Association between driving frequency and well-being among older adults

OBJECTIVES

Research on driving in older adulthood suggests that driving is a form of independence for older adults and is often associated with increased social capital and overall-being. However, few studies have examined whether the frequency of driving, and not driving alone, affects likelihood of having well-being among older adults. This study aimed to examine the association between frequency of driving and well-being among older adults, guided by the activity theory of aging.

METHODS

Data were drawn from the 2018 National Health and Aging Trends Study, a longitudinal panel survey of Medicare beneficiaries living in the United States. Bivariate analyses were conducted using Chi-square tests and the association between frequency of driving and well-being was tested with a multivariable logistic regression model. Well-being was determined by 11 items measuring positive and negative affect and asking participants if they agreed with certain statements about their lives.

RESULTS

After controlling for other factors that could influence well-being among older adults, results showed that those who drove every day were the most likely to have high well-being, followed by those who drove most days, those who drove some days, those who drove rarely, and those who never drove.

DISCUSSION

The study results indicate that as frequency of driving increases, the chance of having well-being increases among older adults. This supports the activity theory of aging and highlights the importance of productive aging.

Work after retirement affects elderly mental health and behaviors in Addis Ababa

This study aimed to determine the impact of being without a job post-retirement on mental health (depression, life satisfaction) and behaviors (alcohol and cigarette). A cross-sectional study was conducted on 330 Ethiopians aged 60-69. Compared to workers, retirees without a job reported higher depression, lower life satisfaction, and hazardous drinking (d = .49, .39 and φ = .65, respectively). Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that being without a job post-retirement was associated with depression and life dissatisfaction. Thus, greater emphasis has to be given to improve the mental health and behaviors of retired elderly.

Nursing Home Residents Aged over 80-A Cross-Sectional Analysis on Which Activity Traits Correlate to Positive Affect

Admission to a care facility is assumed to enhance depressive symptoms and dependent behavior in old age. In this context, the relevance of participation in activities that make everyday life in a care facility more pleasant has been pointed out. This study examines if there is a relationship between participation in different activities as well as the frequency of this participation and the positive affect of nursing home residents aged over 80. Data from the unique cross-sectional representative study ‘Quality of life and subjective well-being of the very old in North Rhine-Westphalia’ in Germany (n = 150, aged 90.15 years in average) were used. The data were collected between 08/2017 and 02/2018 using computer-assisted personal interviewing. The variability in and frequency of activity participation functioned as independent, and positive affect as dependent variable. Multiple regression analysis was performed. Residents’ predicted positive affect significantly increased with a higher variability in activity participation. There was no independent effect of frequency in participation. Our findings indicate that there is a significant and positive relationship between participating in a high number of different activities and the overall positive affect of residents aged over 80 years. This does not hold true for the frequency of participation.

Conscientiousness, Activity Engagement, and Momentary Affect in Oldest-Old Adulthood

OBJECTIVES

Remaining engaged with life is a hallmark of aging well and pursuing personally meaningful activities is presumably important for late-life affect. We examined how moment-to-moment variability in meaning and degree of challenge ascribed to daily activities relate to positive and negative affect in very old adults. Possible moderating effects of between-person differences in conscientiousness on meaning-affect associations were also examined.

METHODS

Participants were 73 adults aged 89 years on average from the Australian Daily Life Time-Sampling module of the Australian Longitudinal Study of Aging. Participants provided self-report data on activity engagement (meaning and challenge associated with activities) and affect, on 5 occasions per day for a period of 7 consecutive days.

RESULTS

Within-person associations of activity meaning with affect varied as a function of within-person challenge ratings. Specifically, gains in positive affect associated with meaningful activity were more strongly evident when activities were regarded as more challenging. In contrast, meaningful activity was associated with higher negative affect when activities were regarded as more challenging and lower negative affect when activities were regarded as less challenging. Conscientiousness did not moderate associations of activity meaning with affect.

DISCUSSION

Our findings shed light on the intricate interplay between maintaining meaningful engagement and daily emotional experiences in very old age. We discuss theoretical and practical implications and consider the role of late-life conscientiousness for self- and emotion regulation.

Development and preliminary validation of the Meaningful and Enjoyable Activities Scale (MEAS) in mild dementia

BACKGROUND

Engaging in meaningful activity is an important contributor to well-being in late life. This study aimed to develop a new measure of meaningful and enjoyable activities in people living with mild dementia.

