1 ± 41.8 vs. 49.2 ± 40.5, p=0.012) and leisure PA (30.5 ± 25.1 vs. 21.2 ± 23.5, p=0.035) minutes, and higher total sedentary minutes (645.8 ± 209.6 vs. 567.0 ± 290.8, p=0.007) and non-screen sedentary minutes (447.1 ± 182.7 vs. 350.0 ± 164.8, p=0.002) than the high risk group. After controlling for age, perceived health, and assistive device use, the differences between groups were no longer significant (p > 0.05).

Discussion: Despite nonsignificant adjusted differences, our findings indicate overall low PA and high SB in the study participants. Given the well-documented benefits of PA, targeted interventions are needed to increase PA and reduce SB in this population.

Introduction: Humanin, a mitochondrial-derived peptide, decreases in the elderly. This study evaluated the effects of concurrent moderate-intensity endurance training (MIET) or high-intensity interval training (HIIT) with D-galactose injection on cardiac function, and the serum and heart levels of humanin and IGF-1 in Wistar male rats. Methods: Left ventricular systolic pressure (LVSP), left ventricular end diastolic pressure (LVEDP), ±maxdp/dt, contractility index (CI) and, Tau were monitored by PowerLab system in CTL, CTL + MIET, CTL + HIIT, D-gal, D-gal + MIET, and D-gal + HIIT groups. The histopathological score, fibrosis, and humanin and IGF-1 levels were measured with hematoxylin & eosin, Masson's trichrome, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. Results: Histopathological score and heart fibrosis were reduced by HIIT and MIET in the D-gal group. LVSP, ±maxdp/dt, and CI were lower, while LVEDP and Tau were higher in the D-gal group than in the CTL group. MIET and HIIT alleviated the changes in LVSP, ±maxdp/dt, CI, LVEDP, and Tau. HIIT and MIET increased humanin levels in heart and serum of the D-gal group by modifying IGF-1 levels. Conclusion: The study suggests HIIT and MIET may improve cardiac function by regulating the IGF-1-humanin signaling pathway.