User Involvement in Research on Aging and Health: Creating Knowledge and Technologies With Older Adults

Abstract Although, user involvement is largely recognized as instrumental when developing relevant knowledge, services as well as products - aging populations are still likely to be sparsely involved in such processes. Surprisingly, many gerontechnologies are still developed based on a technological perspective rather than a gerontological perspective. Consequently, age-related changes as well as needs, actual use or perceptions of older adults are disregarded or neglected. Similar problems apply to public and private environments with potentially negative implications on accessibility. The present symposium includes four presentations that address user involvement, by capturing older adults’ and aging populations’ use as well as perceptions of emerging technologies, successful development of gerontechnologies, and a multigenerational mass-experiment on housing accessibility in later life. The first study from Germany captures the everyday situation of smartphone use as well as aspects of user experience, affect and social context among older adults. The second study addresses perceptions and attitudes of three generations in Sweden related to continuous technological advancement of products intended to support active and healthy aging. The third presentation will describe the iterative development process of the 2020 mass-experiment – the Housing Experiment -- involving older adults, stakeholders in the housing sector, teachers and pupils in Sweden. The fourth presentation from Canada explores the benefits, challenges, and solutions to support older adult engagement in research that leads to the successful development of technologies for and with older adults. Finally, our discussant will further elaborate on the respective study findings and summarize the symposium.

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When the “Golden Years” turn blue

International Journal of Behavioral Development ◽

10.1177/0165025415613855 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 41 (2) ◽

pp. 295-307 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jennifer S. Green ◽

Joshua C. Magee ◽

Amanda R.W. Steiner ◽

Bethany A. Teachman

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Clinical Practice ◽

Healthy Aging ◽

Later Life ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Future Research ◽

Younger Adults ◽

Age Related ◽

Pathological Anxiety ◽

Age Related Changes

Current treatments for disorders of emotion, such as pathological anxiety, are often less effective in older adults than in younger adults and have poorly understood mechanisms, pointing to the need for psychopathology models that better account for age-related changes in normative emotional functioning and the expression of disordered emotion. This article describes ways in which the healthy aging and emotion literature can enhance understanding and treatment of symptoms of anxiety and depression in later life. We offer recommendations on how to integrate the theories and findings of healthy aging literature with psychopathology research and clinical practice and highlight opportunities for future research.

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Developing a recovery-focused therapy for older people with bipolar disorder: a qualitative focus group study

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2021-049829 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. e049829

Author(s):

Elizabeth Tyler ◽

Fiona Lobban ◽

Rita Long ◽

Steven H Jones

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Bipolar Disorder ◽

Focus Group ◽

Older People ◽

Focus Groups ◽

Later Life ◽

Focus Group Study ◽

Age Related ◽

Health Related ◽

Age Related Changes

ObjectivesAs awareness of bipolar disorder (BD) increases and the world experiences a rapid ageing of the population, the number of people living with BD in later life is expected to rise substantially. There is no current evidence base for the effectiveness of psychological interventions for older adults with BD. This focus group study explored a number of topics to inform the development and delivery of a recovery-focused therapy (RfT) for older adults with BD.DesignA qualitative focus group study.SettingThree focus groups were conducted at a university in the North West of England.ParticipantsEight people took part in the focus groups; six older adults with BD, one carer and one friend.ResultsParticipant’s responses clustered into six themes: (1) health-related and age-related changes in later life, (2) the experience of BD in later life, (3) managing and coping with BD in later life, (4) recovery in later life, (5) seeking helping in the future and (6) adapting RfT for older people.ConclusionsParticipants reported a range of health-related and age-related changes and strategies to manage their BD. Participants held mixed views about using the term ‘recovery’ in later life. Participants were in agreement that certain adaptations were needed for delivering RfT for older adults, based on their experience of living with BD in later life. The data collected as part of the focus groups have led to a number of recommendations for delivering RfT for older adults with BD in a randomised controlled trial (Clinical Trial Registration: ISRCTN13875321).