METHODS

The study consisted of four phases: (a) a review of measures of meaningful activity in older people; (b) interviews with people with dementia and their carers (n = 32), (c) expert opinion; and (d) feasibility testing in a pilot randomised controlled trial (n = 63).

RESULTS

The development process resulted in a 20-item questionnaire. The Meaningful and Enjoyable Activities Scale (MEAS) evidenced appropriate levels of internal consistency (α = .79). Higher scores correlated with higher functional independence (r = -.605, P < .001), patient (r = .330, P = .010) and carer-rated patient quality of life (r = .505, P < .001). Multiple regression analyses showed that functional independence made a significant independent contribution in predicting higher levels of meaningful activity (F[7,45] = 6.75, P < .001, R2 = .512; β = -.444, P = .001). Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that a revised three-factor 9-item model provided good fit for the data (X2 = 22.74, P = .54, GFI = 0.93, RMSE = 0.00), with leisure-time physical activity, social engagement and mentally stimulating activities as the key dimensions.

CONCLUSION

Our study provides support for the construct of meaningful activity in people with mild dementia. Although we find preliminary evidence that the MEAS has adequate psychometric properties, future large scale studies are required to test its validity further and responsiveness to change.

Benefits of Older Volunteering on Wellbeing: An International Comparison

Healthier aging implies lower health service expenditure and the possibility for individuals to make a longer and more valuable contribution to society. Lifestyles, including volunteering, affect our health. The policy implications of the present study are that it aims to broaden the state of knowledge and be useful to public decision-makers: if voluntary activities enhance the integration of older people into society, their participation will help to generate economic resources and improve their own welfare; if, however, health and participation do not show positive synergies, then policymakers must act independently in each of these fields. In this work, we focus on the societies of Chile, Mexico, and Spain because they have significantly aging populations and share common traits but also exhibit important differences. The empirical study employs micro-data from the World Value Survey (1994-1998, 2005-2009, and 2010-2014) and macro-data from the statistics of the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development). Micro- and macro-data are merged by national and temporal identifiers. Our main results provide empirical evidence that volunteering might improve every indicator of wellbeing except happiness. Different kinds of activities have different impacts on individual wellbeing. For example, volunteering in activities related to social awareness is positive for male life satisfaction, whereas volunteering in activities related to religious issues is positive for male life satisfaction but also female happiness. In general, voluntary activities have a stronger impact on male wellbeing than female wellbeing.

Activity Engagement and Activity-Related Experiences: The Role of Personality

Objectives

The associations of personality with activity participation and well-being have been well studied. However, less is known concerning the relationship between personality and specific aspects of activity engagement in older adults. We conducted a fine-grained examination of the effects of extraversion and conscientiousness on reported activity engagement-which we define as participation, time allocated, and affective experience-during 8 everyday activities.

Method

Data were obtained using a day reconstruction measure from a subgroup of participants in the 2012 Health and Retirement Study (HRS: N = 5,484; mean age = 67.98 years).

Results

We found mixed support for hypotheses suggesting that specific personality traits would be associated with activity participation, time allocated, and activity-affective experience. For example, extraverts were more likely to socialize and experienced higher socializing-related positive affect, but did not spend more time socializing.

Discussion

Results are discussed in light of the value of including personality in, and its contribution to, studies of activity engagement in later life. In addition, the need to acknowledge the complexity of the concept of activity engagement in future research is highlighted.

Active Interest Mentorship for Soon-to-Retire People: A Self-Sustaining Retirement Preparation Program

Retirement is a major life transition that often leads to maladjustments and mental health hazards. In this study, we developed an innovative retirement preparation program, the Active Interest Mentorship Scheme (AIMS), which utilized active interest development as a positive entry point through which to engage soon-to-retire people. Each retiree received a 1-year mentorship 6 months before retirement. Adopting a quasi-experimental design, the study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the AIMS in protecting retirees' well-being. The well-being status of 161 retirees was assessed at 4-month intervals. Measures included self-esteem, life satisfaction, positive affect, depression, anxiety, and somatic symptoms. Serial trend analysis revealed a general improvement in well-being at 4 months after mentorship, followed by a mark reversion in some variables at 2 months after retirement. Upon completion of the program, participants generally returned to a level of well-being that was comparable with or better than preretirement levels. The first 2 months after retirement appeared to be the most distressing. The findings support the efficacy, as well as feasibility of the innovative retirement preparation program.

