Centenários: que redes sociais?

As relações sociais têm sido apontadas como um inigualável recurso de adaptação, principalmente na fase mais avançada da vida, em que os constrangimentos e perdas são crescentes. A revisão dos principais estudos que focam a dimensão social do envelhecimento no grupo dos muito idosos, com ênfase especial nos centenários, permite apresentar as especificidades que as relações sociais assumem nesta fase da vida, bem como reconhecer o seu valor adaptativo, enquanto estratégia de compensação de perdas e aumento do bem-estar

O Paradoxo da Incapacidade das pessoas muito idosas

Introdução: O grupo de pessoas com 80 e mais anos é o segmento populacional que mais cresce anualmente e espera-se que até 2050 constitua 3.4% do total da população mundial (UN, 2002). Com o avançar da idade, perdas relacionadas com o processo de envelhecimento traduzem-se numa pior saúde física e funcional, mas são precisamente as pessoas mais velhas, com 80 e mais anos, que avaliam a sua saúde como mais positiva, especialmente quando se compararam com outras pessoas. Este paradoxo constitui uma das grandes contradições da literatura que foca as especificidades do grupo dos muito velhos e sugere a influência de outros factores na mediação entre saúde objectiva e subjectiva. Objectivo: Analisar como varia a relação entre a saúde objectiva e a saúde física com o avançar da idade. Metodologia: Recorreu-se a uma amostra de 991 pessoas residentes na comunidade, 698 mulheres (70,4%), com idades compreendidas entre os 65 anos e os 101 anos (média de 74,1 anos, SD 6.5). Na recolha de dados utilizou-se o General Health Questionnaire e o Questionário sobre Saúde e Estilos de Vida. Foi também recolhida informação sociodemográfica. Resultados: Análises comparativas entre os grupos etários demonstraram diferenças significativas na saúde subjectiva, objectiva e mental dos indivíduos. O grupo das pessoas muito idosas (n= 207) revelou pior saúde objectiva, com mais pessoas a apresentar incapacidade (AVD e AIVD), pior capacidade de visão e uma melhor auto-percepção de saúde. As diferenças entre grupos de idade ao nível da saúde subjectiva foram mais significativas na questão sobre como comparam a sua saúde em relação a outras pessoas. Conclusão: Apesar do comprometimento da capacidade funcional e do aumento de distress psicológico, as pessoas com 80 e mais anos não apresentam, necessariamente, uma saúde física pior, nem uma auto-avaliação mais pessimista do seu estado de saúde, especialmente quando se comparam a outras pessoas. Estes dados demonstram que os mais velhos parecem possuir capacidades que podem ser canalizadas e orientadas para prover à sua própria saúde, pelo que conhecer as características deste grupo, considerado a “elite biológica” da sua geração, permite identificar medidas de promoção de um envelhecimento bem sucedido

Envelhecimento bem sucedido e longevidade avançada

Partindo de uma análise realista mas positiva ao desafios e repercussões do envelhecimento da população idosa, esta revisão pretende explorar os paradigmas de envelhecimento ativo, saudável e bem sucedido e a sua aplicabilidade ao grupo dos muito idosos. Para isso, baseia-se em estudos que focaram a fase muito avançada de vida, com destaque para o estudo das pessoas com 80 e mais anos no âmbito do Projeto DIA: Da Incapacidade à Atividade e dos casos “bem sucedidos” do PT100 – Estudo de Centenários do Porto, ambos desenvolvidos na Unidade de Investigação e Formação sobre Adultos e Idosos (UNIFAI-ICBAS.PT). Domínios alternativos de envelhecimento bem sucedido e a importância dos recursos individuais, designadamente psicológicos, são apresentados como importantes elementos para a compreensão do processo de adaptação à longevidade avançada

Positive Psychology and Aging through Heudonic and Eudaimonic Perspectives

Rowe and Kahn’s (1997) version of successful aging defines avoid- ance of disease and disability, maintenance of high physical and cogni- tive function, and sustained engagement in social and productive activ- ities as essential components of aging successfully. The applicability of this model in very advanced age has been questioned and the relative importance of these aspects to well-being is not properly established. In order to analyze the effect of Rowe and Kahn’ criteria on both subjective (hedonic) and psychological (eudaimonic) well-being, 140 individu- als with 100 and more years old from the Oporto Centenarian Study (PT100) were interviewed. The mean age of the sample was 101.18 (SD 1.59); 89.3% women, 76.4% widowed and 57.9% living in the com- munity. The Positive Valuation of Life Scale (Lawton et al., 2001), the Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener et al., 1985) and a questionnaire of health and social information were used for data collection. Descriptive and inferential analyses were conducted. Mean scores of well-being were 27.81 (SD=5.21) for VOL and 6.51 (SD=1.97) for SWLS. Of the successful aging criteria only social engagement, i.e. participation in social activities, had a significant association with psychological well-being (p<0.01). These results stress out the influence of activity and social engagement participation in the adaptation to the challenges of very old age. The characteristics, sort and distribution of activities practiced at this age should be further investigated in order to promote and/or adjust available social engagement opportunities.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Assessing the social dimension of frailty in old age: A systematic review

