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Digital storytelling experiences and outcomes with different recording media: an exploratory case study with older adults
- Authors:
- ALEXANDRAKIS Diogenis, CHORIANOPOULOS Konstantinos, TSELIOS Nikolaos
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Technology in Human Services, 38(4), 2020, pp.352-383.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Digital storytelling is an advantageous practice for older adults. Although researchers have widely studied the effects of various recording media on users, including even their feelings of loneliness, to the best of our knowledge, there is no study that distinguishes and compares those effects within the digital storytelling process. In this exploratory case study, we tried to gain further insights into older adults' technology-mediated storytelling, the interactions, and the outcomes that different kinds of recording media have on users. Therefore, three storytelling components (paper notebook, voice recorder, and web platform) were used to probe their usability and emotional outcomes on five pensioners in Greece. Semi-structured interviews and questionnaires, among others, were implemented for data collection. According to the results, there was a variety of benefits and shortcomings for each tool. However, the web platform had a clear effect on decreasing users’ loneliness. Implications and future work on digital storytelling are discussed. (Edited publisher abstract)
The impact of COVID‐19 pandemic on people with mild cognitive impairment / dementia and on their caregivers
- Authors:
- TSAPANOU Angeliki, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, early cite November 2020,
- Publisher:
- Wiley
he novel coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) was first detected in mainland China in December 2019, and soon it spread throughout the world, with multiple physical and psychological consequences across the affected populations. The aim of the current study was to analyze the impact of COVID‐19 pandemic on older adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)/dementia and their caregivers as well. Two hundred and four caregivers took part in the study, completing a self‐reported questionnaire about the person with MCI/dementia and their own, since the lockdown period which started in February and ended in May of 2020 in Greece. Results indicated a significant overall decline of the people with MCI/dementia. Further, the domains in which people with MCI/dementia were mostly affected were: communication, mood, movement, and compliance with the new measures. Caregivers also reported a great increase in their psychological and physical burden during this period, where the available support sources were limited. The pandemic threatens to disrupt the basic routines that promote mental and physical health of both people with MCI/dementia and their caregivers. Further measures to protect and provide support to people who suffer and their families are needed. (Edited publisher abstract)
Investigating burden of informal caregivers in England, Finland and Greece: an analysis with the short form of the Burden Scale for Family Caregivers (BSFC-s)
- Authors:
- KONERDING Uwe, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 22(2), 2018, pp.280-287.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Objectives: The burden of informal caregivers might show itself in different ways in different cultures. Understanding these differences is important for developing culture-specific measures aimed at alleviating caregiver burden. Hitherto, no findings regarding such cultural differences between different European countries were available. In this paper, differences between English, Finnish and Greek informal caregivers of people with dementia are investigated. Methods: A secondary analysis was performed with data from 36 English, 42 Finnish and 46 Greek caregivers obtained with the short form of the Burden Scale for Family Caregivers (BSFC-s). The probabilities of endorsing the BSFC-s items were investigated by computing a logit model with items and countries as categorical factors. Statistically significant deviation of data from this model was taken as evidence for country-specific response patterns. Results: The two-factorial logit model explains the responses to the items quite well (McFadden's pseudo-R-square: 0.77). There are, however, also statistically significant deviations (p < 0.05). English caregivers have a stronger tendency to endorse items addressing impairments in individual well-being; Finnish caregivers have a stronger tendency to endorse items addressing the conflict between the demands resulting from care and demands resulting from the remaining social life and Greek caregivers have a stronger tendency to endorse items addressing impairments in physical health. Conclusion: Caregiver burden shows itself differently in English, Finnish and Greek caregivers. Accordingly, measures for alleviating caregiver burden in these three countries should address different aspects of the caregivers’ lives. (Publisher abstract)
Analysing equity in the use of long-term care in Europe
- Authors:
- RODRIGUES Ricardo, ILINCA Stefania, SCHMIDT Andrea
- Publisher:
- European Commission
- Publication year:
- 2014
- Pagination:
- 39
- Place of publication:
- Brussels
There are significant differences across social protection systems in Europe in the scope, breadth and depth of coverage of the risk to need long-term care in old-age. Together with other factors, such as education, household structure or societal values regarding care for frail older people, these differences can have a significant impact on the use of long-term care. Using SHARE data, this Research Note compares differences between European countries in the use of long-term care across income groups, for older people living at home. It analyses not only inequalities in the use of long-term care, but also differences in use that persist after differences in need have been taken into consideration, i.e. horizontal inequity. For this purpose, concentration indices, concentration curves and horizontal inequity indices are estimated for home care services and informal care. The countries analysed here are Austria, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, France, Denmark, Greece, Belgium and Czech Republic. The findings suggest that differences in use of home care services across income groups mostly reflect differences in need between those same groups. For informal care, the differences in use persist even after accounting for needs, and less affluent individuals are much more likely to use informal care. Some possible causes for these differences and policy implications are considered.
