Search results for ‘Subject term:"older people"’ Sort:
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A systematic review of research on social networks of older adults
- Authors:
- AYALON Liat, LEVKOVICH Inbar
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 59(3), 2019, pp.e164-e176.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Background and Objectives: There has been a substantial interest in life course/life span changes in older adults’ social networks and in the relationship between social networks and health and wellbeing. The study embarked on a systematic review to examine the existing knowledgebase on social network in the field of gerontology. Our focus was on studies in which both ego (respondents) and his or her alters (network members) are queried about their social ties. Research Design and Methods: This study searched for studies published in English before September, 2017, relied on quantitative methods to obtain data from both ego (60 years of age and older) and alters and provided a quantitative account of the social network properties. We searched the following data sets: APA Psychnet, Pubmed, Sociological abstracts, and Ageline. This was followed by a snowball search of relevant articles using Google Scholar. Titles and abstracts were reviewed and selected articles were extracted independently by two reviewers. Results: A total of 5,519 records were retrieved. Of these, 3,994 records remained after the removal of duplicates. Ten records reporting on five original samples were kept for the systematic review. One study described a social network of community dwelling older adults and the remaining studies described social networks of institutional older adults. Discussion and Implications: The present study points to a lacuna in current understanding of social networks in the field of gerontology. It provides a useful review and possible tools for the design of future studies to address current shortcomings in the field. (Edited publisher abstract)
A systematic review and meta-analysis of interventions designed to prevent or stop elder maltreatment
- Authors:
- AYALON Liat, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Age and Ageing, 45(2), 2016, pp.216-227.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Background: Elder maltreatment is a major risk for older adults’ mental health, quality of life, health, institutionalisation and even mortality. Objectives: To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of interventions designed to prevent or stop elder abuse. Methods: Studies that were posted between January 2000 and December 2014, written in English, specifically designed to prevent or stop elder maltreatment were included. Results: Overall, 24 studies (and four records reporting on the same participants) were kept for the systematic review and the meta-analysis. Studies were broadly grouped into three main categories: (i) interventions designed to improve the ability of professionals to detect or stop elder maltreatment (n = 2), (ii) interventions that target older adults who experience elder maltreatment (n = 3) and (iii) interventions that target caregivers who maltreat older adults (n = 19). Of the latter category, one study targeted family caregivers, five targeted psychological abuse among paid carers and the remaining studies targeted restraint use. The pooled effect of randomised controlled trials (RCTs)/cluster-RCTs that targeted restraint use was significant, supporting the effectiveness of these interventions in reducing restraint use: standardised mean difference: −0.24, 95% confidence interval = −0.38 to −0.09. Interpretation: the most effective place to intervene at the present time is by directly targeting physical restraint by long-term care paid carers. Specific areas that are still lacking evidence at the present time are interventions that target (i) elder neglect, (ii) public awareness, (iii) older adults who experience maltreatment, (iv) professionals responsible for preventing maltreatment, (v) family caregivers who abuse and (vi) carers who abuse. (Publisher abstract)