Career and Retirement Theories: Relevance for Older Workers Across Cultures

This paper reviews selected career development theories as well as theories specifically focused on retirement, with an emphasis on their application to retirement decisions and vocational behavior in multicultural populations. Theories are evaluated based on whether: (a) retirement was considered a stage of working life, (b) work satisfaction, motivation, and other work variables at retirement age were addressed, (c) work choices at retirement age were included, and (d) cultural and other minority status issues were either directly considered in the work/retirement decision or if the model could be reasonably applied to retirement across cultures. We provide specific recommendations for research and practice with the aim of helping practitioners and scholars conceptualize the current concerns older adults face in their working lives and during retirement planning.

Negative neuroplasticity in chronic traumatic brain injury and implications for neurorehabilitation

Based on growing findings of brain volume loss and deleterious white matter alterations during the chronic stages of injury, researchers posit that moderate-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) may act to “age” the brain by reducing reserve capacity and inducing neurodegeneration. Evidence that these changes correlate with poorer cognitive and functional outcomes corroborates this progressive characterization of chronic TBI. Borrowing from a framework developed to explain cognitive aging (Mahncke et al., Progress in Brain Research, 157, 81–109, 2006a; Mahncke et al., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 103(33), 12523–12528, 2006b), we suggest here that environmental factors (specifically environmental impoverishment and cognitive disuse) contribute to a downward spiral of negative neuroplastic change that may modulate the brain changes described above. In this context, we review new literature supporting the original aging framework, and its extrapolation to chronic TBI. We conclude that negative neuroplasticity may be one of the mechanisms underlying cognitive and neural decline in chronic TBI, but that there are a number of points of intervention that would permit mitigation of this decline and better long-term clinical outcomes.

The impact of activity interventions on the well-being of older adults in continuing care communities

As the U.S. population ages, interventions are needed to ensure quality of life continues as boomers enter assisted and independent living communities (AICs). These transitions can significantly affect quality of life. Activity and continuity theories maintain that participation in discretionary/informal activities is crucial for psychosocial health and well-being (aspects of quality of life). This study evaluates the impacts of participation in discretionary activities on life satisfaction, social isolation, and loneliness, using data from a longitudinal study of older adults in AICs. Older adults who participated in 8 weeks of discretionary activities reported greater life satisfaction and lower levels of social isolation compared with non-participants. Forming alliances and group identities is the key for building new relationships and maintaining relationships in the community. Determining the impact participation in activities has on residents is vital to being able to help develop a more comprehensive understanding of how quality of life can be maintained in AICs.

Age Differences in Daily Social Activities

The extent to which older and younger people do different activities when they are with others and when they are alone is examined in this article. I leverage interpersonal data in combination with information on activities from the American Time Use Survey to shed light on the long held finding that older people have less social contact than younger people. The results show that, net of intervening factors, age is associated with declines in time spent with others for virtually all types of time use. However, the variety of activities that older and younger people do also differs. Using leisure activities to probe this finding reveals that, when older people spend time with others it tends to be during activities that are sui generis social activities-such as attending parties-but that this is not necessarily the case for younger people. The literature on time use and aging is discussed in light of these findings and a new hypothesis on agency in the life course is proposed.

The value of adaptive regret management in retirement

This 3-year longitudinal study examined the associations between regret management, everyday activities, and retirement satisfaction among recent retirees. We hypothesized that the regulation of a severe life regret can facilitate activity engagement and retirement satisfaction, but only if retirees manage their regrets adaptively by either increasing effort and commitment when possessing favorable opportunities or disengaging when opportunity is unfavorable. Cross-sectional analyses demonstrated that the highest baseline levels of activity (e.g., volunteering, traveling) and retirement satisfaction were observed among participants who perceived favorable opportunities for addressing their life regrets and had high levels of engagement. Longitudinal analyses showed that this pattern was also associated with increases in activity engagement. In contrast, disengagement protected individuals with unfavorable opportunity from 3-year declines in retirement satisfaction. These findings indicate that adaptive regulation of regrets can both contribute to gains and prevent losses in the early stages of retirement, which may have lasting consequences on retirees' quality of life.

The effects of participation in leisure activities on neuropsychiatric symptoms of persons with cognitive impairment: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

People with cognitive impairment have been shown to engage in few structured activities. During periods of unoccupied time or boredom, these patients most likely manifest neuropsychiatric symptoms.

