Using Twitter to Understand COVID-19 Vaccine-Related Ageism During the Pandemic.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: During the rollout of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines, older adults in high-income countries were often prioritized for inoculation in efforts to reduce COVID-19-related mortality. However, this prioritization may have contributed to intergenerational tensions and ageism, particularly with the limited supply of COVID-19 vaccines. This study examines Twitter discourse to understand vaccine-related ageism during the COVID-19 pandemic to inform future vaccination policies and practices to reduce ageism. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We collected 1,369 relevant tweets on Twitter using the Twint application in Python from December 8, 2020, to December 31, 2021. Tweets were analyzed using thematic analysis, and steps were taken to ensure rigor. RESULTS: Our research identified four main themes including (a) blame and hostility: "It's all their fault"; (b) incompetence and misinformation: "clueless boomer"; (c) ageist political slander; and (d) combatting ageism: advocacy and accessibility. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Our findings exposed issues of victim-blaming, hate speech, pejorative content, and ageist political slander that is deepening the divide of intergenerational conflict. Although a subset of tweets countered negative outcomes and demonstrated intergenerational solidarity, our findings suggest that ageism may have contributed to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among older adults. Consequently, urgent action is needed to counter vaccine misinformation, prohibit aggressive messaging, and promote intergenerational unity during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Base rates of low neuropsychological test scores in older adults with subjective cognitive impairment: Findings from a tertiary memory clinic.

Base rates of low scores are typically determined from normative samples, which differ from clinical samples. We examined base rates of spuriously low scores for 93 older adults with subjective cognitive impairment presenting to a memory clinic. Crawford's Monte Carlo simulation algorithm was used to estimate multivariate base rates by calculating the percentage of cognitively intact memory clinic patients who produced normed scores at or below the 5th percentile. Neuropsychological tests included: Weschler Adult Intelligence Scale block design, digit span backwards, coding, Weschler Memory Scale logical memory immediate/delayed; California Verbal Learning Test immediate/delayed memory; Brief Visuospatial Memory Test immediate/delayed; and Delis-Kaplan Executive Functioning category switching, letter number sequencing, and inhibition/switching. An estimated 33.58% of the cognitively intact memory clinic population would have one or more low scores, 14.7% two or more, 6.55% three or more, 2.94% four or more, and 1.31% 5 or more due to chance. Base rates were then applied to a subset of clinical data: all with dementia and most with MCI had low scores that exceeded the base rates. Determining base rates of spuriously low scores on a neuropsychological battery in clinical samples could reduce false positives by using empirical adjustments for expected low scores.

Examining the Twitter Discourse on Dementia During Alzheimer's Awareness Month in Canada: Infodemiology Study.

BACKGROUND: Twitter has become a primary platform for public health campaigns, ranging from mental health awareness week to diabetes awareness month. However, there is a paucity of knowledge about how Twitter is being used during health campaigns, especially for Alzheimer's Awareness Month. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of our study was to examine dementia discourse during Canada's Alzheimer's Awareness Month in January to inform future awareness campaigns. METHODS: We collected 1289 relevant tweets using the Twint application in Python from January 1 to January 31, 2022. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Guided by our analysis, 4 primary themes were identified: dementia education and advocacy, fundraising and promotion, experiences of dementia, and opportunities for future actions. CONCLUSIONS: Although our study identified many educational, promotional, and fundraising tweets to support dementia awareness, we also found numerous tweets with cursory messaging (ie, simply referencing January as Alzheimer's Awareness Month in Canada). While these tweets promoted general awareness, they also highlight an opportunity for targeted educational content to counter stigmatizing messages and misinformation about dementia. In addition, awareness strategies partnering with diverse stakeholders (such as celebrities, social media influencers, and people living with dementia and their care partners) may play a pivotal role in fostering dementia dialogue and education. Further research is needed to develop, implement, and evaluate dementia awareness strategies on Twitter. Increased knowledge, partnerships, and research are essential to enhancing dementia awareness during Canada's Alzheimer's Awareness Month and beyond.

Examining the Impact of COVID-19 on People With Dementia From the Perspective of Family and Friends: Thematic Analysis of Tweets.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic is taking a serious toll on people with dementia. Given the rapidly evolving COVID-19 context, policymakers and practitioners require timely, evidence-informed research to address the changing needs and challenges of people with dementia and their family care partners. OBJECTIVE: Using Twitter data, the objective of this study was to examine the COVID-19 impact on people with dementia from the perspective of their family members and friends. METHODS: Using the Twint application in Python, we collected 6243 relevant tweets over a 15-month time frame. The tweets were divided among 11 coders and analyzed using a 6-step thematic analysis process. RESULTS: Based on our analysis, 3 main themes were identified: (1) frustration and structural inequities (eg, denied dignity and inadequate supports), (2) despair due to loss (eg, isolation, decline, and death), and (3) resiliency, survival, and hope for the future. CONCLUSIONS: As the COVID-19 pandemic persists and new variants emerge, people with dementia and their family care partners are facing complex challenges that require timely interventions. More specifically, tackling COVID-19 challenges requires revisiting pandemic policies and protocols to ensure equitable access to health and support services, recognizing the essential role of family care partners, and providing financial assistance and resources to help support people with dementia in the pandemic. Revaluating COVID-19 policies is critical to mitigating the pandemic's impact on people with dementia and their family care partners.

CVLT-II short form forced choice recognition in a clinical dementia sample: Cautions for performance validity assessment.

Performance validity tests are susceptible to false positives from genuine cognitive impairment (e.g., dementia); this has not been explored with the short form of the California Verbal Learning Test II (CVLT-II-SF). In a memory clinic sample, we examined whether CVLT-II-SF Forced Choice Recognition (FCR) scores differed across diagnostic groups, and how the severity of impairment [Clinical Dementia Rating Sum of Boxes (CDR-SOB) or Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)] modulated test performance. Three diagnostic groups were identified: subjective cognitive impairment (SCI; n = 85), amnestic mild cognitive impairment (a-MCI; n = 17), and dementia due to Alzheimer's Disease (AD; n = 50). Significant group differences in FCR were observed using one-way ANOVA; post-hoc analysis indicated the AD group performed significantly worse than the other groups. Using multiple regression, FCR performance was modeled as a function of the diagnostic group, severity (MMSE or CDR-SOB), and their interaction. Results yielded significant main effects for MMSE and diagnostic group, with a significant interaction. CDR-SOB analyses were non-significant. Increases in impairment disproportionately impacted FCR performance for persons with AD, adding caution to research-based cutoffs for performance validity in dementia. Caution is warranted when assessing performance validity in dementia populations. Future research should examine whether CVLT-II-SF-FCR is appropriately specific for best-practice testing batteries for dementia.