The Impact of Cohousing on Older Adults' Quality of Life

Social Isolation of Older Adults, Family, and Formal Caregivers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Stories and Solutions Through Participatory Action Research

This participatory action research (PAR) aimed to understand the health implications of guidelines impacting social isolation among frail community-dwelling older adults and their family and formal caregivers during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Reflexive thematic analysis (RTA) of data collected from 10 policy/procedural documents revealed four themes: valuing principles, identifying problem(s), setting priorities, and making recommendations. Interviews with 31 participants from Peterborough, Ontario, also revealed four themes: sacrificing social health, diminishing physical health, draining mental health, and defining supports. Recommendations to decision makers were finalized at a knowledge exchange event involving participants and members of Age-friendly Peterborough. Key findings demonstrate the need for Canadian governments and health and social service agencies to enhance access to technology-based interventions, and educational and financial resources for caregivers. Meaningful communication and collaboration between older adults, caregivers, and decision makers are also needed to reduce the gap between policy and practice when addressing social isolation.

Exploring active ageing in a community-based living environment: an ethnographic study in the Western Norway context

Background

Age-friendly environments intend to promote active ageing by facilitating social, mental, and physical participation. This could potentially delay the onset of chronic complex conditions, enabling people to live longer independently at home, and prevent loneliness. This study investigates a community-based living environment in Norway called Helgetun and aims to explore how it can facilitate active ageing.

Method

We chose an ethnographic approach consisting of observation, informal conversations, and in-depth semi-structured interviews with 15 residents (11 female, 4 male, ages 62-84). We analysed the data using reflexive thematic analysis.

Result

We developed three themes on facilitating active ageing in this living environment: maintaining self-identity, experiencing growth and development, and feeling a sense of belonging. These themes were related to physical activity levels, social engagement, and overall satisfaction with the living environment. Maintaining self-identity concerned getting a new role in life as well as access to meaningful activities. Experiencing growth and development involved being exposed to new activities, learning new skills, and experiencing mastery. Lastly, feeling a sense of belonging meant feeling safe and part of a group, as well as receiving social support and help. This feeling of social connectedness and safety was reflected in their experience with the COVID-19 pandemic, in which most felt relatively unaffected, suggesting that this way of living could increase reliance among this age group.

Conclusion

Having a flexible structure, adapting to the core needs and individual resources of the residents, can facilitate active ageing in community-based living environments. Our findings contribute to the growing evidence that these environments increase social and physical engagement, whilst reducing social isolation and loneliness. These findings may be particularly relevant in a Norwegian context-where older adults are less dependent on family for care-and are meant as grounding points for policymakers to reflect upon designing future senior living.

A Scoping Review on Older Adults from Africa Social Connectedness Experiences in North America

The percentage of older adult immigrants in Canada and the United States is increasing with older adult immigrants from Africa forming a small proportion of the population, but one of the fastest growing groups in the area. Depending on the circumstances leading to the move, migration can be very stressful, especially for older adults. The purpose of this scoping review is to summarize the evidence on the social connectedness of older African immigrants in Canada and the United States. The researchers searched databases including Cochrane Library, BMJ Online, CINAHL, Medline (Ovid), PsycInfo (Ovid), PsycArticles (Ovid), Web of Science, SpringerLINK, CBCA Canadian Business and Current Affairs Database, Academic Search Complete, Sage Journals Online, ABI/Inform, Emerald Fulltext, Expanded Academic ASAP, General OneFile, Joanna Briggs Institute EBP Database, Journals@Ovid, JSTOR, Oxford Journals Online, Taylor & Francis Journals, Wiley Online Library, ProQuest Dissertations and Thesis Global, and Google Scholar from 2000-2020. Four manuscripts met the search inclusion criteria of published peer-reviewed and unpublished research studies in the English language on aging, older adult, social connectedness, African immigrants, Canada, and the United States. The authors found limited studies on African older adult immigrants' social connectedness in Canada and the United States with dearth of research on the older adults' access to health care, use of smart technology and social media to promote their health and social connectedness which are gaps in the literature that should be researched in the future.

Influence of cohousing communities on social determinants of health in later life: a scoping review protocol

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this scoping review is to chart the extent and type of literature available worldwide on the effects of cohousing communities on older adults' social determinants of health, to identify and categorize key evidence on this topic, and to highlight gaps to guide further research.