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Rising above It: Status Ambivalence in Older Adults

Gerontology ◽

10.1159/000488389 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 64 (6) ◽

pp. 576-588

Author(s):

Deirdre A. Robertson ◽

David Weiss

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Social Status ◽

Later Life ◽

Well Being ◽

Preliminary Evidence ◽

Protective Mechanism ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Age Related ◽

The Social ◽

Implicit And Explicit

Background: Social status is the standing of a person or group in the social hierarchy, and is perceived to change across the life span from low social status in early life, to peak in midlife, and to a decline thereafter. As threats to subjective social status are known to be detrimental to individuals’ health, it is important to better understand how older adults perceive themselves and others in terms of age-related social status. Objective: We examined status ambivalence – the potential discrepancy between how older adults’ perceive social status for themselves compared to older adults in general. Method: Study 1 used qualitative data from 37 semi-structured interviews with older adults to assess perceptions of social status. Study 2 used quantitative survey data from 114 older adults who completed explicit and implicit measures of social status. Results: Study 1 (n = 37, meanage = 71.72, SDage = 5.69; 81.1% women) provided preliminary evidence for status ambivalence such that older adults reported unequivocal low social status for other older adults but a more ambivalent perception of their own social status. Study 2 (n = 114, meanage = 64.32, SDage = 8.98, 57.9% women) compared implicit and explicit measures of social status revealing that older adults consistently perceive older adults to have low social status but again show a more ambivalent perception of their own social status. Conclusion: We discuss status ambivalence as a potential protective mechanism in the context of negative societal perceptions of age-related social status that may be important for well-being in later life.

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Kinematic Analysis of Dance-Based Exergaming: A Cross-Sectional Study

Journal of Dance Medicine & Science ◽

10.12678/1089-313x.091521e ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ernest K. Ofori ◽

Savitha Subramaniam ◽

Shuaijie Wang ◽

Tanvi Bhatt

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Young Adults ◽

Postural Stability ◽

Center Of Mass ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Healthy Older Adults ◽

Age Related ◽

Aging Populations ◽

Cortical Pathology

Background: Recent studies demonstrate improvements in both postural stability and mobility among aging populations and those with stroke who are exposed to dance-based exergaming (DBExG). However, age-related deficits and aging with cortical pathology may lead to distinct movement adaptation patterns during DBExG, which could impact therapeutic outcomes.Aim: The aim of this study was to examine the movement kinematics (postural stability and mobility) of healthy older adults, older adults with stroke, and young adults for different paces of dance during DBExG. Method: The study included 33 particpants (11 participant from each group of healthy older adults, older adults with chronic stroke, and healthy young adults) who performed the DBExG using slow- (SP), medium- (MP), and fast-paced (FP) songs with movements in the anteroposterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) directions. Center of mass (CoM) sway area, excursion (Ex), and peaks as well as hip, knee, and ankle joint excursions were computed. Results: Results of the study revealed that CoM sway areas and Exs were greater for healthy young adults than for older adults with stroke for the SP dance (p < 0.05) and that there were significantly more AP CoM peaks for young adults than for healthy older adults and those with stroke for the FP dance (p < 0.05). Young adults also exhibited greater hip and ankle Exs than older adults with stroke (p < 0.05) for all song paces. Similarly, knee and ankle Exs were greater for healthy older adults than for older adults with stroke for all song paces (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The quantitative evaluation and comparison of the movement patterns presented for the three groups could provide a foundation for both assessing and designing therapeutic DBExG protocols for these populations.

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Emotional Functioning and Sense of Hope as Contributors to Healthy Aging

OTJR Occupation Participation and Health ◽

10.1177/1539449220920728 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 40 (4) ◽

pp. 253-260

Author(s):

Amiya Waldman-Levi ◽

Asnat Bar-Haim Erez ◽

Noomi Katz ◽

Jeanine M. Stancanelli

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Healthy Aging ◽

Prediction Models ◽

Emotional Functioning ◽

Later Life ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Physical Factors ◽

Emotional Status ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Individual

Cognitive and physical factors affect participation in later life. It is imperative to explore the contribution of emotional factors on older adults’ participation and wellbeing. Seventy-eight older adults were recruited for this cross-sectional study and grouped based on their level of independence. Emotional functioning, hope, cognition, participation, and wellbeing were measured. Analyses of variance, correlational analysis, and prediction models were employed. Significant differences were found between independent and dependent older adults’ participation and wellbeing, F(2, 72) = 12.71, p < .00, η2 = .26. Independent older adults’ participation was predicted by cognition, β = 0.40, and hope, β = 0.58. Wellbeing was predicted by cognition, β = 0.39, emotional status, β = −0.46, and hope, β = 0.36. Dependent older adults’ wellbeing was predicted by emotional status, β = −0.68, and hope, β = 0.32. Occupational therapists play a key role in promoting healthy aging by incorporating psychosocial factors at the individual, community, and societal levels.

