Building Digital Literacy in Older Adults of Low Socioeconomic Status in Singapore (Project Wire Up): Nonrandomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: In a rapidly digitalizing world, the inability of older adults to leverage digital technology has been associated with weaker social connections and poorer health outcomes. Despite the widespread digital adoption in Singapore, older adults, especially those of lower socioeconomic status (SES), still face difficulties in adopting information and communications technology and are typically digitally excluded. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to examine the impact of the volunteer-led, one-on-one, and home-based digital literacy program on digital literacy and health-related outcomes such as self-reported loneliness, social connectedness, quality of life, and well-being for older adults of low SES. METHODS: A nonrandomized controlled study was carried out in Singapore between July 2020 and November 2021 involving 138 digitally excluded community-dwelling older adults aged ≥55 years and of lower SES. Older adults awaiting participation in the program served as controls. Older adults under the intervention were equipped with a smartphone and cellular data, underwent fortnightly to monthly digital literacy training with volunteers to learn digital skills, and digitally connected to their existing social networks. Primary outcome was the improvement in self-reported digital literacy. Secondary outcomes included improvements in University of California, Los Angeles 3-item loneliness scale, Lubben Social Network Scale-6, EQ-5D-3L and EQ visual analogue scale scores, and Personal Wellbeing Score. RESULTS: There were significant improvements in digital literacy scores in the intervention group as compared to controls (mean difference 2.28, 95% CI 1.37-3.20; P<.001). Through multiple linear regression analyses, this difference in digital literacy scores remained independently associated with group membership after adjusting for differences in baseline scores, age, gender, education, living arrangement, housing type, and baseline social connectivity and loneliness status. There was no statistically significant difference in University of California, Los Angeles 3-item loneliness scale, Lubben Social Network Scale-6, Personal Wellbeing Score, or EQ-5D Utility and visual analogue scale score. CONCLUSIONS: This study adds to the growing research on digital inclusion by showing that a volunteer-led, one-on-one, and home-based digital literacy program contributed to increase digital literacy in older adults of low SES. Future studies should look into developing more older adult-friendly digital spaces and technology design to encourage continued digital adoption in older adults and, eventually, impact health-related outcomes.

Bridging Connectivity Issues in Digital Access and Literacy: Reflections on Empowering Vulnerable Older Adults in Singapore.

This article describes a ground-up initiative for a volunteer-run digital literacy program in Singapore targeting vulnerable older adults, focusing on the barriers faced in running this program and training these beneficiaries. It further offers possible solutions to overcome these hurdles, providing insight for individuals or organizations seeking to start similar ground-up initiatives.

A Retrospective Study of Patients Undergoing Acute Electroconvulsive Therapy for Predominately Manic or Mixed Episodes With and Without Lithium in Singapore.

OBJECTIVE: The effect of lithium therapy during Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) on cognition and treatment effectiveness is unclear. In this study, we compare the cognitive and symptomatic outcomes of patients undergoing ECT with and without lithium in a large tertiary psychiatric institution. METHODS: Patients with predominantly manic or mixed episodes on lithium were propensity score matched with controls. Cognition was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), while severity of symptoms was assessed using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and Clinical Global Impression-Severity Scale. Quality of life was assessed using the Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire Short Form (Q-LES-Q-SF) and EuroQol Five Dimension (EQ-5D). Linear mixed-effects modeling and conditional logistic regression were conducted as appropriate. RESULTS: 87 patients were included in the study. There was no significant difference in cognitive and symptomatic outcomes for patients receiving ECT with or without lithium after 6 sessions of ECT. CONCLUSIONS: Concurrent lithium administration during the initial acute ECT course was not associated with differential cognitive or symptomatic outcomes. Lithium administration should not be a contraindication for appropriate acute ECT treatment in patients. Larger controlled studies to confirm these findings are warranted.

Normalisation of urinary biomarkers to creatinine for clinical practice and research--when and why.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are major health problems. Urinary biomarkers have both diagnostic and prognostic utility in AKI and CKD. However, how biomarker excretion rates should be reported, especially whether they should be normalised to urinary creatinine concentration (uCr), is controversial. Some studies suggest that normalisation to uCr may be inappropriate at times, as urinary creatinine excretion rate may vary greatly, depending on the situation. Notably, recent studies suggest that while normalisation of values to UCr may be valid for the evaluation of CKD and prediction of AKI sequelae and occurrences, it could be inappropriate for the diagnosis of AKI, or in the presence of certain acute kidney disease states.