The mediating role of social media fatigue on social media usage behaviour of the ageing society during the COVID-19 pandemic

At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, research on social media in the Malaysian context focused on its benefits and overlooked its drawbacks. To investigate this, we looked at an ageing society whose psychological health was severely affected during the pandemic. This study developed a model based on the Stressor-Strain-Outcome (SSO) framework that predicts factors that prompt passive social media use in Malaysia's ageing society during the COVID-19 pandemic. Convenient sampling was utilised to collect responses from 389 Malaysian older adults through an online survey. The direct effects of stressors, including information overload, communication overload, complexity, privacy, and fear of missing out on the strain of social media fatigue, and indirect effects on the outcome of passive social media use were investigated. For the assessment of the study model, partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was applied. Out of 11 hypotheses, four direct and three indirect hypotheses were accepted. The study findings did not support the direct and indirect effects of privacy and fear of missing out on social media fatigue and passive social media use, respectively. Findings reveal complexity as the more significant factor influencing social media fatigue, and indirectly, contributing towards the passive use of social media. This study contributes to understanding how social media interaction affects an ageing society during the pandemic lockdown. Despite widespread interest in this field, research on ageing populations concerning social media effects and pandemics is still in its early stages in Malaysia. The study's conclusion offers a thorough examination of its limitations and provides valuable recommendations for future research endeavours. © SEARCH Journal 2023.

A Vaccine for the Pandemic of Aging? Conceptual and Ethical Issues

In this chapter, we develop and extend the above analogy by means of a thought experiment in which a vaccine for the pandemic of aging is developed. We ask first, whether the concept of a vaccine for the pandemic of aging is conceptually coherent, and second whether such a vaccine (or similar aging preventive) is ethically desirable. This chapter makes the case that, while there are some clear disanalogies between aging and typical pandemics like the COVID-19 pandemic, there are some striking similarities that advocate for similar degrees of urgency. Moreover, the comparison throws important light on some of the flawed objections to healthy life-extending technologies. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2023.

Age Management for the Common Good

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and amid the present reconfiguring of corporate purpose, there is an opportunity to realign actions focused on prolonging working lives. We put forward a transformative agenda concerned with workforce ageing that aligns with contemporary expectations regarding sustainability, inequality, and emerging conceptualisations of management. In this article, the new concept of Common Good human resource management (HRM) is utilised as a potential means of encouraging business responses focused on grand challenges such as population ageing. We suggest how these principles might be applied to the issue of managing age in workplaces, to recast debate about issues of age and work, to be used as an advocacy tool encouraging employer engagement, while providing a framework that might direct organisational leadership. © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of UNSW Canberra.

Association Between Fear of COVID-19 and Death Anxiety with Moderator Role of Self-Regulation Among Older Adults Residing in Qazvin.

Background and Objectives: Fear of COVID-19 is common among older adults and negatively impacts on their physical and mental health. Self-regulation is an essential factor for controlling or managing excitement and anxiety. So, this study aimed to determine the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and death anxiety with the moderator role of self-regulation among the elderly residing in Qazvin. Method(s): This descriptive and cross-sectional study was performed on 430 elderly aged 60 and over living in Qazvin in 2021. Samples were selected by cluster sampling method. The demographic checklist, Templer death anxiety scale, fear of COVID-19 questionnaire, and Self-Regulation Inventory were used for collecting the data. The data were analyzed using the Path Analyze test. Result(s): The mean age of the elder participants in the study was 66.88 +/- 6.40 years old. The results showed a significant and positive relationship between fear of COVID-19 and death anxiety (beta=0.60, P<0.001) and an inverse association between fear of COVID-19 (beta=-0.24, P=0.021) and death anxiety (beta=-0.10, P=0.021) with self-regulation. Furthermore, the results of the Path analysis confirmed the moderator role of self-regulation in the association between fear of Covid-19 and death anxiety among the elderly residing in Qazvin, Iran. Conclusion(s): Given the mediator role of self-regulation in the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and death anxiety, it is suggested to use teaching strategies to the older adults to improve self-regulation to control and mitigate the negative impacts of the fear of COVID-19 in this vulnerable population.Copyright © 2022 The Authors.

