Introduction Social isolation is a major public health concern, as isolated individuals are at increased risk of poor overall health, as well as at increased risk of unhealthy behaviors. During the COVID‐19 pandemic, social distancing strategies have led to increased rates of loneliness and social isolation. There is a clear need for strategies to mitigate the effects of social isolation and loneliness on the mental and physical health of older adults. In this study, we sought to better understand how voice‐controlled intelligent personal assistants (VIPAs) could be leveraged to reduce loneliness and social isolation among home‐bound older adults. Methods Patients and geriatric experts were recruited to use VIPA devices (Google Home) in their homes for 4 weeks and then provide feedback. No prior training was provided. Geriatric experts were recruited via email solicitation from the Northwestern Medicine Geriatrics Clinic, and patients were solicited directly from geriatric primary care physicians. The investigators used qualitative analysis to identify codes and overarching themes. Results A total of 288 comments were received from 16 participants. Eight major themes were identified: Administrative, Companionship, Home Control, Education, Emergencies, Entertainment, Health and Well‐Being, and Reminders. Discussion Results demonstrate that VIPAs can be useful across multiple domains and potentially play a role in providing physical, social, and cognitive stimulation to home‐bound older adults. VIPAs have a wide range of functionality, many of which could be implemented to focus on common geriatric syndromes and may ultimately be a tool to help mitigate social isolation and the consequential loneliness.
Objectives: Older immigrants of Latin American descent are disproportionately impacted by dementia, yet little is known about their dementia-and brain health-related knowledge. We explored perspectives on brain health and aging in this population to inform the development of culturally-relevant interventions. Methods: Individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 Spanish-speaking immigrants over 60. Questions addressed knowledge about the brain, perceptions of healthy and unhealthy aging, ideas of how to take care of one's brain, and where knowledge was acquired. Responses were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results:The following themes emerged: (1) Descriptions of the brain varied, from anatomy, cognition, and psychology to disease. (2) Perceptions of healthy aging included independence, memory, emotions, and orientation. (3) Ideas of how to care for the brain included physical, social, and cognitive engagement. ( 4) Knowledge was acquired in childhood, communities, healthcare settings, careers, and media. Conclusions: Results showed significant variability in knowledge. Findings may be leveraged to improve interventions that address brain health literacy disparities among older Latin American immigrants. Clinical Implications: Takeaways involve increasing education about the structure and functions of the brain, promoting realistic understandings of what nonnormative brain aging entails, and increasing knowledge of empirically-supported maintenance approaches. Dissemination may be increased via healthcare providers, community centers, churches, and media.
Historically marginalized communities disproportionately impacted by the pandemic are demonstrating lower uptake of COVID-19 vaccines. To facilitate the development of culturally tailored, language concordant educational materials promoting COVID-19 vaccination, we first explored older Latinx adults' awareness, attitudes, and beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines and factors involved in vaccination decisions within their communities. Patients and Methods: Individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 participants who self-identified as Latinx/ Hispanic, aged 50 and older, and living in Chicago. Eight interviews were conducted in English and seven in Spanish. Thematic analysis was used to analyze participants' responses. Results: Participants revealed four key factors influencing vaccination decisions: 1. protecting oneself and loved ones (against COVID-19 (n=14), or from perceived dangers of the vaccine (n=9)); 2. trust in authorities (trusting information (n=9), or worrying the vaccine is being manipulated (n=5)); 3. access and availability (gratitude to live in a country where vaccines are available (n=5), or fear of going to vaccination sites due to immigration and insurance status (n=4)); and 4. Employment and semblance of normalcy (vaccination to create opportunities (n=6), or concern about missing out due to side effects (n=9)). Conclusion: Our findings illuminate key factors influencing decisions for COVID-19 vaccination among Latinx older adults in Chicago. Vaccination information aiming to increase vaccination rates among this important population may benefit from leveraging collective pronouns and spirituality, language concordance, low-tech options, building trust, and addressing insurance and immigration doubts. Next steps include developing educational materials based on these themes, followed by dissemination and evaluation. Lessons learned may be of interest to public health experts responding to the ongoing pandemic and other public health crises experienced by historically marginalized communities.
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