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Objectives: To examine loneliness in old age and whether intergenerational reciprocity and WHO functional ability predicted loneliness., Methods: Using the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study Wave 4 (2018) database (CHARLS), logistic regression models were adopted to investigate the relationships., Results: The prevalence of loneliness was 28% in older people in China. Corresponding to the five domains of functional abilities, providing financial support to adult children (adj. OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.70-0.99), self-perceived health (adj. OR 1.30, 95% CI 1.19-1.41), having a retirement pension (adj. OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.57-0.93), the ability to decide on taking medications (adj. OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.10-1.58), as well as being able to get up from a chair (adj. OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.02-1.3), and having paid work (adj. OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.54-0.95) were associated with less loneliness. On the contrary, infrequent contact (once a month) with adult children (adj. OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.01-1.38), troubling body pain (adj. OR 1.16, 95% CI 1.10-1.23) and falling since the last interview (adj. OR .23, 95% CI 1.04-1.45) were positively associated with loneliness., Conclusions: In this study, functional abilities of meeting basic needs, making decisions, being mobile and contributing to the support of adult children and society were protective factors for experiencing loneliness in late life. We need to rethink interventions for addressing loneliness in the context of healthy ageing and specific cultural values, taking into account not only providing services to older adults but also supporting them to gain values by contributing to society., (© 2023 AJA Inc’.)

Aim: This study aimed to examine the differences in health status between patients with confirmed COVID-19 and those suspected (other diagnosis) and to identify nursing diagnoses using a structured checklist from a hospital in China., Design: Cross-sectional study design was used., Methods: One hundred sixty COVID-19 confirmed, and suspected patients were conveniently selected. A structured survey and checklist were utilized. Independent t test and chi-square test were employed to compare the mean between patients with confirmed coronavirus infection and others. A two-sided p-value of .05 or less is considered statistically significant., Results: The study yielded a response rate of 93.6%. The result indicated that patients with confirmed coronavirus infection have a higher proportion of perceived General Health Status than inpatients with suspected (other) diagnoses. The finding also indicated that ineffective airway clearance, hyperthermia, imbalanced nutrition less than body requirement and sleep pattern disturbance were the main nursing diagnoses identified., (© 2022 The Authors. Nursing Open published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objectives: To examine loneliness experienced by middle-aged and older Chinese immigrants and its association with accepting technology as a companion (apps, Internet and robots) versus owning pets, when social distancing measures were implemented in New Zealand during the first COVID-19 outbreak., Methods: This study conducted a community-based cross-sectional survey. Chinese immigrants who were 45-87 years old (n = 173) were invited to answer an online survey in the Chinese language, collecting demographic data, responses to the 6-item De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale and experiences in using technology and pet ownership. Descriptive analyses and inferential statistics tests were utilised in the data analysis., Results: A moderate level of overall loneliness with a mean score of 3.68 (SD 1.84), ranging from 0 to 6, was reported by participants. Emotional and social loneliness ranged from 0 to 3 with mean scores of 1.69 (SD 0.98) and 1.99 (SD 1.24), respectively. Self-reported health, financial status, English language abilities, transportation and experiences of using the Internet and apps were significantly related to experiencing loneliness. Loneliness had a weak association with acceptance of robots and pets, but 67.8% and 58.3% of participants who felt lonely, accepted companionship of robots and pets, respectively., Conclusions: The level of loneliness among older and middle-aged immigrants increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further evidence of the specific dimensions of loneliness and the utility of technology to alleviate loneliness among immigrant groups is needed. Interventions tailored for older people with specific cultural requirements to address loneliness are needed., (© 2022 AJA Inc.)