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Practical Implications of Physical Distancing, Social Isolation, and Reduced Physicality for Older Adults in Response to COVID-19
Abstract
The public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic involves physical distancing measures which have the potential to lead to increased social isolation among older adults. Implications of social isolation are potentially wide-ranging including poorer health outcomes, disruption of social interactions and routines, reduced meaningful activity, reduced social and emotional support, loneliness, potential for grief, loss, and trauma responses, limited access to resources, and reduced physicality. Social workers must advocate for the value of social relationships and identify creative ways to enhance the social connections of older adults during pandemic responses or other situations that require physical distancing measures.
... The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in major challenges for older adults such as social distancing that disrupts daily routines and reduces social contact (Campbell, 2020;Girdhar et al., 2020). In the United States, most people have been advised to stay at home since mid-March 2020 to limit the spread of the virus. ...
... Older people with chronic conditions may be especially vulnerable to loneliness during the pandemic (Luchetti et al., 2020). These individuals are at high risk of severe illness from COVID-19 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020b;Van Orden et al., 2020), and so they may have stronger beliefs about the importance of self-isolation (Callow et al., 2020) and may self-isolate to a greater extent than people without chronic conditions (Campbell, 2020;Emerson, 2020). We currently know little, however, about factors linked to loneliness in the context of COVID-19, including pandemic-related stress and resources. ...
... People of color are particularly vulnerable to complications and death from COVID-19 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020a). Furthermore, the harmful consequences of social distancing may be more intense among marginalized older people who already experience socioeconomic and health disparities (Campbell, 2020). Research on racial/ethnic differences in loneliness or perceived social isolation is somewhat mixed, with some studies showing that Black and Hispanic older adults have higher levels than non-Hispanic Whites (Hawkley et al., 2008;Miyawaki, 2015) and others suggesting the reverse (Finlay & Kobayashi, 2018;Han et al., 2016). ...
The COVID-19 pandemic may intensify loneliness among older adults with chronic conditions who are at high risk of severe illness, but little is known about factors associated with loneliness during the pandemic. We considered factors linked to loneliness among 701 adults aged 50 years and older with chronic conditions from Michigan (82.5%) and 33 other U.S. states. Participants completed an anonymous online survey between May 14 and July 9, 2020. About two thirds (66.4%) reported moderate to severe loneliness. The fully adjusted regression model revealed that being a person of color, having a spouse or cohabiting partner, and more emotional support were associated with lower levels of loneliness. Higher anxiety symptoms, more worry about COVID-19 infection, and more financial strain because of the pandemic were linked to greater loneliness. These findings inform strategies to support a vulnerable subgroup of older adults during this pandemic and in future public health crises.
... Controversy exists over the potential impact of "stay-at-home" and social distancing directives on social relationships. Some researchers hypothesize that "stay-at-home" and social distancing measures may increase feelings of loneliness (Banerjee and Rai, 2020;Campbell, 2020), reduce feelings of meaningful daily activity (Campbell, 2020), reduce sense of social and emotional support (Campbell, 2020), and decrease emotional well-being (Frias et al., 2020). Conversely, a social media derived sample of Egyptian adults showed an overall increase in perceived social and family support during the COVID-19 crisis (El-Zoghby et al., 2020), which is similar to other published studies during times of other viral pandemics (El-Zoghby et al., 2020;Zhang and Ma, 2020). ...
... Controversy exists over the potential impact of "stay-at-home" and social distancing directives on social relationships. Some researchers hypothesize that "stay-at-home" and social distancing measures may increase feelings of loneliness (Banerjee and Rai, 2020;Campbell, 2020), reduce feelings of meaningful daily activity (Campbell, 2020), reduce sense of social and emotional support (Campbell, 2020), and decrease emotional well-being (Frias et al., 2020). Conversely, a social media derived sample of Egyptian adults showed an overall increase in perceived social and family support during the COVID-19 crisis (El-Zoghby et al., 2020), which is similar to other published studies during times of other viral pandemics (El-Zoghby et al., 2020;Zhang and Ma, 2020). ...
