Information and Communication Technology Adoption Strategies Among Iranian Older Adults: A Qualitative Evaluation.

In today's world, it is unavoidable for older adults to use technology, which causes some challenges for them. In this qualitative study, we used grounded theory to evaluate information and communication technology (ICT) adoption strategies among Iranian older adults. The participants included 18 older adults, five experts, and five family members of older adults. The data collection method included conducting semi-structured interviews, taking field notes, and observation. The data were analyzed using the Corbin and Strauss approach. Three main themes were extracted as follows: support from others, effort for learning, and smart choice. The subthemes of support from others included creativity in educating older adults; having access to an educational supporter; and receiving informational, emotional, and financial support. The subthemes of effort for learning included utilizing aids, adaptive measures, shortcut techniques, and self-learning. The subthemes of smart choice included physical characteristics, technical features, price sensitivity, and availability of an active sales representative. Accordingly, it is essential to teach older adults to increase their ICT adoption rate and continued use of technology. In this respect, developing a standard ICT manual for older adults can be beneficial.

Geriatric Syndromes among Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Comparison between Young and Elderly Patients.

Background: In the general geriatric population, Geriatric syndromes (GSs) predict greater likelihood of hospitalization, increased health care use and cost. The present study aimed to compare GSs among young and elderly patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: In a cross-sectional study a total of 98 participants, including 65 elderly (≥60 years) and 33 young adult patients (<60 years) with RA who referred to the geriatric and rheumatologic clinic were enrolled. Patients were categorized into three groups (healthy elderly, n=27; elderly with RA, n=38; and young people with RA, n=33). GSs were assessed using mini-mental state exam (MMSE), five-item geriatric depression scale-15 (GDS-15), mini nutritional assessment (MNA), and asking patients about history of falls in the past year. The RA activity in patients was assessed using disease activity for rheumatoid arthritis score-28 (DAS-28) scale, serum ESR (mm/h) level. Results: There was a statistically significant differences in terms of DAS-28 (2.23±1.01 vs. 0.64±0.97, P=0.025) and ESR (28.10±6.64 vs. 23.09±7.65 mm/h, P=0.042) between healthy elderly and RA elderly patients. Elderly patients with RA were significantly more prone to have cognitive impairment (P=0.002), fall (P=0.005), malnutrition (P<0.001), urinary incontinence (P<0.001), and functional disability (P=0.021) compared to healthy elderlies and young RA patients. The results of binary logistic regression revealed that in elderly RA patients, higher DAS-28 score [odds ratio (OR) = 1.96; 95% CI 1.03, 3.84; P=0.041] was an independent risk factors for the GSs. Conclusion: The prevalence of some features of GSs were higher in the elderly RA patients than healthy elderly and young RA patients.

The Impact of Abuse on the Quality of Life of the Elderly: A Population-based Survey in Iran.

OBJECTIVES: The quality of life (QoL) of the elderly and elder abuse are growing public health concerns. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of abuse and the association between QoL and abuse in older adults. METHODS: Multistage random cluster sampling, along with valid QoL (LEIPAD: LEIden, the Netherlands; PADua, Italy; Helsinki, Finland) and abuse questionnaires, were used to assess QoL and elder abuse. Path analysis was performed using Mplus. SPSS and AMOS were used for the other analyses. RESULTS: A total of 386 elderly individuals with a mean age of 68.00±6.10 years were interviewed, of whom 200 (51.8%), 289 (74.9%), and 376 (97.4%) were women, educated, and married, respectively. Moreover, 167 (43.2%) had low-to-moderate QoL, and 108 (27.9%) had experienced a moderate level of abuse. QoL and abuse were inversely associated (r=-0.253), with men (ß=-0.24) more affected than women (ß=-0.21). Musculoskeletal disorders were also strong determinants of QoL in the elderly. QoL was strongly associated with emotional abuse, while abuse was highly related to the social component of QoL. Furthermore, emotional abuse was the type of abuse most significantly associated with the self-care, depression/anxiety, cognitive, and social components of QoL. Sexual abuse, violation of personal rights, and neglect were the main determinants of the physical functioning, life satisfaction, and sexual domains of QoL, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Nearly half of the elderly individuals lacked a high QoL, and at least one-fourth had experienced some form of abuse. Elder abuse was correlated inversely with QoL. Therefore, preventive interventions are recommended to decrease elder abuse in the family, community, and other settings.