Search results for ‘Subject term:"older people"’ Sort:
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Helldorado
- Author:
- EATON Lynn
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work Today, 16.7.92, 1992, p.10.
- Publisher:
- British Association of Social Workers
As the BBC launches its new sun-drenched Spanish soap, many elderly expatriates who had dreamt of an easier life on the Costa del Sol are now facing harsher realities.
Problems of training and cooperation in social work with elderly people in the EC countries Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Spain: a report from a research project
- Authors:
- ELIAS Gabriele, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Issues in Social Work Education, 12(1), Spring 1992, pp.24-51.
- Publisher:
- Association of Teachers in Social Work Education
Reports on a study based on a postal survey of social work training institutions in Germany, France, the U.K. and Spain. The findings are presented country-by-country and concurrently discussed in the context of the overall picture which emerges. Issues concerning basic and post-qualifying training and research in the field of social work with elderly people are examined. A diversity of provision for, and variation of the development status of, this area of social work training is identified.
COVID 19 and dementia: experience from six European countries
- Authors:
- BURNS Alistair, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, early cite 18 January 2021,
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The effects of Covid‐19 have been well documented across the world with an appreciation that older people and in particular those with dementia have been disproportionately and negatively affected by the pandemic. This is both in terms of their health outcomes (mortality and morbidity), care decisions made by health systems and the longer‐term effects such as neurological damage. The International Dementia Alliance (IDEAL) is a group of dementia specialists from six European countries and this paper is a summary of our experience of the effects of COVID‐19 on our populations. Experience from England, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland highlight the differential response from health and social care systems and the measures taken to maximise support for older people and those with dementia. The common themes include recognition of the atypical presentation of COVID‐19 in older people (and those with dementia) the need to pay particular attention to the care of people with dementia in care homes; the recognition of the toll that isolation can bring on older people and the complexity of the response by health and social services to minimise the negative impact of the pandemic. Potential new ways of working identified during the pandemic could serve as a positive legacy from the crisis. (Edited publisher abstract)
Effects of transient and chronic loneliness on major depression in older adults: a longitudinal study
- Authors:
- MARTIN-MARIA Natalia, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 36(1), 2021, pp.76-85.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Objectives: The number of older adults is rapidly rising globally. Loneliness is a common problem that can deteriorate health. The aims of this work were to identify different types of loneliness (transient and chronic) and to assess their association with depression over time. Methods: A nationally representative sample from the Spanish population comprising 1190 individuals aged 50+ years was interviewed on three evaluations over a 7‐year period. The UCLA Loneliness Scale was used to measure loneliness. While chronic loneliness was defined as the presence of loneliness across all three waves, transient loneliness expressed the presence of loneliness in one wave only. A 12‐month major depressive episode was assessed at each interview. After confirming the cross‐sectional relationship, a multilevel mixed‐effects model was used to examine the association between loneliness and depression. Results: Almost a quarter of individuals felt lonely and one out of 10 presented depression at baseline. Of the sample, 22.78% showed transient loneliness, while 6.72% presented the chronic type. People experiencing chronic loneliness were at a higher risk of presenting major depression (OR = 6.11; 95% CI = 2.62, 14.22) than those presenting transient loneliness (OR = 2.22; 95% CI = 1.19, 4.14). This association varied over time and was stronger at the first follow‐up than at the second one. Conclusions: Focusing on loneliness prevention could reduce the risk of depression. Chronic loneliness is a public health problem that should be addressed through the full participation of the political, social, and medical sectors. (Edited publisher abstract)
Improving healthcare access for older adults with intellectual disability: what are the needs?
- Authors:
- NAVAS Patricia, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 32(6), 2019, pp.1453-1464.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
This qualitative study was carried out in Spain with the aim of identifying the changes that the health system should make to improve healthcare access for older adults with intellectual disability. Three hundred and sixty‐nine family members and professionals expressed their opinion on how healthcare access could be improved. Participants responded to two open‐ended questions included in a general survey about the health status of older individuals with intellectual disability. Most informants were women and professionals who had known the person with intellectual disability for more than 12 months. A system of categories, which showed good inter‐rater agreement, was developed to analyse participants’ written responses. Both family members and professionals emphasized the need to improve disability training for healthcare practitioners and highlighted the urgent need for flexibility in the structure of a healthcare system that currently overlooks the specific needs of this vulnerable population. (Publisher abstract)
Resilience and coping as predictors of general well-being in the elderly: a structural equation modeling approach
- Authors:
- TOMÁSA José Manuel, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 16(3), April 2012, pp.317-326.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Well-being is a complex construct concerning optimal experience and functioning. One of the constructs that can determine well-being is coping. This study aimed to explore the relationships between problem-focused coping, emotion-focused coping and resilience with well-being in the elderly. Hypotheses about these relationships are tested within a structural modelling framework. The aims of this article are: to test for the validity of the 3 constructs involved in the structural model; to test for the effects of both coping strategies and resilient coping on well-being in a sample of elderly, by means of a structural model with latent variables; and to empirically study whether a brief scale of resilient coping could predict well-being over and above that predicted by the coping resources. The study participants comprised 225 non-institutionalised elderly people living in the city of Valencia, Spain. The participants completed a survey with included measures of well-being, resilient coping, and coping strategies. Analyses indicate that the best predictive model is that with a single predictor of well-being: resilient coping. Resilient coping is able to predict a significant and large part of the variance in well-being, without the need for including coping strategies.
