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This article aims to examine factors associated with falls in older adults residing in apartments designed with age-friendly features in Singapore. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 925 older adults aged 55 years and older, residing in studio apartments in Singapore. Multivariable backward logistic regression and independent factors associated with falls include older age, cataracts, urinary-tract disorders, general weakness, participation in family gatherings, and functional difficulty in dressing. Interaction effects were found for gender and walking long distances. Environmental factors were not independent factors for falls, although they were associated on bivariate analysis. Findings have implications on the importance of age-friendly design setting on fall prevention. Fall prevention efforts should be multidimensional and target modifiable risk factors for falls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Singapore, policy makers expect families to remain actively involved in the care of their frail older relatives, as manifestly expressed in its Many Helping Hands approach to long-term care. To enable families to fulfill this expectation, the government has enacted policies that encourage the hiring of foreign domestic workers (FDWs) to complement or supplement informal caregiving efforts. Using the Andersen Behavioral Model, we were interested in identifying caregiver and care receiver characteristics that might predict the hiring of FDWs. With data from a convenience sample of 488 informal caregivers, we ran logistic regression regressing the hiring of an FDW on various predisposing, enabling, and need factors. Of interest, enabling factors such as household income, housing type, and educational level were predictive of hiring an FDW in the home. Only one need factor, time spent in caregiving, was predictive of the increased likelihood to hire an FDW. Policies that encourage the marketization of care are likely to favor those with financial means and inadvertently ignore the caregiving burdens of lower income families. In addition, we suggest research and policies to ensure the well-being and protection of FDWs who have become a key component of the long-term care policy and practice in Singapore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By combining stakeholder theory and activity theory, this study examines the dynamic relationships among wealth, volunteering, and self-esteem of older adults. This study uses latent growth curve modeling (LGCM) to capture the longitudinal patterns of self-esteem across four waves of data from the Americans’ Changing Lives (ACL) Study. As time-varying variables, the longitudinal trajectories of volunteering hours and self-esteem are analyzed. As time-invariant independent variables, the authors consider two types of wealth measurements: homeownership and the amount of total liquid assets at Wave 1. The authors find that the intercept of volunteering hours is positively associated with the intercept of self-esteem. This study also finds that volunteering hours partially mediates the relationship between wealth and self-esteem. This study sheds lights on dynamic mechanisms of wealth, volunteering, and self-esteem among older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose: To explore changes in daily activities associated with high-intensity volunteering, this study assessed activities in a sample of 180 new Experience Corps (EC) volunteers serving low reading students in urban schools.Methods: Level of activity in 15 areas (visiting friends, reading, watching TV, etc.) was obtained at the beginning of this high-commitment volunteer experience and after 9 months of service. Latent class analyses were used to identify activity patterns, and regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with changes in activities.Results: At pre-test, 37% were classified in the low-activity group and were more likely to be first time volunteers, older, non-White, and have less education. At post-test, only 17% were classified as low activity. An increase in activity was more likely to occur for those who were low activity before joining the volunteer program.Implications: These findings demonstrate that increase in activity does occur for less active older adults who join a volunteer program. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]