Social activity modelling and multimodal coaching for active aging

Self-reported data and/or medical records are often used to assess the prevalence of illness and impairment in epidemiological studies. However, these two data sources do not always provide the same information. The aim was to compare data from interviews and medical records regarding illness, symptoms and impairment in the elderly, and to analyze the agreement between a consensus from both data sources and data from interviews and medical records, respectively. We interviewed 130 persons (age range 67-99) regarding socio-demographic background data and physical and mental health. Medical records were reviewed. Illness burden was rated according to the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale for Geriatrics, and was rated in three ways based on: (1) interview data; (2) medical records; (3) information from both interviews and medical records considered to be consensus. Agreement was measured by the Kappa coefficient and the Svensson Paired Rank Measurement. A permutation test tested whether the ratings from interviews and medical records had the same agreement when compared with consensus. Statistically significant differences in agreement were found between interview versus consensus and medical records versus consensus for the vascular system (medical records best), eyes/ears/nose/throat/larynx and musculoskeletal/integument (interview best). Medical records gave better in formation concerning specific diseases and diagnoses, whereas interview data provided a better measure of illness, functional impairment and health in a broader sense. Both medical records and interviews yield good information of elderly people's health status, but they focus on different aspects of health.

ObjectiveAccording to the seventh demographic census, China's elderly population reached 260 million, accounting for 18.7% of the total population, indicating that China is on the verge of transitioning from a relatively mild aging to a moderately aging society, and an aging society inevitably brings concerns about the elderly people's health. The purpose of this study was to better understand the effect of economic development on the physical fitness of the elderly people aged 60–69 in China during the first two decades of the twenty-first century, as well as to establish a correlation between China's gross domestic product (GDP) and changes in the elderly people's passing rate of national physical fitness standards.MethodsA linear regression analysis was performed on the data of GDP and the passing rate of national physical fitness standards of Chinese elderly people aged 60–69 in 2000, 2005, 2010, 2014, and 2020.ResultsThe passing rate of national physical fitness standards for elderly people aged 60–69 increased linearly (R2 = 80.56%, p < 0.05), indicating that the physical fitness of the elderly tends to increase steadily with GDP expansion.ConclusionsBetween 2000 and 2020, the annual improvement in the physical fitness of the elderly people in China is inextricably linked to rapid economic development. Increased financial investments in public sports services and a corresponding national fitness plan all contribute to an overall improvement in the physical fitness of the elderly people. This outcome is the effect of fiscal and policy coordination, which may represent a distinctive Chinese model and contribution to the global effort to manage and improve population physical fitness.

Age discrimination exists in many aspects of elderly people's health care, a conference in London heard last week. Peter Crome, professor of geriatric medicine at Keele University and president elect...

Based on this review there is currently very uncertain evidence on the effectiveness of video call interventions to reduce loneliness in older adults. The review did not include any studies that reported evidence of the effectiveness of video call interventions to address social isolation in older adults. The evidence regarding the effectiveness of video calls for outcomes of symptoms of depression was very uncertain. Future research in this area needs to use more rigorous methods and more diverse and representative participants. Specifically, future studies should target older adults, who are demonstrably lonely or socially isolated, or both, across a range of settings to determine whether video call interventions are effective in a population in which these outcomes are in need of improvement.

Older people's health and care needs are changing. Increasing numbers live with the combined effects of age-related chronic illness or disability, social isolation and/or poor mental health. Social prescribing has potential to benefit older people by helping those with social, emotional or practical needs to access relevant services and resources within the local community. However, researchers have highlighted limitations with the existing evidence-base, while clinicians express concerns about the quality of onward referral services, liability and upfront investment required. The current article provides a critical review of evidence on social prescribing, drawing on the RE-AIM Framework (Glasgow et al., 1999) to identify questions that will need to be addressed in order to inform both the design and delivery of services and the evolving research agenda around social prescribing. We emphasise the need for researchers and planners to work together to develop a more robust evidence-base, advancing understanding of the impacts of social prescribing (on individuals, services and communities), factors associated with variation in outcomes and strategies needed to implement effective and sustainable programmes. We also call on policymakers to recognise the need for investment in allied initiatives to address barriers to engagement in social prescribing programmes, provide targeted support for carers and improve access to older adult mental health services. We conclude that social prescribing has potential to support older people's health and wellbeing, but this potential will only be realised through strategic alignment of research, local level implementation and national policy and investment.