... Controversy exists over the potential impact of "stay-at-home" and social distancing directives on social relationships. Some researchers hypothesize that "stay-at-home" and social distancing measures may increase feelings of loneliness (Banerjee and Rai, 2020;Campbell, 2020), reduce feelings of meaningful daily activity (Campbell, 2020), reduce sense of social and emotional support (Campbell, 2020), and decrease emotional well-being (Frias et al., 2020). Conversely, a social media derived sample of Egyptian adults showed an overall increase in perceived social and family support during the COVID-19 crisis (El-Zoghby et al., 2020), which is similar to other published studies during times of other viral pandemics (El-Zoghby et al., 2020;Zhang and Ma, 2020). ...
Rationale
Severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19, and consequent social distancing directives have been observed to negatively impact social relationships but the impact of these changes on the quality of social relationships at a population level has not been explored.
Objective
To evaluate changes in social relationships in a U.S. population sample during a time of social distancing.
Methods
We deployed a matched, longitudinal survey design of the National Institutes of Health Adult Social Relationship Scales to assess the social aspects of emotional support, instrumental support, friendship, loneliness, perceived hostility, and perceived rejection from a time without social distancing (February 2018) to a time where social distancing directives were active (May 2020). Changes in social relationships were compared using paired t-tests, and generalized linear regression models were constructed to identify subpopulations experiencing differential changes in each subdomain of social relationships during social distancing.
Results
Within our sample population, individuals experienced an increased sense of emotional support, instrumental support, and loneliness, and decreased feelings of friendship and perceived hostility during a period of social distancing. Individuals with low self-rated health experienced a decreased sense of emotional support, and females experienced increased feelings of loneliness compared with males.
Conclusions
Social distancing measurably impacts social relationships and may have a disproportionate impact on females and individuals with lower self-rated health. If novel emergent infectious diseases become more commonplace, social interventions may be needed to mitigate the potential adverse impact of social distancing on social relationships.
... These restrictions were aimed at ensuring social distancing, limiting the movement of the population, and curtailing the effect of the pandemic. Although this strategy was reported to be effective for decelerating the COVID-19 outbreak, the subsequent quarantine was also reported as being associated with harmful implications to society [2,3]. This unique phenomenon has never occurred/been observed before; therefore, the extent of its implications on a variety of aspects of life is still unknown. ...
... (4) The prohibition on recreation, travel, shopping, and cultural consumption in any way that constitutes quality utilization of leisure time [2]. A possible explanation for the combination of high mental resilience and symptoms of high-level depression is that this pattern may characterize people who are distressed but must function. ...
Background:
The main purpose of the research was to examine the differences between adults in the age group 70+ and two other age groups (45-59 and 60-69), concerning their healthy and active lifestyle. The death toll of the current COVID-19 pandemic is strongly biased toward the elderly. However, some studies of crises suggest that older adults tend to perceive events as less stressful than do younger people. Therefore, we examined healthy behavior in populations at risk according to the age cutoff-points used by the Ministry of Health at the time of vaccination, and divided the participants into three age groups (45-59, 60-69, and 70+) following health organizations' recommendations.
Methods:
Participants were 1202 people, 381 males and 821 females, aged 45-90. A survey comprised of six parts was used: Demographic background, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-short version, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule - PANAS, the Connor and Davidson Resilience Scale, a questionnaire for measuring depressive moods, and questions regarding weight change, based on the Israeli National Health and Nutrition (MABAT) survey. Data were collected in Israel during the first complete lockdown. The questionnaire was distributed via e-mail, WhatsApp, Twitter, and Facebook using a snowball sampling method.
Results:
Resilience and negative feelings and depression symptoms were higher in age group 45-59 compared to 70+ year-old participants, and the depression symptoms score was also higher among participants aged 45-59 compared to ages 60-69. Physical activity was associated with higher resilience, fewer depression symptoms, and fewer negative emotions. Regarding gender and psychological variables, no differences were found. During the time of lockdown, weight change was not prevalent and sleeping hours increased.
Conclusion:
In adults at 70+, the physical activity level, physical activity before and during the lockdown, emotions, sleeping hours, and weight change were similar to the other adult groups that were examined (45-59 and 60-69). However, in the older adults groups (70+ and 60-69), resilience and depression symptoms were lower than in the youngest age group.
