Hybrid journal * Containing 1 Open Access article(s) in this issue * ISSN (Print) 1471-7794 - ISSN (Online) 2042-8766 Published by Emerald[362 journals]
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Authors:Gema Serrano-Gemes, Rafael Serrano-del-Rosal Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to understand the profile of the Andalusian population in relation to the motivations that support family care for older people, considering multiple sociodemographic and classificatory variables, such as sex, age groups (18–29; 30–44; 45–59; 60 or older), caregiving experience, as well as their general opinions regarding care and decision-making related to it. A quantitative study is presented to know the opinion of the Andalusian population regarding the motivations that support the family care of older people. The sample comprised 774 participants (18 years or older). The results show that the majority of the Andalusian population believes that the reason why families care for older people is that it is considered a moral obligation, regardless of the resources available to them. Thus, two population profiles have been found to explain these beliefs. The first profile is made up of current or former caregivers who are 60 years of age or older; and the second profile is made up of people who believe that the family should be primarily responsible for caregiving, who are or have been caregivers and who believe that in the future, the family trend in caregiving will not be modified. The value of this research lies in the implications of “family care” and “resources and motivations to care” studies today. Citation: Quality in Ageing and Older Adults PubDate: 2024-08-27 DOI: 10.1108/QAOA-08-2023-0060 Issue No:Vol. ahead-of-print, No. ahead-of-print (2024)
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Authors:Nele Nutt, Sirle Salmistu, Kristiina Kupper, Zenia Kotval Abstract: This paper aims to explore how recently designed and built urban public spaces in Estonia address the concept of age-friendly environments and consider older adults as users of these spaces. This paper presents the evaluation of public spaces built as a result of urban design competitions in ten small towns of Estonia from 2014 until today. This study explored and assessed how contemporary urban outdoor places meet the needs of older adults. For this purpose, this study developed an assessment instrument of age-friendly environment principles based on various sources and conducted fieldworks. This study assumed that the needs of older adults were considered during the design competition and construction, as all towns of competition areas have a significant aging population. The findings suggest that various fundamental principles of universal or age-friendly design are not met, and there are areas of improvement in the inclusive design for all people that supports healthy aging. This study can be used as improvement tool for current places in Estonia and basis for future design projects to make public places more age-friendly, specifically senior-friendly. Citation: Quality in Ageing and Older Adults PubDate: 2024-08-22 DOI: 10.1108/QAOA-05-2024-0033 Issue No:Vol. ahead-of-print, No. ahead-of-print (2024)
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Authors:Jillian Powell, Paul Willis, Ailsa Cameron, Alexandra Vickery, Eleanor K. Johnson, Brian Beach, Randall Clive Smith Abstract: This paper examined the significance of the built environment for shaping inclusion and social connections in housing with care (HwC) schemes for older people (50+ years) in England and Wales. The purpose of this study was to develop a better understanding of how the availability, absence and use of communal spaces impacts social connections with other residents within HwC schemes. Longitudinal and cross-sectional qualitative interviews were conducted with 72 residents across three HwC providers in England and Wales. Data were analysed using a thematic framework approach to examine how residents experienced their living environments. Whilst the presence of communal shared spaces helps facilitate social connections and the development of friendships, full and equal access to these spaces remains challenging for residents with minority characteristics, and/or physical impairments. Building designers need to ensure they are complying with building regulations and the Equalities Act. The presence of on-site staff may also help to manage the impact of discriminatory attitudes. A key strength of this study is its design, both in using longitudinal and cross-sectional interviews and in recruiting respondents with marginalised characteristics, whose voices have often been excluded in gerontological research. Another strength, albeit unexpected, is that this study was able to capture perspectives across the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic, however, may also have generated some limitations in this study. COVID-19 restrictions limited the ability to engage face-to-face within housing schemes whose residents were predominantly from different ethnic minoritised groups, and it therefore limits the inclusion of the voices and experiences of these groups. Responses in later interviews may also have been influenced by the changes in social engagement stimulated by lockdowns and may only be specific to the context of the pandemic. However, the