Research

17 pages, 383 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Consumer Fraud against Older Adults in Digital Society: Examining Victimization and Its Impact

by Steven Kemp and Nieves Erades Pérez

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(7), 5404; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20075404 - 05 Apr 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3068

The European population is aging, which means more people aged sixty-five and over are at risk of financial exploitation. However, there is a lack of consensus regarding whether older persons are at greater risk of fraud than younger counterparts due to physical, economic, [...] Read more.

The European population is aging, which means more people aged sixty-five and over are at risk of financial exploitation. However, there is a lack of consensus regarding whether older persons are at greater risk of fraud than younger counterparts due to physical, economic, and social factors or, rather, whether they are slightly protected from fraud in the digital era due to less frequent online activity. Moreover, little is known about the financial, emotional, psychological, and physical impacts of fraud experiences amongst older generations in digital society. We employ multilevel modelling on a sample of EU citizens (n = 26,735) to analyze these issues. The results show that, holding other factors constant, older adults are more likely to suffer fraud in general, but not fraud via online channels. Identity theft in which the offender attempts to trick the victim by impersonating a reputable organization is found to be particularly relevant for citizens aged sixty-five and above. Older persons are less likely to suffer a financial impact but more likely to experience anger, irritation, embarrassment, and negative impacts on their physical health from fraud in general as well as from online fraud. Many organizations aim to help protect older adults from financial crime and its impacts; thus, the results emphasize the need to understand particular fraud categories suffered by older generations and to design support programs that fully take into account the non-financial impacts of this crime. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychosocial Aspects of Healthy Ageing)

17 pages, 371 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Social Networks, New Technologies, and Wellbeing—An Interview Study on Factors Influencing Older Adults’ Successful Ageing

by Alina Betlej

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(7), 5279; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20075279 - 27 Mar 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1728

Abstract

Many factors are considered vital in supporting successful ageing and older adults’ wellbeing. Whilst evidence exists around facilitating and hindering factors in the general use of various forms of institutional and family support and personal development-oriented education and/or new technologies, evidence is limited [...] Read more.

Many factors are considered vital in supporting successful ageing and older adults’ wellbeing. Whilst evidence exists around facilitating and hindering factors in the general use of various forms of institutional and family support and personal development-oriented education and/or new technologies, evidence is limited with regards to older people’s motivations, expectations, and experiences surrounding ageing. Hence, in this study, the author used a qualitative explanatory method to interpret the factors influencing seniors’ successful ageing. The author’s focus was on how seniors experience ageing. The second issue was how they have been organizing life in old age. The third point concerned their expectations towards ageing now and in the future. Thirteen older adults (60+) were interviewed nationwide using a semi-structured scenario tool. Their objective was to give rich descriptions of their experiences of ageing. The interviews revealed the older adults’ own experiences and enabled an understanding of their motivations, perceptions, moderators, and expectations around successful ageing. Based on the analysis of the qualitative data, the author developed three main themes, each with its own sub-themes: 1. Life satisfaction (transitioning to retirement, using coping strategies in adaptation to negative changes, reaching personal goals, leading a meaningful life); 2. Supportive environments (being independent but using temporary assistance from relatives and/or people close to oneself, living with family members (e.g., husband or wife, children, grandchildren), having access to health care system); 3. Social integration (social relations, social engagement, independence in using technological advancements). The main categories that emerged from the three themes were social networks, new technologies, and wellbeing. To analyze these issues, the author used a sociological approach. The theoretic explorations were embedded mainly in two methods: criticism of writing and the analytical and comparative one. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychosocial Aspects of Healthy Ageing)

13 pages, 426 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Regression-Based Normative Data for Independent and Cognitively Active Spanish Older Adults: Verbal Fluency Tests and Boston Naming Test

by Clara Iñesta, Javier Oltra-Cucarella and Esther Sitges-Maciá

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(18), 11445; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191811445 - 11 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1541

Abstract

An increased cognitive reserve is associated with changes in the pattern of cognitive decline during aging. Thus, normative data adapted to the characteristics of the target population are needed to reduce the possibility of false diagnoses. The aim of this work was to [...] Read more.