Introduction Different concepts of frailty have resulted in different assessment tools covering distinct dimensions. Despite the growing recognition that there is an association between frailty and social factors, there’s a lack of clarity on what is being assessed in terms of “social aspects” of frailty. Objective This paper provides a review of frailty assessment instruments (screening tools and severity measures) with a special focus on their social components. Methods Systematic review of studies published in English between 2001 and March 2018 in the PubMed database using a combination of MeSH Terms and logical operators through inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results A total of 27 assessment tools including at least one social question were identified. Three instruments focuses exclusively on social frailty, whereas the weight of social dimensions in the other instruments ranges between 5% and 43%. Social activities, social support, social network, loneliness and living alone were the social concepts most represented by the social components of the various frailty instruments. Conclusion Social components of frailty vary from instrument to instrument and cover the concepts of social isolation, loneliness, social network, social support and social participation.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Active Ageing: An Empirical Approach to the WHO Model

Background. In the beginning of the 21st century, the world summit on population taking place in Madrid approved active ageing, WHO (2002) as the main objective of health and social policies for old people. Few studies have been done on the scientific validity of the construct. This study aims to validate the construct of active ageing and test empirically the WHO (2002) model of Active Ageing in a sample of community-dwelling seniors. Methods. 1322 old people living in the community were interviewed using an extensive assessment protocol to measure WHO's determinants of active ageing and performed an exploratory factor analysis followed by a confirmatory factor analyses. Results. We did not confirm the active ageing model, as most of the groups of determinants are either not independent or not significant. We got to a six-factor model (health, psychological component, cognitive performance, social relationships, biobehavioural component, and personality) explaining 54.6% of total variance. Conclusion. The present paper shows that there are objective as well as subjective variables contributing to active ageing and that psychological variables seem to give a very important contribute to the construct. The profile of active ageing is expected to vary between contexts and cultures and can be used to guide specific community and individually based interventions

Coupling between microphytobenthic biomass and fiddler crab feeding

Among the organic matter ingested by fiddler crabs, microphytobenthos is of fundamental importance because it is their main N source. Microphytobenthos abundance generally develop semilunar changes as the dynamics of tidal exposures and day-night cycle are not held constant across days, modifying the balance between growth and mortality. In this study we explored the coupling between temporal dynamics in microphytobenthos abundance and crab feeding activity. We measured the Chlorophyll a content in the 2. mm surficial sediment surrounding the burrows and the crab feeding activity over two semilunar cycles. Chlorophyll a and crab feeding activity showed biweekly cyclic dynamics. Crabs did not concentrate feeding activity around days with maximum abundance of microhytobenthos. This phase difference between both dynamics could be the result of the crab feeding impact, but a crab experimental exclusion showed that the temporal dynamics of Chlorophyll a content stayed unchanged when feeding activity was removed. Comparisons between fed and unfed sediment suggest that the feeding efficiency changes with tidal dynamic. Crabs achieved more than 50% of Chlorophyll a extraction during days of highest feeding activity, and less than 30% during days of low feeding activity or low microhytobenthos abundance. Furthermore, comparisons of fed sediment between consecutive days indicated that Chlorophyll a was completely replenished during days with high flooding tides, but partially replenished during days near neap tides. Environmental conditions affecting feeding efficiency may select crabs to concentrate feeding activity before days with the highest microhytobenthos abundance. The low feeding impact on microphytobenthos dynamics suggests that fiddler crabs would not control microhytobenthos abundance and thus unable to absorb the increasing eutrophication of studied estuarine areas.Fil: Ribeiro, Pablo Damián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología; ArgentinaFil: Iribarne, Oscar Osvaldo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología; Argentin

How to Promote Gerotranscendence in Older Adults? A Scoping Review of Interventions

Gerotranscendence is a psychosocial theory that proposes older adults experience a mindset shift in multiple dimensions (cosmic, coherence, solitude), associated with different constructs, such as life satisfaction and well-being. Increasing studies are employing gerotranscendence, but the practical aspects of how gerotranscendence can be developed are still underexplored. This review involved an assessment of the size and scope of the existing literature on interventions related to gero- transcendence and their effect on participants’ well-being. Six databases were searched, and eight studies were selected: five were observational, while three were randomized control trials. Findings showed that gerotranscendence can be developed through weekly thematic encounters. Moreover, the interventions examined in the selected studies were described as having positively impacted participants’ mental health and life satisfaction. Future studies should explore gerotranscendence inter- ventions using a rigorous methodology and long-term follow-up data to add consistency to these findings.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Estudo comparativo: percepção da satisfação de cuidadores de pessoas com demência e cuidadores de pessoas com AVC

