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The effects of animal assisted activities to elderlys’ distress
78-91.Views:212Animal- assisted therapy (AAT), a type of therapy that involves animals as a means of treatment, has been discovered by the American psychologist Boris Levinson, 1960. The aim of this study was to determinate how animals can improve person’s emotional and physical well-being. The participants in this study were 111 people. Each participant was evaluated before and after the AAT intervention using objective psychological methods: Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS, Lovibond, 1995, set of three self- report scales designed to measure the emotional states of depression, anxiety and stress). In summary we can report the following result which could be valuable in the field of psychological science, that animals may be used in therapy dealing with depression, anxiety and stress.
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Mental health of older adults living in nursing homes in Slovakia – Results of a preliminary study
44-45Views:25Loneliness is a serious public health problem of an ageing population. The prevalence of loneliness in elderly population was estimated to rise from 10% to 45%. In elderly population, loneliness is considered as a risk factor for mental health disorders, especially depression. Depression and anxiety are among the most common mental health disorders worldwide and their prevalence is increasing, especially among seniors who are hospitalised and living in nursing homes.
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Perceived social support in old age
78-102Views:466Background and aims: In our research, we examined how the degree of perceived social support depends on factors (gender, age, marital status, health, giving up independent living) and how it is related to experiencing aging.
Methods: In our study, we used questionnaires examining social support, attitudes to ageing, life satisfaction, and depression in old age.
Results and discussion: Perceived social support shows a decreasing trend with age, and is lower in the case of singles, those in poor health, and those living in nursing homes. It can be said that all three types of support decreases with age at those living independent, but those living in nursing homes the social support is the lowest in the case of the youngest (65-74 years) and the highest at the of 75-89 years, and the instrumental support over 90 years old. Higher perceived social support results in higher levels of life satisfaction, lower level of depression and more positive experiences of ageing. It is important to note, however, that the support actually provided and the perceived support are not the same.
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Association between Personal Well-being, Functional Status, Anxiety, Depression, Social Support and Spiritual Experience of Older Adults living in nursing Homes in Slovakia
42-43Views:16Satisfaction with life is one of the most important pillars of successful ageing. Assessing the cognitive aspect of subjective well-being (which can be related to life satisfaction) is considered a useful complementary indicator for monitoring and comparing quality of life across countries.
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COVID-19, lockdown, elderly. Experiences of the follow up research among active older adults 2020- 2021.
40-42Views:116Introduction, aims:
The COVID-19 pandemic caused invaluable harms on the World during last two years. Among all economic and societal consequences the negative effects for elderly people was also apparent. Researches - among others - focused on the age related inequalities for accessing and using services, economic disadvantages, the decline of psychical, physical and mental conditions, reduced quality of life, increased level of loneliness, stress and depression, such as the increase and new faces of ageism.
This research focused on the individual and organizational consequences of COVID – 19 pandemic and the effects of the state interventions followed by. The target group were identified as active seniors who have leading positions in different local and regional senior’s associations. These people were affected individually as a member of the age group and as an experts with organizational responsibilities as well.Research method:
We chose a qualitative follow up (longitudinal) research method that was committed by semi structured phone interviews, recorded and anonymised. The time of the two data record focused and followed the main Hungarian waves of the pandemic: May – June in 2020 and June – July in 2021. Sample were collected from all districts of Hungary (n=42).Main research topics were:
- The situation of the older adults (experiences about the local older people, daily life, problems, issues, social connections)
- The life in the organization (activities, new initiatives, problems, issues)
- Individual experiences (fears, daily life, social connections, shopping habits, use of ICT, vaccination).Results:
We found significant differences on the personal life situation and the perception of pandemic and related interventions during the two waves. Pandemic situation may influenced these results. The age related “stay at home campaign” made more difficulties for the older people during the first wave, meanwhile related interventions weren’t so strict during the second wave by introducing shopping timeline for older people and night curfew for all in the late nights. Even first wave did not cause such harm like the second one in Hungary.
During the first wave we found older people as a rule following citizens. They followed all the restrictions and regulations strictly. Life situations mainly were determined by the living conditions, that is means the ones who lived in the countryside mainly a house with garden experienced less negative effects than those, who lived in the housing estate area (first wave mainly fall on March – May).
Older people reported increased importance of the local authorities. With the lack of central supporting interventions, local authorities played main role for local support, care and security. If the local government took care of older people they felt safety. Less interventions and coordination made older people insecured.
The second wave made new situations for people. Older adults became one of the first target groups in vaccination and people started to cope with the pandemic.
Older adults became more critical with governmental interventions.
Critics focussed on the
- pandemic related communication, the vaccination (older people mainly got Shinofarm vaccine that was not accepted in the EU at that time),
- difficulties with the availability of health services, and
- they experienced increased economic problems.
