Personal Social Networks of Community-Dwelling Oldest Old During the Covid-19 Pandemic-A Qualitative Study

Perception of one's social environment and loneliness: results of the nationally representative "Old age in Germany (D80+)" study

OBJECTIVES

To examine the association between perception of one's social environment (in terms of residential attachment and neighborhood trust) and loneliness among the oldest old and whether these associations differ by living arrangement.

METHODS

We used data from the nationally representative "Old Age in Germany (D80+)" study that included individuals residing in private households and institutionalized settings. The analytic sample was 9,621 individuals (average age: 85.5 years, SD: 4.1 years; 62% female). Data collection took place from November 2020 to April 2021. Multiple linear regressions were conducted with adjustment for relevant covariates.

RESULTS

Higher residential attachment (β=-0.02, p < .05) and higher neighborhood trust (β=-0.12, p < .001) were associated with less loneliness. The latter association was moderated by living arrangement (β=-0.09, p = .04) such that the association between neighborhood trust and loneliness was stronger among individuals living in institutionalized settings compared to individuals in private households.

CONCLUSION

Greater residential attachment and neighborhood trust, particularly among individuals living in institutionalized settings, are associated with less loneliness among the oldest old. Finding ways to improve perceived attachment and trust may assist in avoiding loneliness among older individuals.

Impact of lifestyle and psychological resilience on survival among the oldest-old in China: a cohort study

Introduction

Healthy lifestyles and psychological resilience are important factors influencing the life expectancy of the oldest-old (≥80 years). Stratified by urban and rural groups, this study used a 10-year cohort to examine the mechanism of lifestyle and psychological resilience on the survival of the oldest-old in China.

Methods

This study used the China Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey datasets spanning from 2008 to 2018, and 9,250 eligible participants were included. The primary outcome variable was all-cause mortality, and independent variables included healthy lifestyle index and psychological resilience. Six covariates were included in the survival analysis and moderation-mediation model, such as gender and annual household income.

Results

This study found that the oldest-old with five healthy lifestyles had the longest survival time, averaging 59.40 months for urban individuals and 50.08 months for rural individuals. As the lifestyle index increased, the survival rate significantly increased. The Cox regression showed that for the urban oldest-old, the lifestyle index served as a protective factor for survival outcomes. However, this effect lost statistical significance among rural oldest-old individuals. For urban oldest-old individuals, psychological resilience significantly mediated and moderated the effect of the lifestyle index on survival status, but the moderating effect was not statistically significant for the rural ones.

Discussion

Overall, healthy lifestyles and psychological resilience can be effective in enhancing the survival of the oldest-old, and there are differences between urban and rural population, so different interventions should be adopted for urban and rural areas to achieve longer life in China.

No place to go? Older people reconsidering the meaning of social spaces in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

Under COVID-19 restrictions, older people were advised to avoid social contact and to self-isolate at home. The situation forced them to reconsider their everyday social spaces such as home and leisure time places. This study approached the meaning of social spaces for older people by examining how older people positioned themselves in relation to social spaces during the pandemic. The data were drawn from the Ageing and social well-being (SoWell) research project at Tampere University, Finland, and they consisted of phone interviews collected during the summer of 2020 with 31 older persons aged 64-96 years. The data were analysed using the frameworks of positioning analysis and environmental positioning. Results showed the positions of older people being manifold, flexible and even contradictory. Within home, the participants portrayed themselves as restricted due to limited social contact, but also as able to adapt to and content being alone. Virtual spaces were depicted as spaces for younger and healthy persons, and the participants themselves as sceptical technology users not satisfied with technology-mediated interaction. Within an assisted living facility, the participants described themselves as sensible and responsible persons who wanted to follow the facility's pandemic-related rules but also as independent persons having nothing to do with these rules. In the spaces outside the home, the participants portrayed themselves as persons who followed pandemic instructions but also as persons who were not required to follow the instructions because they could use their own judgement. These self-positions shed light on the social needs of older people in the spaces of their everyday lives. Our results provide useful insights for policy makers and professionals working with older people and will help to promote spaces of living, care and everyday life that can enhance and maintain social interaction and well-being both in times of change and in more stable times.

Older adults' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative systematic literature review

OBJECTIVES

Relatively little is known about the lived experiences of older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. We systematically review the international literature to understand the lived experiences of older adult's experiences during the pandemic.

DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

This study uses a meta-ethnographical approach to investigate the included studies. The analyses were undertaken with constructivist grounded theory.

RESULTS

Thirty-two studies met the inclusion criteria and only five papers were of low quality. Most, but not all studies, were from the global north. We identified three themes: desired and challenged wellbeing; coping and adaptation; and discrimination and intersectionality. Overall, the studies' findings were varied and reflected different times during the pandemic. Studies reported the impact of mass media messaging and its mostly negative impact on older adults. Many studies highlighted the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on participants' social connectivity and well-being including missing the proximity of loved ones and in consequence experienced an increase in anxiety, feeling of depression, or loneliness. However, many studies reported how participants adapted to the change of lifestyle including new ways of communication, and social distancing. Some studies focused on discrimination and the experiences of sexual and gender minority and ethnic minority participants. Studies found that the pandemic impacted the participants' well-being including suicidal risk behaviour, friendship loss, and increased mental health issues.