OBJECTIVE

The purposes of this study were to (1) describe the leisure-activity indicators (variety in leisure activities, appraisal of each activity's restorative function, and leisure dysfunction, i.e. failure to appreciate the importance of restorative aspects of leisure activity), of community-dwelling older Taiwanese adults with cognitive impairment, and (2) explore the relationships between these indicators and neuropsychiatric symptoms in this population.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional.

SETTING

Memory disorder and geriatric psychiatric clinics of two hospitals in northern Taiwan.

PARTICIPANTS

Patient-family caregiver dyads (N=60).

METHOD

Patients' dementia severity, based on Clinical Dementia Rating scores, was 0.5-2.0. Family caregivers completed the Chinese Neuropsychiatric Inventory to assess patients' behavioral problems and the Restorative Activity Questionnaire to assess patients' participation in leisure activities, restorative experience, and leisure dysfunction.

RESULTS

On average, patients participated in approximately five individual leisure activities, but very few group leisure activities. The top three leisure activities were watching TV, taking a walk, and talking to relatives and friends. The leisure activities in which participants least commonly engaged were fishing, attending cultural exhibitions, and chess/card playing. All leisure-activity indicators were significantly correlated with disease stage, global cognitive function, and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Two leisure-activity indicators (leisure dysfunction and restorative experiences) were significantly correlated with depressive symptoms. Only leisure dysfunction significantly and consistently predicted neuropsychiatric symptoms.

CONCLUSION

These results can be used by home health or community health nurses to design tailored leisure-activity plans for improving the care quality of patients with cognitive impairment. Health professionals can develop leisure-education programmes to emphasize the value of leisure pursuit and to modify attitudes toward participating in leisure activities. Finally, parks and recreational agencies may re-examine their services and facilities to meet the increasing needs of this population.

Retirement lost?

In this article, we raise the question as to whether retirement is lost as we currently know and understand it in Canada. With a selected review, we examine retirement research according to the scope of retirement and the new retirement, possible theoretical developments, the timing of transitions into retirement, and life as a retiree including the quality or lack of pensions. Accordingly, we propose that retirement is undergoing modifications on the basis of several trends that commenced before the 2008 economic downturn. The data would appear to lean towards the emergence of a different type of retirement, insofar as the collective Canadian vision of retirement is lost, notwithstanding the economic meltdown in global markets.

Perceived health in lung cancer patients: the role of positive and negative affect

PURPOSE

To examine the association of affective experience and health-related quality of life in lung cancer patients, we hypothesized that negative affect would be positively, and positive affect would be negatively, associated with perceived health.

METHODS

A sample of 133 English-speaking lung cancer patients (33% female; mean age = 63.68 years old, SD = 9.37) completed a battery of self-report surveys.

RESULTS

Results of our secondary analysis indicate that trait negative affect was significantly associated with poor physical and social functioning, greater role limitations due to emotional problems, greater bodily pain, and poor general health. Positive affect was significantly associated with adaptive social functioning, fewer emotion-based role limitations, and less severe bodily pain. In a full model, positive affect was significantly associated with greater levels of social functioning and general health, over and above the effects of negative affect.

CONCLUSIONS

Reduction of negative affect is an important therapeutic goal, but the ability to maintain positive affect may result in greater perceived health. Indeed, engagement in behaviors that result in greater state positive affect may, over time, result in dispositional changes and enhancement of quality of life.

Meanings of television in older adults' lives: an analysis of change and continuity in television viewing

Television viewing is an important leisure activity for older adults. The aim of the current study is to provide insight into the meanings of television in older adults' lives, by analysing change and continuity in their television viewing. A qualitative study was conducted that included in-depth interviews on television viewing among a diverse sample of Dutch people aged 65 years and older (N=86). The interview study shows that television has a variety of meanings for older adults. The meanings of television viewing changed in response to changes in everyday life, but this did not happen unidirectionally. Retirement, physical changes and changes in household composition led to increases as well as decreases in television viewing. Watching more television was experienced in both positive and negative ways. After a loss in the interpersonal sphere, television viewing can play a valuable role in adaptation processes, but it was also experienced as an activity that needs to be avoided. With regard to television content we found that some programmes gained importance when people age, whereas other programmes became less important or attractive. These changes in television viewing occurred for only part of the sample and some interviewees experienced continuity in the status of viewing and in their content preferences. The results are discussed in the context of recent literature on leisure constraints, leisure as coping, and adaptation strategies.