findings reported here focus on the role and use of the built environment, and much of the interview content would feasibly apply regardless of the pandemic. This research offers some key insights and implications for housing providers and policy. Housing providers and architects must ensure that the design of HwC schemes affords all residents access to every area of the built environment to maintain independence, autonomy and to adopt the ethos of the ageing in place agenda. If communal areas are to function as “third” or social spaces – if they are to remain equally accessible to all members of the community – then building providers must ensure that all areas are accessible to all residents in line with building regulations and the Equality Act (2010). Housing staff need to balance the natural development of friendship groups with the potential of the formation of exclusionary “cliques” within HwC schemes. Such cliques threaten the accomplishment of communal areas as “third” or social spaces and, as such, impact the quality of life for residents. This study offers insights into how built environments support the development of social connections and friendships in HwC schemes. It also identifies ways that housing managers can ensure that all residents feel equally valued and included. Citation: Quality in Ageing and Older Adults PubDate: 2024-08-02 DOI: 10.1108/QAOA-11-2023-0083 Issue No:Vol. ahead-of-print, No. ahead-of-print (2024)
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Authors:Ryan M. Carrick, Taylor Brinkley, Cheyenne Harvey, Ashtin Johnson, Taylor Penney, Tanner Kate Sauls, Pamalyn J. Kearney Abstract: Due to the projected increase in the older adult population, occupational therapy providers will have an increasing role in supporting health outcomes for older adults in the coming years. The purpose of this systematic review was to determine the effectiveness of occupational interventions to promote home safety in older adults. This systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic reviews (PRISMA) guidelines. Articles were double screened by separate researchers, then exported and managed in EndNote. The Risk of Bias Table determined certainty of evidence for themes. Three main preliminary themes were identified from the 17 included articles. Themes include multimodal interventions (n= 6), exercise interventions (n= 9) and home modifications (n = 2). None of the articles explicitly defined home safety, but distal outcomes related to safety included: increased strength, balance improvement and functional mobility. Importantly, an absent consensus for a definition of home safety limits the results of this systematic review while at the same time providing opportunity for future research. Exercise combined with nutrition provided the strongest intervention evidence for physical functionality. Additionally, home modifications alone may be insufficient to result in improved home safety. An occupational therapy’s (OT) holistic approach benefits older adults through evidenced-based interventions improving home safety, independence in functional tasks and overall quality of life. Findings provide clinicians with information on the effectiveness of interventions within the scope of OT that can be implemented within the home to promote home safety. Citation: Quality in Ageing and Older Adults PubDate: 2024-08-01 DOI: 10.1108/QAOA-11-2023-0080 Issue No:Vol. ahead-of-print, No. ahead-of-print (2024)
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Authors:Jurgen Grotz, Lindsay Armstrong, Heather Edwards, Aileen Jones, Michael Locke, Laurel Smith, Ewen Speed, Linda Birt Abstract: This study aims to critically examine the effects of COVID-19 social discourses and policy decisions specifically on older adult volunteers in the UK, comparing the responses and their effects in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, providing perspectives on effects of policy changes designed to reduce risk of infection as a result of COVID-19, specifically on volunteer involvement of and for older adults, and understand, from the perspectives of volunteer managers, how COVID-19 restrictions had impacted older people’s volunteering and situating this within statutory public health policies. The study uses a critical discourse approach to explore, compare and contrast accounts of volunteering of and for older people in policy, and then compare the discourses within policy documents with the discourses in personal accounts of volunteering in health and social care settings in the four nations of the UK. This paper is co-produced in collaboration with co-authors who have direct experience with volunteer involvement responses and their impact on older people. The prevailing overall policy approach during the pandemic was that risk of morbidity and mortality to older people was too high to permit them to participate in volunteering activities. Disenfranchising of older people, as exemplified in volunteer involvement, was remarkably uniform across the four nations of the UK. However, the authors find that despite, rather than because of policy changes, older volunteers, as part of, or with the help of, volunteer involving organisations, are taking time to think and to reconsider their involvement and are renewing their volunteer involvement with associated health benefits. Working with participants as co-authors helps to ensure the credibility of results in that there was agreement in the themes identified and the conclusions. A limitation of this study lies in the sampling method, as a convenience sample was used and there is only representation from one organisation in each of the four nations. The paper combines existing knowledge about volunteer involvement of and for older adults. Citation: Quality in Ageing and Older Adults PubDate: 2024-03-29 DOI: 10.1108/QAOA-11-2022-0067 Issue No:Vol. ahead-of-print, No. ahead-of-print (2024)
