The aim of this study was to explore old persons’ experiences of positive solitude (PS) and the gaps between their experience and professional caregivers’ perceptions of older adults’ experiences of PS. Moreover, we attempt to understand the basic mechanism that may explain these gaps.

A qualitative method was used.

Fourty-one older adults (aged 65–103 years) and 2 groups of professionals: 16 occupational therapists with a specialization in gerontology and 41 gerontology graduate students from other occupations.

Four open-ended questions about PS were asked. The older adults described their views on PS and experiences during solitude. The two caregiver groups, who are familiar with older adults, answered the questions twice, referring once to themselves and once to older adults in general.

A. Gaps exist between old peoples’ and caregivers’ perceptions and experience of PS. B. The caregivers believe that older adults cannot easily enjoy PS. C. Caregivers believe that there are certain preconditions for older adults’ experience of PS. D. Differences in attitude toward older adults between the caregiver groups were found.

Although old people occasionally prefer PS, culture and age bias may prevent caregivers from accepting older adults’ need for PS. Practical implications include the need to raise awareness of age bias among caregiving staff, in particular regarding their acceptance of older adults’ PS experiences. This may improve the staff’s willingness to enable older adults to experience PS without interruption.

Although older adults often experience negative life events or loss experiences, they rarely experience large decreases in their quality of life or well-being. Emotionally satisfying relationships in older adults may serve as a protective factor that reduces the impact of negative events in decreasing well-being. The availability of these close social contacts is essential, and their potential for alleviating feelings of loneliness after negative events could have an important role in promoting well-being. The aim of this study was to test the hypothetical moderation and mediation effects of social and emotional loneliness on the occurrence of negative old-age life events and well-being in later life.

This was a cross-sectional survey conducted as part of the Detection, Support and Care for older people – Prevention and Empowerment research project (2015–2018).

Participants were community-dwelling older adults in Flanders (Belgium).

The sample composed of 770 participants aged 60 years and over.

Participant demographics, social and emotional loneliness, and subjective well-being were measured. Moderation and mediation analyses were performed using the regression-based approach as conducted by Hayes and Rockwood (2017).

Results indicated that a low degree of (social) loneliness is a protective, moderating factor and (emotional) loneliness is a mediating factor on the effects of negative life events on well-being in later life.

Findings highlight the importance of emotionally and socially satisfying social contacts in order to maintain positive subjective well-being in later life when negative life events may occur.

The main aim of this study was to examine the impact of age-related changes on mental health, metacognitive, and motor functioning in late adulthood, while controlling for the effect of gender. Additionally, this investigation intended to study the association between motor efficiency indexes and self-reported psychological well-being, depression and cognitive failures over a period of 24 months.

Prospective longitudinal study: post hoc analysis.

Ninety-one community-dwelling older participants (mean age = 78.7 years, SD = 5.6) were recruited in a rural village of the Sardinian Blue Zone – an area of exceptional longevity located in the central–eastern region of Sardinia, an Italian island in the Mediterranean Sea.

All respondents completed a battery of tests and questionnaires assessing motor and general cognitive efficiency, self-reported psychological well-being, negative affect, and cognitive failures.

The adoption of a multilevel modeling approach highlighted the significative impact of time on psychological well-being, as well as on mobility parameters like gait speed and cadence, while controlling for the gender effect. Overall, psychological well-being and motor swing significantly increase at follow-up, whereas the further above-mentioned measures decreased after 24 months. Moreover, compared to the national cut-off, at baseline and follow-up, participants reported higher perceived emotional well-being. Finally, significant relationships between motor scores and self-reported mental health and metacognitive measures were found both at baseline and follow-up.

The maintenance of motor efficiency and preserved mental health seems to contribute to the successful aging of older people living in the Sardinian Blue Zone.