... Loneliness and social isolation are consistently identified as risk factors for poor mental and physical health in older people-an age cohort more likely to experience many of the risk factors that can cause or exacerbate social isolation or loneliness, such as living alone, the loss of family or friends, chronic illness and sensory impairments (NASEM, 2020). The implications of loneliness and social isolation include disruption of social interactions and routines, reduced meaningful activity, reduced social and emotional support, potential for grief, loss, and trauma responses, limited access to resources and reduced physicality (Campbell, 2020). Indeed, a substantial body of evidence demonstrates that social isolation presents a major risk for premature mortality, and is a particular cause for concern among low income, underserved and vulnerable populations (NASEM, 2020). ...
... Amongst the COVID cohort at T3, those living alone had significantly higher loneliness scores than those living with family, suggesting again that the Shed may be protective against loneliness for those at risk of isolation by providing meaningful social interaction with other Shedders prior to COVID-19. In keeping with previous findings (Campbell, 2020;Nasem, 2020), higher rates of loneliness were correlated with reduced wellbeing in this study with Shedders in the 'lonely' category more likely to have poorer perceived health ratings, lower life satisfaction scores and lower rates of physical activity. This highlights the need for and the value of tailored interventions such as SFL to ameliorate the impact of loneliness among this vulnerable cohort of men. ...
... Loneliness and social isolation are consistently identified as risk factors for poor mental and physical health in older people-an age cohort more likely to experience many of the risk factors that can cause or exacerbate social isolation or loneliness, such as living alone, the loss of family or friends, chronic illness and sensory impairments (NASEM, 2020). The implications of loneliness and social isolation include disruption of social interactions and routines, reduced meaningful activity, reduced social and emotional support, potential for grief, loss, and trauma responses, limited access to resources and reduced physicality (Campbell, 2020). Indeed, a substantial body of evidence demonstrates that social isolation presents a major risk for premature mortality, and is a particular cause for concern among low income, underserved and vulnerable populations (NASEM, 2020). ...
... Amongst the COVID cohort at T3, those living alone had significantly higher loneliness scores than those living with family, suggesting again that the Shed may be protective against loneliness for those at risk of isolation by providing meaningful social interaction with other Shedders prior to COVID-19. In keeping with previous findings (Campbell, 2020;Nasem, 2020), higher rates of loneliness were correlated with reduced wellbeing in this study with Shedders in the 'lonely' category more likely to have poorer perceived health ratings, lower life satisfaction scores and lower rates of physical activity. This highlights the need for and the value of tailored interventions such as SFL to ameliorate the impact of loneliness among this vulnerable cohort of men. ...
COVID-19 disproportionately affects males especially those who are older and more socio-economically disadvantaged. This study assessed wellbeing outcomes among men’s shed members (Shedders) in Ireland at baseline (T1), 3 (T2), 6 (T3) and 12 months (T4) in response to a 10-week health promotion program ‘Sheds for Life’ (SFL). Two cohorts participated in SFL commencing in March and September 2019. This study compares the T3 findings from one cohort carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic [COVID cohort (n = 185)] with T3 findings from a comparator cohort [pre-COVID cohort (n = 195)], completed pre-COVID-19. Questionnaires assessing wellbeing [life satisfaction, mental health, loneliness, physical activity (PA), self-rated health and other lifestyle measures] were analyzed in both cohorts T1, T2 and T3. Self-rated Health and life satisfaction decreased in the COVID cohort at T3 (p < 0.001), while loneliness scores increased (p < 0.0005). Higher loneliness scores were correlated with lower health ratings, life satisfaction and PA during COVID-19 (p < 0.001). Days PA decreased in the COVID cluster at T3 from T2 (p < 0.01) with those in urban areas reporting lower activity levels than rural areas (p < 0.05). Those sufficiently active at baseline managed to maintain PA during COVID-19 while those not meeting guidelines were more likely to report decreases (p < 0.001). Shedders experiencing COVID-19 restrictions are at an increased risk of poorer wellbeing and increased levels of loneliness. Support and guidance are needed to safely encourage this cohort back into men’s sheds, settings that protect against loneliness and positively promote health and wellbeing.
