Journal of Gerontological Social Work最新文献

This study investigated the separate and joint relationships of depression and symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (KOA) with cognitive function among 11,645 Chinese adults aged 45 or above from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS, 2011-2020). We found that both conditions were individually associated with poorer cognition (all β < 0; all p < .01). Depression, alone or with KOA, consistently demonstrated lower global and subdomain-specific cognitive scores (all β < 0; all p < .001). Comorbid depression and KOA generally exerted greater negative impact on cognition than either condition alone. Our findings highlight early screening and holistic, rather than single-disease, care approaches.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted healthcare and social services, increasing pressure on informal caregivers who provided essential, unpaid care to family members, partners, friends, and neighbors. While much of the existing research emphasizes the challenges and burdens of informal caregiving, this descriptive qualitative study highlights the resilience, opportunities, and positive experiences of older informal caregivers in Aotearoa New Zealand. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 81 older informal caregivers aged 57-88, recruited from across Aotearoa New Zealand, this study explores how participants navigated heightened caregiving responsibilities, reduced access to support, and increased isolation during the pandemic. Findings reveal that participants employed diverse strategies to maintain care continuity, strengthen relationships with care recipients, and leverage both preexisting and emergent community and personal resources. Many participants attributed their ability to adapt to lifelong experiences, self-efficacy, and social environmental changes, highlighting the importance of a more balanced and critical approach to recognizing older informal caregivers not only as vulnerable and overburdened but also as active agents in care provision. By highlighting both challenges and positives, this study offers a nuanced perspective on the role of informal caregiving in sustainable care and community resilience amid population aging and workforce shortages in the care industry worldwide.

This cross-sectional study surveyed 201 Portuguese social workers supporting older adults to assess their knowledge, training, and practices regarding Advance Directives (AD). Although 87.2% considered informing users about AD a professional competence, 78.8% had not done so and 88.2% lacked specific training. Logistic regression showed that AD training (OR=11.04, p<.001) and the recognition of this competence (OR=9.44, p=.040) significantly predicted practice. Results reveal a gap between the recognition of professional competences and their implementation, highlighting the urgent need for targeted training and a clearer definition of social workers' roles to uphold older adults' rights under recent AD-related legislation.

This study explores how Japanese retirees experience Silver Human Resource Centers (SHRCs). Based on in-depth interviews with 25 members, we investigated SHRCs' function as a workplace and a potential "third place." Our analysis revealed that members seek financial, health, and social benefits. We propose the concept of a "place 2.5," where SHRCs act as a hybrid space integrating work and social engagement. While identifying structural barriers, this study frames SHRCs as vital placemaking hubs that support fulfilling post-retirement lives and contribute to active aging research and program design.

This study examined psychosocial correlates of perceived financial exploitation (FE) experiences among two main ethnic groups within Israel: Jewish Israelis and Arab Israelis. Israeli older adults (N= 357; Mage= 67.89, SD= 6.21) completed measures of FE history and psychosocial factors (perceived loneliness, social support, and psychological distress). A MANCOVA model revealed that differences between FE and non-FE groups in psychosocial functioning were greater for Arabs compared to Jews. Findings suggest that Israeli Arabs may be in particular need of support following a FE experience, and highlight the importance of considering ethnicity as a contextual factor that may modify FE risk and consequences.

This umbrella review and research update explores experiences of loneliness and social isolation in older immigrants to understand their support needs and the effectiveness of current interventions. Nine quantitative and qualitative studies discussing loneliness and/or social isolation in older immigrants were identified. Six key themes emerged: language and cultural barriers, life-course intersections, family relationships and obligations, meaningful opportunities as a counter-strategy, regaining self-esteem, and effectiveness of peer/community support. Assessment of needs was a central topic in the literature. Peer and community support is an effective intervention targeting loneliness and social isolation in older immigrants as it connects participants and creates meaningful relationships.

Exposure to a persistent terrorist threat constitutes a continuous traumatic situation (CTS) that can severely impact one's mental and physical health. For older adults living in CTS, this risk is compounded by the challenges of aging. This vulnerability is significantly heightened for older adults living alone in CTS, who typically experience increased social isolation and loneliness. Past research has explored internal coping resources that help these individuals deal with their stressful circumstances. Nevertheless, external coping resources have been hardly explored, making it difficult to create policies and practices to support older adults living alone in areas affected by terrorism. To address this lacuna, we conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews with 15 older adults living alone in Sderot, an Israeli city that has been under constant terror attacks for over two decades, and analyzed them using thematic analysis. Four external coping resources were identified: family; friendships; communal resources including a sense of belonging to their community and neighbors; and formal resources provided to them by the municipality and the state, comprising instrumental and emotional support. The findings affirm the significance of external coping resources for older adults facing continuous stress and trauma, suggesting ways to strengthen these resources to boost individuals' resilience.

This study investigated whether social relationships and aging perceptions moderate the roles of health stressors on life satisfaction among very old adults (80+ years, N = 4,220) in the English Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSA). Data were analyzed in R Lavaan using structural equation modeling with latent interactions. Positive ageing perception and the quality of social relationships with children and relatives attenuated the influence of mobility limitations on life satisfaction. Only social relationships moderated pain's influence on life satisfaction. Interventions to increase subjective well-being in advanced old age can target positive views of aging and the quality of social relationships.

This paper examined the prevalence of and risk factors associated with unmet needs for activities of daily living (ADL) for older adults dying with dementia. We focused on a sample of 632 older adults in the National Health and Aging Trends Study. Employing Andersen's behavioral model of health, we investigated the association of predisposing, enabling, and need factors and found that older age, using hospice, receiving residential care, and severity of ADL disability were associated with fewer unmet care needs. This study emphasizes the timing of end-of-life care preferences and the quality of care services for older adults with dementia.