Productive Aging During COVID-19 - Lessons from WH SeniorLink

Introduction: According to the National Academies of Science, Medicine, and Engineering, even before the pandemic, 24% of Americans 65+ were considered socially isolated, and 43% of adults 60+ were lonely. Both experiences are associated with serious physical and mental health problems, including increased risks of dementia, stroke, depression, and suicidal ideation. As older adults engage in stricter social distancing to protect themselves from COVID-19, their risk of social isolation and loneliness is heightened. According to research by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 46% of adults 65+ reported that the worry and stress caused by pandemic has had a negative impact on their mental health. In order to combat this unique challenge, we must employ innovative, flexible solutions that adapt to the shifting circumstances and an uncertain future. Method(s): WH SeniorLink has developed an innovative program for integrating friendly visiting, mutual aid, needs assessment and case management, all delivered remotely by trained volunteers. The program was conceived, developed and executed since the beginning of COVID-19 restrictions and has grown to become a fully fledged 501(c)(3) organization, and is a model of flexible service delivery during this unusual time. The program operates through a volunteerism-mutual aid model. Volunteers are trained using online modules and quizzes and supervised by a licensed social worker, including training on needs and risk assessment. Volunteers are then matched with an older adult with similar interests and language preferences to provide friendly weekly phone calls, care packages and letters. Older adults with higher needs are referred to WH SeniorLink's service navigation program which operates using the online platform, Apricot, and is staffed by masters level social work interns and supervised by licensed social workers. Service navigation involves conducting comprehensive assessments and identifying resources and referrals. Older adults who express interest are also paired with each other to provide social support. Barriers to program development have included identifying consistent funding sources and volunteer attrition. Result(s): Data shows 169% growth in contacts made with older adults between May and October, with 2.5 times more older adults served in November than in May. Initial responses to the Dejong Gierveld Loneliness Scale and qualitative data collection reflect that older adults continue to feel lonely and isolated in the midst of the pandemic, but that WH SeniorLink is helping. By placing emphasis on empowering older adults to form sustained relationships with volunteers and their peers, WH SeniorLink encourages reciprocal relationships through which older adult participants are valued for their experiences and contributions. Conclusion(s): The mission of WH SeniorLink is to strengthen community ties and improve health outcomes among older New Yorkers by providing social-emotional support and connection to essential services. WH SeniorLink was founded during the COVID-19 pandemic, in response to the myriad of new challenges faced by older adults including greater risk of social isolation and increased disconnection from essential services. However, we recognize that the pandemic has only exacerbated a problem that began long before, and older adults are at risk of being left behind in the coming months and beyond. Funding(s): WH SeniorLink is funded by a starter grant from Columbia School of Social Work and subsequent crowdfunded donations.Copyright © 2021

Highlighting the Challenges in the Development, Funding, and Reimbursement of Medical Innovations from a Developer Perspective

Healthcare system is an essential system for any nation as it is responsible for maintaining the health of the individuals and public. However, the outbreak of different viral diseases such as influenza, covid-19 etc. has encouraged medical research in different developing and developed countries. Similarly, in Malaysia, different public and private research centers and biotechnology firms are being promoted to develop new and innovative medical drugs and equipment. However, different challenges are faced by the developers in promoting the development and innovations of medical commodities. Thus, this study was conducted to investigate different challenges in the development, funding, and reimbursement of medical innovations in Malaysia. For this purpose, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 7 developers from different public research and development (R&D) centers and biotechnology firms in Malaysia. After the interviews were conducted, their edited transcription was obtained, and thematic analysis was conducted, and different themes and sub-themes were formulated. The results obtained from this study showed that the lack of innovative environment, strategic compliances and effective funding structure negatively influences medical innovations in Malaysia. It has also been observed that poor reimbursement practices and policies and lack of pricing strategies by the Malaysian government impacts the ROI of the associated firms and developers. Thus, it has been recommended that mega-funds and reimbursement policies should be promoted to overcome these challenges in medical innovations.Copyright © 2023 ThinkBiotech LLC. All rights reserved.