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Authors:Elsa Araceli Revollo Sarmiento, Deisy Krzemien, Maria Celeste López Moreno, Leticia Vivas Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to describe the perceptions that older people in Argentina have about the use of cell phones and to analyze their influence on user behavior. At the same time, it was intended to analyze whether sociodemographic factors influence these perceptions. The authors conducted a study with a non-experimental, cross-sectional and cross-correlational design; a non-probabilistic sample of 138 intentionally selected older people was chosen. The frequency and years of cell phone use, as well as the applications used, are influenced by the perceptions that older people have about cell phone use. In addition, it was found that age, gender and socio-educational level determine the perceptions that older people have about cell phone use. This research has implications for interventions aimed at improving older people’s functional health. Understanding the perceptions of older people in relation to technology will enable the enhancement of its utility to foster an autonomous lifestyle and social integration in old age. Citation: Quality in Ageing and Older Adults PubDate: 2024-01-30 DOI: 10.1108/QAOA-06-2023-0042 Issue No:Vol. ahead-of-print, No. ahead-of-print (2024)
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Authors:Gemma Hartley, Jack Purrington Abstract: Perceptions of ageing towards the self and towards others can positively and negatively impact an older adult’s mental wellbeing. This paper aims to consolidate literature examining the relationship between perceptions of ageing and depression in older adults to inform both practice and policy for older adult mental health services. Quantitative research articles examining perceptions of ageing and depression in older adults were identified through searches on three electronical databases, alongside forward and backwards citation searches. A total of 14 articles involving 31,211 participants were identified. Greater negative attitudes towards ageing were associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms and greater positive attitudes towards ageing were associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms or higher levels of happiness. However, the causal direction of this relationship could not be determined. Studies demonstrated that perceptions of ageing also act as a moderator in the relationship between depression and health status, hopelessness and personality traits. Future research should attempt to examine the relationship between perceptions of ageing and depression in older adults to attempt to identify the causal direction of this relationship. This is the only systematic review the authors are aware of consolidating literature which explores the relationship between older adults’ perceptions of ageing and depression. It is hoped that these findings will be able to inform both policy and practice to improve older adults’ care and support for depression. Citation: Quality in Ageing and Older Adults PubDate: 2023-12-19 DOI: 10.1108/QAOA-07-2022-0044 Issue No:Vol. ahead-of-print, No. ahead-of-print (2023)
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Authors:Lídia Serra, Luís Silva Abstract: Effective cognitive functioning elucidates the orchestrated interplay of diverse mental faculties in addressing daily tasks, potentially indicative of an improved state of an individual’s health. Linked to this is the potential role of life satisfaction, which may aid individuals in better managing their health-related challenges. The purpose this study is to examine whether the cognitive functioning and life satisfaction levels of elderly individuals serve as predictors of their subjective health complaints. The research involved a cohort of 126 elderly community residents. The assessment tools used encompassed a socio-demographic questionnaire, the mini-mental state examination (MMSE), the scale of subjective health complaints and a life satisfaction scale. The findings reveal that both cognitive functioning and life satisfaction are predictive variables for subjective health complaints, validated in both the original sample and simulated samples. This study’s innovation lies in highlighting the importance of cognitive functioning and life satisfaction among the elderly population as explanatory factors for subjective health complaints. Consequently, these dimensions warrant consideration in specialized intervention programs aimed at promoting the health and quality of life among the elderly. Citation: Quality in Ageing and Older Adults PubDate: 2023-12-13 DOI: 10.1108/QAOA-08-2023-0055 Issue No:Vol. ahead-of-print, No. ahead-of-print (2023)
Hybrid journal * Containing 1 
Open Access article(s) in this issue *
