Childhood availability of books predicts later-life cognitive function

in Gerontologist (2013, November), 53(S1), 605-605

Depressive symptoms of childless older men and women in Europe

in Psychology and Health (2013, August), 28(SI 1), 119-119

Social media use of older adults: a mini-review

in Gerontology (2013), 59(4), 378-84

Background. Maintaining social relationships has been defined as a core element of aging well. With a considerable amount of older adults living alone, social media provides the possibility to engage in ... [more ▼]

Background. Maintaining social relationships has been defined as a core element of aging well. With a considerable amount of older adults living alone, social media provides the possibility to engage in meaningful social contact, e. g., by joining online social networks and online discussion forums. Objective. The review encompasses current knowledge of prerequisites in social media use of older adults such as functional capacity, ICT-related knowledge, and favorable attitudes towards social media. Then, potential of social media use for clinical practice and possible negative consequences are outlined. Method. Literature on social media use from a gerontological perspective was reviewed in July and August 2012. Results. Online communities are suitable to provide and receive social support when confronted with a difficult life situation, regardless of geographical location or time. From a practitioners’ perspective, social media can be used to advance health-related knowledge such as information on prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of specific conditions and disorders. Further positive consequences have been shown to be overcoming loneliness, relieving stress, and raising feelings of control and self-efficacy. Possible negative consequences could be misuse of personal data as well as the distribution and uncritical adoption of potentially harmful information via online communities. Discussion. The potential of social media in clinical practice is reflected in a wide range of intervention possibilities for older adults. However, with the rise of social media new threats emerge for older adults as well. [less ▲]

Reinvigorating the ageing process

Article for general public (2013)

Sozioökonomische Unterschiede in Gesundheit der über 50-Jährigen in Europa – Niedriger elterlicher sozioökonomischer Status und kindliche Gesundheit als Risikofaktoren?

in Vögele, Claus (Ed.) 11. Kongress der Fachgruppe Gesundheitspsychologie. Selbstregulation und Gesundheit. Abstractband des Kongresses. (2013)

V2me: Evaluating the first steps in mobile friendship coaching

in Journal of Ambient Intelligence and Smart Environments, in press (2012), 4(6), 517-534

Life events, such as retirement or being widowed, can change the social circle of older people considerably. It may be difficult to find new social contacts when one has never got used to, or perhaps even ... [more ▼]

Life events, such as retirement or being widowed, can change the social circle of older people considerably. It may be difficult to find new social contacts when one has never got used to, or perhaps even never learnt, to seek and maintain those contacts. Loneliness has many negative effects for well-being, including depression and even cardiovascular disease. The Ambient Assisted Living Joint Programme (AAL-JP) research project V2me seeks to find a solution for alleviating loneliness by means of easy-to-use technology including touch screen devices. The idea is to use a virtual coach for encouraging users to take an active role in contacting people and teaching them how to initiate and maintain meaningful and enduring relations. The first step, in the process of creating the complete virtual coach-assisted system for preventing loneliness, is to create a prototype and use the feedback from older users for developing the system. In this paper we discuss the results of the first pilot and what steps need to be taken next. [less ▲]

Type and duration of working-life non-employment spells predict cognitive function in old age

in Gerontologist (2012), 52(S1), 676-677

Subjektive Ressourcen und Defizite in der Pflege des Ehepartners mit Demenz (Subjective resources and deficits in spousal dementia caregiving)

in Verhaltenstherapie (2011, September), 21(S1), 14-14

Alleviating loneliness in old age with an ICT-based social enrichment programme

Scientific Conference (2011, August)

Attitudes toward death and dying in old age: High perceived control, low metaphysical beliefs.

in Gerontologist (2011), 51(S2), 356-357