Comparison of health-related quality of life and associated psychological factors between younger and older patients with established rheumatic disorders
- Authors:
- GOULIA Panagiota, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 14(7), September 2010, pp.819-827.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
The cross-sectional study involved 320 patients with various rheumatic disorders who were attending a follow-up clinic at the University Hospital of Ioannina. HRQOL (health-related quality of life) was assessed by the 26-item World Health Organisation Quality of Life Instrument (WHOQOL-BREF), and functional limitations, psychological distress, defence mechanisms, sense of coherence, and interpersonal difficulties were also assessed. The results showed that older patients presented more impaired physical HRQOL and social relationships HRQOL independent of disease type, education, and pain. Functional limitations were more prominent in the older group. Pain, functional limitations, and psychological distress were independently associated with physical HRQOL in both groups. Psychological distress was the only common independent correlate of social relationships HRQOL. Personality factors were significant correlates of physical and social relationships HRQOLs only in the younger group, while the impact of pain in physical HRQOL was greater for younger than older patients. The article concludes that older patients with rheumatic diseases experience more impaired HRQOL than the younger ones, and the management and prevention of functional limitations and psychological distress should be a priority.
Socio-economic inequalities in physical functioning: a comparative study of English and Greek elderly men
- Authors:
- TABASSUM Faiza, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 29(7), October 2009, pp.1123-1140.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
The associations between socio-economic position (SEP) and physical functioning have frequently been investigated but little is known about which measures of SEP are the best to use for older people. This study examined how different SEP indicators related to the physical functioning of men aged 50 or more years in England and Greece. The data derived from Wave 1 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) and from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Self-reported physical functioning limitations and mobility difficulties were combined and categorised into ‘no disability’, ‘mild disability’ and ‘severe disability’. The SEP indicators studied were: wealth, educational level and occupational class. The findings indicate that respondents with less wealth, fewer educational qualifications and lower occupational class were more likely to experience mild or severe physical disability than those of high SEP. When all three measures of SEP were adjusted for each other, in both samples wealth maintained a strong association with mild and severe disability, while education was associated with severe disability but only among English men. Occupational class was not strongly associated with physical disability in either case. Hence, among English and Greek older men, wealth was a more important predictor of physical functioning difficulties than either occupational class or education.
Family carers' experiences using support services in Europe: empirical evidence from the EUROFAMCARE study
- Authors:
- LAMURA Giovanni, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 48(6), December 2008, pp.752-771.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
This article explores the experiences of family carers of older people in using support services in six European countries: Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Sweden, and the UK. Following a common protocol, data were collected from national samples of approximately 1,000 family carers per country and clustered into comparable subgroups to facilitate cross-national analysis. Carers' use of available support services is limited across Europe but is considerably higher in Germany, Sweden, and the UK than in Poland, Greece, and Italy. Service use is more prevalent among wives and carers with stronger support networks and less frequent among working daughters with high levels of burden, suggesting the need for a reconsideration of eligibility criteria and better targeting of service responses. Access to and use of services is characterized by a divide between carers in northwestern Europe, who experience few difficulties other than the older person's refusal to accept the support offered, and carers in southeastern Europe, where service affordability and poor transportation present remarkable barriers. Concerns regarding the timeliness and quality of support are common to all countries. European Union-wide efforts to improve carer support need to focus on improving the care system's ability to provide timely, high-quality care delivered by staff who treat the older person with dignity and respect, and to enhance cooperation between health professionals (in all countries), informal networks (especially in southeastern Europe), social services (particularly in Sweden and the UK), and voluntary organizations (in Germany and the UK).