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AGE-BASED STEREOTYPE THREAT: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF PRIMING TECHNIQUES AND THEIR EFFECTS

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.1705 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S455-S456

Author(s):

Francesco Vailati Riboni ◽

Francesco Pagnini

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Older Adults ◽

Stereotype Threat ◽

Functional Performance ◽

Later Life ◽

Experimental Methods ◽

Experimental Manipulation ◽

Older Individuals ◽

Negative Stereotypes ◽

Age Related

Abstract Age-based stereotype threat (ABST) occurs when older adults are influenced by negative stereotypes about age-related decline and functional losses and ironically behave in disengaging and self-defeating ways that confirm the stereotype (Steele & Aronson, 1995). Aging stereotypes are found to be strong predictors of health and illness outcomes in later life, and are associated with performance in specific areas, mainly in cognitive and physical domains. The current study reviewed the experimental methods and their reported effects previously published in the literature to determine if there were different ABST methods were associated with different types of age-related outcomes. We conducted a systematic review, screening the scientific literature for papers that included experimental manipulation of age-related stereotypes as an independent variable, focusing on samples of older adults (1113 articles, most published after 2003). Through a classification of the common and distinctive characteristics of the different stereotype manipulation techniques, we were able to identify three specific types of experimental methods: by instruction, tests, and interpersonal exposure. Although the mechanism by which stereotypes are associated with functional outcomes in older adults remains unclear, our review suggests it is possible to experimentally control the activation of the stereotype by manipulating its specific characteristics and the way older participants are exposed to it. Findings also highlight the possibility that specific experimental methods used to induce ABST in older individuals may lead to unique and different consequences on functional performance variation.

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Effect of Age in Auditory Go/No-Go Tasks: A Magnetoencephalographic Study

Brain Sciences ◽

10.3390/brainsci10100667 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (10) ◽

pp. 667

Author(s):

Mei-Yin Lin ◽

Chia-Hsiung Cheng

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Response Inhibition ◽

Cortical Activation ◽

Middle Temporal Gyrus ◽

Neural Responses ◽

Source Imaging ◽

Age Related ◽

Aging Populations ◽

Neural Underpinnings ◽

Underlying Mechanisms

Response inhibition is frequently examined using visual go/no-go tasks. Recently, the auditory go/no-go paradigm has been also applied to several clinical and aging populations. However, age-related changes in the neural underpinnings of auditory go/no-go tasks are yet to be elucidated. We used magnetoencephalography combined with distributed source imaging methods to examine age-associated changes in neural responses to auditory no-go stimuli. Additionally, we compared the performance of high- and low-performing older adults to explore differences in cortical activation. Behavioral performance in terms of response inhibition was similar in younger and older adult groups. Relative to the younger adults, the older adults exhibited reduced cortical activation in the superior and middle temporal gyrus. However, we did not find any significant differences in cortical activation between the high- and low-performing older adults. Our results therefore support the hypothesis that inhibition is reduced during aging. The variation in cognitive performance among older adults confirms the need for further study on the underlying mechanisms of inhibition.

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USING VR FOR NAVIGATION ASSESSMENT IN OLDER ADULTS

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.896 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S240-S240

Author(s):

Scott Moffat

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Age Differences ◽

Large Scale ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Science Research ◽

Later Life ◽

Functional Independence ◽

Spatial Strategies ◽

Age Related ◽

Field Of Inquiry

Abstract There has been a long tradition of wayfinding and orienteering studies in humans but these have mostly neglected possible age-related differences in navigation. This field of inquiry is experiencing something of a resurgence of interest due to the development of VR technology which has brought the systematic study of large scale navigation into the laboratory and into the MRI scanning environment. Empirical studies to date identify navigation as an aspect of cognition that is vulnerable to the aging process. Functional and structural neuroimaging studies in humans suggest that age-related changes in the brain’s “navigation circuit” may underlie these behavioral age differences. Older adults also adopt unique spatial strategies and knowledge of these strategy preferences could enlighten both basic science research in spatial cognition and also inform the development of age-specific technological assistance that may extend functional independence of older adults into later life.

