Loneliness in Older Adults With Visual Impairment

Loneliness in older adults with visual impairment was explored to gain a better understanding of the phenomenon. A collective case study explored 3 participants' occupational performance histories, functional visual performance, and loneliness. Seven themes emerged: pride in employment;adaptation to visual impairment through devices and environmental modifications;engaging and participating in meaningful occupations;enjoying companionship;engaging and delegating home maintenance tasks appropriately;engaging in routines;and engaging in preventive care. A significant finding at P =.05 (r =-0.998) was found between the overall scores on the Revised Self-Report Assessment of Functional Visual Performance and the UCLA Loneliness Scale (Version 3) using Pearson's correlations. The findings support addressing loneliness in older adults with visual impairment as the levels of functional impairment correlate with loneliness. Copyright © 2022 Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. All rights reserved.

COVID-19 Skepticism in Relation to Other Forms of Science Skepticism

Efforts to address the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have encountered skepticism among the public, but COVID-19 is not the only medical or scientific issue that receives such skepticism. How does COVID-19 skepticism relate to other forms of science skepticism? Using new data from a nationally representative survey of U.S. adults, this study reveals that skepticism toward COVID-19 is similar to patterns of skepticism toward vaccines in general and, more interestingly, skepticism toward climate change. Patterns of skepticism toward evolution and genetically modified foods are more distinct from COVID-19 skepticism. Notably, even after accounting for other forms of science skepticism, political conservatism is significantly associated with greater skepticism toward COVID-19. Finally, contrary to some media narratives, the analysis reveals few racial or ethnic differences in skepticism toward COVID-19, and the differences that do exist indicate less skepticism among Black and Asian individuals relative to White individuals. © The Author(s) 2021.