Lay summary
The COVID-19 pandemic will have wide-reaching implications on wellbeing, particularly on those who are older and more vulnerable. Evidence also suggests that COVID-19 disproportionately affects males. This study aimed to understand the impact that COVID-19 has had on men in the setting of Men’s Sheds in Ireland. Two cohorts of men who were participating in a 10-week health and wellbeing program (Sheds for Life) at different stages were followed over time. At 6 months follow-up the first Cohort had not experienced COVID-19 whereas the second cohort was actively experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic. We measured wellbeing using questionnaires, comparing both groups of men for differences. We found that the men who were experiencing COVID-19 had lower self-rated health, physical activity and life satisfaction as well as higher rates of loneliness, with those who were more lonely reporting lower wellbeing scores. We also found that men in rural areas were more physically active during COVID-19 and that those were not active were more likely to become more inactive during COVID-19. This study suggests that support and guidance is needed to safely encourage this cohort back into Men’s Sheds, settings that protect against loneliness and positively promote health and wellbeing.
... Insbesondere diese Altersgruppe und ihre Bedürfnisse müssen daher in den Maßnahmen des Infektionsschutzes stärker berücksichtigt werden, um eine Zunahme von Einsamkeit und Morbidität zu vermeiden. Gleichzeitig sollten Menschen, die in solchen Ausnahmezeiten wie der Coronapandemie oder eines (Teil-)Lockdowns ein Schicksal wie den Tod eines geliebten Mitmenschen oder den Verlust der Arbeit erleben, auch (weiterhin) unterstützt werden können: Unter diesen Beeinträchtigungen kann sich die Belastung potenzieren und das Leiden im Vergleich zu uneingeschränkten Zeiten verstärken, wenn nicht ausreichend soziale Unterstützung gegeben werden kann [4]. Entsprechend sollten hier langfristige Lösungen gefunden werden, bei denen beispielsweise die Digitalisierung einen entscheidenden Faktor übernehmen kann. ...
Zusammenfassung
Hintergrund
Soziale Isolation ist ein Risikofaktor für Einsamkeit und damit für gesundheitliche Beeinträchtigungen. Veränderungen im Zusammenhang mit der Coronapandemie in Deutschland gilt es besser zu verstehen.
Fragestellung
Ziel der Studie war es, Einsamkeit und assoziierte Faktoren vor und während der Coronapandemie in Deutschland systematisch zu untersuchen. Die Fragestellungen waren: 1. Wie einsam fühlen sich Menschen vor und während der Coronapandemie? 2. Wie viele Menschen fühlen sich seit Beginn der Coronapandemie einsamer ? 3. Wie viele Menschen berichten über gesundheitliche Belastungen während der Coronapandemie?
Material und Methoden
Im Jahr 2019 (vor der Coronapandemie) wurden 1003 und im Jahr 2020 (während der Coronapandemie) 1050 Erwachsene online befragt (51 % Frauen; 18–90 Jahre).
Ergebnisse
Es fühlten sich 10,8 % vs. 26,6 % der Befragten vor bzw. seit der Coronapandemie mehrfach pro Woche oder täglich einsam. Alleinlebende, Frauen und Jüngere fühlten sich häufiger einsam. Seit der Coronapandemie fühlten sich 30,8 % einsamer, v. a. Jüngere. Von starken gesundheitlichen Belastungen berichteten 18,9 %, dies hing mit jüngerem Alter, verschiedenen Sorgen/Ängsten und Einsamkeit zusammen.
Diskussion
Die höhere Ausprägung der Einsamkeit und Sorgen während der Coronapandemie sollte bei verhaltensbezogenen Maßnahmen zur Prävention der psychischen und körperlichen Beeinträchtigungen sowie behördlichen Maßnahmen berücksichtigt werden. Jüngere Menschen und Alleinlebende könnten profitieren, indem sie zu gezielten Bewältigungsstrategien (z. B. angemessener Nutzung digitaler Medien) ermutigt werden.
... By September 2020 a sufficient number and range of academic articles about the local and international impact of COVID-19 pandemic began to appear. They highlighted the devastating impact on already disadvantaged groups including on older adults in the US (Campbell 2020;Hamm, Brown, Karp et al., 2020) and men's sheds participants in Ireland (McGrath, 2020). The research also identified particular concerns about the severe impact of the virus as well as the associated lockdowns on mental health (Amundson & Taylor, 2020;Talevi, Socci, Carai, et al., 2020), psychosocial wellbeing (Otu, Charles & Yaya, 2020) men's health (Baker, White & Morgan, 2020) and substance abuse (Biddle, Edwards, Gray & Sollis, 2020). ...