Program Development Skills Towards Work Performance of Extension Agent During Movement Control Order (MCO) in Peninsular Malaysia

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), an infectious disease made Malaysia implemented a Movement Control Order (MCO) as a preventive measure towards the spread of the virus. Malaysia's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in agriculture sector (2020) is 7.4 per cent, the percentage growth of this sector declined 2.2 per cent from 2.0 per cent in the previous year. The declination of the growth may be related with performance of extension agent during the pandemic due to 1st MCO regulations. In addition, the performance before MCO was high in 2019, hence, the aim of this study is to determine the skills and work performance of extension agents in their Program Development Skills (planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating - PIME). Specifically, this research intended to determine the level of PIME skills and their work performance, to evaluate the relationship of PIME skills with the work performance of extension agent and to determine the most PIME skills that contributes to the work performance of the extension agent during MCO in Peninsular Malaysia. This study was driven by the Iceberg Model and distributed using a random sampling technique. A total of 362 extension agents from Peninsular Malaysia were participated in this research. Based on the result, all independent variables (PIME skills) indicated a positive correlation towards work performance. The monitoring and evaluating are the skills that significant towards work performance, and the evaluating skill became the highest independent variable that contributes to the work performance of extension agent. About 71.2% variance of work performance is explained by PIME and the balance 28.8% is explained by the other factors. This study suggest that the extension agent should improve their planning and implementing skills to suite with pandemic situation, so that the program that has been planned earlier can be done even though the situation might be challenging © 2023 by the authors. Licensee ResearchersLinks Ltd, England, UK

Developing Authentic Mentorship Through Professional Organizations

Harsh realities in pandemic fatigue, burnout, inequities, and isolation are impacting academic pharmacy. Mentoring programs, especially inter-institutional programs such as those provided within the Sections and Special Interest Groups (SIGs) of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), may combat some of these issues. Unfortunately, year after year, Academy members continue to request information from these groups on mentoring, whether it be the opportunity to pair up, for advice on how to be better mentors, or for guidance on how to develop a program on mentoring for the Sections and SIGs without an existing program. The need for authentic mentoring is vital to the success and retention of faculty and staff within the Academy. Therefore, it may be appropriate to take a closer look at why, despite ongoing mentoring programs scattered within AACP Sections and SIGs, these programs are unable to fulfill the needs of participants. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education is the property of American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Transitioning to Independent Nursing Practice during COVID-19: A Mixed Methods Study.

The COVID-19 pandemic presented challenges to onboard and support new graduate nurses (NGNs). This study sought to explore the perceptions of nurses entering clinical practice during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using mixed methods, we investigated the experiences of NGNs entering the field during the pandemic and how a nurse residency program (NRP) adapted to meet their needs. Newly graduated nurses entering practice in November 2019 described their transition through nurse experience surveys and focus group discussions. Results from the quantitative data reported on compassion satisfaction, burnout, and exposure to secondary traumatic stress. The qualitative data mirrored these findings with the discovery of the following five themes: transitioning through an NRP, impact to nursing care, value of coworkers, coping, and professional growth. These findings illustrate the need to better support future practice transitions in times of disruption and change.

Creating through covid: Virtual art therapy for youth resettled as refugees

Art therapy reduces trauma-related psychopathology in refugee youth. Given the added stress of COVID-19 on traumatized refugee populations, we adapted art therapy for refugee youth and their families in the virtual space. We describe program development, implementation and experientials, and clinical recommendations illustrated through two cases. Observations and feedback support art therapy as a tool to address socioemotional functioning in families who resettle as refugees and foster positive emotions, sense of self and community, confer stress coping skills, and enhance resilience. In light of the persistence of the pandemic, the unprecedented number of global refugees, and their unique needs for mental health services, virtual art therapy can expand accessibility and reach of beneficial methods to address trauma in refugee groups. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

AME+Cyber: Evaluating the online delivery of a holistic cyber-related talent development program

The present study used an explanatory mixed-method design to examine the effects of the Achievement Motivation Enhancement (AME)+Cyber enrichment program and teachers' perception of procedures and outcomes in the context of emergency remote teaching, including online and hybrid formats, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Three teachers implemented the program with 57 students in grades 9 through 12. To evaluate the program, we combined change score analysis of pretest and posttest data on academic self-perception, self-regulation, goal valuation, cyber-related interest, as well as descriptive interpretative analysis of interview data. We found the online learning format was more effective than the hybrid format for the affective and cognitive outcomes. Qualitative findings suggested pedagogical concerns and struggle with online learning due to emergency remote teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic, centered around a lack of student engagement and interaction that appropriate levels of training and practice could remedy. Implications and future research suggestions are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