The life in the organization: during the first wave we found frozen life of the seniors organization, cancelled and delayed programmes. Some initiatives were also reported. People preferred to keep contact via phone instead of using another ICT tools. Some of the answerer worried about the community life, how they can restart after the pandemic, others preferred the forthcoming chance for personal meetings.
Seniors organisations may play an important role of the senior’s life by organizing free time and social activities, advocacy, and many other aspects of active ageing. As we made a first extract of this research further analyse will focus more on the good examples and new initiatives on the social, community and organizational levels. -
Association between leisure activities, anxiety, depression and well-being of older adults living in nursing homes in Slovakia
40-41Views:30Engaging in leisure activities (LA) is associated with physical, psychological and social benefits leading to feelings of happiness, life satisfaction and successful ageing in older adults.
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COVID -19 pandemic, surveys on elderly about vaccination. National and European perspectives
14-17Views:117A summary of Symposium titled COVID-19 pandemic, surveys on elderly about vaccination reserved in this abstract.
The severe cases of COVID-19 in Europe. A comparative analysis using SHARE data base
The paper focuses on the severe cases of COVID-19 in Europe and the predictors of these cases. The author used the secondary analysis of a large data base (SHARE) of persons aged 50 or more from the EU countries and the Switzerland. The data have been collected in the summer of 2020. In the first part the focus is on the theoretical starting point of the analysis. In the second part the main outputs are presented.
How to convince the undecided - communication with the elderly and attitudes towards vaccination COVID-19 in Poland
The pandemic has had its toll on the socio-economic life of most people. Governments and international organizations face new challenges in a situation of uncertainty. Social campaigns are designed to encourage as many people as possible to join the vaccination plan. Achieving population resilience requires a significant commitment of organizational, financial and communication resources.
Older people constitute a priority group in the vaccination system in Poland. However, despite the measures taken, there remains a significant share of seniors who remain reluctant to vaccination. The government is taking further pro-turnout measures targeted at the elderly. The shortcomings of the existing strategies should be eliminated for the benefit of society.
The aim is to summarize the research conducted in the field of the needs and possibilities of communication with the elderly, attitudes towards vaccinations and sources of influence on making purchasing decisions of seniors.
Vaccination attitudes – international project in Central and Eastern Europe
The beginnings of the project date back to 2020. The uncertainty that became commonplace in the times of the pandemic indicated new areas of previously unknown dependencies. Stress, uncertainty, attitudes towards the threat, protective behaviour, and soon also attitudes towards vaccination seemed the most important at that time. Examining the existing dependencies would allow a better understanding of the phenomenon of social responses to the pandemic and would support governmental and non-governmental, national and international actions that would be an important tool in the fight against the negative consequences of a spreading COVID-19.
Scientists from Central and Eastern European countries representing different disciplines (sociology, economics, communication, statistics, psychology and psychiatry) joined forces in a common international project investigating the relationship between attitudes towards vaccines and the level of perceived mental health, uncertainty, socio-demographic variables and the level of religiosity. Core aims of the project were to analyse the model of predictors concerning demographic, psychological, and social factors influencing the intention to vaccinate against COVID-19 and to provide the information to prepare and implement more effective and efficient health messaging strategies and campaigns targeting groups reluctant to COVID-19 vaccination in Eastern and Central European countries.
The project involved the development of a common research tool - a questionnaire, parallel research in four countries of Central and Eastern Europe (Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Hungary), more than 2000 respondents (unvaccined adults) and joint development of the results of the analysis, using the potential of all involved partners.
The project is still developed to next stages of investigation. Results will be published in high quality journals in years 2022 and 2023.Partners involved represent: University of Gdańsk (Poland), University of Oradea (Romania), University of Ljubljana (Slovenia), University of Debrecen (Hungary).
More information: k.balandynowicz@ug.edu.pl.
Survey on unvaccinated Hungarian elderly people during the COVID-19 pandemic
During the pandemic, we performed a comparative study of the Hungarian unvaccinated people, focusing on psychological and demographic aspects in our questionnaire. The survey data collection lasted from 27 August to 13 October 2021. Participants were over 18 years of age who have not yet received any vaccination against the COVID-19 virus.
The method used is an on-line questionnaire survey.
The survey is not for political but for scientific purposes, and we hope that its results will contribute to a more professional management of the COVID-19 epidemic. The survey of Hungarian team was conducted in collaboration with Polish, Slovenian and Romanian university researchers.
The test dimensions are as follows:
Well-being at the time of pandemic (happiness, health.)
Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS21)
Vaccination Attitudes Examination Scale (VAX)
Sources of information about vaccination
Religiosity level
Demographics (metrics)
The presentation focuses on the most important aspects of the first analysis of the Hungarian results. The study involved 478 people: 113 men, 363 women, and 2 people identified as “other”. It is worth highlighting from the first processing of the data that a large number of unvaccinated people do not believe that they are at risk of getting the COVID-19 virus. In our sample 42% of the unvaccinated are very sure that the vaccine will not work, and 30.6% are afraid that they will become infected because of the vaccine. They do not usually feel safe after vaccinations, they are afraid of the undiscovered consequences, and they trust more in their natural immunity. 61.8% definitely do not want a vaccine for themselves, nor in the future. 67.3% want to wait to see how vaccines work in other people. During processing, we could identify the ones with a definite anti-vaccination attitude. They were also analyzed on the basis of their political affiliation, religiosity, and place of residence. Regarding the DASS-21 depression subscale, the young age group scored significantly higher than the elderly. According to the DASS-21 stress subscale, the value belonging to young people is significantly higher than that of older people. On the Vaccination Attitudes Examination (VAX) Scale’s concerns about financial profiteering subscale, seniors scored significantly higher. Interpreting our results in the context of parallel international studies is also part of our objectives. Our results provide an opportunity to serve important aspects for the communication strategies with unvaccinated elderly. -
Active, Creative Aging I. - Coping
14-28Views:447Background and aims: In our research, we examined how the last stage of their lives is experienced by older people who engage in creative activity (handicraft, fine arts, textile art) aimed at creating a lasting work at this stage of their life.
Methods: In our study, we used questionnaires examining proactive coping, life satisfaction, geriatric depression, and the meaning of life.
Results and discussion: The higher level of search for meaning measured by creators may be related to the complex nature of the search, which may involve the mental stress associated with life cycle change and the ability to cope with it and the possibility of development, so that creative activity can be interpreted as a kind of protective factor. In the group of creators, reflective coping (exploring and analyzing several solution options and the resources needed for the solution) showed the highest value, which may result from the creativity and divergent thinking of those engaged in creative activity. -
Determinants influenceing the mental health of older people (60 years +) in Botswana
33-35Views:38Ageing society is a reality for many people in developing countries than in the past. Governments are facing major challenges in safeguarding the mental health of older people and health care systems to deal with this demographic shift. The mental health of older people is an important indicator of the level of their health-related quality of life. The situation of older people in Africa, concerning their mental health and well-being, is a matter of growing attention among researchers and policymakers alike. There is a common perception in connection with the aged population reporting poor mental health status and a greater need for healthcare. However, there is few research on the disparities of older people relating to healthcare in Sub-Saharan Africa, especially in Botswana. There is a tendence of ever-increasing number and population proportions of older people representing both opportunities and challenges. Some of these challenges include the prevention and management of anxiety, depression, and somatization, which are the most common mental disorders in primary health care the world over. Previous research has shown that the three disorders are highly comorbid because of the need for prevention and mitigation of all three.
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The correlations of resilience of the geriatric population in Botswana: A cross sectional study
36-37Views:46According to Botswana's Current statistics for 2021, people aged 60 and above would make up 8.9% of the population. As people age, they face a plethora of challenges; mental, legal, social, health, economic, environmental, and political, in addition to ageism and marginalization. Therefore, they need resilience to deal with these challenges that emanate from the aging process, the development of care needs, and the depletion of resources. However, in Africa, there is anecdotal evidence that some older people cannot cope with their lives, let alone carer responsibilities caused by HIV related death and other risk factors. For older people to flourish, they need resilience to achieve, endure, develop and sustain their health and well-being in the face of adversity. The degree of success and impact on their resilience is undocumented. The research will therefore determine the correlates with resilience and establish ways to curb the risk factors.
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Social well-being of the elderly in Hungary
22-24Views:34In our study, we intended to identify the components of social well-being in the elderly. An examination of the intrapsychic and the interpersonal aspect also played a role in our research. A number of areas were measured by a questionnaire, such as traits, social well-being, the amount of exercise and the range of daily activities.
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Gerontofitness - the beneficial effects of regular exercise on the physical and mental health of aging people
53-64.Views:284Exercise plays a vital role in lifelong development, so it is very important in the elderly. Those who exercise regularly enjoy a better cardiovascular status, their motor capabilities remain more satisfactory, they complain less of depression, sleep disorders, and stay more confident and more independent even in older ages.
Recreational sports have expanded the sport to the everyday people, for whom the goal is to provide the fitness needed for everyday life. The new concept gerontofitness, emerged recently, which deals with the sporting activities of the elderly and the beneficial effects of those.
Nowadays a new goal is to create programs that encourage older people to exercise regularly. At the same time, there are many obstacles to these, because the physical activity of the elderly is partly influenced by cultural factors, stereotypes and attitudes, mostly in the direction of inactivity. -
Prevention is the key - a multidimensional model for social well-being of the elderly
15-16Views:44Our research group identified a huge need for research on social well-being in the elderly population. In Hungary so far not much has been published in this topic, however, understanding the key elements of well-being is a growing area of research in gerontology all around the world, since it is crucial how we manage our lives in old age.