CONCLUSION

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted and impacted older adults' well-being worldwide. Despite the cultural and socio-economic differences many commonalities were found. Studies described the impact of mass media reporting, social connectivity, impact of confinement on well-being, coping, and on discrimination. The authors suggest that these findings need to be acknowledged for future pandemic strategies. Additionally, policy-making processes need to include older adults to address their needs. PROSPERO record [CRD42022331714], (Derrer-Merk et al., Older adults' lived experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review, 2022).

Changes in Community-Dwelling Elderly's Activity and Participation Affecting Depression during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study

We determined the changes in the activity or participation of the community-dwelling elderly in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic and identified the activities leading to depression. This will allow us to evaluate rehabilitation interventions that can be used to minimize or eliminate the negative impact of COVID-19 on today's community-dwelling elderly. Herein, demographics, activity or participation (Activity Card Sort-Japan version: ACS-JPN), the number of social networks (Lubben Social Network Scale: LSNS), and depression (Geriatric Depression Scale: GDS) were examined in 74 community-dwelling elderly in Japan from August to October 2020. A statistical analysis was conducted to determine the effect of demographics on GDS, LSNS, and ACS-JPN, to compare the activity retention rates of the four domains using ACS-JPN, and to extract the activities that might affect depression using a generalized linear model. The results show that the retention of leisure activity with a high physical demand (H-leisure) and sociocultural activities was significantly lower than instrumental activities of daily living and leisure activity with a low physical demand (L-leisure). L-leisure and the number of social networks were possible risk factors for depression during the pandemic. This study highlighted the importance of maintaining the number of L-leisure and social networks at home to prevent depression in community-dwelling elderly when they could not perform outdoor activities and direct interpersonal interaction.

The impact of covid-19 lockdown on the Quality of life, meaningful activities, and frailty in community-dwelling octogenarians: A study in Belgium

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on quality of life (QoL), meaningful daily activities, and (pre)frailty in community-dwelling octogenarians.

METHODS

Cross-sectional design with bivariate and multiple linear regression modeling using a stepwise approach examining the level of QoL during the COVID-19 lockdown in a group of 215 community-dwelling octogenarians (M_age = 86.49 ± 3.02). A comprehensive set of biopsychosocial variables (FRAIL scale, general health, engagement in meaningful activities survey, questions on loneliness, and feelings) were used as explaining variables.

RESULTS

Particularly, a decrease in daily activities, social activities, and an increase in free times activities were observed, but the decrease in QoL could be explained by the meaningfulness in activities, together with experiencing emptiness in life, taking ≥ 4 medications a day and feeling down or depressed.

CONCLUSIONS

We tried to understand which components contribute to and might affect a person's QoL caused by restrictions imposed by the governance and its influence on the lives of the community-dwelling octogenarians. As such, this output could be a baseline for the development of minimally impacting countermeasures during future lockdowns.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

Studying lifestyle changes and thus also variables related to QoL during a pandemic, may support policymakers and practitioners to develop relevant interventions.

Empirical Analysis of the Dynamics of the COVID-19 Epidemic in Urban Embedded Social Networks

Background

Due to the continual recurrence of COVID-19 in urban areas, it is important to know more about the evolution of the epidemic within this setting to mitigate the risk of the situation getting worse. As the virus spreads through human society, the social networks of confirmed cases can provide us with crucial new insights on this question.

Methods

Based on the epidemiological reports of 235 COVID-19 cases in Nanjing, we constructed a social contact network for the epidemic. By analyzing the structure of this network, we explored the transmission characteristics of the epidemic, to provide evidence-based explanations for its transmission.

Results

In our constructed transmission network, more than half (95/165, 57.58%) of patients were found not to have transmitted the infection, with only 15 (9.10%) source patients accounting for more than a third of the contagion (60, 36.36%), suggesting that the transmission of COVID-19 varies per individuals. Patients in the 31 to 50 age group were the main source of infectious clusters, with females playing a more active role in passing on the infection. Network component analysis identified nine components with disproportionate concentrations of influential patients, accounting for 49.09% (81) of the patients and 59.09% (78) of epidemiological network contacts. Family aggregation may favor disease transmission, and parenthood is the relationship with the highest infection risk within the family cluster. In addition, some specific public places, such as chess and card parlors, were found to be notable hotspots for community infection.

Conclusion

This study presents the evolution of the urban epidemic from the perspective of individual-level and socially interactive processes. This real-world evidence can help to increase public awareness of the epidemic, formulate countermeasures, and allocate limited public health resources for urban management.