3 Year Experience with a Novel Virtual Cardiology Grand Rounds Program Development Focused on Promoting Early Career Faculty Speakers from Outside Institutions

Background Traditionally Grand Rounds (GR) speakers at academic institutions tend to be local senior academic faculty. Inclusion of Early Career (EC) speakers in GR is not a common practice. At the time of academic promotion EC are often required to show evidence of national visibility and recognition. The virtual GR model we adopted when COVID pandemic began provided an opportunity to include EC speakers from within and outside universities in our academic Cardiovascular Grand Rounds. We hypothesized that EC will find virtual presentations attractive since it does not involve travel and time away from family or work. Methods Starting in January 2020, we began inviting EC Cardiology faculty from within our university as well as outside institutions to present at our weekly virtual GR (45-minute-long sessions). Potential speakers were identified through professional contacts, ACC EC Section and environmental scanning (authors of important scientific publications). We were unable to offer honoraria to our speakers. Sessions were advertised through social media (Twitter) from October 2021. Results Our 3 year experience from January 2020 to September 2022 is described. A total of 112 Virtual Cardiovascular GR sessions were held during this period. 56 sessions featured EC faculty speakers (50% of total). 40/56 EC speakers were from outside institutions (71%) and 16/56 were local from our institution (29%). Overall, the virtual GR model resulted in 79/112 (71%) of our speakers to be faculty from outside our university. These sessions were well received by GR attendees. Invited EC faculty speakers were enthusiastic and appreciated the opportunity to speak. The long-range benefit for EC speakers towards academic promotion remains to be established through follow-up. Conclusion Our 3 year experience serves as a best practice model for the inclusion of EC speakers in virtual GR. The quality of GR or audience evaluations were not negatively impacted by this model. Identifying suitable speakers from outside institutions required diligence and ongoing efforts. A national clearing house of suitable EC speaker names through ACC Sections (Early Career and Academic Sections) could be a beneficial future step.Copyright © 2023 American College of Cardiology Foundation

Creating the Hematology/Oncology/Stem Cell Transplant Advancing Resiliency Team: A Nurse-Led Support Program for Hematology/Oncology/Stem Cell Transplant Staff.

Background: Burnout, moral distress, compassion fatigue, and posttraumatic stress disorder are concerns for health-care staff. Due to the high mental, physical, and emotional demands of the pediatric hematology/oncology profession, workplace supports should be in place to address the needs of the staff. A nurse-led support program is one strategy to enhance staff well-being. Methods: The Hematology/Oncology/Stem Cell Transplant Advancing Resiliency Team (HART) is a nurse-led peer-to-peer on-site support program for multidisciplinary staff caring for hematology/oncology patients. HART coaches, working 8-hour shifts, covering both day and night shift hours, are present 3 days a week on the unit. HART offers a confidential space for one on one or group interactions, educational sessions, assistance with work related, patient-care based, or personal concerns, and various forms of integrative therapies. Results: There have been over 1,100 coach consults and 98 HART shifts worked. The most commonly reported changes since HART began include staff feeling more supported by leadership and staff making time for breaks during the work shift. A 25.6% increase in staff reporting to be extremely satisfied with unit support was found. Discussion: Cultivating a culture of staff support is important. Due to COVID-19, physical HART coach presence was put on hold for 4 weeks and virtual interventions were trialed. Since its return, coach consult numbers have been steadily rising. Having a support program led by coaches with direct experience understanding the emotional toll of caring for the pediatric hematology/oncology patient population was found to be well utilized, feasible through donor funding, and measurable via staff report.

The development of self-determination: A qualitative exploration of the Indiana choice scholarship program

