Corrigendum: Learning digital skills online: empowering older adults through one-to-one, online digital training provision.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1122277.].

Understanding evidence and provision of services around social isolation and loneliness of military widow/ers: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Whilst the uniqueness of loneliness and social isolation is now recognised for members of the Armed Forces Community, there is currently a lack of evidence examining these experiences within the Military Widow/er population. Therefore, this scoping review aimed to search and synthesise the current evidence base exploring experiences of loneliness and social isolation in this community. METHOD: Six databases were searched; ASSIA; CINAHL; ProQuest Dissertation & Theses Global; PsycArticles; Medline; Web of Science. Any article type was included if they focused on UK or international Military Widows and loneliness and social isolation. In the absence of loneliness and social isolation, related aspects were included, for example, social support. RESULTS: A thematic synthesis was completed on the nine eligible papers, where key findings were coded and generated into four themes; Experiences of Loneliness and Social Isolation, The Uniqueness of the Military, Access to Social Support, and The Importance of Peer Support. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence supports the need for military-specific support services with peers who recognise the individuals' unique experiences of loneliness and social isolation. None of the available evidence focused specifically on social isolation, however this was often prevalent in the results. All of the studies were carried out in the USA and Israel, with none including the views of widowers. Further evidence is required, particularly relating to a UK-context.

Yoga and Multiple Sclerosis: Maintaining engagement in physical activity.

BACKGROUND: Physical activity is encouraged for people with Multiple Sclerosis. Yoga is a popular form of physical activity and is chosen by some people with Multiple Sclerosis. However, little is known about the impact of yoga for this population, alongside what influences ongoing engagement. AIM: The aim of this study is to qualitatively explore the impact of online home-based yoga on people with Multiple Sclerosis and to explore factors that influence engagement. METHODS: A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews and focus groups with people with Multiple Sclerosis and a yoga teacher. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Ethical Approval was gained from Northumbria University. FINDINGS: Three overarching themes emerged from the analysis. 'Yoga as engagement in physical activity' captured the reasoning for participating in yoga and how this method of physical activity was an alternative to physical activity done prior to diagnosis. Frustration was apparent within this theme that some individuals were unable to engage in the range of physical activity that they wished to. 'Yoga is a personalised approach' demonstrated the flexibility and inclusivity of yoga, for individuals with varying symptoms to be able to engage with. Finally, 'yoga impacts individuals both physically and psychologically' captured the focus on the psychological impact of yoga, improving wellbeing and control. CONCLUSIONS: Yoga gives people with Multiple Sclerosis the feeling of control over their symptoms and a means to engage with meaningful physical activity. Prior involvement in physical activity influenced engagement in yoga and wanting to push themselves. There was reluctance among this group to engage with aerobic activity, which warrants future investigation and support from health and exercise professionals.

The military spouse experience of living alongside their serving/veteran partner with a mental health issue: A systematic review and narrative synthesis.

INTRODUCTION: Military healthcare studies have reported a wide range of mental health issues amongst military personnel. Globally, mental health issues are one of the main causes of ill health. Military personnel have a greater prevalence of mental health issues than that of the general population. The impact of mental health issues can be wide and far reaching for family and carers. This systematic narrative review explores the military spouse experience of living alongside their serving or veteran partner with a mental health issue. METHODS: The systematic review performed was based on the PRISMA guide for searching, screening, selecting papers for data extraction and evaluation. Studies were identified from CINHAL, ASSIA, Proquest Psychology, Proquest Nursing & Allied Health source, Proquest Dissertations & Theses, ETHOS, PsychArticles, Hospital collection, Medline, Science Direct Freedom Collection and hand searching of citations and reference lists. RESULTS: Twenty-seven studies were included in the narrative synthesis. Five overarching themes from the experiences of military spouses' living alongside their serving/veteran partners mental health issue were identified: caregiver burden, intimate relationships, psychological/psychosocial effects on the spouse, mental health service provision and spouse's knowledge and management of symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The systematic review and narrative synthesis identified that the majority of studies focused on spouses of veterans, very few were specific to serving military personnel, but similarities were noted. Findings suggest that care burden and a negative impact on the intimate relationship is evident, therefore highlight a need to support and protect the military spouse and their serving partner. Likewise, there is a need for greater knowledge, access and inclusion of the military spouse, in the care and treatment provision of their serving partner's mental health issue.

Learning digital skills online: empowering older adults through one-to-one, online digital training provision.