The COVID-19 pandemic may pose a specific threat for Holocaust survivors, as such threats may be linked with increased psychological distress. Moreover, research has demonstrated that engaging in planful problem-solving activities is associated with reduced distress. Accordingly, we aimed to examine the link between engaging in activities during COVID-19 and psychological distress among Holocaust survivors with varying levels of post-traumatic symptoms (PTS) and comparisons (not directly exposed to the Holocaust).

A cross-sectional design composed of Holocaust survivors and a comparison group.

Participants were interviewed face-to-face, over the telephone, or filled the scales online at their leisure.

Data were collected from 131 older Jewish Israelis (age range 76–94, M = 82.73, SD = 4.09), who were divided into three groups (comparisons; low-PTS survivors; high-PTS survivors).

Participants completed scales assessing PTS, activity engagement, and psychological distress and provided additional sociodemographic, medical, and COVID-19-related information.

When activity engagement was low, high-PTS survivors reported extremely high levels of psychological distress relative to low-PTS survivors and comparisons. However, when activity engagement was high, these group differences were considerably reduced, as the psychological distress of high-PTS survivors was significantly lower.

The study highlights the importance of daily planning and activity engagement for Holocaust survivors with high PTS levels in reducing psychological distress. Clinicians are urged to take this factor into account when dealing with the psychological effects of COVID-19 on survivors and on traumatized older adults in general.

Given the widely acknowledged benefits of intergenerational programs (IGPs), we compared processes and structures across different IGP types and explored potential areas for improvement.

Thirteen IGPs were classified into three types: arts, learning, and assistance programs. Data were collected through direct structured interviews and analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively.

Participants were recruited from community-based IGPs in the greater Tel Aviv area of Israel.

Eighty-four older participants (OPs), 97 younger participants (YPs), and 21 organizers were interviewed.

Questions included participant demographics as well as closed- and open-ended questions regarding processes based on the Impact of Intergenerational Programs Questionnaire (IIPQ).

Responses to closed-ended questions were compared among IGP types and age groups using two-way ANOVAs for ordinal data, and chi-squares for nominal data. Responses to open-ended questions by OP, YP, and program organizers about potential areas for improvement were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Processes in need of improvement were preparation and guidance, length of program participation, and monitoring of activities, which differed across IGP types and age groups. These processes were related to broader structural problems such as lack of resources, organizers’ poor employment conditions, and inadequate public services for older persons in Israel.

Our study highlights the complex relationships between IGP types, processes, and structures. IGP processes and goals can be hindered by structural variables such as insufficient funding, infrastructure, and public services for older adults.

Previous work using a US sample has shown that an index of social deprivation (SoDep Index) is associated with cognitive functioning and decline in older adults. This study aimed to replicate these findings using a European sample (Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, SHARE).

We analyzed data of 51,630 respondents aged 50 years and older (M: 63.5 years, standard deviation [SD]: 9.1) with at least two cognitive assessments (follow-up M: 6.06 years, SD: 3.86). Cognitive scores were transformed to Z-scores. Multiple growth curve modeling was used to model cognitive status and decline as predicted by the SoDep Index. In a sensitivity analysis, we constructed a new SoDep Index (SoDep Indexnew) including further social deprivation domains.

Adjusting for covariates, a unit increase in SoDep Index was associated with a cognitive score of 0.037 SDs smaller (p < .001) and a decline 0.003 SDs per year faster (p < .001). Of the covariates, depressive symptoms, chronic disease burden, male gender, and widowhood were also associated with poorer cognition. Being divorced was associated with better cognition. Sensitivity analysis confirmed findings. Compared to the SoDep Index, the SoDep Indexnew showed a more pronounced association with both cognition and cognitive decline.

We were able to replicate results showing an association between SoDep Index and cognitive function and decline. The sensitivity analysis further emphasizes the relevance of financial security. This strengthens the implication that preventing social deprivation can contribute to reducing the dementia burden by raising cognitive functioning in the older population. The findings are relevant to policy-makers and health care practitioners.