INTRODUCTION

The rapid aging population in many industrialized countries has precipitated the development of housing alternatives, such as cohousing communities, to better address older adults' housing and social needs. There is mounting evidence that living in a cohousing community has many positive outcomes for this population; however, the scope and size of this body of research are unknown.

INCLUSION CRITERIA

This review will assess studies conducted in all countries and territories focusing on people aged 60 and older living in cohousing communities. It will include quantitative, qualitative, and mixed method studies published from 1960 to 2022.

METHODS

The databases to be searched are APA PsycArticles (EBSCO), Cairn.info, Campbell Collaboration, CINAHL (EBSCO), Érudit, Google Scholar, JBI, PubMed, SAGE Journals Online, Scopus, Science Direct (Elsevier), Sociological Abstracts (ProQuest), and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global (ProQuest). Two independent reviewers will review the titles and abstracts of potential studies against the inclusion criteria for the review followed by an assessment of the full text of selected citations. Data will then be extracted using a data extraction tool developed by the reviewers. The findings will be presented graphically and include tables with a narrative summary organized by relevant geographic areas.

Life Satisfaction and Influenza Vaccination Among Older Adults in Canada

Older adults have an increased risk of complications or death from influenza. Despite the benefits of vaccination for older adults, vaccination coverage among older adults ages 65 years and over is still below Canada's national target of 80 per cent. As health-care-seeking behaviours are influenced by several factors, including life satisfaction, we investigated the relationship between life satisfaction and influenza vaccination among older adults. A sample (n = 22,424) from the 2015-2016 Canadian Community Health Survey data was analysed using descriptive and multinomial logistic regression analyses. Higher life satisfaction was associated with a more recent influenza vaccination history. Vaccination differed by gender, age, and self-reported health status, as women, much older adults, and those with the poorest health status were more likely to be vaccinated. The study suggests an association between life satisfaction and influenza vaccination. More research into the factors that impact influenza vaccination in older adults is needed to increase vaccination coverage in the older adult population.

Childlessness, personal social networks and wellbeing at advanced ages: a cross-sectional study in a Southern European familistic welfare state

During the past decades, childless old age has attracted a considerable amount of scholarly interest. However, few studies address this phenomenon in Southern European familistic welfare states, where there is a pervading expectation that family members, especially spouses and children, care for their older relatives. The present cross-sectional study aims to analyse the relationship between childlessness, social networks and wellbeing in a sample of 612 Portuguese individuals aged 65 and over, comprising two sub-samples: parents (N = 540) and childless (N = 72). Data were collected through a research protocol that included a sociodemographic questionnaire, a personal social network assessment inventory, and several validated psychometric measures of psychological wellbeing focusing on mental health, loneliness, depression and satisfaction with life. Childless older adults' social networks are smaller but more diverse, including a more significant proportion of friends and neighbours. No differences were found in perceived support from significant others, but network reciprocity was lower among non-parents. The childless subsample also reported more feelings of loneliness and less life satisfaction, but regression analysis showed that parenthood status, per se, is not significantly related to any outcome measures. Besides the central role of sociodemographic characteristics and personal functioning measures in explaining psychological wellbeing variance, several network factors were also identified as influential predictors. Implications for micro-level network intervention and macro-level social policy making are discussed.

Aging in place among older adults with histories of traumatic experiences: A scoping review

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Adverse childhood and adult experiences can have far-reaching impacts, and when coupled with typical aging-related changes, may impede achievement of a suitable person-environment fit for aging adults. The objective of our study was to determine if extant literature connects older adults with trauma history to successfully aging in place.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

We proposed a conceptual model regarding trauma history, adaptive capacity of aging adults, and trauma-informed supports for aging in place. We conducted a scoping review using six databases [key words older adult(s), aging in place, housing, trauma], with a full review of 32 articles.

RESULTS

Insights included: 1) Aging in place does not have to mean living in the same house over time. 2) The uncertainty of the aging process can be traumatic and can be exacerbated by previous traumatic experiences. 3) Environmental sensitivities can result from previous traumatic experiences and cause further trauma. 4) Housing precarity is a traumatic experience. 5) Permanent supportive housing is an important resource for people in crisis. 6) Community supports are critical to aging in place.

DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS

Our review revealed insights about aging in place and trauma, but did not connect the vulnerabilities specific to aging adults with personal trauma histories to aging in place. Research is needed that confirms the relationship between history of traumatic experiences and difficulties with aging in place as well as trauma-informed approaches that can mitigate housing-related stressors and foster community living environments that provide equitable access to aging in place.