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) have up to a 15 times higher risk of being frail compared to age-matched individuals without MS. Frailty is a biological syndrome of decreased physiological reserve and resilience that increases the vulnerability to adverse clinical outcomes and leads to a lower quality of life. Recent studies have begun investigating frailty in the context of MS, highlighting several associations between frailty and adverse events, such as falls, and common MS-related symptoms involving the physical health domain, such as walking and sleeping problems. However, there is a critical knowledge gap regarding the relationship between mental health and frailty in people with MS. This mini-review article aimed to shed light on the potential relationships between MS, frailty, and mental health. Despite the dearth of studies on this topic, indirect evidence strongly suggests that the association between frailty and mental health in people with MS is likely bidirectional in nature. Specifically, mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety may be involved in the etiology of frailty in people with MS. However, they could also be exacerbated by the detrimental effects of frailty on overall health. The complex relationship between frailty and mental health in MS underscores the multifaceted challenges people with MS face. Conducting further research to untangle such a relationship is critical to developing early detection and intervention strategies for improving well-being and medical outcomes in people with MS.

Early developmental environment can have profound effects on individual physiology, behaviour, and learning. In birds and mammals, social isolation during development is known to negatively affect learning ability; yet in other taxa, like reptiles, the effect of social isolation during development on learning ability is unknown. We investigated how social environment affects learning ability in the family-living tree skink (Egernia striolata). We hypothesized that early social environment shapes cognitive development in skinks and predicted that skinks raised in social isolation would have reduced learning ability compared to skinks raised socially. Offspring were separated at birth into two rearing treatments: (1) raised alone or (2) in a pair. After 1year, we quantified spatial learning ability of skinks in these rearing treatments (N=14 solitary, 14 social). We found no effect of rearing treatment on learning ability. The number of skinks to successfully learn the task, the number of trials taken to learn the task, the latency to perform the task, and the number of errors in each trial did not differ between isolated and socially reared skinks. Our results were unexpected, yet the facultative nature of this species' social system may result in a reduced effect of social isolation on behaviour when compared to species with obligate sociality. Overall, our findings do not provide evidence that social environment affects development of spatial learning ability in this family-living lizard.

Adjusting to Alzheimer's disease diagnosis is a complex process. Caregivers tend to experience feelings of loneliness and isolation, which in turn may have adverse effects on their well-being. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the perspectives of female older adult caregivers of individuals with AD concerning the social isolation and loneliness. The study uses a mixed methods design (N = 48), combining qualitative and quantitative research components to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon. Based on the analysis, three main themes were derived: "social isolation due to caregiving responsibilities", "changes in social circle" and "balancing caregiving and social connection". There were significant negative associations between loneliness and depression. While the detrimental effects of caregiving on psychological and physical health are well-documented, further research is needed to fully understand the multifaceted nature of the caregiving experience, particularly regarding loneliness and social isolation. This study addresses this gap by exploring the often-neglected aspect of loneliness among caregivers. The findings provide valuable insights for psychologists and healthcare professionals, enhancing their understanding of the challenges and needs of this population.

There has been a rise in state policies targeting the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and other sexual and gender minority (LGBTQIA+) people in the United States. Although large-scale studies have quantified associations between these policies and LGBTQIA+ people's mental health, less research has centered the first-hand accounts of LGBTQIA+ people. To examine LGBTQIA+ people's accounts of how they perceive these policies to be impacting their mental health. From July to October 2024, 1-hour, semistructured, virtual interviews were conducted with LGBTQIA+ adults living in states that had recently proposed or enacted state LGBTQIA+-targeted policies. The state policies included: (1) gender-affirming care restrictions; (2) sports bans for transgender and nonbinary (TNB) people; (3) public bathroom bans for TNB people; (4) school restrictions of sexual orientation and/or gender identity discussions; and (5) religious exemptions, which permit individuals and service organizations to withhold services from LGBTQIA+ people for religious reasons. Transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis, focusing on participants' perceptions of the mental health impacts of these policies. Interviews with the 61 adult participants in the sample (median [IQR] age, 35 [30-48] years; 13 cisgender men [21.3%], 19 cisgender women [31.1%], 16 nonbinary people [26.2%], 8 transgender men [13.1%], 2 transgender women [3.3%], and 3 people with another gender identity [4.9%]) revealed that LGBTQIA+ people perceive these policies to negatively impact their mental health. These perceived impacts were organized into 3 themes: (1) chronic worry and hypervigilance, (2) social isolation, and (3) hopelessness and powerlessness. A fourth cross-cutting theme was also identified: participants perceived these policies' mental health impacts to be unequal and more pronounced for those most frequently targeted by these policies (eg, youths, TNB people), racially and ethnically minoritized people, those without social and financial resources, and those living in rural areas. In this qualitative study, LGBTQIA+ adults in the United States perceived LGBTQIA+-targeted policies to have profound and unequal impacts on their mental health. As LGBTQIA+-targeted policies increase in number, multilevel resources and supports are necessary to support LGBTQIA+ people's well-being.

