Multidimensional Determinants of Well-Being Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults During the Early Stage of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Taiwan.

Objectives: Due to the insufficient and inadequate policies on the psychological well-being of the aged population, we aimed to examine the multidimensional determinants of well-being during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: Data were collected from face-to-face interviews with1,232 participants aged 50 and older living in Southern Taiwan. We used multivariate logistic regression to examine the associations between demographics, the physical health, mental health, social ties domains, and well-being. Results: We found that (i) in physical health, no dental problems and exercise were related to better well-being; (ii) in mental health, stress and depression decreased well-being, but laughing every day, and a positive attitude toward aging had adverse effects; and (iii) in social ties, subjective social status, family support, and place attachment to the community were positively associated with well-being. Discussion: Our findings highlight the multidimensional needs at the individual and community levels for the Chinese population.

Community Innovation and Regional Sustainability: A Case Study on an Elder Social Survey Conducted by National Cheng Kung University

National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) promotes university social responsibility and strives to ensure that all of its teaching staff and students engage in academics in a manner that incorporates both social awareness and social practice. The NCKU team has launched a series of social practice and research projects focused on accompanying and caring for older adults who live in the community, looking to establish a social practice model that bridges university teaching and research to practical community needs. The objective of this initiative is to develop an innovative model of social support and a new model for younger generations to work with older adults living in the community. The results of this survey project show better well-being in older adults to be associated with the following sets of traits: exercising regularly and lacking dental problems;engaging in daily laughter and holding positive aging perceptions;and having a higher subjective social status, more family support, and a sense of community attachment. The study results imply that multiple factors affect well-being in the context of caring for community-dwelling older adults and social development, especially during the current COVID-19 pandemic.