An increased cognitive reserve is associated with changes in the pattern of cognitive decline during aging. Thus, normative data adapted to the characteristics of the target population are needed to reduce the possibility of false diagnoses. The aim of this work was to develop normative data for the Phonemic Verbal Fluency test, the Semantic Verbal Fluency test and the Boston Naming Test (BNT). Method: Regression-based normative data were calculated from a sample of 118 non-depressed, cognitively active, independent community-dwelling adults aged 55 or older (64.4% women) from SABIEX (University for Seniors at the Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche). Raw scores were regressed on age, sex, and education. Results: The effects of age and education varied across neuropsychological measures. No effect of sex was found in any of the tests assessed. Statistically significant differences were found in the proportion of low scores using SABIEX or population-based normative datasets. The level of agreement identifying individuals labeled as showing one or more low scores was only fair-to-good. Conclusions: Normative data obtained from the general population might not be sensitive to identify low scores in cognitively active older adults, increasing the risk of misdiagnoses. A friendly calculator is available for neuropsychological assessment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychosocial Aspects of Healthy Ageing)

12 pages, 373 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Caring and Working during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Perspective of Portuguese Residential Care Facility Workers

by Maria Miguel Barbosa, Laetitia Teixeira, Constança Paúl, Javier Yanguas and Rosa Marina Afonso

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(10), 5963; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19105963 - 13 May 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1711

Abstract

Residential care facilities (RCF) for older people are facing high demands due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to explore the workers’ perspectives on the changes in work and care dynamics amidst the first wave of the pandemic at [...] Read more.

Residential care facilities (RCF) for older people are facing high demands due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to explore the workers’ perspectives on the changes in work and care dynamics amidst the first wave of the pandemic at Portuguese RCF. This is a descriptive, quantitative, and cross-sectional study. An online questionnaire about pandemic-induced changes in work and care dynamics was sent to 2325 RCF. These entities were then asked to share it with their workers. The participants (n = 784) were mostly women (92.7%) and mostly composed of technical directors (41.6%) and direct-care workers (17.1%). The respondents reported that during the first wave of the pandemic, when compared to the pre-pandemic period, there were greater difficulties in providing care related to the basic necessities of older people (52.7%); direct-care workers were required to work more consecutive hours in each shift (69.95%); direct-care workers had to live at RCF (14.8%), and there were changes concerning the possibility of promoting person-centered care (PCC) practices. It also revealed that focusing on disease prevention and sanitary measures alone facilitates practices that reinforce the traditional model of procedure-centered care and have negative consequences on the rights and well-being of those living and working at RCF, exposing and accentuating preexisting vulnerabilities. This study considers the pandemic’s serious implications and alarming questions about basic care, dignity, living, and working conditions at Portuguese RCF. These notions reinforce the need for change through redefining care policies and practices in Portuguese RCF beyond the pandemic. The current situation provides an opportunity to adopt a formal PCC model. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychosocial Aspects of Healthy Ageing)

Review

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12 pages, 1822 KiB

Open AccessReview

Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic in Nursing Homes: A Systematic Review

by Marina Martínez-Payá, Irene Carrillo and Mercedes Guilabert

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(24), 16919; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192416919 - 16 Dec 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1944

Abstract

Nursing homes are one of the hardest-hit environments in terms of mortality from COVID-19. Given the reactive management of the pandemic, it is necessary to reflect on, and answer, the question as to which good practices (interventions) were implemented in care homes (population) [...] Read more.

Nursing homes are one of the hardest-hit environments in terms of mortality from COVID-19. Given the reactive management of the pandemic, it is necessary to reflect on, and answer, the question as to which good practices (interventions) were implemented in care homes (population) to improve management and care quality (outcomes). This systematic review aimed to identify and describe good practices adopted in care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic or other recent epidemics. We conducted searches in Embase, PubMed, ScienceDirect, ProQuest Central, and Scopus over the period 1–30 November, 2021, using the descriptors “nursing homes”, “long-term care”, “long-term care facilities” and “COVID-19”; and the keywords “learnings”, “lessons”, “positive learnings”, “positive lessons”, “SARS”, “MERS”, “COVID-19” and “pandemic”. We identified 15 papers describing 14 best practices and 26 specific actions taken for COVID-19 management in long-term care facilities. Following the IDEF methodology, the practices were classified into strategic processes (staff training, communication with the national health system, person-centered care, and protocols), operational processes (cohorts, diagnostic testing, case monitoring, personal protective equipment, staff reinforcement, restriction of visits, social distancing, and alternative means for communication with families) and support processes (provision of equipment and hygiene reinforcement). Fifty percent of practices were likely to be maintained beyond the outbreak to improve the operation and quality of the long-term care facilities. This review summarizes the most common measures adopted to manage the COVID-19 pandemic in the context of increased vulnerability and highlights the deficiencies that must be addressed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychosocial Aspects of Healthy Ageing)

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13 pages, 611 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Scoping Review on Biopsychosocial Predictors of Mental Health among Older Adults

by Nia Murniati, Badra Al Aufa, Dian Kusuma and Sudijanto Kamso

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(17), 10909; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191710909 - 01 Sep 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4218

Abstract

This review aims to map the available evidence on biopsychosocial predictors of elderly mental health. The articles were independently screened in three selected databases, namely Pubmed, Proquest and Google Scholar. The stages consist of identifying the research questions, seeking and selecting relevant evidence, [...] Read more.

