Digital interventions to improve the mental wellbeing and quality of life of community-dwelling older adults

Indira Riadi

Impact

  • The project shed light on important factors that impact the mental wellbeing of older adults in the community, which provided valuable insights for future mental health research on this growing population.

  • Additionally, the project aimed to create a community-based framework for technology services for diverse older adults. This framework has the potential to be used by senior centers across Canada and improve the mental health support for older adults through a more inclusive and forward-looking approach to digital mental health interventions.

  • British Columbia

  • Studentship

  • Simon Fraser University

  • West End Senior’s Network

  • Mitacs, Michael Smith Health Research BC

  • 2020-2022

  • Population Health

  • Seniors (aged 65 and above)

About the Project

Approximately one-fifth of Canada's population comprises seniors aged 65 and older and projections indicate a continual rise in this demographic in the foreseeable future. Consequently, there exists a growing need to gain insights into their mental well-being and devise solutions to support this vulnerable population. This project aimed to understand older adults’ mental health requirements, assess the effectiveness of existing mental health programs, and develop new technological interventions to enhance older adults’ quality of life and mental wellbeing.

Methodology

15 older adults from the Downtown West End of Vancouver were recruited to partake in this project.  They were interviewed and then were asked to complete surveys that revolved around self-reported mental health status, contributors to their positive mental health, their access to mental health services, and about future interventions they think they may access to maintain their mental well-being. Additionally, a systematic review was also conducted to understand existing digital mental health interventions for older adults.

Findings

  • Five important factors contributing to the mental well-being of older adults were identified through the interviews:

    • Stability in personal circumstances;

    • Engagement in activities;

    • Contentment with oneself;

    • Positive impact on others; and

    • A sense of belonging.

  • The systematic review identified 4 key factors contributing to the success of digital mental health interventions. This included ease of use, social interaction opportunities, tailored support and meeting participants' needs.

Project Outreach

The project spanned multiple locations within the West End Seniors Network in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Resources Created

  • 2 academic papers:

    • Riadi, I., Kervin, L., Dhillon, S., Teo, K., Churchill, R., Card, K. G., ... & Cosco, T. D. (2022). Digital interventions for depression and anxiety in older adults: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials. The Lancet Healthy Longevity, 3(8), e558-e571.

    • Riadi, I, Kervin, L., Dhillon, S., Hopper, S., Aguda, V., Cosco, T. D. (in press) Factors contributing to the mental wellbeing of community-dwelling older adults: A qualitativestudy from the Vancouver West End. BMC Geriatrics.

  • 2 conference presentations:

    • Riadi, I., Kervin, L., Dhillon, S., & Cosco, T. (2022) Factors contributing to the mental wellbeing of community-dwelling older adults: A qualitative study from the Vancouver West End. Poster presentation at the 51st Annual Scientific and Educational Meeting of the Canadian Association on Gerontology, Regina, Sask., October, 20-22, 2022

    • Riadi, I., Cosco, T. D. (2021) Digital Interventions for Depression and Anxiety in Older Adults: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials. Poster presentation at Canadian Association for Gerontology Conference, October 2021, Canada.

  • 2 non-academic pieces (West End Seniors' Network newsletters):

    • https://wesn.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2022/09/October_NL_web.pdf (P. 11)

    • https://wesn.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2022/10/WESN_newsNOV22_web.pdf (P. 11)