Invited discussant comments during the UCL-Penn Global COVID Study webinar 'Reflections, Resilience, and Recovery: A qualitative study of Covid-19's impact on an international adult population's mental health and priorities for support': part 2 of 3.

This discussant commentary considers the findings presented from the UCL-Penn Global COVID Study webinar 'Let's Talk! What do you need to recover from Covid-19?'. The research presented highlights a number of key issues that have affected people of all ages throughout the pandemic. Our aim with this article is to reflect on these themes and, using our own qualitative and quantitative research conducted throughout the pandemic, explore whether the people we spoke to in later life expressed challenges, concerns and frustrations with the same issues as those expressed in Dr Wong's study. As a national charity that supports people in later life, Independent Age has been incredibly concerned by the impact of the pandemic specifically on people aged 65 and over, and believe more must be done by decision-makers in the government and National Health Service (NHS) to support them to recover from the pandemic.

Invited discussant comments during the UCL-Penn Global COVID Study webinar 'Reflections, Resilience, and Recovery: A qualitative study of Covid-19's impact on an international adult population's mental health and priorities for support': part 3 of 3.

This discussant commentary considers the findings presented from the UCL-Penn Global COVID Study webinar 'Let's Talk! What do you need to recover from Covid-19?' and published in Wong et al's article in this journal, Reflections, Resilience, and Recovery, drawing into focus the support required to recover from the changes in people's mental health, physical health and relationships brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. Acknowledging the importance of not making broad generalisations about the effect of the lockdown allows us to see individuals in their own context and their own particular challenges. As we emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic, we need to use the lessons from this study as the foundations for building resilience against future pandemics.

Antimicrobial Peptides: Challenging Journey to the Pharmaceutical, Biomedical, and Cosmeceutical Use.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), or host defence peptides, are short proteins in various life forms. Here we discuss AMPs, which may become a promising substitute or adjuvant in pharmaceutical, biomedical, and cosmeceutical uses. Their pharmacological potential has been investigated intensively, especially as antibacterial and antifungal drugs and as promising antiviral and anticancer agents. AMPs exhibit many properties, and some of these have attracted the attention of the cosmetic industry. AMPs are being developed as novel antibiotics to combat multidrug-resistant pathogens and as potential treatments for various diseases, including cancer, inflammatory disorders, and viral infections. In biomedicine, AMPs are being developed as wound-healing agents because they promote cell growth and tissue repair. The immunomodulatory effects of AMPs could be helpful in the treatment of autoimmune diseases. In the cosmeceutical industry, AMPs are being investigated as potential ingredients in skincare products due to their antioxidant properties (anti-ageing effects) and antibacterial activity, which allows the killing of bacteria that contribute to acne and other skin conditions. The promising benefits of AMPs make them a thrilling area of research, and studies are underway to overcome obstacles and fully harness their therapeutic potential. This review presents the structure, mechanisms of action, possible applications, production methods, and market for AMPs.

Changes in retirement plans in the English older population during the COVID-19 pandemic: The roles of health factors and financial insecurity.

Over the course of 2020 and 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted lives globally. In the UK, unemployment rate continued to increase during and post-lockdown periods, and job security and financial wellbeing deteriorated. It is important to understand whether individual decisions related to retirement plans have changed systematically as a result of the pandemic, especially among older adults who experienced greater rates of pandemic unemployment. Using the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, this article examines changes in retirement plans of older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic and estimates the impact of health and financial circumstances on these changes. In June/July 2020, 5% of 2095 participants reported planning earlier retirement, while 9% reported planning later retirement. We found that poor self-rated health and financial insecurity were associated with intentions to postpone retirement. Additional risk of later retirement associated with poor health was detected among those experiencing financial insecurity. In November/December 2020, 7% of 1845 participants reported planning earlier retirement, while 12% reported planning later retirement. We found that poor health was predictive of a lower relative risk of later retirement, while depressive symptomology and financial insecurity predicted a higher relative risk of later retirement. The findings imply a contextual role of health factors in, and a persistent influence of financial insecurity on, retirement planning in the older population.