The things that change the world, according to Chaos theory, are the tiny things. A butterfly flaps its wings in the Amazonian jungle, and subsequently a storm ravages half of Europe.' Pratchett & Gaiman (1990) Our paper uses a qualitative, case study approach to critically examine the role of community involvement in learning to adapt and develop resilience in the face of disaster. Within a decade, the already disadvantaged, small, Australian rural community of 'Bellbird' faced three catastrophic, human induced disasters: the Millennial Drought We opportunistically reflect on the data from our interviews and emerging literature on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to critically interrogate the role local community learning plays in responding to and developing resilience in the face of locally experienced global disasters. We conclude that Bellbird is a good example of a small, rural community where formal, top down decision making approaches to adult and community education in 2020 in Australia are sometimes impossible or inappropriate. Bellbird in effect exercised agency to create its unique, place and needs-based form of lifelong and lifewide learning 'bottom up' at its atypical community Men's Shed. The practices and commitments the Shed adopted have provided the community with opportunities for developing personal and collective wellbeing and the necessary resilience for adapting to likely future shocks.
... being, such as poor dietary behaviors. Moreover, assessing and intervening to address any unmet socially oriented need during the current pandemic lock-downs, may also promote, rather than deter, the possibility of positive health outcomes for older community dwelling adults in the future even if COVID-19 rulings no longer apply[57,[61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71][72]. SeeTable 2.The infection risk, plus the suffering incurred by many older adults with osteoarthritis living in the community in the context of COVID-19, is clearly immense. ...
Background to the Issue Many older adults, including those already suffering from chronically painful disabling osteoarthritis of one or more joints remain more susceptible than healthy age and gender matched adults to the COVID-19 corona virus. Aims This report sought to examine what has been published in 2020 on this health condition from the perspective of the variable of widely imposed social isolation strategies designed to mitigate the spread of this highly infectious disease, and to especially keep older community dwelling adults ‘safe’ from infection. Methods Reviewed were all articles published in 2020 in PUBMED from January 1-December 24, 2020 on osteoarthritis and COVID-19 isolation impacts, plus relevant past osteoarthritis and isolation literature among older adults. The focus was on ascertaining how social isolation and distancing strategies might impact current community-dwelling adults diagnosed with osteoarthritis and whether more should be done specifically to mitigate any potentially preventable ‘socially’ induced negative health impact among this group, in spite of the laudable goals of this public health strategy. Results Older adults with osteoarthritis living in the community who are asked to self-isolate, may incur more osteoarthritis pain and disability than would otherwise be encountered if actions taken to counter this possibility are not forthcoming. Advocated over and above basic care approaches are several psychosocial strategies including the role of mobilizing various forms of social support. Conclusion Data indicate a need for concerted thoughtful and immediate attention to offset isolation, fear, and anxiety and depression effects as part of a carefully devised integrated plan of management to reduce excess osteoarthritis disability, as well as excess COVID-19 risk among otherwise free living older adults already compromised by osteoarthritis.
... The most vulnerable suffer the most from spatial distancing. Many suffer serious emotional grief that contributes to physical deterioration because online contact is not sufficient (Campbell, 2020). Family members told to keep away from vulnerable relatives to protect them from contracting the virus report they feel it is their moral obligation to be physically close to vulnerable relatives, and do so with trepidation (Guttman et al., 2020). ...
Communication plays a critical role in all stages of a pandemic. From the moment it is officially declared governments and public health organizations aim to inform the public about the risk from the disease and to encourage people to adopt mitigation practices. The purpose of this article is to call attention to the multiple types and the complexity of ethical challenges in COVID-19 communication. Different types of ethical issues in COVID-19 communication are presented in four main sections. The first deals with ethical issues in informing the public about the risk of the pandemic and dilemmas regarding communicating uncertainty, using threats and scare tactics, and framing the pandemic as a war. The second concerns unintended consequences that relate to increasing inequities, stigmatization, ageism, and delaying medical care. The third raises ethical issues in communicating about specific mitigation practices: contact tracing, wearing face masks, spatial (also referred to as social) distancing, and handwashing or sanitizing. The fourth concerns appealing to positive social values associated with solidarity and personal responsibility, and ethical challenges when using these appeals. The article concludes with a list of practical implications and the importance of identifying ethical concerns, which necessitate interdisciplinary knowledge, cross-disciplinary collaborations, public discourse and advocacy.
