Search results for "Oldest old"

New Older Users’ Attitudes Toward Social Networking Sites and Loneliness: The Case of the Oldest-Old Residents in a Small Italian City

2021

Older adults make little use of social networking sites (SNS). SNS has become essential for maintaining social contacts and countering loneliness in the current era marked by the Covid-19 pandemic. This study explores the attitudes of the oldest-old on SNS after attending a training course on SNS use. The study’s goals are to investigate their personal experiences, choices of use and to survey their views on the usefulness of SNS and its effects on mitigating loneliness for older people. The interviews were conducted in the context of the “Ageing in a Networked Society—Social Experiment Study.” The participants, who were randomly selected for the course on SNS use, agreed to be interviewed…

Health capital in everyday life of the oldest old living in their own homes

2014

ABSTRACTAs more people experience old age as a time of growth and productivity, more research is needed that explores how they master everyday life. This paper reports on a qualitative study that explored how ten older women age 90 years or more experience and cope with the challenges of everyday life with a salutogenic perspective. The findings suggest that health resources such as positive expectation, reflection and adaptation, function and active contribution, relations and home, contribute to the health capital of women. These health resources were of importance for the women's experience of comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness in daily life. Health capital is a meaningf…

Body Mass Index and Waist Circumference as Predictors of Disability in Nonagenarians: The Vitality 90+ Study.

2017

Background Only scarce data exist on the association between obesity and disability in the oldest old. The purpose of this prospective study is to examine if body mass index and waist circumference (WC) are associated with incident mobility and activities of daily living (ADL) disability in nonagenarians. Methods We used longitudinal data from the Vitality 90+ Study, which is a population-based study conducted at the area of Tampere, Finland. Altogether 291 women and 134 men, aged 90-91 years, had measured data on body mass index and/or WC and did not have self-reported mobility or ADL disability at baseline. Incident mobility and ADL disability was followed-up on median 3.6 years (range 0.…

Description of Lifestyle, Including Social Life, Diet and Physical Activity, of People ≥90 years Living in Ikaria, a Longevity Blue Zone

2021

A cross-sectional observational study was conducted to describe the lifestyle of people ≥90 years, living in Evdilos or Raches, two municipalities of the Greek island of Ikaria, classified a longevity blue zone. The 71 participants were interviewed and underwent the Mediterranean Islands study food frequency questionnaire (MEDIS-FFQ) and the international physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ). The frequency of social contacts was daily for 77.9% of participants, weekly for 16.1%, and monthly for 5.9%. Most participants (90.0%) believed in God, and 81.4% took part in religious events. A total of 62.0% attended Panigiria festivals. Access to primary health care was considered difficult in th…

Disability, and not diabetes, is a strong predictor of mortality in oldest old patients hospitalized with pneumonia

2018

Abstract Background Pneumonia causes more deaths than any other infectious disease, especially in older patients with multiple chronic diseases. Recent studies identified a low functional status as prognostic factor for mortality in elderly patients with pneumonia while contrasting data are available about the role of diabetes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in-hospital, 3-month and 1-year mortality in elderly subjects affected by pneumonia enrolled in the RePoSi register. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the data collected on hospitalized elderly patients in the frame of the REPOSI project. We analyzed the socio-demographic, laboratory and clinical characteristics of subjects…

ACUTE PHASE RESPONSE IN OLDEST-OLD INDIVIDUALS AFTER SURGICAL STRESS

2006

Treating cancer in older and oldest old patients.

2015

The so-called “silver tsunami” is a metaphor that the individuals 65 and older represent the most rapidly growing segment of the Western world population. Aging is an ongoing process that leads to the loss of functional reserve of multiple organ systems, increased susceptibility to stress, it is associated with increased prevalence of chronic disease, and functional dependence. Determined by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, this process is highly individualized and poorly reflected in chronologic age. The heterogeneity and the complexity of the older old population represent the main challenge to the treatment of cancer in those patients. We should discern "fit" elderly i…

p16INK4a, NAD+, and Sestrins: New Targets for Combating Aging-Related Chronic Illness?

2014

Aging-related chronic illness is a price we have to pay to live longer. Prevalent among the oldest old, the condition limits their functional independence and also aggravates the course of several age-related chronic diseases. Thus, the search is on for efficient therapies that will mitigate age-related pathologies. In this article, we point out the potential clinical implications of recent provocative basic research in the field. New possible targets have been recently discovered, are clearly involved in age-related pathologies and might benefit the treatment of other age-related conditions, particularly metabolic diseases.

Body Mass Index and Waist Circumference as Predictors of Disability in Nonagenarians : The Vitality 90+ Study

2017

Background Only scarce data exist on the association between obesity and disability in the oldest old. The purpose of this prospective study is to examine if body mass index and waist circumference (WC) are associated with incident mobility and activities of daily living (ADL) disability in nonagenarians. Methods We used longitudinal data from the Vitality 90+ Study, which is a population-based study conducted at the area of Tampere, Finland. Altogether 291 women and 134 men, aged 90–91 years, had measured data on body mass index and/or WC and did not have self-reported mobility or ADL disability at baseline. Incident mobility and ADL disability was followed-up on median 3.6 years (range 0.…

Everyday Life Meaningfulness for the Community-Dwelling Oldest Old During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021

In many countries, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to strong restrictions and changed the everyday lives of older people. In Finland, people aged 70 and over were instructed to stay at home under quarantine-like conditions. Existing studies from other countries have reported increases in negative experiences and symptoms as a result of such restrictions, including psychosocial stress. However, little focus has been given to older people’s experiences of meaningfulness during the pandemic. Using survey and interview data, we ask to what extent have community-dwelling oldest old (80+) experienced meaningfulness during the pandemic, what background factors are associated with meaningfulness and …