Risk factors for loneliness among older informal caregivers in regions of Finland and Sweden: a longitudinal study.

Aims: This longitudinal study investigated the prevalence of and risk factors for loneliness among older new informal caregivers, long-term informal caregivers, former informal caregivers and non-caregivers in selected regions of Finland and Sweden over 5 years.

Methods: A longitudinal sample of 5083 respondents from the Gerontological Regional Database (GERDA) survey data in 2016 and 2021 was used. Bivariate correlation tests and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed.

Does social capital enhance political participation in older adults? Multi-level evidence from the European Quality of Life Survey.

This study explored the role of social capital for non-institutionalised and institutionalised political participation among older adults compared to younger age groups using European Quality of Life Survey data (EQLS) from 2016 and 33 countries (n = 36,908). Multilevel logistic regression analysis was employed to assess the association between individual- and country-level social capital and political participation. Findings revealed that, at the individual level, active associational engagement was positively related to both forms of political participation, while social trust and political trust were linked only to non-institutionalised participation-higher social trust and lower political trust were associated with a greater likelihood of participation.

Civic engagement among foreign-born and native-born older adults living in Europe: a SHARE-based analysis.

Civic engagement is one of the cornerstones of participatory democracy and fundamental to preventing old-age social exclusion. Even though civic engagement late-in-life has received considerable attention, there is a lacuna of research on older migrants' civic engagement. This study aims therefore to examine potential predictors of civic engagement in terms of formal volunteering and participation in political organisations among foreign-born and native-born older adults in Europe.

The association between leisure engagement and loneliness before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: A Nordic population-based study.

Aim: The main aim of this study was to examine leisure engagement and loneliness among older adults before and during the COVID-19 pandemic by analysing population-based data from western Finland and northern Sweden.

Methods: The data originated from the Gerontological Regional Database (GERDA) postal questionnaire study conducted in 2016 (=7996) and 2021 (=8148) among older adults aged 65, 70, 75, 80 and 85 years. Associations between loneliness and leisure engagement were analysed using logistic regression.

A Cross-Sectional Study on the Associations between Economic, Social, and Political Resources and Subjective Caregiver Burden among Older Spousal Caregivers in Two Nordic Regions.

Inspired by the caregiver stress process model emphasising the role of resources for caregiving outcomes, the aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of subjective caregiver burden (SCB) and its associations with individual social, economic, and political resources among older spousal caregivers in a Nordic regional setting. Cross-sectional survey data collected in 2016 in the Bothnia region of Finland and Sweden were used, where 674 spousal caregivers were identified and included in the analyses. The descriptive results showed that about half of the respondents experienced SCB.

Loneliness among very old people with and without dementia: prevalence and associated factors in a representative sample.

Unlabelled: Loneliness and dementia are common among very old (aged ≥ 80 years) people, but whether the prevalence of loneliness differs between very old people with and without dementia is unknown and few studies have investigated associated factors. The aims of the present study were to compare the prevalence of loneliness between people with and without dementia in a representative sample of very old people, and to investigate factors associated with loneliness in the two groups separately. This population-based study was conducted with data on 1176 people aged 85, 90, and ≥ 95 years (mean age 89.

The Expert Caregiver Intervention Targeting Former Caregivers in Finland: A Co-Design and Feasibility Study Using Mixed Methods.

Informal caregivers face risks of social isolation. Given the high prevalence of informal caregivers in Europe, a considerable proportion of the population are also former caregivers. The Finnish Expert Caregiver intervention sought to train former caregivers to become volunteers aiming to support current caregivers through mainly peer support.

Meaningfulness among frail older adults receiving home-based care in Finland.

Meaningfulness is a fundamental aspect in the promotion of frail older adults' health and well-being. From a salutogenic point of view, meaningfulness is a vital component of a sense of coherence (SOC), since having a strong SOC aids toward assembling the resources needed to cope with stressors and manage tensions with success. In order to respond to the challenges of population aging and the need to enable frail older adults to live at home for as long as possible, it is important to explore their meaningfulness in the context of home-based care.

Social Exclusion Among Official Language Minority Older Adults: A Rapid Review of the Literature in Canada, Finland and Wales.

It has been suggested that older adults from minority linguistic and ethnic communities face higher risks of being socially excluded. The aim of this review was, therefore, to explore and review social exclusion studies conducted among official language minority older adults in three countries, namely Canada, Finland and Wales. A rapid review approach was used to review scientific literature in line with six social exclusion domains.

"Not Alone in Loneliness": A Qualitative Evaluation of a Program Promoting Social Capital among Lonely Older People in Primary Health Care.

The weekly group-based program "Paths: from loneliness to participation" was conducted face-to-face over 15 sessions by nurses, social workers and volunteers in primary care in Catalonia (Spain) to alleviate loneliness among older people by promoting peer support and participation in community assets. We aimed at exploring participants' experiences of loneliness and participation prior to the program and its perceived benefits. The qualitative design was descriptive-interpretative.

Experiences of longing in daily life and associations to well-being among frail older adults receiving home care: a qualitative study.

: All over the world, communities face the challenge of maintaining well-being among older adults. More specifically, understanding the resources required to establish and maintain well-being among community-dwelling older adults is an essential issue. Although longing from a caring science perspective is considered a driver for well-being, it has not yet been investigated among frail older adults.