This review aims to map the available evidence on biopsychosocial predictors of elderly mental health. The articles were independently screened in three selected databases, namely Pubmed, Proquest and Google Scholar. The stages consist of identifying the research questions, seeking and selecting relevant evidence, mapping data, and concluding and reporting results. The PRISMA flowchart was used to show the PEOS evidence search flow. A total of 23,722 articles were obtained from all databases during the initial search, where 458 titles fulfilled the eligibility criteria at the title screening stage. Furthermore, 383 articles passed through abstract screening, where 75 met the inclusion criteria and were included for full-text screening. Based on the full-text screening stage, 28 articles were excluded and the remaining 47 articles that matched the search process were included for data extraction. This review creates biopsychosocial variables related to the mental health of the elderly. The biological factors consist of age, biomarkers, female, health conditions, chronic diseases, and physical function. Variables related to psychological factors are affect, personality traits, and subjective well-being. Meanwhile, social factors include smoking, sleep quality, physical activity, daily living, social support, marital status, loneliness, religiosity, spirituality, and early life conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychosocial Aspects of Healthy Ageing)

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Other

Jump to: Research, Review

13 pages, 657 KiB

Open AccessSystematic Review

Ageing and Loneliness in Times of Pandemic: A Scoping Review

by Raúl Ruiz-Callado, Diana Jareño-Ruiz, María Elena Fabregat-Cabrera and María Manuela Penalva-Lorca

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(7), 5337; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20075337 - 30 Mar 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1618

Abstract

Society is immersed in a process of demographic transformation of great relevance: the ageing of the population. During the ageing stage, relevant changes occur, such as age-related losses, lack of formal and informal support or changes in social roles, which can cause situations [...] Read more.

Society is immersed in a process of demographic transformation of great relevance: the ageing of the population. During the ageing stage, relevant changes occur, such as age-related losses, lack of formal and informal support or changes in social roles, which can cause situations of isolation or loneliness in older people. After the Spanish government decreed a state of alarm throughout the national territory in response to the arrival of SARS-CoV2, the confinement of the entire population was established, and only essential services and authorized persons could continue to carry out their daily activities and professional tasks. In addition, since the beginning of the pandemic, older people were considered high-risk people, a circumstance that increased their isolation situation. Objective: Understand, organize and systematically analyse the scientific evidence generated in relation to the impact that the COVID−19 pandemic has had on the processes and feelings of isolation and loneliness of the elderly population, from the beginning of the health crisis until the date of search. Materials and methods: a scoping review was conducted using the methodology of Arksey and O’Malley, which included a review of the studies available in the online databases Proquest, Scopus and WOS. From the search, information related to the isolation and collective of elderly people during the pandemic was extracted. Results: a total of 32 articles were included, from which three fundamental areas of analysis emerged and three issues emerged: older people and institutionalisation during the pandemic, ageism and hospitalisation of the elderly during the pandemic, and loneliness and isolation of older people throughout the pandemic. Discussion: the lack of material resources and infrastructures to be able to face the problem of isolation in institutions was evident. The importance of acquiring, on the part of the elderly, competences, knowledge and skills in new technologies in order to continue with contact with their peer group and family was also observed. Conclusions: this study identifies areas already understood, as well as knowledge gaps, that allow for determining opportunities for future research and thus the ability to improve in situations similar to the one that occurred. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychosocial Aspects of Healthy Ageing)

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19 pages, 680 KiB

Open AccessSystematic Review

A Scoping Review of the Factor Associated with Older Adults’ Mobility Barriers

by Nur Hasna Che Had, Khadijah Alavi, Noremy Md Akhir, Irina Riyanti Muhammad Nur, Muhammad Shakir Zufayri Shuhaimi and Hui Foh Foong

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(5), 4243; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20054243 - 27 Feb 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2219

Abstract

The phenomenon of ageing may contribute to the rise of the dependent population. Due to the obstacles and difficulties they confront, the elderly’s mobility decreases significantly. The aim of this article is to identify factors associated with mobility barriers in older adults. The [...] Read more.

The phenomenon of ageing may contribute to the rise of the dependent population. Due to the obstacles and difficulties they confront, the elderly’s mobility decreases significantly. The aim of this article is to identify factors associated with mobility barriers in older adults. The method employed is an examination of articles published between 2011 and 2022 to identify common themes in previous studies. Four search engines were being used, and 32 articles have been included. This study demonstrated that health is a major factor associated with decreased mobility. This review identified four types of barriers which are health, built environment, socio-economic background and social relation change. This review could help policy makers and gerontologist in identifying solutions to resolve the mobility issues in older people. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychosocial Aspects of Healthy Ageing)

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