Pertencente à família Coronaviridae, o Sars-Cov-2 é um vírus envelopado de RNA causador da síndrome respiratória aguda grave. Como medida preventiva à propagação do vírus, a OMS sugere aplicação da quarentena e isolamento social, o que vem implicando na qualidade de vida, tangenciado no bem-estar psicológico dos indivíduos, resultando no aparecimento de stress, medo, ansiedade, pânico, culpa e tristeza, pois esses indícios refletem em sofrimento psíquico e culmina para o surgimento de transtornos psicossomáticos. O presente estudo objetiva relatar a experiência de graduandos em enfermagem na investigação dos impactos da pandemia de Sars-Cov-2 e isolamento social na saúde mental das pessoas. Trata-se de um estudo de abordagem quanti-qualitativa, do tipo relato de experiência, desenvolvido em duas etapas, a saber: 1 - coleta de dados e 2 – discussões de resultados. Dados do estudo revelam que 95,24% dos participantes apresentam ou apresentaram sentimentos negativos causados pelo isolamento social, sendo a preocupação o sentimento de maior impacto. Além deste, estão presentes também o estado de alerta excessivo e a falta de controle emocional, que podem ser originados pelas várias notícias negativas que circulam pelos meios de comunicação, distanciamento de familiares e amigos, quebra da rotina, além das fake news. Diante do exposto, evidencia-se a necessidade e a importância em desenvolver estudos e ações de saúde que venham a contribuir na promoção do autocontrole emocional, a fim de garantir uma boa qualidade de vida em tempos de pandemia e isolamento social.

The current COVID-19 pandemic has had obvious, well-documented devastating effects on people's physical health. In this research, we investigate its potential effects on people's mental health. Many people have experienced social isolation, as countries attempt to stem the spread of the disease through confinement and other forms of social distancing. Intuitively, such social isolation may increase feelings of loneliness, and people may take logical steps to reduce their feelings of social isolation and loneliness. One route is through the use of social networking apps (e.g., Facebook, Instagram) and messaging and VoIP apps (e.g., WhatsApp, iMessage). In this research, we investigate the effects of pandemic-induced social isolation on social networking and messaging apps, and potential related effects on loneliness. We surveyed young adults (N = 334) who are part of the Centennial cohort (born after 1995) from three different countries (Italy, Argentina, UK) and obtained their screen time usage data over a 4-week period starting from mid-March 2020. This sampling procedure allowed us to obtain data from respondents who were experiencing different degrees of mandated social isolation (lockdowns), which enabled us to determine whether social network and messaging app usage increased as a function of social isolation, and to test potential effects on levels of loneliness. Results showed that only social network usage increased in the initial stage of confinement as a function of lockdown initiation. Additionally, social network app usage was associated with increased feelings of loneliness, and this relation was mediated by fear of missing out (FOMO). In contrast, messaging app usage was associated with decreased feelings of loneliness, and was unrelated to FOMO. These results suggest that technology may be useful for mitigating the impact of loneliness during social isolation but that it is necessary to promote usage of messaging and VoIP apps, rather than social networking apps, because they are directly associated with decreases in loneliness without increasing FOMO.

ABSTRACTThe quality of indoor air is one of the significant elements that influences people's well-being and health inside buildings. Emissions of pollutants, which may cause odor nuisance, are the main reason for people's complaints regarding the quality of indoor air. As a result, it is necessary to perform tests aimed at identifying the sources of odors inside buildings. The article contains basic information on the characteristics of the sources of indoor air pollution and the influence of the odor detection threshold on people's health and comfort. An attempt was also made to classify and use sensory analysis techniques to perform tests of the quality of indoor air, which would enable identification of sensory experience and would allow for indication of the degree of their intensity.

