Ageing International最新文献

The objective of this study was to gain an understanding about current attitudes towards sex in older adults in Japan, which has the oldest population in the world, and about the sex lives of older adults, and to clarify how these factors are related to life satisfaction in older adults. Questionnaires were distributed to 1979 persons, and 646 responses were received (for a response rate of 31.4%). In the respondents who were included in the analysis, who ranged in age from 65 to 97 years, more men than women responded that “Sex is communication,” “Sex is enjoyable,” and “A sex life is important.” In all age categories, men wanted a more straightforward sexual relationship than women, and women wanted a less straightforward sexual relationship than men. The level of life satisfaction was higher in married respondents who had a positive attitude towards sex, and in older adults who had an intimate relationship, with or without sexual intercourse. This study sheds light on the current state of sexuality in older adults in Japan and shows that a positive attitude towards sex, and an intimate relationship, are associated with higher levels of life satisfaction, whether or not there is sexual intercourse or a desire for it.

Population ageing combined with the disintegration of the traditional family structure is leading to increased vulnerability of the older adults, especially in the Southeast Asian countries like India. With decline in physical abilities, the older adults limit their daily activities to the peripheries of their familiar residential environment. Though the Indian older adults vary significantly in their perspective to life and ageing from their western counterparts, explorations of neighborhood parameters required for the well-being of the older adults have been limited in the Indian context. Though recent studies on Indian older adults reveal the emergence of groups of older adults with belief in independence and active ageing, a majority of the older adults in India still hold on to traditional beliefs systems like intergenerational inter-dependence, and disengagement in old age. Since the aim of the present study is to understand the link between neighborhood features and the overall QoL from a holistic approach, the study adopts the qualitative research technique which allows the freedom to explore the concept from varied perspectives. The study collects data through discussions with 83 older adults divided in in nine groups residing in nine different neighborhoods in Kolkata, India. The technique of content analysis was then conducted on the findings from focus group discussions to identify a holistic list of activities and their associated neighborhood infrastructure and attributes, perceived to contribute to the QoL domains of Indian older adults. The findings of this study can be useful to policy makers in formulating design guidelines for the built environment in order to cater to the overall QoL of the older adults.

Level of satisfaction is significantly influenced by health-related factors across human life course. Prior research shows that there are variations in the relationship between health factors and life-satisfaction between Western and Asian countries. This study aimed to explore health determinants of life satisfaction among older adults in Brunei Darussalam. Cross-sectional study using an interviewer-assisted questionnaire. Six hundred forty-five adults aged above 50 years were recruited nationally. Descriptive statistics and multivariate regression analysis were applied. A robust model (R² = 49.3%, alpha > 0.7) suggested that life satisfaction in this population could largely be explained by musculoskeletal pain, difficulty to perform daily activities, psychological and emotional issues, and family support. Gender has significant moderating effects on this relationship. Impacts of life satisfaction from health, social, cultural, and related perspectives were discussed. These findings in this research may contribute to ongoing multi-sectorial efforts to design a comprehensive model of care of older people to achieve high quality of life.

Inadequate physical activity is a risk factor of diseases and early death in older adults. Promotion of an active lifestyle is a key strategy to help perseveration of health and quality of life along with aging. The present study is an attempt to determine the indicators of regular physical activities in older adults using the extended social cognitive theory. The study was carried out as a cross-sectional study on 610 older adults in age range 60–75 years selected from 10 retired guild unions in Kermanshah City. Data gathering was done using a demographics form, physical activity scale for the older adults, and an extended social cognitive theory. Data analyses were done using a structural equation modeling, Chi square test, independent-t, ANOVA, and Pearson Correlation Coefficient in SPSS (v.25) and AMOS (v.24). The mean age of the participants was 65.93 years (SD = 5.02). Results showed that 18% of changes in intention and 62% changes in physical activity behavior of the participants were predicted by the extended social cognitive theory. Outcome expectations (β = 0.26), self-efficacy in overcoming impediments (β = 0.21), and outcome expectancies (β = 0.10) were the predictors of the intention of doing physical activity. In addition, intention (β = 0.74) and health literacy of physical activity (β = 0.13) were the predictors of physical activity behavior. Goodness of fit indices of the model also supported goodness of fit. The extended social cognitive theory with the constructs namely health literacy and intention is a reliable model to predict physical activity behavior in older adults.

Concern about residential long-term care quality and safety is a critical issue in developed countries internationally, often fueled by media scandals exposing riveting accounts of resident-to-resident aggression/responsive behaviours. These scandals raise questions about standards of care set through long-term care regulation. Using a participatory action research approach and document analysis method, we analyzed incidents related to responsive behaviours documented in three types of public version inspection reports posted for 535 Ontario, Canada long-term care homes from 2016 through 2018. Creation of an Individual Home Data Collection and Analysis Tool facilitated data collation and descriptive statistical analysis of seven long-term care service areas in the province of Ontario. Results highlight several combined service areas differences between for-profit and not-for-profit home documentation related to responsive behaviours in (a) resident quality inspection means; (b) total complaint and critical incident proportions and means; (c) total enforcement actions proportions; and (d) enforcement penalties. We discovered that documented evidence of incidents related to responsive behaviours was instead represented by other sections of the legislation. The highest proportion of enforcement actions related to responsive behaviours involved no follow-up by inspectors and only four enforcement penalties over three years. Recommendations include revision of the inspection report judgement matrix tool to produce separate enforcement actions specific to responsive behaviours. We submit that attending to this will contribute to protecting long-term care residents from harm and improving their quality of care through more effective connection of long-term care regulation to responsive behaviour care management.

