Effective Relationships Between Younger Caregivers and Older Care Recipients Across a Continuum of Formal Residential Care Settings: A Scoping Review and a Critical Analysis.

Objective: This article aims to conduct a scoping review of what constitutes effective relational interactions between caregivers (CGs) and older persons (OPs) across formal residential care settings. Methods: A scoping review of publications between January 2000 and December 2021 yielded 10,929 articles, and after removing duplicates and applying exclusion criteria, 36 articles were analysed. Results: Articles were scrutinised for interactions involving both CGs and OPs, using a thematic framework analysis to identify effective relational constructs. Four themes emerged: 1) Diverse perspectives on the same context: for OPs it is home, and for CGs, workplace. 2) CGs move for a one-up position and OPs submit to a one-down, or as friends. 3) Relational qualities have been mostly associated with CGs, confirming care as a unidirectional action 4). Relationships between CGs and OPs result either in effective or ineffective care outcomes. Conclusion: The dual meanings attached to the same context limit the authentic interactions between CGs and OPs. We propose a relational caregiving approach by considering the interactions of both CGs and OPs, changing the relational definition, and demonstrating effective relational qualities.

Individual and Community-Contextual Level Factors Associated With Wellbeing Among Older Adults in Rural Zambia.

Objective: This article aims to identify individual and community-contextual level factors associated with the wellbeing of older adults (50 years and older) in rural Zambia. Methods: Data from the nationally representative 2015 Living Conditions Monitoring Survey (LCMS) was used. Employing multilevel mixed effects, the individual and community-contextual factors on wellbeing were determined. Results: Overall, 31.7% of rural older adults perceived their wellbeing as good. Both individual and community-contextual level factors are associated with the wellbeing of older adults in rural communities. At the individual level, wellbeing was associated with higher education attainment. Community-contextual factors significantly associated with wellbeing included improved housing, access to piped tap water within the premises, own charcoal or income to purchase firewood. Conclusion: The findings foreground the imperative to analyse both individual and community-contextual level factors of wellbeing to generate and present evidence for investments in education across the life course and for the development of infrastructure towards increasing the wellbeing of rural older adults. Additionally, the results provide a basis for planning by devising policies and programmes for older people to thrive and for no one to be left behind regardless the setting.

Prevalence of sarcopenia in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.

BACKGROUND: Existing literature suggests that sarcopenia is a highly prevalent condition in older people. However, most studies to date reporting data on its prevalence have been mainly carried out in Western countries, while data on sarcopenia in Africa is scarce. With this systematic review and meta-analysis, we aimed to determine the prevalence of sarcopenia in African countries and to explore potential factors that could explain higher or lower prevalence of this condition in Africa. METHODS: Major databases for studies reporting data on sarcopenia in African countries were searched from inception to June 2023. We conducted a meta-analysis of the prevalence [and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs)] of sarcopenia in Africa, applying a random effect model. Several sensitivity and meta-regression analyses were run. RESULTS: Among 147 articles initially screened, six articles (with seven cohorts) including a total of 10,656 participants were included. Mean age of participants was 66.9 years, and the majority were female (58.1%). The weighted prevalence of sarcopenia in the selected countries of Africa was 25.72% (95%CI: 18.90-32.55). This outcome was characterized by a high heterogeneity (I2 = 99%) and by publication bias. Among the factors investigated, sarcopenia was lower when assessed using only one anthropometric measure, or in South Africa. CONCLUSION: Sarcopenia is a prevalent condition in Africa and thus research regarding this topic is a public health priority. Future studies that cover African countries for which data are not available and using standardized criteria are needed.

Telemedicine-guided thoracentesis of tension pneumothorax in a term newborn.

We describe a case of a term female infant born in a rural community hospital and who developed a left-sided spontaneous tension pneumothorax shortly after birth. We used telemedicine to guide the family physician and healthcare team at the referring hospital to perform a life-saving thoracentesis using an intravenous cannula. The cannula was kept in place to drain the persistent pneumothorax during transportation to the pediatric intensive care unit at the tertiary hospital.

Societal Need for Interdisciplinary Ageing Research: An International Alliance of Research Universities "Ageing, Longevity and Health" Stream (IARU-ALH) Position Statement.

Ageing is a global concern with major social, health, and economic implications. While individual countries seek to develop responses to immediate, pressing needs, international attention and collaboration is required to most effectively address the multifaceted challenges and opportunities an ageing global population presents in the longer term. The Ageing, Longevity and Health stream of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU-ALH) was built on a solid foundation of first-class interdisciplinary research and on innovative outreach and communication centres. This interdisciplinary network conducts projects that span biology, medicine, social sciences, epidemiology, public health, policy, and demography, and actively engages with the public and other societal stakeholders. Here we posit that such international interdisciplinary networks are needed and uniquely placed to address major challenges related to health and ageing and ultimately will produce new understanding and knowledge to promote the awareness of healthy ageing and encourage societal change via novel, science-informed interventions. Global interdisciplinary research presents great potential and opportunities to accelerate our understanding of human ageing and to produce new, more effective solutions to a pressing, complex problem. However, more focused, strategic efforts and investments are required in order to deliver on these potentials and reap maximum benefits for individuals and societies. IARU-ALH members are determined to contribute, in collaboration with others, to delivering on this vision.

Research Debate on 'Older Carers and Work' in Sub-Saharan Africa? Current Gaps and Future Frames.

Scientific debate on the interface of work and caregiving responsibilities among older adults is intensifying, yet it has had little resonance in African aging discourses thus far. In this commentary we explore the nature and possible reasons for the gap, and highlight a possible frame, and potential avenues for redressing it as part of an emergent research and policy endeavor on long-term care for older persons.

Families, Intergenerational Bonds, and Aging in Sub-Saharan Africa.

This Research Note proposes a rationale, and offers a set of initial parameters, for an explicit effort to forge a policy and scientifically relevant family gerontology for Africa. It builds on a critical appraisal of dominant policy discourses in the region and existing research efforts on families and aging, specifically in sub-Saharan Africa.