Introduction: Digital exclusion, through lack of access and poor digital skills, can have an adverse impact on daily living. Not only did the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically impact the necessity of technology in our daily lives, but also reduced the availability of digital skills programmes. This study aimed to explore perceived facilitators and barriers of a digital skills programme that was delivered remotely (online) and to reflect on this form of training as a possible alternative to traditional face-to-face models. Methods: Individual interviews were carried out with programme participants and the programme instructor. Results: Two themes were generated from this data: (a) Creating a unique learning environment; and (b) Encouraging further learning. Discussion: Barriers to digital delivery were evident, however, the individual and personalized delivery empowered participants within their own learning, supporting individuals to learn skills relevant to them and to continue their digital learning journey.

Frailty nurse and GP-led models of care in care homes: the role of contextual factors impacting Enhanced health in care homes framework implementation.

BACKGROUND: The Enhanced Health for Care homes (EHCH) framework is an innovative response to provide more proactive, preventative approaches to care for residents living in care homes. It involves co-producing a shared vision with primary care. As part of EHCH a UK clinical commissioning group supported GP's in two localities to implement their preferred delivery approach involving a new Frailty Nurse-led (FN-led) model in care homes alongside an existing General Practitioner-led (GP-led) model. This paper focuses on implementation of the new FN-led model. METHODS: A qualitative study design was adopted. Forty-eight qualitative semi-structured interviews were undertaken across six care home sites in a Northern locality: three implementing the FN-led and three engaged in an existing GP-led model. Participants included residents, family members, care home managers, care staff, and health professionals working within the EHCH framework. RESULTS: Two overarching themes were generated from data analysis: Unanticipated implementation issues and Unintended consequences. Unsuccessful attempts to recruit Frailty Nurses (FN) with enhanced clinical skills working at the desired level (UK NHS Band 7) led to an unanticipated evolution in the implementation process of the FN-led model towards 'training posts'. This prompted misaligned role expectations subsequently provoking unexpected temporary outcomes regarding role-based trust. The existing, well understood nature of the GP-led model may have further exacerbated these unintended consequences. CONCLUSION: Within the broader remit of embedding EHCH frameworks, the implementation of new FN roles needed to evolve due to unforeseen recruitment issues. Wider contextual factors are not in the control of those developing new initiatives and cannot always be foreseen, highlighting how wider factors can force evolution of planned implementation processes with unintended consequences. However, the unintended consequences in this study highlight the need for careful consideration of information dissemination (content and timing) to key stakeholders, and the influence of existing ways of working.

Bereaved UK military families: A mixed methods study on the provision of practical and emotional support.

Traumatic deaths of military personnel can have tragic consequences for the lives and health of bereaved significant others. To mitigate the effects, the UK Armed Forces enhanced the support for bereaved military families. However, little is known about whether the support has been satisfactory. The present research applied mixed methods to explore the experiences of bereaved UK military families (N = 264) with different types of support and how it historically changed over time. The findings suggest that although support has improved, further improvements are required in the provision of financial information, administrative support, and access to psychological support for all bereaved family members.

Exploring the Role of Social Connection in Interventions With Military Veterans Diagnosed With Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: Systematic Narrative Review.

Background: It has been identified that military veterans have distinct experiences of loneliness and social isolation and, when comparing this community to other client groups with a PTSD diagnosis, veterans respond less favorably to treatment. However, the link between PTSD and loneliness for veterans remains insufficiently researched and it is unclear if there are effective interventions tackling this distinct experience of loneliness. Aims: This systematic narrative review aimed to synthesize existing evidence incorporating elements of social connection, social isolation, and loneliness within interventions for military veterans with a diagnosis of PTSD, consequently aiming to examine the impact of such interventions upon this community. Methods: Six databases were searched, utilizing relevant search criteria, with no date restrictions. Articles were included if they involved intervention or treatment for military veterans with PTSD and considered elements of social connection, social isolation, and/or loneliness. The initial search returned 202 papers. After exclusions, removal of duplications, and a reference/citation search, 28 papers remained and were included in this review. Results: From the 28 studies, 11 directly addressed social isolation and two studies directly addressed loneliness. Six themes were generated: (i) rethinking the diagnosis of PTSD, (ii) holistic interventions, (iii) peer support, (iv) social reintegration, (v) empowerment through purpose and community, and (vi) building trust. Conclusions: A direct focus upon social reintegration and engagement, psychosocial functioning, building trust, peer support, group cohesiveness and empowerment through a sense of purpose and learning new skills may mitigate experiential loneliness and social isolation for veterans with PTSD. Future research and practice should further explore the needs of the PTSD-diagnosed veteran community, seek to explore and identify potential common routes toward the development of PTSD within this community and consider bespoke interventions for tackling loneliness.

Engaging veterans in the research process: a practical guide.