Being physically active in old age: relationships with being active earlier in life, social status and agents of socialisation
- Authors:
- MARTINEZ Jesus, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 30(7), October 2010, pp.1097-1113.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
This study investigates the social processes that influence older people's participation in physical activity. A questionnaire with items on personal, social and environmental characteristics was completed by a random sample of older adults in the Madrid Autonomous Region. Significant relationships were found between the type of physical activity participation and being physically active at earlier life stages. Other relationships were found including socio-economic status, the encouragement of others or social support in being active, and the knowledge and availability of local facilities. Some cases were observed of re-socialisation into physical activity among those who had been inactive earlier in life, and both appropriate environmental and supportive social conditions appeared instrumental. The authors concluded that the study could inform the design of future social programmes to promote active lifestyles in later life. However, given the complexity of the socialisation processes, it would be advisable for future studies to examine other than the four factors featured in this paper, such as the role of cultural differences.
Knowledge about aging and worry in older adults: testing the mediating role of intolerance of uncertainty
- Authors:
- NUEVO Roberto, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 13(1), January 2009, pp.135-141.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This Spanish study aims to explore the relationship between knowledge about aging and severity of worry in older adults, and to test the potential mediational role of intolerance of uncertainty. The sample was composed of 120 community-dwelling older adults, with a mean of age of 71.0 years. Mediational analyses and structural equation modelling were used to analyze and compare different models. Greater knowledge about aging was negatively related to both intolerance of uncertainty and worry, and its effect on worry was partially mediated by intolerance of uncertainty. The mediational model obtained an excellent fit to the data and clearly had a better fit than alternative models. These results suggest that a good knowledge of the aging process could help decrease aversive uncertainty and thus reduce the level of worry among older adults. Thus, educational programs to increase knowledge about aging could serve as one preventive strategy for anxiety in old age.
Validation of the Spanish version of the EURO-D scale: an instrument for detecting depression in older people
- Authors:
- LARRAGA Laura, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 21(12), December 2006, pp.1199-1205.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The objective was to standardize the EURO-D scale as a method for detecting depression in Spanish older people. In a first phase, a sample of 1080 community older people was assessed with the GMS-AGECAT by lay interviewers. In a second phase, all the probable cases and a similar number of randomly selected probable non-cases were assessed using DSM-III-R diagnosis by psychiatrists. To test reliability, internal consistency with the Cronbach alpha coefficient and test-retest reliability (Kappa value) were obtained. Validity, sensitivity and specificity, predictive values, Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve, and Specific Likelihood Ratios (SSLR) were calculated. A high internal consistency was obtained in both phases of the study ( = 0.75; = 0.79, respectively). Test-retest reliability was acceptable (weighted kappa = 0.60). For the prediction of DSM-III-R diagnosis validity coefficients (cut-off point 3/4) were: sensitivity 91.8%, specificity 76.6% and area under the ROC curve 0.92 [95% Confidence Intervals (0.89-0.95)]. Illiteracy and cognitive difficulties had a small negative effect on the performance of the scale. The EURO-D scale is a reliable and valid instrument for detecting probable cases of depression in older people in Spain. Illiteracy and cognitive difficulties should be considered when interpreting the results.
Projects in partnership
- Author:
- SCHWEITZER Pam
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Dementia Care, 12(5), September 2004, p.18.
- Publisher:
- Hawker
Describes recent and forthcoming projects from the European Reminiscence Network, an association of practitioners from 14 countries. Making Memories Matter, involving 6 countries, creates Life Portrait Boxes making a statement for and by an older person. A Spanish project, Remembering Yesterday, Caring Today, is aimed at families coping with dementia, focusing on intact memory and remaining skills rather than deficits and the downward trajectory of skills. The PHARE project trains psychologists, nurses and home care organisers from 5 Romanian cities in reminiscence work.