The report that persons over 65 years of age are the fastest-growing age group and the projected potential effect of the growth rate on older adults’ support ratio has raised concerns globally, resulting in interventions targeted at promoting and establishing alternative care options, including residential facilities. Promoting alternative care options became more necessary with the reduction of traditional informal care, a significant source of care in many developing countries. However, while studies in developed countries documented the views of older adults regarding alternative care options, those in Nigerian settings majorly reported opinions of caregivers of older adults. This underscores the relevance of exploring the perception of living in residential care facilities from the standpoint of older adults who are the primary residents of the care facilities. A qualitative descriptive design was adopted in interviewing 20 older adults categorised as non-residents, residents in care facilities and adult day-care recipients. The participants were drawn from Enugu-East and Enugu-West senatorial zones in Enugu State. The data was coded with the use of NVivo 12 and analysed thematically. The results revealed that the non-residents majorly perceived care provided to the ageing population in residential care facilities as abandonment by selfish and irresponsible children. This perception was highly influenced by the people’s culture, which favoured the filial care option. Also, the people stigmatized-shamed those who accept alternative care options. With these, the study recommends culture reorientation through education and sensitisation to ensure the ageing population is knowledgeable about other care options as filial care continues to decline.

As populations across the world age, there is a recognised need for promoting social participation in older adults. Previous studies related to social participation have addressed that interactions perceived as meaningful may improve quality of life in old age. However, what is less clear is the nature of such participation from the perspective of older adults, as the vast majority of studies have been quantitative. The present study aimed to explore what characterises social participation that contributes to a meaningful everyday life, from the viewpoint of independently living Finnish older adults. Thematic analysis was used as an interpretative method drawing on semi-structured in-depth interviews with six residents aged 82 to 97 years from one senior housing facility. The analysis showed that social participation perceived as meaningful involved caring reciprocal interactions with people they connected with; having the freedom to make autonomous decisions and influence matters that affected their own or others’ everyday life; and, on a more abstract level, feeling significant as a person. It furthermore fostered independence and companionship as well as reduced loneliness. To describe social participation that is perceived as meaningful from a theoretical perspective, we used Levasseur and colleagues’ (2010) taxonomy and found that such involvement creates a sense of connectedness, a sense of belonging and relates to the concepts of social integration, social networking and social engagement. This type of involvement is associated with enhanced quality of life and a more meaningful life, highlighting the importance of creating environments where older adults can socially connect.

Working with people living with dementia in residential facilities for older adults can be challenging, and this is exacerbated when staff have a limited understanding of dementia. However, the relationship between knowledge of dementia and strain in caring for people with dementia among residential facility staff is unclear. This cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between dementia knowledge and strain in caring for people with dementia. A questionnaire containing the Dementia Knowledge Assessment and Strain in Dementia Care Scales was administered in 2017 and 2019 to 141 staff in three southern Australian residential facilities for older adults. Bivariate and hierarchical regression analysis examined inter-scale relationships and the power of dementia strain to explain knowledge variance. It was found that staff had substantial gaps in dementia knowledge (mean score 32/50) and low strain in dementia care (mean score 4/16). A positive relationship was found between higher dementia knowledge and greater strain in dementia care (r_s = 0.319, p < .001), particularly with feeling that residents are not receiving appropriate care from colleagues (Factor 1 Frustrated Empathy; r_s = 0.392, p < .001). Frustrated Empathy explained a significant amount of variance in dementia knowledge beyond demographic variables. The findings suggest that more comprehensive dementia knowledge is associated with higher strain in care of people with dementia, particularly in the context of perceived lapses in the quality of care provided by colleagues. Arguably, organisational-wide dementia education to address identified gaps should be supported by facilitating staff enaction of their knowledge to improve care.

Geriatric depression is a key public health issue, as it leads to many negative health consequences. This study examines the effects of education on depression of older adults in Vietnam, focusing on gender differences. The study utilizes the 2011 Vietnam Aging Survey. The sample consists of individuals aged 60 years and older (N = 2,789, comprising 1,683 females and 1,106 males). Path analysis is used to analyze the direct and indirect effects of education on depression of older males and females. For the indirect effects, the following three channels are investigated: family resources, economic resources, and health status. Education significantly lowers depression for both genders. Education has both direct and indirect effects on the depression of females, but only indirect effects in the case of males. While several channels through which education affects depression are similar for males and females, there are some differences which reflect gender roles in Vietnam. Policies promoting education and gender equality should be strengthened to improve old-age mental health. Specific policies for different groups of older persons are also needed, such as older persons with ADL difficulty and those living alone, as these groups are more likely to suffer from depression.

Aims: The purpose was to examine the relationship between dietary creatine intake obtained in food and selective attention and inhibitory control processes in older adults. Methods: Forty-five (n = 11 males; n = 34 females) participants over 60 years of age volunteered. Participants completed a 5-day dietary recall survey to estimate creatine intake and a cognitive assessment which included an adaptation of the Eriksen flanker task and a mini-mental state examination (MMSE). Cohorts for two groups were derived based on higher (HCr) versus lower (LCr) median creatine intake. To compare the groups, an unpaired Mann-Whitney U test was performed. In addition, Spearman’s correlation analysis was used to test a potential association between the daily amount of creatine with selective attention and inhibitory processing task results. Results: There were significant differences between the groups in the flanker task. In the incongruent condition, HCr responded on average about 646 ms faster than LCr (p = .005). HCr also responded about 25% more accurately than LCr in the incongruent condition (p < .001). Response time to incongruent stimuli (Spearman’s -0.424) and per cent correct (Spearman’s rho 0.565) showed moderate correlations with daily creatine intake. Conclusions: Creatine intake from food is positively associated with selective attention and inhibitory processing in older adults.