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2 results on '"Elena Rolandi"'

1. The Complexity of Reading Revealed by a Study with Healthy Older Adults

Author

Sara Pegoraro, Alessio Facchin, Francesca Luchesa, Elena Rolandi, Antonio Guaita, Lisa S. Arduino, and Roberta Daini

Subjects
reading, healthy aging, attention, crowding, neuropsychological assessment, mediation model, Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry, RC321-571
Abstract

Aging, even when healthy, involves changes in cognitive functioning that can gradually affect the everyday activities and well-being of older people. Reading, which requires the integrity of several functions and their integration, is important to maintaining high cognitive and emotional stimulation over time. Our study aimed to investigate whether reading ability declines with aging. To explore also why reading would decline, we explored the changes in the performance of visual and attention tasks. A group of 58 neurologically healthy older people aged from 65 to 75 underwent neuropsychological assessment to investigate their global cognitive functioning, reading skills, crowding, and attention components. We found a decline in reading abilities as a function of aging (β = 0.34, p < 0.05). We did not find an increase in crowding or difficulties in visual acuity. Furthermore, we found no decline with age in tasks of simple reaction times, visuospatial attention, and other single components of attention. Interestingly, we instead found a worsening with age in the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (β = −0.26, p < 0.05), involving attention, working memory, and processing speed, which explains part of the reading decline. Our results suggest that task complexity is a fundamental aspect to account for aging changes.

Published
2024
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2. Loneliness and Social Engagement in Older Adults Based in Lombardy during the COVID-19 Lockdown: The Long-Term Effects of a Course on Social Networking Sites Use

Author

Laura Pettinato, Simona Abbondanza, Roberta Vaccaro, Mauro Colombo, Georgia Casanova, Antonio Guaita, and Elena Rolandi

Subjects
Gerontology, Program evaluation, Aging, social isolation, Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis, Pneumonia, Viral, lcsh:Medicine, Article, Social Networking, lockdown, 03 medical and health sciences, Social support, Betacoronavirus, 0302 clinical medicine, Quality of life (healthcare), Surveys and Questionnaires, medicine, loneliness, Humans, social networking sites, 030212 general & internal medicine, Social isolation, Pandemics, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, SARS-CoV-2, lcsh:R, Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health, Attendance, COVID-19, Social Support, Loneliness, Social engagement, Social Participation, Mental health, communication technology, Mental Health, Quality of Life, medicine.symptom, Psychology, Coronavirus Infections, 030217 neurology & neurosurgery, Program Evaluation
Abstract

Older adults are less familiar with communication technology, which became essential to maintain social contacts during the COVID-19 lockdown. The present study aimed at exploring how older adults, previously trained for Social Networking Sites (SNSs) use, experienced the lockdown period. In the first two weeks of May 2020, telephone surveys were conducted with individuals aged 81&ndash, 85 years and resident in Abbiategrasso (Milan), who previously participated in a study aimed at evaluating the impact of SNSs use on loneliness in old age (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04242628). We collected information on SNSs use, self-perceived loneliness, and social engagement with family and friends. Interviewed participants were stratified as trained (N = 60) and untrained (N = 70) for SNSs use, based on their attendance to group courses held the previous year as part of the main experimental study. The groups were comparable for sociodemographics and clinical features. Participants trained for SNSs use reported significantly higher usage of SNSs and reduced feeling of being left out. Compared to pre-lockdown levels, individuals trained for SNSs use showed a lighter reduction in social contacts. These findings support the utility of training older adults for SNSs use in order to improve their social inclusion, even in extreme conditions of self-isolation and perceived vulnerability.

Published
2020

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