The 1960s launched the school movement of choice. Today, school choice is nationally threaded through many states serving a diversity of students. Indiana developed and implemented the Indiana Choice Scholarship Program (ICSP) policy in 2011 to align with these national initiatives to benefit students. The goal for Indiana was to ease the burden of private education costs for families regardless of a family's income, but not all challenges within implementation have been remedied. The historical evolution of school choice currently focuses on the effectiveness of these state policies with regard to transitioning from the public to the private school for learners. Undergirded by Self-Determination Theory, this study focuses on high school students who matriculated from public to private ICSP Catholic schools. Participants were interviewed about their experience in both school settings after using the ICSP for at least one full schoolyear. Participants reflected on their ability to make autonomous decisions, the importance of feeling connected to others, and their understanding of actions needed for career readiness. By implementing qualitative inquiry (Saldana, 2016), interviews explored perceptions about the ICSP, focusing on SDT. This approach aided in analyzing individual students' perceptions behind the reasons why they chose to leave the public schools and enroll in Indiana's Choice Scholarship Program. Qualitative inquiry allowed for a discussion about what had worked well, what had been a challenge, and what had helped ICSP students imagine college and career readiness after transferring schools. This design gave participants an opportunity to discuss choices regarding behaviors developing autonomy, relatedness to peers and mentors, and competence within academic programs and extracurriculars. Qualitative inquiry also discussed relevant topics that naturally evolved from conversations (Crotty, 2015) such as the COVID pandemic. The rationale for this selection was to explore how the ICSP had shaped a student's opportunities for overall student success and college and career readiness using the SDT as a platform. The focus of this study was to have a discussion to understand if students see any benefit to a voucher scholarship program to attend an ICSP school. Cross-referencing responses added depth and understanding to the findings. Families still find school choice in Indiana difficult to sustain. Students in the study noted the challenge of transitioning from the public to the private school climates, commitment expectations, and financial costs associated with transferring to an ICSP school. While families still continue to struggle, Indiana continues to evolve the program to serve as many students K-12 as possible. Regardless of personal tests, participants in this study were satisfied with their decisions to leave the public school to attend the ICSP school. They felt for their college and career success, the transition was necessary. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Feasibility and acceptability of at-home play kits for middle school physical activity promotion during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Schools are central to providing opportunities for youth physical activity (PA), however such opportunities were limited during the COVID-19 pandemic. Identifying feasible, acceptable, and effective approaches for school-based PA promotion amid pandemic-related barriers can inform resource allocation efforts in future circumstances necessitating remote instruction. The aims of this study were to: (1) describe the pragmatic, stakeholder-engaged and theory-informed approach employed to adapt one school's PA promotion efforts to pandemic restrictions, leading to the creation of at-home "play kits" for students, and (2) assess the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of this intervention. METHODS: Intervention activities occurred in one middle school (enrollment: 847) located in a Federal Opportunity Zone in the Seattle, WA area, with control data from a nearby middle school (enrollment: 640). Students at the intervention school were eligible to receive a play kit during the quarter they were enrolled in physical education (PE) class. Student surveys were completed across the school year (n = 1076), with a primary outcome of days/week that the student engaged in ≥ 60 min of PA. Qualitative interviews (n = 25) were conducted with students, staff, parents, and community partners, and focused on play kit acceptability and feasibility. RESULTS: During remote learning play kits were received by 58% of eligible students. Among students at the intervention school only, students actively enrolled in PE (versus not enrolled) reported significantly more days with ≥ 60 min of PA in the previous week, however the comparison between schools was not statistically significant. In qualitative interviews, most students reported the play kit motivated them to participate in PA, gave them activity ideas, and made virtual PE more enjoyable. Student-reported barriers to using play kits included space (indoors and outdoors), requirements to be quiet at home, necessary but unavailable adult supervision, lack of companions to play outdoors, and inclement weather. CONCLUSIONS: A pre-existing community organization-school partnership lent itself to a rapid response to meet student needs at a time when school staff and resources were highly constrained. The intervention developed through this collaborative response-play kits-has potential to support middle school PA during future pandemics or other conditions that necessitate remote schooling, however modifications to the intervention concept and implementation strategy may be needed to improve reach and effectiveness.

A preceptorship programme for school nurses and health visitors

A preceptorship programme for health visitors and school nurses in Highland, Scotland, was developed, delivered and evaluated from 2015 until 2021. The programme used video-conferencing technology to connect remote and rural preceptees, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. Preceptees' feedback about the programme was positive;the key benefits highlighted were better networking and peer support capabilities and reduced isolation. As well as describing the programme and its development, this article provides recommendations for other organisations about how to develop a preceptorship programme in their field of practice.

