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Healthy Aging and Care in the Global Communities: Models &...
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Healthy Aging and Care in the Global Communities: Models & Challenges

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032). This special issue belongs to the section "Community Care".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2024) | Viewed by 6189

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Su-I Hou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Global Health Management & Informatics, College of Community Innovation and Education, The University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816, USA
Interests: healthy aging and care in communities; global healthcare and management; cancer screening behavioral research; mixed methods research; program evaluation; intervention mapping; community-based participatory research; scholarship of teaching and learning

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are in one global aging community with an increasing number of countries entering the super-aged societies. It is critically important to understand the roles of our environments in keeping older adults healthy and cared for. As we have seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, older adults living alone in homes, even safely, can experience isolation and loneliness. As populations are rapidly aging around the globe, we must identify models and creative ways to help older adults better “aging in community”.

How can we make our communities more age-friendly to support healthy aging and care, not only in our built environment but also in the social and healthcare network environment?  How can we better respond to global aging needs so that older adults can continuously stay at homes and communities before some move into institutional care?

Emerging and creative models are developed around the globe with tremendous lessons learned that warrant sharing. This Special Issue aims to highlight some of this current research, not limited to healthy aging and care in communities across the globe, innovative age-friendly community models/programs and challenges, integrated person-centered care framework to support family caregivers and older adults (especially those with dementia), and community-based long-term-care models/services.  Both empirical and evidence-based conceptual articles related to these Special Issues areas are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Su-I Hou
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • aging in community
  • healthy aging
  • global community
  • integrated person-centered care
  • community-based dementia care
  • home and community-based services
  • community-based long-term care
  • age friendly city/community
  • community models
  • frameworks
  • programs

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 273 KiB  
Article
Working Carers in Europe and How Their Caring Responsibilities Impact Work–Family Life Conflict: Analysis of the European Quality of Life Survey
by Valentina Hlebec, Miriam Hurtado Monarres and Zdenka Šadl
Healthcare 2024, 12(23), 2415; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12232415 - 2 Dec 2024
Viewed by 998
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Ageing of the population is a pertinent characteristic in developed societies that raises questions of who provides care and how care is provided to frail and dependent old people. The majority of care is provided by family members, friends, and neighbours, [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Ageing of the population is a pertinent characteristic in developed societies that raises questions of who provides care and how care is provided to frail and dependent old people. The majority of care is provided by family members, friends, and neighbours, many of whom are of working age and active in the labour market. The aim of this study is to research how work and care are intertwined and how they cause conflict for individuals in Europe. Methods: A hierarchical regression analysis of European Quality of Life Survey data was performed to evaluate the amount of explained variance of work–life conflict according to caring situation, working conditions, and demographic characteristics of an adult European population. A stratified, clustered multistage sample design was used to select 15,656 adult respondents working as employees. Results: The results show that the three blocks explain about 18% of work–life conflict, with working conditions being the most influential block, followed by demographic characteristics and caring situation. Conclusions: The frequency of caring, use of formal care, and quality of formal services significantly mitigate work–life conflict, together with the number of working hours, commuting, fear of losing one’s job, fear of having insufficient income in old age, and the ease of making ends meet. Care regimes also have a considerable effect on work–life conflict. Countries have the power and responsibility to support working carers in their multiple and often conflicting roles by allowing flexible work arrangements, the right to reduce the number of working hours safely, employment protection during care, emergency leave, and short- and long-term leave, as well as by investing in community-based long-term care models and services. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Healthy Aging and Care in the Global Communities: Models & Challenges)
18 pages, 261 KiB  
Article
Attributions of Loneliness—Life Story Interviews with Older Mental Health Service Users
by Annette Burns, Gerard Leavey, Brian Lawlor, Jeannette Golden, Dermot Reilly and Roger O’Sullivan
Healthcare 2024, 12(11), 1133; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12111133 - 31 May 2024
Viewed by 1845
Abstract
There is growing evidence on the prevalence and impact of loneliness, particularly among older people. However, much less is known about the personal origins of loneliness and how it persists, or not, over an individual’s life course. This study aimed to increase understanding [...] Read more.
There is growing evidence on the prevalence and impact of loneliness, particularly among older people. However, much less is known about the personal origins of loneliness and how it persists, or not, over an individual’s life course. This study aimed to increase understanding of the personal experiences of loneliness among older adults across the life course. Central to this study was giving voice to the participants and allowing them to define loneliness, what it meant to them, and how it affected them throughout their lives. This qualitative study employed 18 life story interviews with older adults attending a mental health service. We explored their personal experiences of loneliness and the situations and factors associated with loneliness across the life course. We identified three distinct typologies of loneliness: those who experienced (1) chronic loneliness since childhood, (2) chronic loneliness after a life-changing event in midlife, and (3) loneliness which remained situational/transitional, never becoming chronic. This study found the seeds of chronic life course loneliness are often determined in childhood. Early detection and intervention may prevent situational loneliness from becoming chronic. More research is needed from a life course approach to help understand and address the causes and consequences of loneliness. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Healthy Aging and Care in the Global Communities: Models & Challenges)
12 pages, 931 KiB  
Article
The Role of Place Attachment in the Relationship between Attitudes toward Aging and Subjective Well-Being among Community-Dwelling Older Adults in Taiwan
by Jia-Jen Chen, Li-Fan Liu and She-Ming Chen
Healthcare 2024, 12(10), 981; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12100981 - 9 May 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1603
Abstract
Subjective well-being presents a societal challenge for vulnerable older adults. This study aims to investigate the mediating role of place attachment in the relationship between attitudes toward aging and subjective well-being among community-dwelling older adults in Taiwan. Two waves of investigations were conducted [...] Read more.
Subjective well-being presents a societal challenge for vulnerable older adults. This study aims to investigate the mediating role of place attachment in the relationship between attitudes toward aging and subjective well-being among community-dwelling older adults in Taiwan. Two waves of investigations were conducted to examine the interplay between attitudes toward aging, subjective well-being, and place attachment among older adults. In Wave I, 1190 participants were enrolled, revealing predominantly younger cohorts with substantial educational levels. The subsequent Wave II involved 483 participants, maintaining continuity in characteristics. Subjective well-being remained moderate across waves, with prevalent positive attitudes toward aging. Place attachment scores indicated moderate to high associations. After controlling for demographics, structural equation modeling (SEM) in both waves revealed significant positive associations: attitudes toward aging influenced well-being, attitudes toward aging were positively associated with place attachment, and place attachment was positively related to well-being. Mediation testing confirmed the mediating role of place attachment in the relationship between attitudes toward aging and well-being. These findings underscore the important role of place attachment. It is evident that improving attitudes toward aging is an effective intervention which can lead to a better sense of well-being by enhancing place attachment to empower civil society. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Healthy Aging and Care in the Global Communities: Models & Challenges)
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