Aims: Provide guidance for engaging military veterans in various research teams to help overcome veterans' lack of trust in research. Methods: We draw from our combined experience to present four case studies of veteran research on sensitive topics to illustrate successful engagement with veterans. Results: For each case example, we describe veterans' contributions at different phases of research. We then share practical guidance for realizing benefits and overcoming challenges of engaging veterans in research at each phase. In our experience, successful engagement has built trust by aligning research with participants' own experience as veterans. Conclusion: Investigators wishing to engage veterans in research may benefit from the lessons presented through these case studies.

Ex-military personnel's experiences of loneliness and social isolation from discharge, through transition, to the present day.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine the unique factors of loneliness and social isolation within the ex-military population from discharge, through transition, to the present day. DESIGN: A qualitative, Phenomenological approach was adopted. METHODS: In-depth semi-structured interviews were carried out with 11 participants who had all served in the British Armed Forces and represented all three military services (Royal Navy; Army; Royal Air Force). Reflexive Thematic Analysis was used to analyse the data. RESULTS: Three themes were generated-a sense of loss; difficulty in connecting in civilian life; and seeking out familiarity. The findings of this study were examined through the lenses of the Social Needs Approach and the Cognitive Discrepancy Model. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals developed close bonds in the military through meaningful and prolonged contact, reducing feelings of loneliness and social isolation during their time in service. The sense of belonging was key to social connection, but transition out of the military severed existing relationships, and a lack of belonging hindered the development of relationships within the civilian community. This study has implications for service provision relating to ex-military personnel and future service leavers.

What Role Does Geragogy Play in the Delivery of Digital Skills Programs for Middle and Older Age Adults? A Systematic Narrative Review.

This systematic narrative review aimed to explore the implementation and delivery of digital skills programs for middle and older age adults; and understand the presence of adult learning theory (namely, geragogy/critical geragogy) in their delivery. A database search was undertaken to examine international literature, published between 2010 and 2020. From 1,713 papers identified during the database searches, 17 papers were included. Thematic synthesis was used to analyze the papers in this review. Themes were generated relating to the implementation and delivery of digital skills programs: negative perceptions of aging; the learning environment; and value of technology. The role of geragogy/critical geragogy is not explicit in the delivery of digital skills programs in this review but has an underlying thread of empowerment and embodies the ethos of these learning theories to some extent. The findings of this review have been used to develop recommendations for delivering digital skills to older adults.

Yoga provision for individuals living with Multiple Sclerosis: Is the future online?

BACKGROUND: Yoga has multiple benefits for individuals living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), including reduced pain, depression, fatigue, strength, and improved quality of life. During the COVID-19 pandemic, home-based delivery of yoga increased. However, no studies to date have explored online home-based yoga for individuals living with MS, more specifically the motivations, experiences, or the sustainability of home-based yoga practice for individuals living with MS. AIM: This study aimed to explore the facilitators and barriers of online yoga provision for individuals living with MS. METHODS: One focus group and three semi-structured interviews were carried out online via Zoom with one yoga instructor and seven yoga participants living with MS. Thematic Analysis was used to analyse this data. FINDINGS: Two themes were generated from the interviews, the environment and future provision, each with their own sub-themes. The themes reflect various facilitators and barriers of home-based yoga provision which differed depending upon the individuals home environment, social connections, physical ability, and confidence practising yoga. Furthermore, preferences of home provision fluctuated over time depending upon symptoms of MS. CONCLUSIONS: Home-based yoga practice is a viable and enjoyable option for individuals living with MS. It is recommended that yoga studios offering home-based yoga provision consider individual differences in preference, as well as fluctuations in symptoms that may create inequitable access to services and may prevent participation for some.

Learning From Student Experience: Development of an International Multimodal Patient Safety Education Package.

BACKGROUND: Patient safety is a global concern. Learning to provide safe, high-quality care is core to nursing education. PROBLEM: Students are exposed to diverse clinical practices, and experiences may vary between placements and across countries. Student experience is seldom used as an educational resource. APPROACH: An international, European Union-funded project, Sharing Learning from Practice for Patient Safety (SLIPPs), aimed to develop an innovative online educational package to assist patient safety learning. Based on student reported data and educational theory, multiple elements were iteratively developed by a multicountry, multidisciplinary group. OUTCOMES: The educational package is freely available on the SLIPPs Web site. Materials include a student reporting and reflection tool, virtual seminars, student reports data set, pedagogical game, high-fidelity simulation scenarios, scenario development and use guidelines, debriefing session model, and videos of simulations already performed. CONCLUSIONS: E-learning enables removal of physical barriers, allowing educators, professionals, and students from all over the world to collaborate, interact, and learn from each other.