Locked down by inequality: Older people and the COVID-19 pandemic.

This paper develops the argument that post-COVID-19 recovery strategies need to focus on building back fairer cities and communities, and that this requires a strong embedding of 'age-friendly' principles to support marginalised groups of older people, especially those living in deprived urban neighbourhoods, trapped in poor quality housing. It shows that older people living in such areas are likely to experience a 'double lockdown' as a result of restrictions imposed by social distancing combined with the intensification of social and spatial inequalities. This argument is presented as follows: first, the paper examines the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on older people, highlighting how the pandemic is both creating new and reinforcing existing inequalities in ageing along the lines of gender, class, ethnicity, race, ability and sexuality. Second, the paper explores the role of spatial inequalities in the context of COVID-19, highlighting how the pandemic is having a disproportionate impact on deprived urban areas already affected by cuts to public services, the loss of social infrastructure and pressures on the voluntary sector. Finally, the paper examines how interrelated social inequalities at both the individual and spatial level are affecting the lives of older people living in deprived urban neighbourhoods during the pandemic. The paper concludes by developing six principles for 'age-friendly' community recovery planning aimed at maintaining and improving the quality of life and wellbeing of older residents in the post-pandemic city.

Invited discussant comments during the UCL-Penn Global COVID Study webinar 'Reflections, Resilience, and Recovery: A qualitative study of Covid-19's impact on an international adult population's mental health and priorities for support': part 1 of 3.

This discussant commentary will consider global health before the pandemic in relation to the UCL-Penn Global COVID Study survey results on what participants need to recover from the pandemic. It explores the case for expanding access to health care, the importance of culturally sensitive interventions and the need to scale up psychologically evidence-based interventions. Reflecting on the UCL-Penn Global COVID Study 'Let's Talk! What do you need to recover from Covid-19?' webinar, the commentary highlights the recommendations from the British Psychological Society (BPS) to the government on what needs to happen for a better recovery.

Good Architecture Matters: The Architect's Perspective on Design for Ageing and Energy Efficiency

Custom-built solutions for ageing, urban regeneration, energy efficiency, thermal performance, and well-being are contemporary challenges that have prompted considerable research over the past decades. In the construction field, subjects such as energy efficiency and thermal performance are often addressed within the scope of mandatory regulations, the suitability of construction solutions and the incorporation of technical equipment. Considering four residential structures for older adults under construction in Portugal, this paper aims to highlight the importance of a comprehensive approach to these issues, including architectural quality as the main target. In pursuit of this, a cohesive set of intervention principles guided the analysis: the adaptive reuse of raw materials;taking advantage of the site's conditions;vegetation (type and location);construction options and durability;solar exposure and shading;the pedagogy of building use;and the comfort and thermal perception. Several reflections emerge from the analysis: good architectural design must consider dynamic models incorporating each context and the site's conditions;the culture of use and maintenance and the notion of "adaptive comfort" are primary factors to enhance thermal performance and energy efficiency;and each building is a unique result of a complex negotiation process. Bridging research through practice, and multidisciplinary scientific integration enable engagement with reality and raise awareness of the constraints and challenges to innovation in LTC design.

(No) country for old men? Intergenerational welfare distribution across welfare state regimes

PurposeThe article examines the interplay between welfare state regimes and the distribution of welfare between generations.Design/methodology/approachUsing data from 2017 for 24 European countries on six standard of living dimensions, the authors investigate the intergenerational welfare distribution in a two-stage procedure: (1) the authors compare the intergenerational welfare distribution across welfare state regimes using their existing typologies and find a moderate nexus. Therefore, (2) the authors employ clustering procedure to look for a new classification that would better reflect the cross-country variation in the intergenerational welfare division.FindingsThe authors find a complex relationship between the welfare state model and welfare distribution across generations and identify the policy patterns that shape it. Continental and liberal regimes are quite similar in these terms and favour the elderly generation. Social-democratic and CEE regimes seem to be a bit more balanced. COVID-19 pandemic will probably increase the intergenerational imbalance in terms of welfare distribution in favour of the elderly.Originality/valueIn contrast to the majority of previous studies, which employ inputs (social expenditures) or outputs (benefits, incomes), the authors use intergenerational balance indicators reflecting living conditions of a given generation as compared to the reference point defined as an average situation of all generations.

