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Drinking behavior among older adults in a planned retirement community: results from The Villages survey
- Authors:
- FISHLEDER Sarah, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 31(5), 2016, pp.536-543.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Objectives: Research indicates increasing trends among older adults toward heavy and abusive drinking, often associated with depressive symptoms. Possible exceptions are residents of planned retirement communities, whose drinking may be associated with social activities. To better understand these relationships, this study examined the relationship of depressive symptoms and drinking in a large retirement community. Methods: The Villages, a retirement community in central Florida with a focus on healthy, active living, has almost 90 000 residents. In 2012, a population-based needs assessment was conducted in partnership with University of South Florida Health. In the present study, 11 102 surveys were completed and returned. A structural equation model was utilized to analyze the relationship between depressive symptoms and alcohol use as measured by the three-item Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT-C). Results: Hazardous drinking was reported in 15.4% of respondents, somewhat higher than the general population of older adults (around 10%). Variables of depressive symptoms, physical activity, total health problems, and poor general health loaded significantly into the factor of depression indicators, which was shown to have a significant, negative correlation with risk of hazardous drinking. Conclusions: Results suggest at-risk drinking among respondents was not associated with depression, in contrast to studies of older adults living alone where alcohol abuse was often associated with depression. Implications for successful ageing are discussed. (Edited publisher abstract)
Qualitative study of loneliness in a senior housing community: the importance of wisdom and other coping strategies
- Authors:
- PAREDES Alejandra Morlett, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 25(3), 2021, pp.559-566.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Objective: Older adults are at a high risk for loneliness, which impacts their health, well-being, and longevity. While related to social isolation, loneliness is a distinct, internally experienced, distressing feeling. The present qualitative study sought to identify characteristics of loneliness in older adults living independently within a senior housing community, which is typically designed to reduce social isolation. Method: Semi-structured qualitative interviews regarding the experience of loneliness, risk factors, and ways to combat it were conducted with 30 older adults, ages 65–92 years. The interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and coded using a grounded theory analytic approach based on coding, consensus, co-occurrence, and comparison. Results: Three main themes with multiple subthemes are described: (A) Risk and Protective factors for loneliness: age-associated losses, lack of social skills or abilities, and protective personality traits; (B) Experience of loneliness: Sadness and lack of meaning as well as Lack of motivation; and (C) Coping strategies to prevent or overcome loneliness: acceptance of aging, compassion, seeking companionship, and environment enables socialization. Discussion: Despite living within a communal setting designed to reduce social isolation, many older adults described feeling lonely in stark negative terms, attributing it to aging-associated losses or lack of social skills and abilities. However, interviewees also reported positive personal qualities and actions to prevent or cope with loneliness, several of which mirrored specific components of wisdom. The results support the reported inverse relationship between loneliness and wisdom and suggest a potential role for wisdom-enhancing interventions to reduce and prevent loneliness in older populations. (Edited publisher abstract)
Loneliness and depression in independent living retirement communities: risk and resilience factors
- Authors:
- ADAMS K. B., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 8(6), November 2004, pp.475-485.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Examines data on loneliness and depressive symptoms from older adults aged 60–98, residing in two age-segregated independent living facilities in the USA. Overlap between those scoring in the depressed range on the Geriatric Depression Scale and those scoring more than one standard deviation above the mean on the UCLA Loneliness Scale was less than 50%. Potential risk and resilience factors were regressed on the continuous scores of the two scales in separate hierarchical multiple regression analyses. Depression was predicted by being older, number of chronic health conditions, grieving a recent loss, fewer neighbour visitors, less participation in organized social activities and less church attendance. Grieving a recent loss, receiving fewer visits from friends, and having a less extensive social network predicted loneliness. In addition, loneliness scores explained about 8% of the unique variance in depression scores, suggesting it is an independent risk factor for depressive symptoms. Loneliness scores were seen to be more widely dispersed in these respondents, with less variance explained by the available predictors. Suggestions are made for addressing loneliness in older adults as a means of preventing more serious mental health consequences.
Social support and depression among older adults living alone: the importance of friends within and outside of a retirement community
- Author:
- POTTS Marilyn
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work: A journal of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), 42(4), July 1997, pp.348-362.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Using socioemotional selectivity theory as a framework, the study described in this article examines the extend to which social support from friends both within and outside of a US retirement community was associated with depression. Practice implications include the importance of maintaining friendship ties with people living elsewhere and of strengthening friendship ties within the retirement community.
Can we trust depression screening instruments in healthy old-old adults?
- Authors:
- WATSON Lea C., et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 19(3), March 2004, pp.278-285.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Despite a growing understanding of late-life depression, few studies focus on the old-old, those 75 years and over. The authors wished to characterize depressive symptoms and determine the accuracy of two common screening instruments for major and minor depression in a population of old-old retirees. Participants lived independently in one of two Continuing Care Retirement Communities and volunteered for an in-home interview about cancer screening attitudes. As part of this baseline interview, they were screened with the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale. Those agreeing to a second interview received an evaluation using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-IV), performed by a geriatric psychiatrist within two weeks of the initial interview. In an educated and cognitively intact group of retirees averaging 80 years of age, the GDS and CES-D performed poorly using standard cutpoints in detecting both major (sensitivity 60% for both) and minor (sensitivity 33% and 50%, respectively) depression. One in five participants had significant depression as confirmed by SCID-IV evaluation. Twelve percent had major depression and 7% had minor depression. Most participants had their first episode of either after age 60. Contrary to most studies evaluating the GDS and CES-D for accuracy in detecting late-life depression, these instruments at standard cutpoints performed poorly in this group of healthy older adults. The healthy old-old may require novel screening interventions to detect clinically significant depression.
Acceptance of dementia screening in continuous care retirement communities: a mailed survey
- Author:
- BOUSTANI Malaz
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 18(9), September 2003, pp.780-786.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
In a recent systematic review of the evidence for dementia screening to support recommendations from the US Preventive Services Task Force, the authors found no evidence regarding the interest or willingness of older adults to be screened, and insufficient evidence to provide an estimate of the potential harms of dementia screening. In an attempt to address the acceptability of dementia screening, we asked older adults living in two Continuous Care Retirement Communities (CCRC) if they would agree to routine screening for memory problems. Cross-sectional study using self-administered mailed survey questionnaires. There was a 64% survey response rate. Of these, 49% of participants stated they would agree to routine screening for memory problems. In comparison to people who would not agree to routine memory screening, those who accepted memory screening were more likely to accept depression screening, be male, use drug-administration assisted devices, and take more medications. Approximately half of the residents in this affluent residential community setting were not willing to be screened routinely for memory problems. This high refusal rate indicates that dementia screening may be associated with perceived harms. It is concluded that understanding of the decision-making process driving individual's beliefs and behaviors about dementia screening must be improved before implementing any broad-based screening initiatives for dementia or cognitive impairment.