Social networks are particularly important for older adults as they face the greatest threats to health and depend on network relationships, more than younger individuals, to meet their needs. Increasing diversity, and not just increasing size, of social networks may be essential for improving health and survival among older adults.
Highlights What is the primary question addressed by this study? The primary purpose of the study was to investigate which methods of communication during the COVID-19 pandemic were associated with more positive and less negative emotional experiences and perceptions of resident experiences of family members and friends of older adults in long-term care facilities in the United States. What is the main finding of this study? Using the phone more frequently was associated with less negative emotional experiences for participants, and using email more frequently was associated with more positive perceived resident experiences. Having letters delivered more frequently was associated with more participant and perceived resident negative emotions. What is the meaning of the findings? Connecting with family members and friends in long-term care facilities, especially via phone, may contribute to better emotional experiences for family members, friends, and long-term care residents.
As the world embarks on mass vaccination for COVID-19, we are beginning to encounter unintended dilemmas in imaging oncology patients; particularly with regards to FDG PET/CT. In some cases, vaccine-related lymphadenopathy and FDG uptake on PET/CT can mimic cancer and lead to confounding imaging results. These cases with findings overlapping with cancer pose a significant dilemma for diagnostic purposes, follow-up, and management leading to possible treatment delays, unnecessary repeat imaging and sampling, and patient anxiety. These cases can largely be avoided by optimal coordination between vaccination and planned imaging as well as preemptive selection of vaccine administration site. This coordination hinges on patient, oncologist, and radiologists’ awareness of this issue and collaboration. Through close communication and patient education, we believe this will eliminate significant challenges for our oncology patients as we strive to end this pandemic.
Background and Objectives Social support networks of older adults have been linked to their health and well-being; however, findings regarding the effects of specific network characteristics have been mixed. Additionally, due to demographic shifts increasing numbers of older adults live outside of traditional family structures. Previous studies have not systematically examined the resulting complexity and heterogeneity of older adults’ social networks. Our objectives were to examine this complexity and heterogeneity by developing a multidimensional typology of social networks that simultaneously considers multiple structural and functional network characteristics, and to examine differences in network type membership by sociodemographic characteristics, health characteristics, and birth cohort. Research Design and Methods Participants included 5,192 adults aged 57–85 years in the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project at rounds 1 (2005–2006) and 3 (2015–2016). Data were collected on social relationships including network size, diversity, frequency of contact, and perceived support and strain in relationships. We used latent class analysis to derive the network typology and multinomial logistic regression to examine differences in network type membership by sociodemographic characteristics, health characteristics, and birth cohort. Results Older adults were classified into 5 distinct social network types: (i) large, with strain; (ii) large, without strain; (iii) small, diverse, low contact; (iv) small, restricted, high contact; and (v) medium size and support. Membership in these network types varied by age, gender, marital status, race/ethnicity, education, mental health, and birth cohort. Discussion and Implications Network typologies can elucidate the varied interpersonal environments of older adults and identify individuals who lack social connectedness on multiple network dimensions and are therefore at a higher risk of social isolation.
Despite growing interest in the health-related consequences of racially discriminatory institutional policies and practices, public health scholars have yet to reach a consensus on how to measure and analyze exposure to institutional racism. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the conceptualization, measurement, and analysis of institutional racism in the context of quantitative research on minority health and health disparities in the United States. We begin by providing definitions of key concepts (e.g., racialization, racism, racial inequity) and describing linkages between these ideas. Next, we discuss the hypothesized mechanisms that link exposure to institutional racism with health. We then provide a framework to advance empirical research on institutional racism and health, informed by a literature review that summarizes measures and analytic approaches used in previous studies. The framework addresses six considerations: (1) policy identification, (2) population of interest, (3) exposure measurement, (4) outcome measurement, (5) study design, and (6) analytic approach. Research utilizing the proposed framework will help inform structural interventions to promote minority health and reduce racial and ethnic health disparities. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40615-022-01381-9.
Introduction: Since the appearance of COVID-19 pandemic by the end of 2019 and beginning of 2020 conferences, and events are canceled targeting the social distance to limit the spread and decrease the danger of the newly emerging virus webinars instead spread all over the world as an educational tool with no risk of communications. Purpose: to evaluate the effi cacy of webinars in increasing the clinical and surgical skills of Egyptian ophthalmologists during the time of obligatory social distancing of COVID-19. Results: most of ophthalmologists in this survey consider the webinars is a good educational tool and hoping to progress after COVID-19 Pandemic. Most of them followed their topics of interest rather than the speaker or the organizing company and interested till the end due to the more comfortable situations. Conclusion: Webinars are readily available technology inexpensive, benefi cial experience added to the clinical and surgical skills of Egyptian ophthalmologists who are hoping to be continued even after the COVID-19 pandemic time.
Background: Family caregivers offer essential support to persons living with dementia (PLWD). Providing care for more than one family member or close other across adulthood is becoming increasingly common, yet little is known about the ways that caregiving experiences shape caregiver preparedness. The current study presents a grounded theory of future caregiver preparedness in former caregivers of PLWD. Method: A coding team (five coders and two auditors) used Consensual Qualitative Research and grounded theory techniques to analyze transcripts from 32 semi-structured interviews with midlife former caregivers of parents who died following advanced Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Results: Qualitative analysis revealed two dimensions of future caregiver preparedness: caregiving confidence and caregiving insights. Narratives from caregiving experiences informed participants' descriptions of their future caregiver preparedness. Though some former caregivers described a positive (i.e., boosted or sustained) sense of caregiving confidence following care for their parents, others described a diminished (i.e., restricted or impeded) sense of confidence.Regardless of their confidence, all caregivers described specific caregiving insights related to one or more categories (i.e., caregiving self-conduct, care systems and resources, and relating with a care partner).Conclusions: Preparedness for future caregiving following recent care for a PLWD varies: For some, past experiences appear to offer cumulative advantages in anticipating future care roles, whereas for others, past experiences may contribute to apprehension towards, or rejection of, future care roles. Entering new
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