Physical inactivity is a leading cause globally of noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes, heart attacks, and strokes. Here, we present the results from a 4-week-long experimental test of a nudge designed to promote physical activity among 206 seniors in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates—a population with one of the highest rates of physical inactivity in the world. We find that the “Forever Fit” nudge—a booklet containing a simple exercise program and information about the health benefits of physical activity—has a large positive effect on 93 previously inactive seniors. The nudge increases the time previously inactive participants spend being physically active from about 5 to about 15 minutes per day.

Background: Clinical outcome is one of the indicators for treatment effect in specific populations such as the elderly. Depression is manifested as the result of biological, psychological, and social factors which are interrelated in the symptoms of low mood, energy, and motivation. In specific population of elderly, depression is related to the issue of loneliness and may impact the quality of life, as well as the progression of other medical comorbidities. Therefore, it is important to monitor the progress of treatment among theelderly.

Objectives: The Objectives of this study is to observe clinical improvement of depressive symptoms through the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS).

Methods: This is an observational cohort study conducted in the outpatient clinic setting. The data was collected after one month of follow-up. Each patient was assessed using the MADRS questionnaire in every clinical encounter. The MADRS scores were analysed statistically using descriptive and dependent variableanalysis.

Results: We collected 304 data of patients using MADRS as part of the clinical measurement. The average age is 69.98±6.6 years old. From gender distribution, 57.6% are female and 42.4% are male. From one-month follow-up, 37.8% of patients showed improvement of MADRS score and 39.1% remains the same from the previous visit.

Statistical analysis showed significant change of MADRS score after follow-up, indicating the importance of routine visit and monitoring for elderly showing symptoms of depression.

Conclusions: Psychometric evaluation is an essential component for observing the clinical improvement for elderly with symptoms of depression.

The World Health Organization (WHO) proclaimed September 21 as World Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Day and extended the observance to the entire month. Various awareness campaigns are being conducted around the world, with special emphasis on the importance of education to improve the quality of life for patients, families, and the community at large, and to eliminate stigma and ageism.

It is estimated that there are approximately 44 million people worldwide with some form of dementia, while in the United States it reaches 5.4 million. In Puerto Rico, it is estimated that there are approximately 60,000 people with Alzheimer’s disease. An AARP study (2021) showed that there are over 500,000 caregivers of older adults, making Puerto Rico one of the top three countries with the largest aging population and the 6th country in the world. While in Latin America and the Caribbean there is a prevalence between 6.2 and 6.5 per 100 adults aged 60 years or older (WHO).

This health and social situation require an educated and empowered society to meet the challenges. Muñoz et. al (2023) conducted a qualitative study with caregivers and found that 91% of the participants stated that training would help them provide better care to the elderly. Social work is one of the main disciplines dealing with this social phenomenon and should therefore play a leading role in education and therapeutic intervention.

For the past five years, the Department of Social Work at Inter-American University, Metro Campus, has joined and supported the cause through the celebration of the Alzheimer’s Symposium: A Perspective from the Academy. This event involves the entire university community, as well as the community at large, which includes caregivers, government and non- profit agencies, and professionals from various disciplines. There will be concurrent lectures, Discussions among local and international professionals, a film forum, poster presentations, artistic expressions, and educational tables. The 6th Symposium will be held on September 20, 2024. The Symposium is promoted through various media. This activity has generated alliances, recommendations and new educational projects that contribute to the well-being of older adults.

Introduction: The elderly population presents aggravating factors for the risk of suicide that must be considered. In this sense, it is known that there is a tendency for elderly people not to reveal suicidal ideation and to make highly self-destructive attempts. Furthermore, poorly planned retirement, social isolation, death of a spouse, family and friends can make this situation worse. However, few studies address this topic and public policies regarding suicide among the elderly are still scarce.

Objectives: To analyze the prevalence of suicide among elderly people in different regions of Brazil between 2019 and 2021.

Methods: Quantitative, descriptive and exploratory, cross-sectional study. For collection, the DATASUS database was used, based on information regarding the cause of intentional self- harm codes X60 to X84, based on the 10th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related HealthProblems.

Results: It was observed that in Brazil, among elderly people of both sexes, the highest suicide rates are found in the age group of 60 to 69 years, with the general proportion of suicides being higher in the male population. Furthermore, the Southeast Region had the highest number of notifications, while the North Region of the country had the lowest. The age group equal to or greater than 80 years, presented the highest number of cases in the South Region.

Conclusions: Suicide notifications are an alarm for understanding the risk factors that must be carefully identified through a broader look at issues of mental health in the elderly. This information makes it possible to understand the current scenario of deaths by region to detect populations with a higher incidence and understand the binomial of mental health and aging.

The considerable literature on the value of a statistical life (VSL) documents the wage-mortality risk trade-offs for the working population. Regulatory analyses often must monetize risks to populations at the tails of the age distribution. Because of the longer life expectancy for children, there have been proposals to add a premium to their VSL, which would generate an inconsistency with revealed preference estimates of the VSL trajectory over the life cycle. The shorter life expectancy among older people has led to various arbitrary senior discounts for seniors’ life expectancy. Application of the value of a statistical life year (VSLY) can address valuation of small changes in life expectancy. Examples of inappropriate age adjustments that we discuss include practices by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The exclusion of the elderly and people with disabilities from cancer clinical research without appropriate justification is discriminatory and is at odds with the ethos of EU principles, laws and research regulations. It further limits study generalizability. Several primary EU laws fronted by the European Charter prohibit engaging in disparate impact discrimination on the grounds of age and disability in all of EU tasks.

Promoting healthy snacking is important in addressing malnutrition, overweight and obesity among an ageing population. However, little is known about the factors underlying snacking behaviour in older adults. The present study aimed to explore within- and between-person associations between determinants (i.e. intention, visibility of snacks, social modelling and emotions) and snacking behaviours (i.e. decision to snack, health factor of the snack and portion size) in older adults (60+). Conducting a two-part intensive longitudinal design, data were analysed from forty-eight healthy older adults consisting of (1) an event-based self-report ecological momentary assessment (EMA) diary every time they had a snack and (2) a time-based EMA questionnaire on their phone five times per day. Analysis through generalised linear mixed models indicated that higher intention to snack healthily leads to healthier snacking while higher levels of social modelling and cheerfulness promote unhealthier choices within individuals. At the between-person level, similar results were found for intention and social modelling. Visibility of a snack increased portion size at both a within- and between-person level, while the intention to eat a healthy snack only increased portion size at the between-person level. No associations were found between the decision to snack and all determinants. This is the first study to investigate both within- and between-person associations between time-varying determinants and snacking in older adults. Such information holds the potential for incorporation into just-in-time adaptive interventions, allowing for personalised tailoring, more effective promotion of healthier snacking behaviours and thus pursuing the challenge of healthy ageing.