Morale in Old Age and Its Association with Sociodemographic, Social, and Health-Related Factors in Different Age Groups.

Morale can be viewed as a future-oriented optimism or pessimism regarding challenges associated with aging and is closely related to subjective well-being. Promoting morale in old age could be considered to have important implications for aging well, and increased knowledge about morale in different stages of old age is needed. Hence, the aim of this study was to investigate factors associated with morale in different age groups among old people.

Risk factors for a decrease in high morale in very old people over a 5-year period: data from two Nordic countries.

High morale could be considered to be an essential part of aging well and increased knowledge of how to prevent a decrease in high morale in very old age could have important implications for policy, and social and health care development. The objective was to identify social and health-related risk factors for a decrease in morale over 5 years in very old people among those with high morale at baseline. The study is based on data derived from the Umeå85+/GERDA study conducted in Northern Sweden and Western Finland.

Loneliness amongst older people in Europe: a comparative study of welfare regimes.

Previous research implies that the extent of welfare state regime provision plays an important indirect role in the prevalence of loneliness in later life. The aim of this study was therefore to assess the association between quality of living conditions and level of social integration indicators and the absence of loneliness in five different welfare regimes. By incorporating welfare state regimes as a proxy for societal-level features, we expanded the micro-level model of loneliness suggesting that besides individual characteristics, welfare state characteristics are also important protective factors against loneliness.

"Homeless in life" - loneliness experienced as existential suffering by older adults living at home: a caring science perspective.

Background: Due to physical impairments and functional limitations, older adults receiving home care can be considered especially vulnerable to loneliness. To understand how society can provide support that enhances vulnerable individuals' quality of life, it is important to explore loneliness and its underlying causes in older adults.

Aims: To contribute to a deeper understanding of caring science theory, the aim of this study was to use a caring science perspective to explore and understand experiences of suffering from loneliness in older adults receiving home care.

Is there a relationship between anaesthesia and dementia?

Background: Long-term cognitive problems are common among elderly patients after surgery, and it has been suggested that inhalation anaesthetics play a role in the development of dementia. This study aims to investigate the hypothesis that patients with dementia have been more exposed to surgery and inhalational anaesthetics than individuals without dementia.

Methods: Using 457 cases from a dementia-registry and 420 dementia-free controls, we performed a retrospective case-control study.

Risk factors for neck pain among forklift truck operators: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: No previous research has been performed into neck pain among forklift operators. This is a common complaint among these workers, who number around 150,000 in Sweden and six million in Europe. The aim of the study was to examine long-term exposure to unnatural neck positions among forklift operators as a risk factor for neck pain.

Five-year change in morale is associated with negative life events in very old age.

Objectives: The objectives were to study changes in morale in individuals 85 years and older, and to assess the effect of negative life events on morale over a five-year follow-up period.

Method: The present study is based on longitudinal data from the Umeå85+/GERDA-study, including individuals 85 years and older at baseline (n = 204). Morale was measured with the Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale (PGCMS).

Increased Cancer Incidence in the Local Population Around Metal-Contaminated Glassworks Sites.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine mortality causes and cancer incidence in a population cohort that have resided in close proximity to highly metal-contaminated sources, characterized by contamination of, in particular, arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb).

Methods: Data from Swedish registers were used to calculate standardized mortality and cancer incidence ratios. An attempt to relate cancer incidence to metal contamination levels was made.

Prevalence of loneliness over ten years among the oldest old.

Aims: This study examined the prevalence of loneliness among the oldest old within a 10-year period and studied the influence of various sociodemographic, social and health characteristics on loneliness.

Methods: The study used population-based data from the Umeå85+/GErontological Regional DAtabase-study (GERDA) for the years 2000-2002, 2005-2007 and 2010-2012 including 85-year-old, 90-year-old and ⩾95-year-old participants. A final sample of 304 participants in 2000-2002, 329 participants in 2005-2007 and 401 participants in 2010-2012 was included in the analyses.

Sense of mastery differences between working-age Swedish- and Finnish-speaking Finns: a population-based study.

Aim: To examine the probability of a high sense of mastery in a population-representative sample of working-age people and to study the differences in mastery between Finnish-speaking and Swedish-speaking Finns in particular.

Methods: The data originates from the Western Finland Mental Health Surveys (2008-2014). Associations between sense of mastery and language groups were analyzed with logistic regressions.

Higher morale is associated with lower risk of depressive disorders five years later among very old people.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether higher morale, i.e. future-oriented optimism, at baseline was associated with lower risk of depressive disorders five years later among very old people.

Social capital interventions targeting older people and their impact on health: a systematic review.

Background: Observational studies show that social capital is a protective health factor. Therefore, we aim to assess the currently unclear health impact of social capital interventions targeting older adults.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review based on a logic model.

The association between social capital and loneliness in different age groups: a population-based study in Western Finland.

Background: Previous studies of loneliness have largely focused on establishing risk factors in specific age groups such as in later life or in young people. Researchers have paid less attention to the link between social capital and loneliness across different age groups. The aim of this study was to examine the association between social capital and experienced loneliness in different age groups in a Finnish setting.

Leisure Engagement: Medical Conditions, Mobility Difficulties, and Activity Limitations-A Later Life Perspective.

Objectives. This study aims to investigate the impact of medical conditions, mobility difficulties, and activity limitations on older people's engagement in leisure activities. Methods.