Nursing and Residential CareVol. 21, No. 11 CommentDepression in residential careAysha MendesAysha MendesFreelance journalist, specialising in health, psychology and nursingSearch for more papers by this authorAysha MendesPublished Online:23 Oct 2019https://doi.org/10.12968/nrec.2019.21.11.616AboutSectionsView articleView Full TextPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail View articleReferencesChew Graham C, Campion J, Kaiser P, Edwards K. Management of depression in older people: why this is important in primary care. 2011. http://tinyurl.com/oeumcgo (accessed 2 October 2019) Google ScholarHarbottle L. The effect of nutrition on older people's mental health. Br J Community Nurs. 2019; 24(Suppl 7):S12—S16. Link, Google ScholarJackson A, Murphy B. Loneliness, social isolation and cardiovascular risk. Br J Cardiac Nurs. 2019; 14(10): in press. Google ScholarMendes A. Dementia: breaking down mental barriers to physical activity. Nurs Res Care. 17(5):27—72. https://doi.org/10.12968/nrec.2015.17.5.270 Google ScholarMind. Depression. 2019. www.mind.org.uk/media/34696345/depression-2019-web-pdf.pdf (accessed 2 October 2019) Google ScholarMilne A. Depression in care homes. In: Chew-Graham CRay MG. Mental health and older people: a guide for primary care practitioners. Cham (Switzerland): Springer International Publishing; 2016: 14—60. https://doi.org/10.1007/97—-31—949—_13 Crossref, Google ScholarNational Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Mental wellbeing of older people in care homes. 2013. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/QS50 (accessed 11 October 2019) Google ScholarPublic Health England. Dependence and withdrawal associated with some prescribed medicines: an evidence review. 2019. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/829777/PHE_PMR_report.pdf (accessed 22 September 2019) Google ScholarStickland N, Gentry T. Hidden in plain sight: the unmet mental health needs of older people. London: Age UK; 201. https://tinyurl.com/y4w6p48m (accessed 2 October 2019) Google Scholar FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails 2 November 2019Volume 21Issue 11ISSN (print): 1465-9301ISSN (online): 2052-2932 Metrics History Published online 23 October 2019 Published in print 2 November 2019 Information© MA Healthcare LimitedPDF download

The COVID-19 pandemic contributed to a severe burden on the physical and mental health of people around the globe. It contributed to fear, uncertainty, stress, isolation, and loneliness amongst the geriatric population. These feelings were often higher in people with mental health disorders. Having a prior history of psychiatric disorders can be a risk factor for increased psychological distress after going through any disaster-related traumatic experience. The present exploratory pilot study aimed to understand the adverse effects of social isolation due to the pandemic on geriatric patients’ mental health and awareness of the available resources provided by both government and private agencies, to cope with stress. The study included a questionnaire that was administered to 50 geriatric patients. Descriptive statistics were conducted using Microsoft Excel. The results showed that 56% of the participants reported that their mental health was affected due to the social isolation from the pandemic. Statistical significance (p&lt;0.05) was observed amongst the participants who reported feeling socially isolated and lonely during the pandemic. Worsening of mood, anxiety, sleep disturbances, loss of interest, appetite changes, weight issues, and concentration difficulties were statistically significant. Statistical significance was also observed for symptom worsening compared to the pre-pandemic period and for the awareness of lack of resources. About 60% of participants reported that they were not aware of the resources to cope with stress during the pandemic. The study findings suggest that the mental health of geriatric patients was adversely affected by the social isolation from the COVID-19 pandemic. It is important to focus on the physical and mental health of vulnerable populations, such as geriatric patients, and to carefully monitor them during difficult times including pandemics and other emergency situations.

Nowadays our global society faces big challenges and threats in the times of the first major pandemic. The outbreak of COVID-19 has forced governments to impose the lock-down policies around the world. Social isolation became a new normal form of living. After the first confirmed case on the 8th of March in Bulgaria, the government announced on the 14th of March the lock-down as a preventive strategy for the whole Bulgarian population. Under such circumstances, the big issue became the question of how to maintain the physical and mental health of people, and how to cope with the new reality. Based on this evidence the aim of the joint research study with Ohio State University, USA, entitled “Psychological Responses, Coping Strategies, and Physical Activity during the COVID – 19 Pandemic” has been proposed from the Bulgarian perspective as follows: 1. Investigate psychological responses, coping strategies, and physical activity during the COVID – 19 lock-down periods. 2. Examine the influence of physical activity as a coping strategy in psychological health and overall well-being during social isolation. To this end, an online questionnaire containing an adapted version of the short-form of International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-SF) has been used to assess the practiced level of physical activity and Metabolic Equivalents (MET) energy expenditure, PROMIS Item Bank v1.0 Emotional distress-Anxiety, Herth Hope Index (HHI) (Herth, 1992), and Brief Resilient Coping Scale BRCS (Sinclaire, Wallston, 2004) to evaluate psychological well-being during the social isolation. Evidence suggests that regular participation in physical activity helps decrease overall levels of anxiety and depression as a reliable coping strategy to overcome the social isolation and, as a whole, the negative aspects of lockdown.