Vulnerability to Food Insecurity among Older People: The Role of Social Capital

Food insecurity is a public health issue in Western countries, including the UK. Being food-insecure means older adults may not access sufficient nutritious, safe, and socially acceptable food, leading to a higher risk of malnutrition. We conducted a qualitative study of 25 households with men and women aged 60-95 years to investigate how older adults access food and to explore social capital, which might contribute to food security or prevent malnutrition. We conducted participant-led kitchen tours, interviews, photo, and video elicitation across multiple household visits. In addition, we brought stakeholders together from a range of sectors in a workshop to explore how they might respond to our empirical findings, through playing a serious game based on scenarios drawn from our data. This was a successful way to engage a diverse audience to identify possible solutions to threats to food security in later life. Analysis of the data showed that older people's physical and mental health status and the local food environment often had a negative impact on food security. Older people leveraged social capital through reciprocal bonding and bridging social networks which supported the maintenance of food security. Data were collected before COVID-19, but the pandemic amplifies the utility of our study findings. Many social elements associated with food practices as well as how people shop have changed because of COVID-19 and other global and national events, including a cost-of-living crisis. To prevent ongoing adverse impacts on food security, focus and funding should be directed to re-establishment of social opportunities and rebuilding bridging social capital.

Population Ageing in Lower and Middle-income Countries: Policy Landscape of Southeast Asian Countries.

Populations are ageing at varying rates of development. Countries with developed economies have experienced such changes to their population structures. Examinations have been conducted with regard to how respective societies can accommodate the said changes in their health and social systems, but this research mostly focuses on more developed regions rather than lower-income countries. This paper discussed the experience of ageing populations in developing economies, which comprise the majority of the global older population. They display a vastly different experience from high-income countries, especially when viewed within the level of world regions. The cases presented here were from Southeast Asian countries in order to have a wide range of examples in terms of differences in country-income categories. In lower and middle-income countries, there are older adults who: continue working as their primary income source, are non-members of pension systems, and provide intergenerational support rather than only receiving it. The COVID-19 pandemic situation was also included here, as policies were reformed to address current needs that highlighted the challenging situation of older adults. The populations of countries that have yet to age substantially, especially those in the least-developed regions, can utilise this paper's recommendations in order to prepare for changes in the age structures of their societies.

Age-dependent NK cell dysfunctions in severe COVID-19 patients.

Natural Killer (NK) cells are key innate effectors of antiviral immune response, and their activity changes in ageing and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Here, we investigated the age-related changes of NK cell phenotype and function during SARS-CoV-2 infection, by comparing adult and elderly patients both requiring mechanical ventilation. Adult patients had a reduced number of total NK cells, while elderly showed a peculiar skewing of NK cell subsets towards the CD56lowCD16high and CD56neg phenotypes, expressing activation markers and check-point inhibitory receptors. Although NK cell degranulation ability is significantly compromised in both cohorts, IFN-γ production is impaired only in adult patients in a TGF-ß-dependent manner. This inhibitory effect was associated with a shorter hospitalization time of adult patients suggesting a role for TGF-ß in preventing an excessive NK cell activation and systemic inflammation. Our data highlight an age-dependent role of NK cells in shaping SARS-CoV-2 infection toward a pathophysiological evolution.

Frailty: understanding the difference between age and ageing.

In the past, illness and dependence were viewed as inevitable consequences of old age. Now, we understand that there is a difference between age (the passing of chronological time) and ageing (the increased risk of adverse outcomes over time). Over the last 50 years, 'frailty' research has established that ageing is heterogeneous, variable and malleable. Significant advances have been made in frailty measurement (description of clinical features and development of clinical models), mechanisms (insights into pathogenesis) and management (development of interventions to reduce and/or prevent progression). Subsequently, the concept of frailty has informed health policy and clinical practice and started to change perceptions of older age held by the general public and the health sector. Here, we overview key achievements in frailty research and clinical practice and highlight the considerable number of known unknowns that may be addressed in the future.