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LONELINESS AND SUICIDE IDEATION IN OLDER ADULTS: A LONGITUDINAL INVESTIGATION

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.2205 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S594-S594

Author(s):

Marnin J Heisel

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Suicide Risk ◽

Healthy Aging ◽

Suicide Ideation ◽

Later Life ◽

Well Being ◽

Psychological Variables ◽

Canadian City ◽

Psychological Risk

Abstract Older adults have the highest rates of suicide globally, necessitating theory and research investigating suicide and its prevention in later-life. The experience of loneliness is significantly associated with depression, hopelessness, negative health outcomes, and mortality among older adults. Yet, relatively little research has focused on the role of loneliness in conferring suicide risk in later life. The purpose of the present study was thus to investigate the potential associations between loneliness and suicide ideation and behavior in a sample of community-residing older adults recruited into a larger two-year longitudinal study of psychological risk and resiliency to later-life suicide ideation. We specifically recruited 173 adults, 65 years or older, from community locations in a medium-sized Canadian city, for a study on “healthy aging.” Participants completed measures of positive and negative psychological variables, including depression, loneliness, and suicide ideation at a baseline assessment, and again at 2-4 week, 6-12 month, and 1-2 year follow-up points. Findings indicated that loneliness (UCLA Loneliness Scale) was significantly positively associated with concurrent depression and suicide ideation, negatively associated with psychological well-being and perceived social support, and differentiated between participants who endorsed or denied having ever engaged in suicide behavior. Baseline loneliness also explained significant variability in the onset of suicide ideation over a 1-2 year period of follow-up, controlling for age, sex, and baseline depression and suicide ideation. These findings will be discussed in the context of the need for increased focus on psychosocial factors when assessing and intervening to reduce suicide risk in older adults.

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A-03 The Brain–Body Connection in Aging Neurological Populations: Examining the Impact of Exercise and Sedentary Behavior on Brain Structure and Cognitive Functioning in Older Adults with Multiple Sclerosis

Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology ◽

10.1093/arclin/acaa067.03 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 35 (6) ◽

pp. 776-776

Author(s):

C Roman ◽

P Arnett

Keyword(s):

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Older Adults ◽

Graph Theory ◽

Sedentary Behavior ◽

Healthy Aging ◽

Moderate Activity ◽

Subcortical Structures ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Age Related ◽

The Impact

Abstract Objective Advancements in treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS) have led to an increase in the number of older adults living with the disease. Exercise has been shown to be remarkably beneficial for “healthy aging,” while sedentary behavior has proved to have more deleterious effects. Despite evidence for the impact of these factors, their influence on older adults with MS is largely unknown. The current study utilizes volumetric measures and graph theory to investigate the relationship between physical activity/sedentary behavior, structural brain indices, and cognition in older adults with MS. Method Twenty-seven older adults (55+) with MS were scanned during a structural MRI protocol and cognitively evaluated using the Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite and Symbol Digit Modalities Test. Graph theory metrics were calculated to examine white matter network properties. FreeSurfer was used to calculate volumes for subcortical structures. Exercise was quantified as the ‘days per week engaged in moderate activity,’ while sedentary behavior was measured as ‘hours per day sitting.’ Results Multiple regression interaction analyses were conducted. Results showed an exercise by age interaction, such that exercise protected against the negative effects of age on thalamic volume and assortivity. Hours sitting per day was shown to add to the negative effects of aging on structural networks even after controlling for exercise. Lastly, exercise was observed to be protective against age-related cognitive decline in this sample. Conclusions This is one of the first studies to examine exercise/sedentariness and brain indices in older adults with MS, pointing to possible brain altering and protective interventions for this group.

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