Social capital, health, and elderly driver status

Driving a car enables many people to engage in meaningful activities that, in turn, help develop and maintain personal social capital. Social capital, a combination of community participation and social cohesion, is important in maintaining well-being. This paper argues that social capital can provide a framework for investigating the general role of transportation and driving a car specifically to access activities that contribute to connectedness and well-being among older people. This paper proposes theoretically plausible and empirically testable hypotheses about the relationship between driver status, social capital, and well-being. A longitudinal study may provide a new way of understanding, and thus of addressing, the well-being challenges that occur when older people experience restrictions to, or loss of, their driver’s license

Predictors of academic honesty and success in domestic and international occupational therapy students

Purpose Academic integrity is the application of honest, ethical and responsible behaviours to all facets of students’ scholarly endeavours and is the moral code of academia. The international literature reports the prevalence of academic dishonesty in higher education across many disciplines (including the health sciences), and there is evidence linking academic dishonesty in health professional students with future unprofessional behaviour in the workplace. International students are reported to be a particularly vulnerable group. This paper aims to investigate the factors that may be predictive of academic honesty and performance in domestic and international occupational therapy students. Design/methodology/approach In total, 701 participants (603 domestic students; 98 international students) were recruited from five Australian universities, and data were collected via a two-part self-report questionnaire. ANOVA and multi-linear regression analyses with bootstrapping were completed. Findings Tendency towards cheating and self-perception tendency towards dishonesty in research, gender, age and hours spent in indirect study were found to be statistically significant predictors of academic integrity and performance. Research limitations/implications Limitations of this study were the use of convenience sampling and self-report scales which can be prone to social desirability bias. Further studies are recommended to explore other potential predictors of academic honesty and performance in occupational therapy students. Originality/value A range of predictors of academic honesty and success were found that will assist educators to target vulnerable domestic and international occupational therapy students as well as address deficiencies in academic integrity through proactive strategies

Toxicities caused by head and neck cancer treatments and their influence on the development of malnutrition:Review of the literature

Malnutrition poses a significant problem for oncology patients, resulting in fatalities within this population. Patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) are at high risk, with up to 90% developing malnutrition. Common treatments used for HNC can often lead to adverse side effects, including oral health conditions, gastrointestinal upsets, and several metabolic changes. Consequently, treatments can cause inadequate nutritional intake, resulting in a reduction in energy consumption, and alterations in energy utilization, contributing to the development of malnutrition. Furthermore, the presence of these treatment toxicities, and the related malnutrition can lead to reduced quality of life, weight loss, and psychological distress. There are interventions available (nutritional, medicinal, and physical therapies) that have demonstrated potential effectiveness in reducing the severity of symptomatic toxicities, reducing the risk of malnutrition, and improving survival outcomes of patients with HNC. Based on the findings of this review, there is an urgent need for the implementation or continuation of multi-disciplinary strategies, as well as updated and improved guidelines to assist in the prevention and treatment of malnutrition caused by treatment-related toxicities in patients with HNC

Risk of Social Isolation as a Contributing Factor to Diet Quality in Community-Dwelling Older Persons Living in the Australian Capital Territory—A Pilot Study

Objectives: Social isolation is recognised as a risk factor in the inflammatory process. This study explored the association between social isolation and the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) in community-dwelling older persons. Methods: This cross-sectional pilot study recruited 107 community-dwelling people aged over 55 years living in the Australian Capital Territory. Participants completed an extensive food frequency questionnaire and provided anthropometric and sociodemographic data. Social isolation was evaluated using the Lubben Social Network Scale (LSNS). Diet quality was assessed using DII. Results: Average age was 70.1 (±8.61) years and 62.8% were female. The average DII score was −1.10 (±1.21), indicating an anti-inflammatory diet. Higher LSNS was associated with lower DII (b (95% CI) = −0.041 (−0.066, −0.17); p < 0.01) and was positively influenced by the number of people in household (b (95% CI) = 5.731 (2.336, 9.127); p = 0.001). Conclusion: Increased risk of social isolation was associated with an increased tendency towards a more inflammatory diet. Reducing social isolation may decrease the inflammatory component of dietary intake for older persons living independently in the community

A pilot study of an intergenerational program for people in residential aged care with cognitive impairment and children from a co-located early learning centre during COVID-19

Intergenerational programs in residential aged care may improve well-being and combat loneliness and social isolation in older people with cognitive impairment. This pilot study investigated the effects of a semi-structured intergenerational group, including children from a co-located early learning centre and people living in residential aged care with cognitive impairment. This 9-week study used a mixed methods pre- and post-program design. Sessions were designed and delivered once per week by Occupational Therapists and took into account residents’ interests and children’s developmental needs and interests, identified in pre-program interviews. Nine older people with cognitive impairment and 13 children participated. The program was well attended despite disruptions and complications caused by COVID-19 and weather conditions. Older people valued the opportunity to engage with the children. Children were observed to gain confidence in communicating and forming friendships with older people with different levels of ability. There did not appear to be any change in loneliness or neuropsychiatric symptoms. The intergenerational program benefited participants and received strong support from family members and staff of the early learning centre and aged care home

Descriptive profile of the academic integrity of Australian occupational therapy students

Academic integrity is the moral code of academia. Students who demonstrate trustworthiness in an academic setting are more likely to be dependable in a clinical setting. It is, therefore, important for occupational therapy academic and fieldwork educators to know the academic integrity profile of their students and to address any areas of academic dishonesty in curriculum design and delivery. To date, there has been no baseline description of the academic honesty profile of Australian occupational therapy students.To establish a baseline of academic integrity and academic dishonesty among occupational therapy undergraduate and graduate-entry masters students in a cohort of Australian students.Seven hundred and one students from five Australian universities completed a self-report questionnaire comprising demographic questions and six standardised scales measuring academic integrity.Overall, occupational therapy students reported high levels of academic and fieldwork integrity; however, some areas of concerns exist. Students report copying material without citations at least once during their studies (55%), obtaining test questions at least once during their studies (42.6%) or padding out a bibliography (39.5%).Occupational therapy education needs to continue to emphasise the importance of academic and fieldwork integrity. Students need to be explicitly taught what academic honesty and dishonesty is and be provided with the resources and time to complete academic work to reduce the risk of academic dishonesty