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Effect of a dual task on quantitative Timed up and Go performance in community-dwelling older adults - A preliminary study

The Loss of Social Network as a Precipitant of Bereavement Related Loneliness - Experiences of Older Adults

This study investigated the views of a group of older Irish adults on the issue of loneliness, which is an individual’s negative interpretation of their social environment. The study sought to obtain participants’ views about the characteristics of loneliness, precipitating factors, and coping strategies of older people who have experienced loneliness. Of particular interest was the impact of the availability and/or loss of social connections and how this is interpreted by older persons within a loneliness context. Three focus group interviews were held with twelve older adults. Results showed loneliness to be a wholly negative experience, characterised by stigma and perceived as an unavoidable part of the ageing process. The reduction of the social network through bereavement was identified as a major contributing factor to the onset of loneliness, with aspects such as the loss of opportunity to share memories and an awareness of anticipated future loss highlighted as issues of particular concern for older people.

Stigma and dementia - Let’s talk about memory loss

SEE-IT – A Social, Economic and Envinomnental Impact Analysis Tool for Age-Friendly Environments in Europe

Older Men as Learners - Irish Men’s Sheds as an Intervention

To date, little attention has been placed on older men (aged 50+ years) as learners, with much of the literature on adult learning concerned with younger age-groups and issues around gender equity directed mainly at women. This article examines the impact of community-based men’s sheds on informal and nonformal learning by older men in Ireland. It considers older men’s attitudes to learning, learning behavior, and the noncognitive attributes—motivation, perseverance, and beliefs about capabilities—that underpin learning behavior. This descriptive study used a mixed-methods approach, involving questionnaires and focus groups, with all sheds registered with the Irish Men’s Sheds Association invited to participate. It is concluded that men’s sheds provide space for hands-on learning activities that add value to the lives and experiences of men beyond work, fostering a yearning to carry on learning. Crucially, shed-based conversations have an important role in helping older men with difficult life transitions and are an important site for future studies of masculinity in later life.