Informal caregiving to the elderly is associated with the presence of both difficulties and positive rewards, but the latter have been considered less systematically in gerontological literature. In this cross-sectional study, we compared satisfaction of caregivers of demented (n=70) and stroke patients (n=44) by means of the Carer's Assessment of Satisfaction Index (CASI) and also compared their depression levels. Findings revealed the presence of satisfaction deriving from intrapersonal dynamics (elderly as main beneficiary) and from interpersonal dynamics (caregiver as main beneficiary) in dementia situations, and the presence of satisfaction deriving from intrapersonal dynamics (caregiver as main beneficiary) in stroke situations. Both subgroups of caregivers revealed similar yet significant levels of depression. The need for a better understanding of satisfaction experiences in dementia and stroke caregivers is highlighted.La prestación informal de cuidados a las personas ancianas está vinculada a la presencia de dificultades y de satisfacciones. Generalmente la literatura gerontológica enfoca los aspectos de la dificultad, sin embargo no le ha dado la misma atención al análisis de la experiencia de la satisfacción. El propósito de este estudio transversal fue comparar la experiencia de satisfacción y de sintomatología depresiva de cuidadores de ancianos con demencia (n=70) y de cuidadores de ancianos con antecedentes de, por lo menos, un AVC (n=44), a través del Índice de Evaluación de la Satisfacción del Cuidador (CASI). Los resultados indican la presencia de sintomatología depresiva en ambos grupos; satisfacción intrapersonal (centrada en el anciano) y interpersonal (centrada en el cuidador) para los cuidadores de ancianos con demencia y, satisfacción intrapersonal (centrada en el cuidador) para los cuidadores de personas con antecedentes de AVC. Se destaca la necesidad de comprender mejor las experiencias de satisfacción en los cuidadores de ancianos con demencia y AVC.A prestação informal de cuidados a pessoas idosas é vinculada à presença de dificuldades e de satisfação. Enquanto a literatura gerontológica enfoca os aspectos da dificuldade também tem negligenciado a análise da experiência de satisfação. O propósito deste estudo transversal foi comparar a experiência de satisfação e de sintomatologia depressiva de cuidadores de idosos demenciados (n=70) e de cuidadores de idosos com antecedentes de pelo menos um AVC (=44), através do Índice de Avaliação da Satisfação do Cuidador (CASI). Os resultados indicam a presença de sintomatologia depressiva para ambos os grupos, satisfação intrapessoal (centrada no idoso) e interpessoal (centrada no cuidador) para os cuidadores de demenciados e satisfação intrapessoal (centrada no cuidador) para os cuidadores de pessoas com antecedentes de AVC. Destaca-se a necessidade de compreender melhor as experiências de satisfação em cuidadores de idosos com demência e AVC

Health profile of centenarians in Portugal: a census-based approach

Background: The number of centenarians is rapidly increasing in Europe. In Portugal, it has almost tripled over the last 10 years and constitutes one of the fastest-growing segments of the population. This paper aims to describe the health and sociodemographic characteristics of Portuguese centenarians as given in the 2011 census and to identify sex differences. Methods: All persons living in Portugal mainland and Madeira and Azores islands aged 100 years old at the time of the 2011 census (N = 1,526) were considered. Measures include sociodemographic characteristics and perceived difficulties in six functional domains of basic actions (seeing, hearing, walking, cognition, self-care, and communication) as assessed by the Portuguese census official questionnaires. Results: Most centenarians are women (82.1 %), widowed (82 %), never attended school (51 %), and live in private households (71 %). The majority show major constraints in seeing (67.4 %), hearing (72.3 %), and particularly in their mobility (83.7 % cannot/have great difficulties in walking/climbing stairs and 80.7 % in bathing/dressing). In general, a better outcome was found for reported memory/concentration and understanding, with 39.1 % and 42.5 % presenting no or mild difficulty, respectively. Top-level functioning (no/mild difficulties in all dimensions concurrently) was observed in a minority of cases (5.96 %). Women outnumber men by a ratio of 4.6, and statistically significant differences were found between men and women for all health-related variables, with women presenting a higher percentage of difficulties. Conclusion: Portuguese centenarians experience great difficulties in sensory domains and basic daily living activities, and to a lesser extent in cognition and communication. The obtained profile, though self-reported, is important in considering the potential of social and family participation of this population regardless of their functional and sensory limitations. Based on the observed differences between men and women, gender-specific and gender-sensitive interventions are recommended in order to acknowledge women’s worse overall condition