High Impact for Youth by Youth: Health and Education Programs in Southern Africa

Young people in East and Southern Africa need greater access to reliable information about health and education in order to make informed decisions on health matters--focusing on HIV and teenage pregnancy--and to increase basic education outcomes. Young 1ove organization, established in March 2014 in Gaborone, Botswana, is a grassroots, youth-led, evidence-based movement in East and Southern Africa. Its mission is to connect youth to proven life-saving information. Its core competencies are delivering sensitive information to young people in a credible and relatable fashion, busting myths, changing beliefs and norms, generating demand, and building connection and trust. As a portfolio organization, Young 1ove commits to a few, highly curated programs. It invests in these programs for the long term--testing, iterating, and following the evidence at each step of the program life cycle. This article discusses lessons learned along the way of implementing Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL). TaRL is an education program that supports students who are falling behind in basic literacy and numeracy by grouping them according to ability level, rather than teaching to a syllabus that is often far too advanced for most students. In addition, the program has a menu of fun and level-appropriate activities that are custom-tailored to each group of students.

Recreating the Experience of an In-Person Summer Internship Program Remotely

We describe strategies, designs, tools, and technologies that were part of a 9-week experimental virtual summer internship program conducted during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The goals for the program were to (1) recreate the in-person summer internship experience, (2) explore ways of getting people to help each other, and (3) develop a sense of community in a remote/virtual setting. We offer learnings gleaned by the team regarding building virtual communities that encourage collaboration and communication.

Surviving Emergencies: Developing a Personalized Research-Based Technology Plan

The 2020 COVID 19 pandemic situation forced our society to consider different ways to accomplish work and education. Many employees and learners personally invested in various technologies in their homes in order to fulfill work and educational commitments. Meanwhile, a considerable number of organizations struggled with assisting associates to adapt to alternative ways of accomplishing meaningful work and educational success within home environments. Education leaders cannot always anticipate the arrival of an emergency, but they can develop a practice-based plan to survive an unforeseen situation. Using a strong, instructionally designed model, we created a process these leaders may follow to consider research-based ideas and best practices to create emergency survival plans for their organizations. This simple, structured plan begins with developing a delivery management system to connect instructors and learners in remote settings. Next, we provide strategies to manage online instructional and learning tools. Once everyone is connected and tools are selected, the plan moves forward to address online course design and development. Next, we provide guidelines to select the appropriate delivery process for the prepared courses. In addition, this section addresses the creation of a professional learning module for instructional designers, including trainers and classroom instructors. Finally, a re-entry process is created by developing a continuum learning plan.

Impact of COVID-19 on the Health Response to Family Violence in Aotearoa New Zealand: A Qualitative Study.

COVID-19 pandemic planning and response has resulted in unprecedented upheaval within health systems internationally. With a concern for increasing frequency and escalation of family violence, the so called "shadow pandemic," we wondered how health system violence intervention programs were operating during this time. In Aotearoa New Zealand, the Ministry of Health Violence Intervention Program (VIP), using a systems approach, seeks to reduce and prevent the health impacts of family violence and abuse through early identification, assessment, and referral of victims presenting to designated health services. In this qualitative descriptive study, we explored how the VIP program was impacted during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Forty-one VIP coordinators and managers representing 15 of the 20 New Zealand District Health Boards and the National VIP Team participated. Across 12 focus groups (8 face to face and 4 via Zoom) and 7 individual interviews (all via Zoom) participants shared their experience navigating systems to support frontline health providers' responsiveness to people impacted by family violence during the pandemic. In our reflexive thematic analysis, we generated 3 themes: Responding to the moment, valuing relationships, and reflecting on the status quo. Our findings demonstrate the dynamic environment in which participants found creative ways to adapt to the uncertainty and engage with communities to re-shape interventions and ensure continued implementation of the program. At the same time, challenges within the system prior to the pandemic were brought into view and highlighted the need for action. These included, for example, the need for improved engagement with Maori (Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand) to address long-standing health inequities. Having quality essential services for those impacted by family violence that engages with local knowledge and networks and routinely copes with uncertainty will strengthen our systems to minimize risk of harm during emergencies.

Pivoting to a Virtual Conference: Strategies and Lessons Learned

The COVID-19 pandemic ushered in pivotal changes in higher education as universities across the country closed campuses to slow the spread of disease. The global shift to online forums resulted in the need to rapidly rethink and reimagine the delivery of traditional in-person events. At Old Dominion University, the authors transitioned their Student Success Conference to a virtual format to prioritize the safety of attendees. In this article, they explore the strategies for adjusting to a virtual conference including benefits and lessons learned.

Service Learning during a Global Pandemic: How and Why?

This case study provides an overview as to how two faculty members co-taught an asynchronous online course with a service-learning component during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Within this paper, the authors recount the adjustments that were made in order to accommodate an online teaching modality while maintaining their commitment to service learning.