Senior Volunteering in Pandemics: Impact on the Social Participation of Older People

In successful ageing, the social relationships of older people are essential, as is the feeling of usefulness. Senior volunteering brings these qualities together in a single activity and is directly related to the emotional, psychologic and physical well-being of older people. The global pandemic of COVID-19 has widely affected all sectors of today's society. This research investigates the consequences that the pandemic has had on the lives of senior volunteers, as this demographic cohort has been doubly affected. The methodology used in this research was qualitative. Two focus groups were conducted, with seven participants each, from different volunteer organisations across Extremadura, using the ZOOM platform. The analysis of the data shows how senior volunteers and beneficiaries have suffered and continue to suffer from the effects of the pandemic. They have been forced to adapt to new regulations and situations, which has had an impact on their activities and probably also on their physical and emotional well-being.

Negative ageism and compassionate ageism in news coverage of older people under COVID-19: how did the pandemic progression and public health responses associate with different news themes?

Previous studies have found negative ageing narratives in the media during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, few have focused on compassionate ageism and how the news responded to the progression of the COVID-19 pandemic. We investigated (a) media themes of negative and compassionate ageism and (b) their relationships with COVID-19 parameters and the public health response. The sample included 1,197 articles relevant to COVID-19 and older people in Hong Kong published between January and December 2020. We used thematic analysis to identify themes from the news articles and structural equation modelling to explore these themes' relationship with the number of older people infected, effective reproduction number, number of COVID-19 deaths and public health response parallel in time. Pandemic-related variables were lagged for a day - the time needed to be reflected in the news. Two negative ageism themes portrayed older people as vulnerable to COVID-19 but counterproductive in combating the pandemic. Two compassionate ageism themes depicted older people as a homogenous group of passive assistance recipients. The theme blaming older people was associated with the number of confirmed infections (beta = 0.418, p = 0.002) but vulnerability of older people was not associated with pandemic-related variables. The theme helping older people was negatively associated with the percentage of older people in confirmed infections (beta = -0.155, p = 0.019). The theme resources available was negatively associated with confirmed infections (beta = -0.342, p < 0.001) but positively associated with the Containment and Health Index (beta = 0.217, p = 0.005). Findings suggested that negative and compassionate ageism were translated into narratives about older people in the media as the pandemic evolved but did not address the actual risk they faced. Media professionals should be aware of the potential negative and compassionate ageism prompted by the news agenda and promote adequate health behaviours and responses.

Investigating Older Adults' Atitudes towards Crisis Informatics Tools: Opportunities for Enhancing Community Resilience during Disasters

The world population is projected to rapidly age over the next 30 years. Given the increasing digital technology adoption amongst older adults, researchers have investigated how technology can support aging populations. However, little work has examined how technology can support older adults during crises, despite increasingly common natural disasters, public health emergencies, and other crisis scenarios in which older adults are especially vulnerable. Addressing this gap, we conducted focus groups with older adults residing in coastal locations to examine to what extent they felt technology could support them during emergencies. Our fndings characterize participants' desire for tools that enhance community resilience-local knowledge, preparedness, community relationships, and communication, that help communities withstand disasters. Further, older adults' crisis technology preferences were linked to their sense of control, social relationships, and digital readiness. We discuss how a focus on community resilience can yield crisis technologies that more efectively support older adults.

II International Convention on Science and Consciousness, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, December 8-10, 2021

This conference proceedings contains 15 articles that discuss various topics in the fields of medicine, psychology, and technology. The articles focus on the adaptation and validation of psychological scales, the effects of COVID-19 on physical and psychological health, the development of biomedical applications, and the evaluation of obstetric risks during the pandemic. It also covers topics related to family influence on child development, coping strategies for infertile couples, and the antioxidant potential of natural products. The pedagogical works included in the proceedings focus on neuropsychological interventions and vulnerability to successful aging and mental health. A literature review delves into the theoretical considerations regarding the study of family, self-determination, and disability in health contexts.