... By the said mass quarantine in care homes and establishments, the State isolated vulnerable elderly persons from their families, limited movements within establishments, often confining individuals to their rooms or beds for days and weeks if not months, reduced the staff and allowed staff to take extended or frequent sick leaves, forced staff to adopt extreme measures such as masks, shields and gloves, which can induce a measure of fear or terror, created a general atmosphere of danger, and prevented air circulation by locking doors and windows, and by preventing ingoing and outgoing traffic except for essential services (Campbell, 2020;Comas-Herrera, Fernandez, et al., 2020;Wu, 2020). ...
We analyzed historic and recent all-cause mortality data for France, and other jurisdictions for comparison, using model fitting to quantify winter-burden deaths, and deaths from exceptional events. In this way, COVID-19 is put in historic perspective. We prove that the "COVID-peak" feature that is present in the all-cause mortality data of certain mid-latitude Northern hemisphere jurisdictions, including France, cannot be a natural epidemiological event occurring in the absence of a large non-pathogenic perturbation. We are certain that this "COVID-peak" is artificial because it: i. occurs sharply (one-month width) at an unprecedented location in the seasonal cycle of all-cause mortality (centered at the end of March), 2 ii. is absent in many jurisdictions (34 of the USA States have no "COVID-peak"), and iii. varies widely in magnitude from jurisdiction to jurisdiction in which it occurs. We suggest that: • the unprecedented strict mass quarantine and isolation of both sick and healthy elderly people, together and separately, killed many of them, • that this quarantine and isolation is the cause of the "COVID-peak" event that we have quantified, • and that the medical mechanism is mainly via psychological stress and social isolation of individuals with health vulnerabilities. According to our calculations, this caused some 30.2 K deaths in France in March and April 2020. However, even including the "COVID-peak", the 2019-2020 winter-burden all-cause mortality is not statistically larger than usual. Therefore SARS-CoV-2 is not an unusually virulent viral respiratory disease pathogen. By analyzing the all-cause mortality data from 1946 to 2020, we also identified a large and steady increase in all-cause mortality that began in approximately 2008, which is too large to be explained by population growth in the relevant age structure, and which may be related to the economic crash of 2008 and its long-term societal consequences. ---- Résumé en français : Nous avons analysé les données historiques et récentes de mortalité toutes causes confondues pour la France et d'autres juridictions à des fins de comparaison, en lissant une courbe théorique pour quantifier les décès dus à la charge hivernale et les décès dus à des événements exceptionnels. De cette façon, on peut observer le COVID-19 avec une perspective historique. Ainsi, nous prouvons que le « pic COVID » présent dans les données de mortalité toutes causes confondues de certaines juridictions de l'hémisphère Nord à moyenne latitude, y compris la France, ne peut pas être un événement épidémiologique naturel ayant survenu de façon naturelle, en l'absence d'une grande perturbation non pathogène. Nous sommes convaincus que le « pic COVID » est artificiel car : i. il s'est produit brusquement (largeur d'un mois) à une date sans précédent dans le cycle saisonnier de mortalité toutes causes confondues (milieu du pic à la fin mars), ii. il est absent dans de nombreuses juridictions (34 des États américains n'ont pas de « pic COVID »), et iii. l'ampleur de ce pic varie considérablement d'une juridiction à l'autre. Nous suggérons que : • la quarantaine de masse et l'isolement strict sans précédent des personnes âgées malades et en bonne santé, ensemble et séparément, a tué beaucoup d'entre eux, 4 • que cette quarantaine et cet isolement sont la cause de l'événement « pic-COVID » que nous avons quantifié, • et que le mécanisme médical expliquant ce pic passe principalement par le stress psychologique et l'isolement social des personnes vulnérables au niveau de leur santé. Selon nos calculs, ces mesures ont provoqué quelques 30,2 K décès en France en mars et avril 2020. Cependant, même en incluant le « pic COVID », la charge hivernale de mortalité toutes causes confondues pour l'hiver 2019-2020 n'est pas statistiquement supérieure aux charges hivernales habituelles, ce qui nous amène à affirmer que le SARS-CoV-2 n'est pas un virus responsable de maladies respiratoires inhabituellement virulent. En analysant les données de mortalité toutes causes confondues de 1946 à 2020, nous avons également identifié une augmentation importante et régulière de la mortalité toutes causes confondues qui a commencé vers 2008, trop importante pour être expliquée par la croissance de la population étant donné la pyramide des âges, mais qui pourrait être liée à la crise économique de 2008 et à ses conséquences sociétales sur le long terme.