Dealing with older workers in Europe: a comparative survey of employers' attitudes and actions
- Authors:
- VAN DALEN Hendrik P., HENKENS Kene, SCHIPPERS Joop
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of European Social Policy, 19(1), February 2009, pp.47-60.
- Publisher:
- Sage
This article addresses employers' attitudes and actions regarding the position of older workers. A comparative survey among employers from four European countries - Greece, Spain, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom - is used to examine their expectations with respect to the ageing of the workforce, the productivity of older workers and their recruitment and retention behaviour regarding this cohort. The results show that in spite of the perceived challenges ahead (including the ageing workforce), employers take no substantial measures to retain and recruit older workers or improve their productivity. Only employers in the United Kingdom seem to recognize older workers as a valuable source of labour supply and act accordingly.
Older people's views of falls-prevention interventions in six European countries
- Authors:
- YARDLEY Lucy, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 46(5), October 2006, pp.650-660.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
This study conducted semi-structured interviews to assess perceived advantages and barriers to taking part in falls-related interventions were carried out in six European countries (Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, Greece, Switzerland and United Kingdom) with 69 people aged 68 to 97 years. The sample was selected to include people with very different experiences of participation or nonparticipation in falls-related interventions, but all individuals were asked about interventions that included strength and balance training. The results found attitudes were similar in all countries and contexts. People were motivated to participate in strength and balance training by a wide range of perceived benefits (interest and enjoyment, improved health, mood, and independence) and not just reduction of falling risk. Participation also was encouraged by a personal invitation from a health practitioner and social approval from family and friends. Barriers to participation included denial of falling risk, the belief that no additional falls-prevention measures were necessary, practical barriers to attendance at groups (e.g., transport, effort, and cost), and a dislike of group activities. Implications: Because many older people reject the idea that they are at risk of falling, the uptake of strength and balance training programs may be promoted more effectively by maximizing and emphasizing their multiple positive benefits for health and well-being. A personal invitation from a health professional to participate is important, and it also may be helpful to provide home-based programs for those who dislike or find it difficult to attend groups.
Prevalence and correlates of depression in late life: a population based study from a rural Greek town
- Authors:
- PAPADOPOULOS F. C., et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 20(4), April 2005, pp.350-357.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Depression in late life is common and has serious consequences on function, medical co-morbidity, quality of life, and use of medical services. The aim was to estimate the age- and gender-specific prevalence of depression among people over 60 years of age, and to examine correlates of depression, in particular the relationship between depression and cognitive impairment. From a total of 965 inhabitants, aged over 60 years, in Velestino, a rural town in central Greece, 608 were accessible and constituted the target population. During a five-month period in 2000, a trained health visitor interviewed all study participants. The interview covered socio-demographic characteristics, medical history, and administration of the 15-question Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) and the Mini Mental Scale Examination instrument (MMSE). The prevalence of mild or more severe depression (GDS7) was 27%, while the prevalence of moderate to severe depression (GDS11) was 12%. Increasing age, female gender, lower education, and being currently unmarried were associated with higher risk of depression in univariate regression models, but these associations disappeared after controlling for cognitive function, except for the association with marital status. Cognitive impairment was strongly associated with increased risk for depression. The co-morbid presence of digestive, neurological and heart conditions was also associated with increased risk for depression, while cancer was not. In a rural Greek area, the prevalence of depression in late life is high. Depression was more common among unmarried individuals, those with significant cognitive impairment, and in association with specific medical conditions.