This scoping review focuses on evidence gaps regarding the effects on health, social participation and life contexts of older people at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is based on a systematic search strategy of the international literature covering a period between December 2019 and June 2020. The review is supplemented by a search of the websites of selected organisations in Germany (cut-off date: 29 June 2020). Search hits were differentiated by types of publication (empirical study, review, discussion paper). The contents were summarised in tabular form according to topic. The publications mainly discussed the high risks of suffering severe courses of COVID-19 faced by older people, specifically those belonging to certain subgroups. In addition, further main topics were the pandemic's indirect impacts on physical and mental health, physical and cognitive functions and participation in society. Social isolation, loneliness, reduced levels of physical activity and difficulties in maintaining care were discussed as major health risks. Ageism was an issue that was addressed across all of the identified topics. The publications highlighted the need, but also the opportunity, for raising public awareness of the needs of older people in various life contexts. Publications pointed to the urgent need for research into the biological and social causes of older peoples' high infection risk and how measures could be adapted in a differentiated manner (infection prevention and control measures, social support, medical and nursing care).
Background
This study aims to elucidate the impact of financial incentives on the motivation to participate in dementia prevention activities and to provide support to people with dementia.
Methods
An online survey was completed by 1500 men and women, aged 60 or above, from the general community in Japan. When responding to questions regarding motivation for participating in dementia prevention activities and providing support to people with dementia, respondents were randomly assigned different incentive conditions. Two incentive options were used for dementia prevention activities (no incentives, and a small number of reward points). Three incentive options were used for support activities (no incentives, a small cash reward, or an in‐kind time reward that allowed respondents or their family members to use similar services at a later time (time credits)).
Results
Financial incentives decreased motivation for participating in dementia prevention activities, while time credits significantly increased motivation to participate in providing support to people with dementia for going out of their home, when receiving a cash reward was compared with receiving no reward. No significant differences by incentive were found for participating in daily living support for those with dementia or for providing support at a dementia café where people with dementia and their families interact.
Conclusions
The adverse influence of financial incentives on motivation to participate in dementia prevention suggested that financial incentives may reduce intrinsic motivation for dementia prevention activities. The positive effects of time credits in providing support to people with dementia in going out suggested that time credits might be effective for some support activities for people with dementia. Different incentive measures should be considered to raise awareness of dementia prevention and dementia support activities.
Background
Loneliness is a significant psychosocial effect following a cancer diagnosis and may prevent people from engaging in social activities, thus creating difficulties in interpersonal relationships. This study investigated loneliness and social support among cognitively intact nursing home residents with cancer by using a quantitatively driven mixed-methods design with sequential supplementary qualitative components.
Methods
The quantitative component consisted of face-to-face interviews of 60 nursing home residents (≥65 years) using the one-item Loneliness Scale and the Social Provisions Scale. The supplementary psychosocial component consisted of qualitative research interviews about experiences related to loneliness with nine respondents.
Results
The quantitative results indicated that reassurance of worth was associated with loneliness. The experience of loneliness was identified by the following: loneliness that was dominated by a feeling of inner pain, feeling of loss, and feeling small. Loneliness was alleviated by the following: being engaged in activities, being in contact with other people, and occupying oneself.
Conclusion
Enhancing the lives of nursing home residents with cancer requires attending to the residents’ experience of loneliness and social relationships in a targeted and individualized manner. This might require screening all nursing home residents for early detection of loneliness. Revealing factors that may contribute to or reduce loneliness improves the ability to enhance people’s lives.
Special Issue: JGSW call for Letters to the Editor: Corona Virus, COVID-19, and social work with older adults
Undoubtedly, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has brought both systemic, practice changes and limitations to social workers’ commitment to the welfare of vulnerable populations such as older people. A golden preventive rule of the COVID-19 pandemic; maintaining physical and social distancing, has limited social workers’ direct practice support for older people who are considered as an at-risk population. Within jurisdictions such as Ghana where kinship care practices are culturally engrained, social workers should promote kinship care support as substitute mechanisms and pathways to safeguard or meet the welfare needs of older people.